Important Notice – Footpath Closure
Essential Maintenance Works to Ashcott Railway Bridge from 12 October for 6 weeks

Due to circumstances beyond our control, Dawnus Construction will be carrying out some essential maintenance works to Ashcott Railway Bridge on behalf of the environment agency who manage the main path through the reserve. These works are due to commence on the 12th October 2015. The works will take…

I was away last Friday and didn't get a chance to do the blog so there' s a bit to catch up with. It's been a lovely week this week and we've made a bit of progress with our reed cutting in front of the 1st platform. We hope to finish by next Thursday and begin to raise the water levels once more.

Work has also progressed with the new hide. The windows will hopefully be in next week but we'll have a fair…

Here's just a few shots of the new Avalon Hide, currently under construction at Ham Wall. It's going to be a 2 storey hide with a lower walkway at the bottom and a covered upper storey. 

Looking a bit like Noah's ark.

View from the upper storey.

Since these photos were taken the roof has gone on and there are 6 large glass windows arriving in the next week or so. It will then be up to staff & volunteers…

No doubt the star of the week was the Glossy Ibis. It was first seen on Sunday from  the second viewing platform where it showed well for some time. On Monday it was seen here again but also in the section to the left (between the 2 platforms). It was viewed by crossing the new bridge and taking a right and was in the splashy area on the left. I tried this myself but had no luck. It seemed it had gone but on Wednesday…

It's been a lovely warm week on the reserve and it's been a real help to get us catching up with our reedbed management work. We're cutting islands in front of the 1st platform and hopefully it may just be a couple more weeks before we finish and get water levels back up. 

The weather has also helped the contractors building the new Avalon Hide. They've made some real progress: the lower walkway is finished…

Firstly, I must apologize again for the lack of blog in the last 2 or 3 weeks. I've been away on annual leave and despite my best efforts to try and squeeze a blog in before I was away, I failed miserably. Unfortunately, I've given myself a lot to catch up with to catch up with. It's probably best I just give a quick overview of the last couple of weeks and then get back on track with more current news.

Here are the extra pictures I promised from this years Barn Owl Ringing. Thanks again to Chris Sperring MBE for coming in and doing it with us. 

With the weather so changeable it's hard to remember sometimes that it's still August - it's almost felt autumnal at times this week. Although it's a quiet time of year for birds on the reserve there is still plenty to report. A good hunt around different areas of the reserve can bring great rewards.

A good place to start at the moment is the 2nd viewing platform. You have to work a bit harder here than…

I know it's only been a few days since the last one but thought it was well worth getting in the usual Friday blog and getting back on track.

 I hadn't been well for a few days and it was great to be back at work and catch sight of an Osprey. The bird was looking rather tatty - perhaps after a busy breeding season so there's a chance that it will hang around the local reserves for a few days. Good views were had over…

Apologies for another late blog - I've been laid out with a sickness bug and have just got back on my feet. I was even happier to be back when I caught up with the Osprey which several people reported to me this morning. It was seen over Waltons (and beyond), Loxtons and from the second platform today, so it's doing the rounds. It looks rather shabby so well into moult. It's a bird I quite often miss when they pass through…

It seems to be slowly creeping towards that very quiet time of year on the reserve. July is half over and August is fast approaching. Many birds are in moult after breeding which makes flight more difficult so they tend to be more hidden and of course there's a lot less singing. They've been busy feeding and tending their young for several weeks and looking for a well deserved rest. As a parent myself I know how they…

We have got lots of activities for all the family going on in Somerset through out the summer holidays.

Have a look to see which ones take your fancy!

It's been a bit of a changeable week on the reserve and there's a distinct sense of bird life just slowing down a little as we approach the end of the breeding season for many species. The sight of c60 Lapwings flocking together - often disturbed by birds of prey such as Marsh Harriers passing over  before settling again is one indicator of change. This could well be the most likely time you'll see them as they…

Following last years success we have got more dates for this unique experience at Ham Wall.

