Early summer in Somerset
SOMERSET BIRDWATCHING HOLIDAYS TRIP REPORT:
May 10th – 13th 2022
Tuesday 10th May
Are Lapwing chicks the cutest baby birds? Possibly a close second behind Avocet chicks, or third behind the little bumblebee-like day old chicks of the Little Ringed Plover, or indeed maybe joint fourth with the striped humbug chicks of the Great Crested Grebe who cruise around on their parent’s back. Let’s be honest: no-one would argue with John Inverdale, had he said that Coot and Moorhen chicks were “never going to be lookers” as he once described the Wimbledon Ladies’ tennis Champion – but no doubt their mothers love them!
Baby lapwing
Already in the second week of May, baby birds, fluffy chicks and discarded speckled eggshells were going to be a feature of this tour.
On our introductory afternoon tour of the Somerset Levels, at our first stop on Tealham Moor we enjoyed at least two fluffy Lapwing chicks huddled together in a clump of rushes with their attentive parents close by. A light-coloured wagtail shot off as soon as we arrived not letting us have a proper view – we suspected it could have been a Yellow Wagtail, but could not be 100% sure, and we would have to wait until the last day before getting good views of this literally ‘brilliant’ little bird of the wet pastures. Overhead Meadow Pipits parachuted to the ground as several Skylarks ascended to the skies. A group of 8-10 Cattle Egrets waited expectantly around legs of a small herd of cattle hoping to benefit from insects or grubs disturbed by the cows.
We continued across the moor to Somerset Wildlife Trust’s flagship reserve Westhay Moor. Almost immediately from the carpark we heard a calling Cuckoo (although we did not see the bird). There were Reed Warblers chuntering away, and the loud explosive call of the Cetti’s Warbler seemed to sing out every 100 yards along the reed beds – although again we did not manage to see these very elusive birds.
In the sky a Hobby scythed through the air with scimitar-shaped wings, grabbing at insects as it went. Willow Warblers sang from the high birch trees along with some Blackcaps from the lower willow scrub. From the Tower Hide we enjoyed two or three further Hobbies flying to and fro, to be joined by an immature male Marsh Harrier.
Walking around the southern side of the reserve we were accompanied by Long-tailed Tits, more Blackcaps and the occasional Cetti’s. On the water there were two Great Crested Grebes with youngsters hitching a ride on their backs, along with Tufted Ducks, Gadwall, Little Grebe and a nesting Mute Swan. It was a nice introduction, with some good birds, however Kay’s supper was awaiting along and another grand evening of chat around the dining table at Walls Farm.
Wednesday 11th May
On a rather damp and drizzly morning – though not as wet as forecast, perhaps because of the moderate westerly breeze – we headed briefly back down to Tealham Moor to see if anything had changed overnight. There were nine Cattle Egrets in the first field (with cattle), and in the wet field the Lapwing chicks were still present, together with displaying and singing Skylarks, Meadow Pipit, some Linnets and two female Wheatears; frustratingly, two Yellow Wagtails flew off before most of us had the chance to get our binoculars onto them. As we left some people saw a male Marsh Harrier.
We then headed across the levels to the RSPB’s flagship reserve at Ham Wall, where despite the slightly heavier rain two Swifts greeted us in (well, over!) the car park. The usual warblers were singing there and along the path to the old railway line: Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Willow, Reed and Cetti’s – while a splendid male Whitethroat sang and posed beautifully for us, as more Swifts flew low overhead, heading south as they fed. Warbler no. 7 – a Garden Warbler – warbled from a bush, while we glimpsed a pair of Bullfinches and our first Great White Egret flew overhead. We also heard Cuckoo and saw our only Hobby of the day, plus a Willow Warbler.
As we approached the first viewing platform, more than fifty Gadwall flew up and away: we never did discover why; perhaps the volunteers working there had spooked them. A few birds were still here, however, and during the next few minutes we saw Lapwings, a Redshank, 2 drake Garganey in flight, a second singing Whitethroat, a Bittern flying left and a female Sparrowhawk heading right – our only one of the trip. We then headed down to the Tor View Hide to get some shelter, and enjoy watching a pair of Great Crested Grebes with two chicks – one on an adult’s back and the other trying to eat a large fish; a few minutes later a Cormorant swallowed a huge perch whole! We also saw Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Pochard and Shoveler here, a pair of Mallards with six fairly well-grown chicks, plus even more Swifts, and heard a Water Rail. We also watched a Bittern as it headed high over the trees, as a group of House Martins
Back at the viewing platform, we caught sight of two Ringed Plovers and several more Pochards, before we headed back to the car park for coffee, biscuits and a flypast from a splendid Great White Egret.
After a minor diversion we reached RSPB Greylake, by which time the rain had more or less stopped. We headed along the path to the hides, hearing several Reed Warblers, plus Cetti's and a lone Sedge, giving brief views; and several male Reed Buntings singing their rather staccato song. From the large hide we had excellent views of a Great White Egret, more Swifts; while on our way back we saw 2 Sand Martins, House Martins and 3 Stock Doves, plus a tuneful sparrow in the car park!
