Bird Watching

Please note, no dogs allowed.

Posted 24th September: We arrived at the End hide at Stert Point, for our second visit here, just as the high tide was turning at 9am. There were disappointingly fewer waders than two weeks previously, with just a few dozen ringed plovers, dunlin and curlew. There were, however, definite signs of migration, with swallows moving along the coast almost constantly and a whinchat and two wheatears seen. These birds will all be on their way to sub-Saharan Africa for our winter. Replacing these, a few wigeon close in shore on the sea were some of the first of many thousands that will spend the winter in Somerset, having moved south from their breeding grounds in Iceland and Scandinavia. Other signs that summer is over were linnets and goldfinches now gathering in small flocks. Sitting in the hide we were also treated to close views of a great spotted woodpecker and a sparrowhawk, both of which perched outside.

Posted 13th September: Five of us ventured out to the coast at Steart on 11th September, meeting initially at the Wildfowl and Wetlands car park, then driving on to Steart village. We were principally there to look for the flocks of waders that gather on the shore at high tide, so we walked out to the End hide at Stert Point, right on the shore, arriving just at high tide as some fairly large waves were breaking. A flock of curlew was sitting a few hundred yards along the beach and several thousand shelduck rested on the sea and beach. As the tide turned flocks of several hundred ringed plovers and dunlin flew in in front of the hide - with the occasional sanderling and turnstone. Two peregrines were also occasionally seen, there to hunt the flocks of waders. We climbed the stairs in the Tower hide too, to get a good view across this coastal landscape. Fortunately we were in the hides when the occasional heavy shower came over from the direction of Hinkley.

Posted 27th August: With six new members of the group joining us for their first meeting there were 10 of us this morning for a walk to Noah’s hide at the eastern end of the Shapwick Heath reserve. Not far out of the car park we had a very brief view of a hobby overhead, but it came and went so quickly that not everyone saw it. At the first hide overlooking the Meare Marshes pools we compared mallard and gadwall, the latter probably the commonest duck on the Levels at this time of year. At the far side of the pools were a couple of great white egrets, which gave the opportunity to discuss the differences between these and their smaller little egret and cattle egret cousins. We had seen a few sand martins as we walked along the old railway line footpath, but there were at least 100 hawking over Noah’s lake; migrants feeding as they move south. There was a family of little grebes in front of Noah’s hide, with coots, cormorants and mute swans further out. Two marsh harriers put in a brief appearance. Showers had been threatening during the morning and we were lucky that the five minutes of torrential rain we did encounter saw us safely sheltering in Noah’s hide…

Posted 17th August: RSPB Ham Wall was the venue for our meeting on 13th August. With seven of us I think this was a record number for a meeting! A quiet time of year but we had good views of two marsh harriers and watched adult great crested grebes dive to catch fish for their young. A flock of small birds in the willows near Viewpoint 1 included at least ten long-tailed tits and ten blue tits: the beginnings of the mixed species flocks that feed together during the winter. Eight U3A members signed up to join the group at our U3A Enrolment Morning on 14th August. We look forward to welcoming them to the group. We may now be approaching capacity for our group, particularly as we start to spend more time in (sometimes small) bird hides as autumn and winter approach.

Posted 31st July: Apologies for not updating the webpage for a while…  Here’s a round-up of our 2025 spring and summer visits:  On 16th April we visited Ham Wall, walking to Viewpoint 1 and the Avalon hide. A couple of hundred sand martins were feeding overhead and other spring migrants, including willow warblers and reed warblers, were singing. Less common birds included glossy ibis and spotted redshank. In all, 39 species seen or heard. After an early May meeting was cancelled (Mat had a bad back) four of us met again on 21st May, driving over to the Quantocks. We parked at Holford Green and walked up Hodder’s Combe. Pied flycatchers were feeding young in nestboxes, a wren was building a nest in a bank and there was a brief glimpse of a red kite overhead through the trees. The 4th of June saw us walking the tracks and woodland and visiting two of the hides at Catcott reserve. Plenty of birds singing, including whitethroat, chiffchaff and Cetti’s warbler. Highlights were a pair of spotted flycatchers and a bittern booming. We visited Canada Farm at the western end of Shapwick Heath reserve on 19th June, walking up the track to the hide overlooking the lake. Most of the duck which are there in the winter were gone with just a handful of mallard and gadwall, and a single wigeon remaining. However we could look across the lake to the nesting cormorant colony and a kingfisher put in an appearance. Hopes of watching hobbys catching dragonflies at the adjacent Decoy hide on 16th July did not materialise but we did watch great white egrets, great crested grebes and a marsh harrier. 

Posted 11th April : Just two of us met at the eastern end of Shapwick Heath on 3rd April, walking to Noah’s hide via a look at the five or so species of duck at Meare Marshes. There were a couple of marsh harriers around and both great white and little egrets. Cormorants were nesting in the willows over on the southern side of Noah’s lake. Next meeting at RSPB Ham Wall on Wednesday 16th April, starting at 10am.

Posted 31st March : Three of us met at Shapwick Heath reserve on 27th March, walking the woodland trails (recently resurfaced with new wood chip) to the Decoy Lake hide. Woodland birds seen or heard included great tit, blue tit and great spotted woodpecker. A good variety of duck on the lake, including wigeon, tufted duck and pochard. A bittern was booming and eight or so great white egrets were active in an area of the reed beds where they often breed. Our next meeting on 3rd April will also be at Shapwick Heath, but this time at the eastern end with a walk to Noah’s Lake hide.