Book now to avoid disappointment

Well, this blog quickly follows the last one but there's plenty to write about. The best news of the week came on Wednesday when Chris Sperring MBE of the Hawk & Owl Trust came in to check our Barn Owl Boxes for us. The first 2 boxes disappointingly were being used by Grey Squirrel and the 3rd box was empty but had evidence that Tawny Owls had used it - confirming what we had thought - a suspected sighting of a young…

We had a visit today from Chris Sperring MBE from the Hawk & Owl Trust. He is licensed to inspect Barn Owl boxes and ring any owlets. The good news is we have 2 broods of 3 chicks each all looking very healthy.

Chris with the first of this years young.

Close up of another!

Sorry if I look a bit grumpy in this photo - I've no reason to be. 6 young from 2 nests is a pleasing result. It's down on last year but…

Apologies for the lack of blog last week - I was away for much of the week and just haven't had the time this week until now. I did spend a couple of days with work over at Arne in Dorset - a reserve well worth a visit.  Good views of Nightjar, Spoonbill and Dartford Warbler the highlights. I'll hopefully do another blog this Friday or on Monday so I may keep this one more brief than usual.

While here in Somerset…

A nice bunch of photos this week thanks to contributions from both John Crispin and Robin Morrison - thank you both very much - the photos really make the blog what it is - rather than just my ramblings.

During the last couple of weeks there has been, not surprisingly, an increase in the number of young birds seen - particularly those out on the water as the following photos from Robin Morrison show:

Coot feeding…

Another great week on the reserve, with plenty to see for our growing numbers of visitors. It's been so great to be hearing such positive things from our guests and even more rewarding to be able to give them an interesting wildlife spectacle.

There are several stars of the show each week at present, so I'll do my bets to include as many as I can.

Bitterns are an obvious start with plenty of sightings to speak…

The very windy weather on Monday & Tuesday meant there was a lot less activity - that is apart from the hundreds of Swifts swooping around the reserve who seemed to buck the trend - it was a fantastic sight. I'm guessing the wind must have kept the insect life a lot lower and the Swifts took full advantage. I was in awe for several minutes. 

Now I know House Martins don't read this blog but it's as though they…

There seems to have been an increase in Bittern activity this week - suggests that perhaps some females are off nests and out feeding youngsters. There have again been several chases involving multiple birds. his photograph taken by John Crispin is likely to be a female being chased by a male. The size difference as well as their behaviour lends themselves to this conclusion. There are still several booming males being…

Yet another interesting week on the reserve. It seems that even after 9 years of working here there's always something new to experience and enjoy. I was out trying to find poo of various animals for our who's poo? event next week ( this is not the new experience I'm talking about), I was checking around sluices for signs of Otter and mink when I saw a water vole swimming in the sluice - managed to grab a couple of photos…

Another week  packed full of wildlife on the reserve, although the mixed bag of weather hasn't made things easy. Thursday in particular was so awful we cancelled the Bittern surveys and the Bitterns in Hot Pursuit event or as Ray Summers the Warden put it Bitterns in Wet Suits event.  We'll be running more - every Thursday in May and the first 2 in June as well, so more opportunities. Bitterns are still active though…

There have been several stars of this weeks show on the reserve, with great numbers of Hobby, in particular, wowing visitors.

Hobby on the hunt

Hobby grabbing its prey

Time for lunch.

It's been a wonderful sight all week with 15 - 20 birds often on show at one time but occasionally 30 -40 seen - it's quite something. The Waltons section has been the most profitable for those seeking them out.

They are…

It's been yet another busy week for visitors on the reserve - helped in some way by the Hudsonian Godwit that's been frequenting our neighbors reserve at Natural England's Shapwick Heath. Many people have made a day of it and got there rarity and then come to visit us.

There's been plenty to show people but the star of the week has got to be the Hobby. Large groups have been reported by many visitors, particularly…