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Stephen Couch

This might be a slightly shorter blog than normal as jobs took a little longer than expected out on the reserve this morning - I know I've said this in the past and it's still been pretty long but I don't have much time at all today but here goes anyway.

The good news is that we have finished the cutting in front of the first viewing platform (VP1) and we are slowly letting water back into this area to create some nice splashy areas that will be more suitable to wintering ducks and waders. 

It was definitely a little busier out there in terms of wildlife the last few days. The heavy rain showers this week have already left a fair amount of standing water out there. Greylag Geese were making good use of it earlier in the week and a large flock of Canada Geese had gathered this morning. 

A few duck are frequenting the area with a sighting of a Pintail yesterday was nice to hear about even if I didn't see it. 

Yesterday a single male pochard was present and then joined by 5 Teal but also look out for Mallard and Tufted Duck which have also been spotted.

Some of the most frequent avian visitors are the Great White Egrets - spending hours patiently fishing on the cut islands. This one photographed by John Crispin was rather annoyed at being ousted from its fishing spot by a Grey Heron. One heron was perched on our floating pontoons this morning (we use these to access the islands with the reed cutting machine). They must make the perfect fishing platform.

Sandie Andrews has also sent e a couple of shots in this week. One of an egret coming in to land and causing some disturbance to other birds and the other in flight nicely reflected in the water:

A group of 8 Great White Egrets were seen yesterday morning and flew past VP1 and appeared to land in front of the second viewing platform (VP2) further down the main path. 

Egrets can often be seen here, where there are some patches of vegetation and some slightly shallower areas. Lapwing will most likely head up to VP1 once it gets wetter but several have been using the VP2 area this week often sharing the tufts of vegetation with Wigeon:

With more Wigeon and Teal arriving (and the weather changing) it finally feels as though Autumn is fully underway. I was lucky enough to see my first Fieldfares of the winter on Wednesday, with a large flock of 60-70 flying over me - these would have been visible from VP1. 

A few more Stonechats are being reported and I saw my first on while out cutting reeds on Wednesday too. 

Despite the colder weather, there are plenty of insects on the wing still, with butterflies such as Red Admiral feeding on the ivy which is a great late nectar source. A few plants such as Hogweed and  Comfrey are also still in flower - photos by Bryn Evans:

Ivy:

Hogweed:

Comfrey:

Plenty of leaves are falling from trees, the reedbeds are beginning to turn more golden and reed mace plants (bull rush) are literally exploding with seeds:

Reed mace: Bryn Evans

There's more that just butterflies on the wing. Hoverflies and wasps are still quite active although it looks as though the Hornets, which have been pretty abundant this year, have slowed right down. 

A few dragonflies are still being seen: Migrant Hawkers, Southern Hawker, Ruddy Darter and Common Darter. all reported this week. I saw mating Common Darters this morning and these  were taken by Sandie Andrews last Friday:

These of course are skilled predators but some flying insects aren't safe anywhere. This fly was caught by a Nursery Web Spider this week and photographed by Bryn Evans. This species doesn't use a web to catch prey but actively hunts and will grab a meal that lands to close. As Bryn describes: It's easy to forget the drama of life between hunter and prey (particularly when you are usually taking pictures of species in isolation):

It will be time to hibernate for may species and I'd imagine this would be one of them. The caterpillar of the Ruby Tiger Moth:

Another sign of Autumn will be the increase in fungi you will see. The extra dampness at this time of year creates the ideal conditions. This one is Volvariella gloiocephala (Stubble Rosegill) snapped by Bryn Evans:

Starlings are another sign of the season for us as we brace ourselves for the flood of visitors that come to see the spectacle. Numbers are now increasing (slowly) and stand at around 8000-9000 birds. They are using the Waltons reed beds at present. 

It's one of our specialities I guess along with the Bittern - the species which Ham Wall was originally created to help. They can still be seen at this time of year but perhaps not as readily as in the spring/summer. Sightings from VP1, VP2, Waltons and the Avalon Hide this week. One was seen at the rear of Waltons this week taking a long time to swallow a large fish - it did manage it eventually. 

This individual was photographed by John Crispin from VP2 this week flying east:

Another prominent species is the Marsh Harrier. Unusual not to see one on your visit to Ham Wall these days. 6 different birds were seen over Waltons on Wednesday this week. 

Plumage can vary quite a bit between birds - particularly the males. A visitor showed me a photo of a very pale looking male on the reserve this week. 

These two males were both photographed by John Crispin this week a few days apart. First a very scruffy looking bird with missing feathers etc and then a much more pristine looking bird:

 

Another reserve favourite although often much harder to track down is the Bearded Tit. We heard some in Waltons this morning and they were also seen distant from VP1. The Avalon Hide area seems to be the best hotspot for visitors. Check out the reedbeds either side of the path as you go through the gate from the grassy footpath up towards the wood. Sandie Andres took these shots there this week. Male, female, female in flight and juvenile:

The Avalon Hide has reportedly been quite active with birds these last few days but I haven't managed to get up there myself this week. On Monday 3 Cranes were spotted flying over the north of the reserve and a Kingfisher has been seen here on several occasions as well as using the post and rails in front of VP1 as a launch pad for fishing.

Gadwall are probably the most populous duck on the reserve at the moment. Waltons in particular has had a good share recently. 

 

Around the Waltons trail this morning we encountered 3 Roe Deer , although not these 3 snapped by John Crispin this week along the side of the main drain - this looks like a family group:

The main drain seems a good place to see Mute Swans - you can often get close for some good photo opportunities as Sandie Andrews proves here. There was also one just as you cross from VP1 into Waltons this morning sat in the small drain very close in - seemingly unbothered by visitors:

Another bird unworried by visitors is the Robin - in fact they seem to actively seek us out. Good source of food I suppose. We were sent this photo this week from our headquarters after a visitor sent it in. I thought the photo was fab. It was taken by 13 year old Kyle Szydlo who visited us with his dad Piotr. Well done Kyle keep up the good work and keep loving wildlife:

This was on the main path through the reserve. Check out the tree lines here for a variety of birds. Groups of Long Tailed Tits are always great to see adding movement and noise to your visits while you may also see Goldcrests, Goldfinches, Treecreeper (2 by the Waltons screens this week too), Bullfinch, Chiffchaff (pictured) and Song Thrush. Perhaps soon we will see more Redpoll and Siskin which usually join us in the winter months. 

Also this week: Red Kite spotted yesterday on a few occasions, Ravens over the car park on Monday, Sparrowhawk around the Waltons trail this morning, Green Woodpecker seen around the car park daily but also near VP1 on Wednesday, Great Spotted Woodpecker daily, Weasel on the Waltons boardwalk on Saturday, 10 Snipe seen from VP1 on Sunday and Jays very active across the reserve collecting and caching acorns for the winter - 3 seen together in the oaks by VP2 on Monday and this one photographed by John Crispin this week:

After posting a picture of a bat in the last blog I was contacted by Dave Cottle ( part of the local bat group). He forwarded it on to two others for a more conclusive ID. The consensus is that it was most likely Common Pipistrelle rather than Soprano Pipistrelle. We do in fact have all 3 Pipistrelle species recorded on the reserve - the third being Nathusius. Many thanks to Dave and his expert friends for all the info. 

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend - it was still quite a long blog wasn't it!!