Somerset's Autumn Migrants - Trip Report
Monday 20th September
A Green Woodpecker was searching for ants on the lawn at Walls Farm and two Ravens cronked in the blue skies and light breeze, as we headed off for a gentle introduction to the birds of the Somerset Levels. Our group of seven drove down to Tealham and Tadham Moors, just a short distance from the village of Blackford, in our trusty van ‘Thunderbird 1’. There we were welcomed by an inquisitive herd of cows who seemed to be enjoying the fine late summer/early autumn warm weather as much as we were.
In the fields were a good number of Mute Swans in the North Drain and in the drainage channels, known locally as rhynes. A smart young Kestrel, with bright yellow feet, sat obligingly on a blue plastic electric fence post, while two posts further down was a young Wheatear flashing his white rump, (or white a*se) from where its name derives. A Grey Heron peeped its head above a rhyne and a Buzzard perched on a distant wooden gatepost.
We had a short walk along ‘Jack’s Drove’ with zipping Meadow Pipits overhead, Goldfinches and some Linnets – there were also Jackdaws and a noisy flock of Rooks, with another distant Buzzard being mobbed by Carrion Crows.
We then drove to the Somerset Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve at Westhay Moor, spotting another young Wheatear en route. A short distance from the carpark we had a splendid view of our first egret of the trip, the largest of the three egrets we get in Somerset, the Great White Egret. It stood in perfect dappled sunlight giving a wonderful, mirrored reflection in the water. Also, in the pond were a good number of Coots, Moorhens, Mallard, Shoveler and Gadwall ducks, most in their somewhat dull eclipse (or transitional) plumage along with many dragonflies and darters.
From the Tower Hide we had a good view across the top of the large reedbeds that just a few weeks ago were full of warblers of all varieties – now all was quiet, aside from a spectacular fly-past from a female and juvenile Marsh Harrier, quickly followed by the male bird. In the evening we were joined by Stephen, and we all enjoyed a wonderful supper prepared by Kay in the comfortable surroundings of Walls Farm.
Tuesday 21st September
We headed down to Graeme and Stephen’s ‘coastal patch’ – the ‘three rivers of the Huntspill, Parrett and Brue – in time to catch the falling tide – and lovely sunny, calm weather. First stop was Sloway Lane bridge, where a Cetti’s Warbler was singing intermittently, and a cracking male Kingfisher perched obligingly down the river. Two distant Jays heading north over the sluice may not seem very exciting, but they were the first since here since New Year’s Day 2015, when Stephen first began keeping a ‘patch list’.
We had good views of two perched Ravens in the tree on the way down to the sluice, and 3 Stock Doves briefly overhead; then about 100 Teal (all still in eclipse) below the sluice itself, along with Little Egrets and 30 Lapwings on the far side. Alarm calls from the swallows drew our attention to a female Sparrowhawk overhead, followed by a female Marsh Harrier on the far side of the Parrett; seen later over Tower Hide and Stert Point, with a Kestrel.
We then walked along the sea wall, where three smart juvenile Wheatears were feeding on the rocks; on the far side there were flocks of Oystercatchers, Shelducks, and Great Black-backed Gulls, along with three Avocets and more Little Egrets (making about 10 in all); two Wigeon, and small flocks of Meadow Pipits and Linnets, and one Skylark calling.
With an hour before lunch we had time to pop into Catcott Lows, a Somerset Wildlife Trust reserve. Here the birds were characteristically elusive, but we were treated to a Small Copper in the car park, dozens of mating pairs of Common Darter dragonflies, and plenty of larger Emperors, skimming low over the water. Two Stonechats and a very distant Great White Egret were all the birds, though, so we headed up towards Catcott Village (past a male Pheasant) to find half a dozen Buzzards following a tractor, and a flock of eight Cattle Egrets.
The Duck in Burtle has a lovely garden, where we had lunch and, binoculars at the ready, enjoyed close views of a pair of Goldcrests, eight distant Cormorants on a pylon, and another Sparrowhawk.
At Ham Wall RSPB reserve we were greeted by a chorus of Iberian Water Frogs making their bizarre calls in the area behind reception; we then strolled along the disused railway line, finding a dead grass snake, a female Wigeon, and lots of Small and Large White butterflies. The lagoon by the viewing platform is currently very overgrown, but we did see a pair of Great Crested Grebes and two well-grown chicks on the pool opposite, and a distant male Marsh Harrier.
Walking down to the Avalon Hide, we saw two Great White Egrets in flight – all slow-motion and trailing legs – and heard (but didn’t see) Bearded Reedlings in the reeds, as well as Water Rails making their ‘squealing pig’ sound; 20 Lapwings also flew over. The small pool had the usual pairs of Coots and Gadwall, while the Avalon Hide gave us good views of Great Crested and Little Grebes, Coots and Moorhens, 100 Lapwings, and a splendid Great White Egret feeding; on the way back, we once again heard the distinctive call of the Bearded Reedlings close by in the reeds next to the path, and much to everyone’s delight we all got clear views of at least one adult male along with a female or juvenile.
