I said last week that it felt more like Autumn and this week has confirmed that feeling. There seems to have been a significant turning of leaf colour around the reserve and some very chilly mornings with a mild frost here and there.
This has also heralded the arrival of some winter visitors, with large groups of Redwing in particular seen locally. A large group were seen around the car park on Thursday, while groups of as many as 40 Fieldfare flew over the reserve both yesterday and this morning.
If you have visited the reserve in the last few days you may have noticed that we now have a toilet block and visitor building on site. There is still some work to be done here making them fit for purpose - most notably they need to be plumbed in and have electricity supplied.
Work on the new hide is also progressing. The windows are still not yet in place but staff and volunteers have begun to make some other finishing touches. We still aim to have this open at the end of the month - fingers crossed.
Whilst working on the hide we've seen a number of Bittern flights and regular Kingfisher activity, some Bearded Tits heard pinging and a little more wildfowl is now beginning to settle in the pool in front (see below)
John Crispin has had special permission to spend some time up there and manged to snap these lovely sunrise shots! Thanks John.
With a more autumnal feel on the reserve it's been no surprise to see more Starlings hanging about locally and there are now a few thousand birds using the reserve to roost at night. Waltons and Loxtons seem to be favourite at the moment. Robin Morrison sent me these photos of the murmuration over Loxtons this week - thanks Robin.
During his time there he also saw 3 Sparrowhawks and a Peregrine which swooped low through the flock several times - eventually with success.
Birds of prey can feature heavily around Starling time and we know that our Barn Owls feed heavily on them in the winter months giving them a great chance of survival. A bird has again this week been seen using the box opposite the first platform - last seen Weds morning. Marsh Harriers are also prevalent with daily sightings. It's becoming rare not to see one on a visit.
A Kestrel has again been seen - every day this week. It seems to spend much of its time just beyond the second platform and can be seen hovering for long periods.
Just beyond this area is a couple of sections which have low water levels at present so you never know what might be hanging around. The area in front of the second platform in particular is a good place to start. Viewing it both from the platform and from the grassy bank on the other side will give you good views of most of the area.
During the last week: c40 Snipe, c150 Black Tailed Godwits, c250 Lapwing and a host of duck. Of particular note this week has been an increase in Wigeon numbers. You hear them whistling loudly - particularly in the morning.
Black Tailed Godwits.
The Glossy Ibis has been seen locally ( check out the Somerset Ornithological Society website for the latest) but hasn't been seen at Ham Wall since last Sunday as far as I'm aware.
The first platform should show some significant changes over the next few days. We have now finished our reed cutting work and have cleared some bramble & scrub to open up the views a little more. Water levels should now be on the rise and should bring some wildlife with it. Great White Egrets have been using the area - even when quite dry and can often be seen feeding here during winter months. A Great White Egret was also seen at Tinneys Ground - the plot on the Sharpham road this morning.
Within Waltons good views can be had of Little Grebe and Shoveler from the screens and also frequent kingfisher visits.
Good views of Kingfisher can also be had from the Loxtons screen. John Crispin managed to grab these shots early one morning of a Kingfisher ejecting its pellet.
Fascinating!!!
As expected much fewer butterflies now being seen although Speckled Wood, Red Admiral & Green Veined White were spotted. Some dragonflies are on the wing still - Migrant Hawker, Rudy Darter and Common Darter all seen. With the frosts coming these numbers will probably diminish steadily.
Also this week: 2 Jays seen by the wood in front of the 1st platform and 3 flew past the platform directly last Friday (lots of acorn collecting perhaps), 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers flying in front of the 2nd platform on Tuesday, Ravens flying over, Iberian Water Frog in the car park pools, Roe Deer around the Waltons Trail and very audible Cettis Warblers around the reserve.
Good news from last week on the injured Buzzard that was taken to Secret World. It has now recovered sufficiently to be released on the advice of their vet - great stuff.
That's it for this week - have a good weekend!