There is a real sense of Autumn on the reserve with chillier mornings, damper weather and the changing colours of trees and plants we see every day. There has also been some thick mist hanging over the reserve and the surrounding roads giving that mysterious and almost timeless feel to the Avalon Marshes. For the most part it soon clears and there have been some lovely days to enjoy, plus we've made some good progress with habitat management work in front of the 1st platform.
All the cutting has now been completed but we've just some of the cut material to clear up and burn (the edges where our machine cannot safely reach). We aim to have this done on Thursday with our volunteers and we can then raise water levels to suppress any regrowth and create some nice splashy zones for waders and ducks to enjoy.
The main bulk of these birds at the moment are in front of the 2nd platform. As many as 200 Lapwing are using the area along with several hundred duck (including Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal). They are not always immediately visible, until a Marsh Harrier pops by and puts them all up - then you get a real sense of the numbers hiding out there. One elusive visitor out here has been the Glossy Ibis - reported on Sunday & Monday from here but also reported roosting over at Shapwick much later in the week - so it's likely that it's still out there.
Dave Chislett and his son Sam were out and about on Sunday (1pm) and Sam managed to get these shots and kindly sent them in - thanks Sam.
Glossy Ibis: Sam Chislett
Glossy Ibis : Sam Chislett
Another more unusual visitor came on Wednesday in the form of a Pectoral Sandpiper, again seen in this area but was hard to track down and see well. Other people tried on Thursday to catch up with it but had no luck. They just had to enjoy a few Great White Egrets, c9 Snipe, c200 Lapwing, 5 Bearded Tits and 2 Ravens flying over - never mind. It could still be out there, the Glossy too, so perhaps if your having no luck from the 2nd platform cross to the grassy track via the new bridge and search the areas between there and the 2nd platform - it might just give you another angle on things.
It's a good time of year to see Bearded Tits as they tend to group together during September & October before dispersing. Several small groups have been seen in public areas this past week. 6 were seen from the 1st platform (and several small groups here last Sunday), 3 or 4 in Loxtons and 2 or 3 in Waltons (4 from the Tor View Hide last week too) so keep 'em peeled. Also out in the reedbeds you can still hear the piercing call of the Cettis Warbler and find Reed Buntings flitting around. You can often see other birds feeding on the seed heads too including Blue Tits.
Flocks of Tits are quite noticeable at the moment, particularly Long Tailed Tits as the call constantly, often following tree lines as you walk. Scan the groups, because you never know what might be hiding amongst them - both Goldcrest and Chiffchaff and been recorded in these groups this week and Chiffchaffs have been heard calling too.
In terms of birds of prey it's bee quite busy too. Daily sightings of Marsh Harrier from all over the reserve but 3 seen simultaneously on Wednesday morning. One was also seen hunting over Waltons on Wednesday where c500 Starlings are roosting at present. Any strong easterly winds could start to bring more birds in to boost these numbers. A Red Kite passed in front of the 1st platform on Sunday flying east towards the 2nd but not recorded again, a Sparrowhawk flew in front of the 2nd platform on Wednesday morning and a Kestrel was again seen hovering nearby too. It's being seen most days at the moment. John Crispin managed to photograph it from the 1st platform on Tuesday:
Buzzards are also a daily sight although a member of the public came across an injured one on Tuesday. John Crispin was on hand and phoned Secret World, who kindly came out and collected the bird.
There are still a few dragonflies on the wing with Southern Hawker, Ruddy darter & Common Darter all seen as well as Migrant Hawker (pictured):
Migrant Hawker : Carol Coward
It's going to be a quieter few months for Amphibians, Reptiles and mammals as we approach hibernation time but you can still at present see Iberian Water Frogs in the car park pools and a few Common Frog, Common Toads & Grass Snakes are still being spotted. A Roe Deer startled a visitor around the Waltons trail on Monday and I spotted a fox lurking on the north of the reserve late last week.
Also seen this week: c30 Meadow Pipits in fields adjacent to Tinneys (on the Sharpham Road), 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers along the canal bank, Hobbies seen earlier in the week, a lot of flights from both Bittern and Kingfishers this week so a good chance of seeing both of these, Garganey seen from the 2nd platform, groups of Canada Geese flying over and using the cut islands in front of the 1st platform but also Greylags with 2 seen on Wednesday and a group of 6 on Thursday in front of the 1st platform.
That's it for this week - have a great weekend. I'll leave you with a nice shot from John Crispin of a Grey Heron using the floating rafts in Waltons this week. Thanks to John as ever for all his fantastic shots.
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