Apologies for the lack of a blog last week. I was on a training course which took all day. It was nice to hear my first singing Willow Warbler of the season though and since then I've heard several more around the reserve along with blackcap and multiple numbers of chiffchaff. Chiffchaff seem to have overwintered in large numbers so it's no real surprise to hear so many in song. Thanks to John Crispin, Robin Morrison and David Love for their Chiffchaff shots taken this week:
Chiffchaff: David Love
Missing a blog last week means I have rather a backlog of photos sent to me, so apologies if I don't post them all - I must have way over 60 or even
70 sent to me in the last fortnight. I think I would be here all weekend otherwise.
I was out on the reserve this morning - it was bleak to say the least and not very spring like. Having said that I was treated to a lovely display from some Sand Martins from the Tor View Hide - believe it or not, my first of the season. But a happy encounter for me none the less. A House Martin was also spotted amongst the flocks this morning and there have also been a couple of reports of single swallows this week.
I could see at least 5 Grey Herons nests in the reedbeds from the hide too - some of these must be well underway by now. In fact look out for a post on our social media pages tomorrow of some interesting behaviour from them that was photographed last week. It's also another way of using some of my plethora of photos in a different way too. Thanks to Robin Morrison for his Grey Heron shot taken this week:
Great Crested Grebes were also present on both sides of the Tor View Hide this morning and from the 3 viewing screens but these pictures from Robin Morrison were taken from the newly replaced (and now open) screen in the South East Corner of Waltons. Great courtship/weed dance - what a treat. Thanks Robin:
Love is in the air here for sure but if another male strays into a territory then things can get pretty aggressive too as Andrew Kirby's show. These were taken from the Tor View Hide last week. Thanks Andrew:
The Great Crested Grebes are hugely popular with visitors at this time of year particularly, with their amazing courtship behaviour - they are a beautiful looking bird too.
Another bid everyone wants to see at the moment is the Glossy Ibis. We've had a pair hanging around the site for some time now - wouldn't it be great if they bred. I'm not getting my hopes up as we had a similar situation last year. They are wonderful to see though. Early mornings appear to be best but they have been seen on the occasional afternoon too over the last couple of weeks. Thanks to Andrew Kirby and John Crispin for their recently taken photos:
The best place to see these is usually the first viewing platform (VP1). Keep an eye on the artificial Sand Martin bank - fingers crossed it will get used this year. If you look closely underneath a Great Crested Grebe pair have built a nest - much more sheltered here I guess - very sensible.
This morning there were plenty of shoveler along with a few wigeon, tufted duck, mallard and pochard. I have to admit, I didn't loiter for long. The wind and rain put me off slightly.
Some waders have been reported here this morning and throughout the week. 22 Black Tailed Godwits, 3 Redshank and 1 Spotted Redshank amongst the numbers. 4 lapwing have been seen displaying here too. water levels are dropping and green reed shoots are starting to grow in a few places too. The whole reserve will begin to look very lush in no time. Thanks to John Crispin who managed to capture a couple of shots of the Spotted Redshank:
You may see Snipe here too but they can also be spotted over on the island in front of the third viewing screen at Waltons or from the Tor View Hide. Thanks to Sandie Andrews for her photo:
Whilst in and around the Tor View Hide keep an eye out for Water Rails. There have been a few sightings here in the last couple of weeks, including this Wednesday and by John Crispin who took these lovely photos. Thanks John:
Often hard to see are Water Rails but often heard - they sound like a squealing pig just to give you a clue if you don't know.
Another bird usually heard rather than seen is the Cettis Warbler. It has a very obvious punchy call that you will often hear in the reed edges. This time of year is the best time to see them. They are getting pretty territorial and will often perch up singing out in the open. Once the leaves form on the scrubby bushes this gets harder again.
Thanks to Sandie Andrews who sent in here picture of 2 Cettis in some form of territorial dispute which went on for around 2o minutes on the Waltons Trail.