We also got the opportunity to compare feeding Great White with Little Egrets and see just how different they are in size! On the walk back, we had lovely views of a Comma butterfly and a male Roe Deer, feeding calmly on the opposite side of the drain; there were also nine Long-tailed Tits, a Jay and another Great White Egret, before we returned to Walls Farm for another splendid dinner.
Wednesday 22nd September
The autumn equinox dawned misty and cool, but soon warmed up, with lovely sunshine and calm conditions making for ideal birding. We headed through Bridgwater to Wall Common, where the tide was just starting to go out, ideal for finding waders. A dozen or more Little Egrets were feeding or flying on the exposed mud and rocks; and a flock of waders then flew in and landed: several Ringed Plovers (mostly juveniles) and three Dunlin; while in the distance along the beach there were several hundred Curlews. On the sea, there were several hundred Shelducks, and two Pintails (also in eclipse); and a flock of Linnets on the grassy area.
After tea, coffee and biscuits, we then popped down the road to the WWT reserve at Steart, always one of our favourite sites, as we never quite know what will turn up. Today, though there were not the large numbers of birds we see in winter, there were some very good ones: three Greenshanks on the main pool by the Quantock Hide, together with a close and obliging Little Egret, catching fish very efficiently; Graeme then spotted two distant Spoonbills, which true-to-form spent most of the time asleep! We also enjoyed the Goldfinches on the feeders in the car park, a Stonechat and perched Buzzard, Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and heard Cetti’s Warbler and Water Rail.
A fine lunch on the outdoor terrace at the King Alfred Inn, Burrowbridge, was followed by a brief historical diversion to Athelney (meaning ‘island of the princes’), where the eponymous king may or may not have burned the cakes. We then began the main quest of the afternoon: the large but surprisingly elusive Cranes. Our first stop, at the bridge over the Parrett at Stathe, didn’t produce any, but we did enjoy a family party of Mistle Thrushes (a scarce and localized bird on the levels).
We then headed across to the RSPB West Sedgemoor reserve, walking up the rather steep hill from Dewlands Farm to scan the vast area beneath us. This time we found our quarry: three cranes (two adults and a juvenile) in the distance, followed by three more flying high overhead. We also saw three distant Roe Deer, a Kestrel, and a very pale Buzzard. Our final stop was RSPB Swell Wood, where in the car park we enjoyed close-yup views of Coal Tit, Treecreeper and Nuthatch on the feeder, and heard a Green Woodpecker calling; before strolling down to the viewpoint, where we saw three more pairs/trios of Cranes, making 13 in all; and about 6 Cattle Egrets – with a flock of over 20 seen on Tealham Moor on the way back. A great end to another busy and productive day!
Thursday 23rd September
On our final morning, we headed back to the ‘three rivers’ – this time from the other end, the Brue – and although it was now cool, cloudy and with a light breeze, we enjoyed a good range of birds. We began with a diminutive Common Sandpiper, seen from the Clyce (sluice), and a second flying over the river downstream. We also saw our second Kingfisher of the trip (another male) which flew across the Brue on the north side, landed on a rope, grabbed a fish and then returned to eat it; while Swallows flew overhead, getting ready to leave our shores on the epic journey to South Africa.
This visit coincided with a high tide, and flocks of about 300 Redshanks, 50-plus Turnstones and three Dunlins gathered on the banks to roost. Meanwhile, along the damp grass above the river, we enjoyed good views of at least 100 Pied Wagtails, two Wheatears, about 20 Linnets, Meadow Pipits and one Rock Pipit; a female Kestrel perched on dead tree, and then hovering, and a second Kingfisher flying upriver. Across the Parrett, on Steart Island, there were the usual Oystercatchers, Curlews, and Shelducks; while a flock of about 100 Dunlins and five Ringed Plovers flew in formation and landed in front of us to feed.
For our last stop, we had tea, coffee and biscuits at Cheddar reservoir, where the waters were very low following draining. There were lots of ducks hauled out on the mud or in the water: mainly Teal and Mallards, but a few Shoveler and a distant pair of Wigeon. There were also plenty of Coots, Canada Geese (including three dead ones), Great Crested Grebes (many now in non-breeding plumage), Cormorants, gulls, Mute Swans and a pair of Black Swans over the other side by the Cheddar Tower. Time had sadly run out, so we headed back to Walls Farm.
TOTAL:
82 species of bird, plus 8 Butterflies: Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, Comma, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood