We are joined by a proper birdwatcher....
SOMERSET BIRDWATCHING HOLIDAYS TRIP REPORT:
June 10th-13th 2022
Tour Leaders: Stephen Moss & Graeme Mitchell (with Brett Westwood)
Friday 10th June
Raven
Two Ravens circled high over the outskirts of the village of Blackford as we dipped down off the Isle of Wedmore and onto the Levels proper. These flat lands were in full bloom and the grassy verges were heaving with cow parsley and colourful rapeseed and buttercups. Two Mute Swans were joined by an elegant Little Egret, proving the point that Little Egrets are indeed even whiter than swans.
Overlooking Tealham Moor, at first it seemed birdless and silent – which, let’s be honest, is not the best start for a birdwatching holiday. However, Tealham Moor never lets us down and within five minutes we were watching a Yellow Wagtail, several ascending Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and an incoming male Marsh Harrier in beautiful condition. Driving on to the main Glastonbury Road we noticed a single Cattle Egret with a dapper orange crown, showing it was in breeding plumage, dodging the hooves of a herd of Friesians.
Somerset Wildlife Trust’s showpiece nature reserve at Westhay Moor always delivers and again we were not disappointed. A Great Crested Grebe appeared to be sitting on a floating nest (possibly on her second brood) as there was an attentive chick paddling around the reedy platform where the parent bird was sitting. A large Cormorant sat on a narrow pole at the edge of the water with its wings stretched out looking quite proud of itself. Cormorants are often thought of as an unremarkable, or even an ugly bird, however when a beam of sunshine landed on the dark bird a flash of iridescence across its head and back its bright colours were indeed remarkable.
Willow Warblers, Blackcaps, Reed Warblers and Cetti’s Warblers sang their distinctive, and in some cases, melodic songs from thick scrub willow and birch trees along with the less melodic Chiffchaff. How excited birdwatchers are when the little ‘Chiff’ arrives in early March, and its metronomic two-toned call is such a tonic after the long winter days, but by the end of June it is probably fair to say that its sweet call is not quite as uplifting. Walking into the Tower Hide we caught sight of a beautiful Grass Snake which had been sunning itself on a pile of logs adjacent to the footpath.
From the elevated platform of the tower we all enjoyed the views across the top of the reed beds to the distant Mendip Hills beyond; below us there was a gathering of Mallards with their ducklings splashing around, along with Coots feeding their red-headed youngsters. In the skies above, the action really picked up with a soaring Hobby snatching at dragonflies and mayflies, and there were several quartering Marsh Harriers – a male, a female, and some other immature birds. In the distance a Cuckoo called to make for a perfect summer scene.
On our walk back to the van the trees and bushes seemed to be stuffed with newly fledged birds of many flavours and varieties – another Cuckoo called, and Little Grebes whinnied, hidden in the dense reed beds. It had been a nice introduction to the Somerset Levels, however now Kay’s supper was awaiting along with the good company of Stephen Moss and Brett Westwood.
Saturday 11th June
After hearing Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Goldcrest and Bullfinch in the garden, we returned to Tealham Moor, always a good place to revisit. With a chorus of Skylarks, we also saw a very pale male Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Swifts, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, and at least two (probably three) pairs of Yellow Wagtails, including the rather bizarre hybrid Blue-headed/Yellow known as the ‘Channel Wagtail’, showing off its blue head and white eye-stripe. En route to Ham Wall we also saw a perched Buzzard, male Stonechat and a Cattle Egret.
RSPB Ham Wall is the showpiece reserve of the south-west, and for good reason. Although the passage waders from earlier in the spring have now headed far to the north, there are plenty of resident birds to see and hear. These included seven species of warbler: Blackcap (three singing in the car park alone), Chiffchaff, Willow, Reed, Cetti’s, Whitethroat and Garden Warbler; there are also plenty of insects, with Brett pointing out some of the more obscure, while Stephen noted the easier to identify Four-spotted Chaser dragonflies, and Blue-tailed, Common Blue and Azure damselflies.
Further on, we saw a pair of Great Crested Grebes with two chicks, Little Grebe calling, Pochard, more Marsh Harriers, followed by really good views of a Bittern as it flew right past us! From the first viewing platform we saw a Great White Egret, a second Bittern (this time flying away), displaying Lapwings, and a female Marsh Harrier which landed in a distant bush, looking (in Brett’s words) like someone had dropped a tub of vanilla ice-cream, on its head! There was also a distant Stock Dove perched at the back of the lake.
Walking down to Tor View Hide we saw a Mute Swan with five cygnets, several baby Coots and an Emperor dragonfly; from the hide itself there were Great Crested and Little Grebes, a drake Tufted Duck and a pair of Great White Egrets. On the walk back, a Whitethroat did its ‘singing skyrocket’ act; launching itself into the air and then landing obligingly on the wire so we could get a good view of this delightful little warbler.
After coffee and biscuits, we headed over the Polden Hills to Greylake RSPB, where Brett gave us a useful lesson in telling apart Hemlock, Hogweed and the very poisonous Hemlock Water-dropwort. There was a Banded Demoiselle and lots of Reed Warblers, one of which (a juvenile) was hopping along the path! Further along, a pair of Mute Swans grudgingly gave way as we walked by! From the hide, we saw a male Reed Bunting, Little Grebe feeding a single chick, Kestrel, House Martins (drinking from the water) and (very briefly) a Crane, which we also saw from the nearby screen. But the highlight was a food-pass between the male and female Marsh Harriers. Later a male carried a stick and dropped it into the nest.