Territorial disputes from birds not often seen - sounds like Bitterns to me. That has been the case this week with 2 birds seen in a chase from VP1. This can sometimes be males chasing females and can result in multiple birds in the air at the same time - this is when their usual secretive nature goes out of the window. It can also be males in dispute and they can get quite angry with each other. The next 3 months or so is the best time to see Bitterns too as they behave as above and then later you can see more flights from females who need to feed hungry mouths. Thanks to Robin Morrison for his shot of a lone bird in a graceful flight:
There fellow heron family members - the Great White Egret can also be seen pretty frequently - obviously a lot easier to spot being big and white. You may also see Little Egret - there's been one feeding regularly from VP1 recently. There's quite a size difference between the two. To give you some idea John Crispin has sent in this wonderful photo taken last week from VP1. He's also sent in a second photo taken this week with a Grey Heron in the background. Thanks John:
Thanks also to John for this close up of a Great White Egret looking just a little crazy - hope it's just the camera angle:
Thanks also to Sandie Andrews for her shot of one in flight:
Marsh Harriers are perhaps one of the other favourites. Luckily they are quite easy to spot and are seen regularly. We have a few pairs on the reserve with perhaps the best spots being the Avalon Hide, VP2 or VP1. A pair were seen mating from VP1 yesterday, whilst other interactions between males and females have also been seen.
Another special pair of birds seen this week has been the Garganey pair seen at VP2 on several occasions. It is possible that a male has overwintered locally as there have been a few sightings including at Ham Wall. They are normally considered a summer visitor. Thanks to John Crispin for his shot of the pair in flight:
It's the white stripe on the eye of the male which is the best ID feature to look for.
This tufted duck female has white around the base of her bill - not to be confused with Scaup - just in case you see her. Thanks to John Crispin for the photo:
This looks to be from VP1 given the rails. Look out here also for Pintail which have been recorded a few times recently. Across the site Teal are still present. I've already mentioned Shoveler but take a close look at their behaviour. Pairs are often in groups and swimming in circles - this is part of their mating ritual. All very fascinating. I also couldn't help but include this trio of shots from Sandie Andrews of a Mallard coming into land. I just thought it was rather a nice little sequence. Thanks Sandie:
Here's another bird coming in for a dramatic splash, this Cormorant taken by John Crispin. We have several Cormorants nesting in a colony on the reserve and they can often be seen perched on the rails in the water in front of VP1, often with wings spread in that familiar, almost prehistoric looking pose. Thanks for sending it in John:
Of course we don't just focus all our work on birds. Plenty of other wildlife makes it's home here too. Often it's just harder to see, particularly when the weather isn't as pleasant as we'd like. A few butterflies have been spotted in the calmer, sunnier spells with sightings of Peacock, Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell all reported to us. Thanks to David Love who photographed this Small Tortoiseshell on his recent visit:
Mammals are also tricky to see sometimes. We have seen some small mammals in the wildlife garden such as bank vole and wood mice but perhaps the most easy spot would be roe deer. There's a bit of a herd developing in fields just to the north of the site. I counted 12 together on Monday, whilst another was actually on the reserve quite close to me at the same time. You may see them around the Waltons trail or on the grassy footpath from time to time. Thanks to Sandie Andrews for her recent photos:
Also this week: Green Woodpecker heard frequently around the reserve including close to the car park this morning, Great Spotted Woodpecker daily (and heard drumming), Barn Owl seen at one of the boxes visible from the Avalon Hide on Wednesday and a Kestrel also seen nearby, Kingfisher sightings this week at the Avalon Hide, Waltons and VP2. Little Gull reported from VP1 yesterday, Stonechats spotted at VP1 brambles, bullfinch along the main path and Ravens seen flying over on a few occasions including this pair this week. Thanks to John Crispin for the photo:
I'd better leave it there as I have one more task to do before I can go home. Thanks for reading. Apologies again if I haven't included your photos. I will try to use some more for next week's blog. Have a great weekend!