Happy New Year to you all and welcome to the first sightings blog of 2016. Having been away over Christmas, it's always nice to get back to work in such a wonderful place. I've tried to keep my eye on things from afar by watching Twitter updates and looking at the Somerset Ornithological Society website but nothing beats getting out on the reserves yourself. I'd seen the Dusky Warbler was being tracked down fairly regularly and it's still present now - seen again - briefly this morning in the same place - just after the left hand turning to the Avalon Hide. It was seen close to the bench a bit further on during Thursday so it's worth spending some time scanning and listening along this whole length of trees. Siberian Chiffchaff has also been seen in the same area in the last few days.
Having mentioned the Avalon Hide, I should ought to mention that we have had to close this as a temporary measure. The path - as many of you know has become extremely muddy and we feel the conditions are becoming too difficult at the moment. We apologize for this inconvenience but are looking for a swift solution. Rubber matting has been ordered (like the matting towards the Tor View Hide) and with the help of our very dedicated volunteers we will attempt to rectify these issues over the next few weeks and get things up and running again the best we can.
Fear not, the rest of the reserve remains open although the further bridge closure on the rail path means negotiating the footpath side of the canal before crossing back over. Volunteers have begun to clear away some of the mud at the start of this walk where it passes under the trees and there is solid track underneath to try and make things a little easier. It is hoped that the bridge will be reopen in another couple of weeks and things will return to 'normal'.
It may be a blessing then that the Starlings have currently moved to Shapwick Heath - using the Western end close to Decoy Hide (of course the can decide to move again at any time). Use the Hotline service but currently it may be best to park at the Avalon Marshes Centre and walk up to Western end of Shapwick Heath from there. Numbers are good with numbers quoted between 500,00 and 750,000 but your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps a sudden cold snap in Europe will swell these numbers further.
The fine weather has led to e few more unusual sightings for the time of year with many plants in flower and daffodils in bloom. We also has some activity from Iberian Water Frogs in the car park pools although they were rather sluggish. There was a mini Dawn Chorus in the car park too this week with Song Thrush, Wren and Dunnock all in song.
It has also seen the early return of Great Crested Grebes to the reserve - often absent during cold winter months. 2 individuals have been seen (one in Waltons and one from the 1st platform) and both have been calling at times.
Also within Waltons you can often see this Cormorant in its full breeding plumage. Some other birds are starting to show their white thigh patch but this is the only one in all its finery:
Waltons can also be a good place to look for Kingfishers, Marsh Harriers and Bitterns of which several flights were recorded earlier in the week from the Tor View Hide. Late in the day the Glossy Ibis has often been seen flying over towards Shapwick Heath where it's been roosting at night. It has however been spending many of the last few days feeding, preening and loafing about in front of the 2nd platform so start your search there. Thanks, as always, to John Crispin for a fantastic selection of photos to supplement the blog:
There's been a general increase in wildfowl numbers on the site and this is reflected in the section in front of the 2nd platform. Certainly there were good numbers of Shoveler, Teal and Gadwall there on Monday. A group of c50 Black Tailed Godwits were also flying around for some time looking for somewhere to settle. There are a few Lapwing feeding in this area too here and there on the slightly higher ridges of land. Keep a look out here and in the block to the west for Water Pipits too - as many as 6 have been recorded this week.
Great White Egrets are seen every day on the reserve in several different areas. One good place to start is the 1st platform. This has often proved to be a favoured feeding area in previous years and John Crispin managed to catch these shots here this week of one struggling to swallow a sizable fish:
Also this week: Great Spotted Woodpecker seen & heard calling in several locations but heard drumming close to the first gateway on the footpath track, Barn Owls seen in the box opposite the 1st platform but also in flight in front of the 2nd platform on a couple of occasions, a large group of c60 Pied Wagtails coming out of the reserve in the mornings from a roost (location not known), Ravens flying over on Monday, a Roe Deer seen on the edge of the wood near the drumming Woodpecker, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests seen - often within tit flocks, Sparrowhawk & Buzzard in flight, Treecreeper heard along the old rail path and also along there several Bullfinches seen (as many as 4 males and 2 females):
That's it for this week - have a great weekend!