Following our usual excellent pub lunch at the King Alfred Inn, Burrowbridge, we headed down to Swell Wood RSPB, where we saw a Bank Vole along the path, and from the viewpoint we finally saw three distant Cranes, to a chorus of Chiffchaffs and a Green Woodpecker. Finally, we visited the ‘inside-out hide’, with nesting Grey Herons and Little Egrets, a Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Chaffinches, a very bedraggled Coal Tit and a performing Spotted Flycatcher, before returning to Walls Farm for another wonderful meal!
Sunday 12th June
Our first stop was at the secret heronry, where we enjoyed excellent views of nesting Grey Herons (several well-grown chicks), at least 40 Little Egrets (mostly chicks), and a few Cattle Egrets, including one on the nest and another in splendid breeding plumage, with its orange punk hairdo! There was also a very obliging Stock Dove close by, showing off its subtle but rather lovely plumage.
We then crossed the River Parrett (via Bridgwater with its roof-nesting gulls, to Steart WWT reserve. The car park here rarely disappoints, and today it gave us wonderful scope views of a singing Sedge Warbler. A short walk to the Quantock Hide (via singing Reed Buntings), where we met a group from Exeter RSPB, who pointed out nesting Little Ringed Plovers; we also enjoyed excellent views of Avocets with both well-grown and tiny chicks, Oystercatchers with chicks, while a Kestrel rook a plover chick at the back of the lagoon. There were also lots of Shelducks, showing off their rather splendid colours in the morning sun. On the walk back, we saw two Common Blues and a very pale Painted Lady.
Before lunch we stopped off at Stogursey (originally Stoke de Courcy), where in a huge church (“the cathedral of the Quantocks”) we chatted with the vicar and congregation and looked at the superb sixteenth-century carvings, including a famous depiction of a Spoonbill, a species that once bred here, then disappeared, and might soon return!
Pew end carving dating back to 1525
Following another fine lunch at the Plough in Holford, we took a post-prandial walk up Hodder’s Combe in the Quantock Hills. Birdsong was limited in the breeze (and being rather late in the season), but we still managed to find a singing Wood Warbler (with calling female), which gave excellent views; plus several Grey Wagtails on the stream (including a male, female and well-grown juveniles), a singing Goldcrest, baby Robin, male and female Blackcap, male Sparrowhawk overhead being mobbed by House Martins, a calling Tawny Owl, at least two male and one female Pied Flycatchers, glimpses of a Treecreeper, and a singing Redstart (which sadly we could not actually see). We also enjoyed the stunning woodland scenery, and a spot of ‘forest bathing’- or what we used to call ‘a walk in the woods’, before returning to Walls Farm.
Usually that is birding done for the day, but as it was a fine (if chilly) evening we headed out after dinner to the Mendip Hills, where at a special site we were hoping to see Nightjars. We arrived at about 9.25pm (two minutes before sunset), and headed up the hill on the open grassy area to a lone pine tree, beneath which we met a young ‘courting couple’, who seemed fascinated with our quest!
A few minutes later, despite the rather bright conditions and almost full moon, we heard first a hooting Tawny owl, then a churring Nightjar, and at 9.50pm enjoyed a splendid fly-past from a male Nightjar, showing off his white wing-flashes. Following this we also had excellent views of two more pairs (or the same?) of Nightjars (including at least one female), which flew right along the distant trees and then right past us, just after 10 pm. A splendid end to an eventful day.
Monday 13th June
Graeme and the van were slightly late at Sloway Bridge (the start of Graeme and Stephen’s coastal patch) as they had stopped to watch a splendid Little Owl en route, in the village of Bason Bridge (where the River Brue crosses the road). Once they reached Stephen at the bridge he had already seen a Kingfisher; fortunately, a few minutes later it returned and was seen briefly perched and then in flight down the River Huntspill. There was also Moorhen, lots of singing Greenfinches, singing Blackcap, Cetti’s and Reed Warblers, Swallows flying under bridge, and House and Sand Martins overhead, along with a Buzzard and a Cattle Egret.
At Huntspill Sluice itself, the tide was very low, revealing a huge expanse of mud there and on the adjacent River Parrett. There were Feral Pigeons, singing Whitethroat and a displaying Sedge Warbler, a pair of Linnets, and two juvenile Pied Wagtails, as well as several summer butterflies including Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Small Heath and Common Blue in the grassy area nearby. In the copse there was a displaying Whitethroat, three juvenile Swallows overhead, and further on at least c12 Swifts flying very low over the grassy area. Along the Parrett itself there were few birds: just Shelducks and Herring Gulls plus a few Oystercatchers and Canada Geese; but as we walked back a cock Linnet was bathing in a puddle along the path.
For our final stop of the trip we visited Catcott Lows, a Somerset Wildlife Trust reserve that always produces the goods. In the car park there was a distant Kestrel, and singing Whitethroat with a juvenile; while from the hide we immediately saw a flock of Black-tailed Godwits – 17 at first, eventually becoming 30, of which half-a-dozen were in breeding plumage. These birds are en route to their breeding grounds in Iceland, and are rather later than usual. There was also a Redshank, a Common Snipe hiding at the base of the rushes, several Lapwings including one on eggs (these constantly hassled the other birds present), lots of Gadwall (starting to go into eclipse plumage) Greylag Geese, Cattle and Great White Egrets. A lovely way to end a very productive trip, with 95 species seen or heard in total.