RSPB Ham Wall and NE Shapwick Heath : 27th April 2014
Another unpromising day weather-wise but we did not let this put us off. We decided to go back to RSPB Ham Wall and NE Shapwick Heath but this time we started at the far end of the Shapwick Heath reserve, first dropping into the Avalon Marshes visitor centre first for a cup of tea (horrible) and a loo stop (necessary). We then walked down the main road to the entrance at the opposite side of the reserve from our usual starting point. We walked down the ride of the river before taking the path into the woods that has a large reed bed on one side and a woodland on the other. As it was rather dull there wasn’t as much bird song as we expected but there was constant Reed Warbler song and as we walked down the path a black crow rose up from the reeds and started bothering a Marsh Harrier. The whole thing was very close but brief. About a kilometre down this path we came to the Covert Hide from which we could hear Cetti’s Warblers calling and a faint Cuckoo call and a booming Bittern could also be heard. A Great White Egret flew over and disappeared down the marsh.
We walked back up the path with Wren and Blackcap and Blackbird song the predominant sounds. From the visitor centre we drove back round to our usual starting spot at the car park exactly between Shapwick Heath reserve and RSPB Ham Wall.
We look a walk down the little boardwalk among the reeds that leads directly off the car park but we didn’t see anything and the highlight was our surprising of an Otter in one of the drains that runs through the marshes.
Crossing over to the Ham Wall reserve we walked to the first platform in the hope of catching a glimpse of one of the Bitterns we could hear booming. We had no luck with this but when we crossed over the path to the hides we got good views of three Great White Egrets and a few Hobbies flying quite high up. We could hear a Cuckoo calling in the distance but still didn’t get a glimpse of one. The bushes and trees were full of Blackcap and Cetti’s Warbler song and the usual Blackbird and Wren songs were also ever present. We spent quite some time there and although we were disappointed in the Bittern and Cuckoo departments, we didn’t feel we had done too badly considering the weather.
Bird Sightings : Shapwick Heath
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Greylag Goose | 4 |
| Mute Swan | 6 |
| Mallard | 6 |
| Tufted Duck | 10 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 2 |
| Great Cormorant | 2 |
| Great Bittern | 1 |
| Great Egret | 1 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 1 |
| Common Buzzard | 1 |
| Eurasian Hobby | 1 |
| Common Coot | 6 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 1 |
| Common Cuckoo | 1 |
| Common Kingfisher | 1 |
| Carrion Crow | 4 |
| Barn Swallow | 6 |
| Long-tailed Tit | 1 |
| Northern Wren | 1 |
| Cetti’s Warbler | 3 |
| Common Chiffchaff | 1 |
| Sedge Warbler | 1 |
| Eurasian Reed Warbler | 3 |
| European Robin | 1 |
Bird Sightings : Ham Wall
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Canada Goose | 6 |
| Mute Swan | 2 |
| Gadwall | 6 |
| Mallard | 6 |
| Common Pochard | 6 |
| Tufted Duck | 4 |
| Little Grebe | 1 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 1 |
| Great Cormorant | 4 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| Great Egret | 3 |
| Little Egret | 1 |
| Eurasian Hobby | 3 |
| Eurasian Common Moorhen | 2 |
| Common Coot | 2 |
| Northern Lapwing | 1 |
| Northern House Martin | 5 |
| Long-tailed Tit | 2 |
| Northern Wren | 1 |
| Cetti’s Warbler | 3 |
| Common Chiffchaff | 3 |
| Sedge Warbler | 1 |
| Blackcap | 2 |
| European Robin | 1 |
| Chaffinch | 4 |