Posted 21st March : We met at RSPB Ham Wall on 13th March where there were certainly some signs of spring, with bitterns booming from the reedbeds, a great crested grebe building the beginnings of a nest and a dozen or so sand martins hawking for insects over the pools. These were some of our very first spring migrants to arrive, having spent the winter in Africa; these were probably feeding up to continue their journey further north. We also had distant views of a spotted redshank from Viewpoint 1, a fairly uncommon winter visitor and migrant in Somerset. Our next meeting will be on 27th March at Shapwick Heath.

Posted 10th March : Another dry morning for our meeting at Greylake on 5th March, although the early morning fog hadn’t entirely cleared. Still several hundred duck, of five species, but the several thousand lapwing here over the winter seemed to have gone: just one was seen. A water rail was seen briefly, although not very clearly, as in moved amongst the reed stems near the upper hide. Bird of the Day though goes to the four bearded tits watched from the main hide as they fed on the seeds of reedmace. In all, 29 species seen.

Posted 15th February : Our next three meetings will be: Wednesday 5th March at 11am at RSPB Greylake; Thursday 13th March at 2pm; Thursday 27th March at 10am. Later venues to be decided nearer the time. We met at Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Catcott reserve on the afternoon of 12th February. As usual there were several hundred duck, mostly wigeon, many right in front of the hide. Further out we’re shoveler, pintail and teal. We went for a short walk along the tracks on the reserve but it was fairly quiet: the great tit, blackbird and robin we saw are probably more easily seen in your garden! Also around, great white egrets and over a hundred lapwing.

Posted 4th February : Another sunny and dry afternoon when five of us met at RSPB Ham Wall last Thursday 30th January. We walked to Viewpoints 1 and 2, a distance of 3km. There are still plenty of duck spending winter on the Levels, and Ham Wall was no exception with six species seen. Shoveler and gadwall were most numerous: we saw around 100 of each, but there would have been plenty more out of sight. Two marsh harriers were seen and a bittern briefly boomed. More birds such as robin and dunnock are singing now and a cormorant in breeding plumage with white on the neck and flanks was another sign that spring may be around the corner…. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 12th February at Catcott reserve. A cold start is forecast so we will meet at 2pm.

Posted 15th January 2025 : The hide at RSPB Greylake is usually a good place to get close up views of ducks and we weren’t disappointed when four of us visited the reserve this morning. Teal were closest and most numerous, with wigeon and shoveler a little further away. Closest of all though were a couple of snipe, sleeping and preening on the edge of a pool. Seeing anything much further than 500m away was made difficult with the fog that covered this part of the Levels throughout the morning, so we only had the occasional glimpse of a marsh harrier. Smaller birds included a female stonechat, two Cetti’s warblers, which were heard rather than seen, and the dozen or so house sparrows which frequent the car park.

Posted 28th November : Four of us met at Catcott Lows yesterday afternoon and watched from the hide for an hour or so. Wigeon were close in, giving good views, with shoveler and teal on the water further away. A single snipe close to the hide spent most of the time hidden behind rushes, proving difficult to spot with its brown and yellow striped camouflage. It did eventually come out into the open. A great white egret was patiently working its way through the pools, but we didn’t see it catch anything. Brief views of a marsh harrier too. Twenty species in all, including two herons and commoner birds like blackbird, robin and chaffinch.

Posted 16th November : 14th November was another dry day for our visit to the RSPB reserve at Greylake, on the south side of the Poldens. We have been lucky with the weather so far. We walked along the path through the reed bed to the hides, listening and watching for bearded tits : some had been seen but we missed them. Numbers of duck are building up to several hundred and we had good views of mallard, teal and wigeon from the hides. Sixty of so snipe were flying around in groups, and giving good views when resting amongst the rushes. There were several hundred lapwing, a couple of marsh harriers and two stonechats close to the hide.

We visited the Wildlife Trust’s Westhay Reserve on Thursday 17th October, meeting in the car park at 2.30pm.  There were fewer birds than the previous two visits to other sites, but that’s birdwatching!  We had a good view of a great white egret flying past from the last hide, but sadly no marsh harriers or kingfishers. Shovelers and gadwall were the commonest ducks, with the white, chestnut and green of the male shovelers easy to spot. Not much was singing, as expected at this time of year; just the occasional robin and Cetti’s warbler. Dozens of starlings were overhead, almost certainly catching insects. 

Posted 3rd October : A sunny morning for the second meeting of our group today. Five or us met at the Shapwick Heath car park and walked from here along the old railway to the Tower hide and Noah’s lake hide. It was very much a wildfowl and waterbird day, with little in the way of woodland birds seen along the paths, although jays were carrying acorns from the woodlands. Mute swans were on the drain, with more on Noah’s lake. Ducks including wigeon, teal and pintail were seen, but at some distance. We will have to wait until later in the autumn to get closer views at sites such as Catcott Lows and RSPB Greylake. A few swallows were moving through and we had a brief view of a kestrel. Rather better was a marsh harrier which drifted across in front of the Noah’s hide. In all, 27 bird species were seen.

Posted 18 September 2024: Five of us met at Ham Wall for the first meeting of our new group. A lovely warm, sunny afternoon with a fair few birds seen in the two hours we spent at the reserve. Over 50 swallows were gathering on the wires near the car park and soon after, as we walked out to View Point 1, we had brief views of a hobby overhead. A very tame robin was happy to come to bird food by one of the benches and we watched a group of blue, great and long-tailed tits in willows near the path. Birds at VP1 included a great white egret, a distant marsh harrier, a group of Canada geese and a brief view of a bittern in flight. A short walk to the Tor View hide gave good views of gadwall, a cormorant and a lesser black-backed gull, with a couple of Cetti’s warblers delivering their explosive song from the undergrowth. In total, 25 species of bird seen. Plus one mammal - an otter swimming across a channel at the Tor View hide made an excellent end to the afternoon.