We enjoyed our usual excellent and swiftly-served lunch at the King Alfred Inn, Burrowbridge, after which we had a brief cultural break at the Alfred Memorial at Athelney, where we also saw several Swallows, Greenfinches and Chaffinches on the bird feeder and has great views of a Stock Dove feeding beneath it. At nearby Stathe Bridge we failed to see our target bird (cranes), though we did glimpse the sun and swallows chittering on the wires, and saw two Roe Deer, a Kestrel and a singing Whitethroat. Nearby, at the bridge over the London-Taunton-Penzance railway, we heard both Cetti’s and Sedge Warblers and aw a distant pair of Cranes with a single fairly well-grown, ginger-coloured chick, plus more Cranes in flight, and a handsome Roe Deer.
After driving up the hill to our third RSPB reserve, Swell Wood, we walked out to the viewpoint where we could look over the fourth - West Sedgemoor – stretching out beneath us. We were rewarded with two adult Cranes fairly close to us, plus other pairs further out on the reserve, a male Marsh Harrier and at least one Hobby, and wonderful views north to Brent Knoll, Burrow Mump and Crook Peak on the Mendips.
We walked back through the rather quiet wood to the lovely ‘inside-out’ hide, where we sat quietly and enjoyed excellent views of various woodland birds including Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Coal Tit feeding on the nuts provided by the local bird photographers, two Grey Squirrels, and of course the nesting Grey Herons and Little Egrets in the tops of the trees.
On the way back home, as the weather cleared up, we took a short diversion to the road between Westhay and Burtle, where a field of cattle held six Cattle Egrets, a few Carrion Crows and Rooks, and five splendid Glossy Ibises – a suitably upbeat end to a day when we had recorded no fewer than 84 different species.
The view from Swell Wood
Thursday 12th May
On a lovely, sunny morning we donned the sun-tan cream and headed to our secret heronry/‘egrettery’! Here we had amazing close-up views of breeding Grey Herons – the original occupants – and two newcomers: Little Egrets, with their wonderfully long feathered plumes (known as ‘aigrettes’) and Cattle Egrets, showing off their orange headdress, pink bills and orange plumes. An adult heron returned to its two youngsters, who immediately started hassling it to regurgitate its fishy food; we also noted two young Rooks by a nest now occupied by a pair of Cattle Egrets. A Little Egret also went back and forth carrying nesting material.
We had a walk around a nearby churchyard, where we enjoyed the peace and quiet, and the songs of Dunnock, Chaffinch and Goldcrest in the large Yew by the main door.
We then drove through Bridgwater (past Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls nesting on the pitched roofs) to the WWT reserve at Steart Marshes on the far side of the River Parrett. Immediately the ‘car park rule’ came into operation, as ewe enjoyed excellent views of a male Sedge Warbler singing from the bushes and also launching himself into the air and parachuting back down – what an exuberant bird!
On the walk to the Quantock Hide we also saw Dunnock singing, heard more Cetti’s Warblers and Reed Buntings, and watched two juvenile Stonechats – presumably with their parents somewhere nearby. From the hide itself we marvelled at the tiny – yet totally independent – baby Avocets, along with their elegant parents; plus nesting Oystercatchers and Little Ringed Plovers on the shingle islands. There were several more LRPs, Great Black-backed Gull, Shelducks, Little Egrets and, from the other hide, at least five Wheatears – looking like the larger and more colourful ‘Greenland’ race, which would be right for this late in the spring. After coffee and biscuits, we had a brief stop at nearby Wall Common, where a Whitethroat was launching itself skywards by the car park, while a Cuckoo was calling. A short walk to the beach and a very low tide produced several flypast Whimbrel and a Peregrine, chasing waders including Dunlin near Hinkley Point nuclear power station.
We then went to the Plough in Holford, and after lunch we walked up the beautiful wooded Hodder’s Combe in the Quantocks. Two Goldcrests sang and briefly showed themselves in the car park, while we heard many common woodland birds singing as we ascended the combe. After a baby Grey Wagtail and a Goldcrest ‘hover-cleaning’; for insects we came across the first of our target trip of ‘western oak woodland migrants’: an obliging male Wood Warbler, who sang his distinctive two-part song right above our heads. We would hear more Wood Warblers as we walked up and back. Soon afterwards, we heard an unusual single-note call, which came from a female Pied Flycatcher; fortunately, soon afterwards we had good views of a lovely male, resplendent in his black-and-white garb. (Those who stayed back enjoyed watching male and female flycatchers going in and out of one of the specially-provided nestboxes).
Two target species down, one to go! And then the third: two Redstarts, high in the canopy, and one singing while a second unseen male also sang nearby. The first we have seen in several visits this year. With our three target species under our belt, we headed back to Walls Farm where we later enjoyed a very convivial dinner beautifully cooked and presented by Kay. She really should enter MasterChef!
Friday 13th May
On another fine but breezy morning, we headed down to Graeme and Stephen’s ‘three rivers’ patch along the Huntspill, Parrett and Brue. From Sloway Bridge, across the Huntspill, we heard singing Wren, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Reed and Sedge Warblers, and Greenfinch, saw a distant Raven overhead, followed by a female Kestrel hovering and being mobbed by adult and juvenile Ravens, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull bathing in the river itself. Close to the bridge, Swallows were flying low enough to see their white tail-spots (are they nesting beneath the bridge?), and a couple of House Martins passed by.
At Huntspill Sluice we were greeted by a very low tide and lots of mud! A singing Whitethroat didn’t show itself, but a Sedge Warbler did – displaying, and being caught by the wind as it rose above the sluice! Then our only Kingfisher of the trip flew around the sluice but sadly didn’t reappear. In the nearby copse we glimpsed a singing Chiffchaff, and watched a Goldfinch pair mating; while along the ‘Sea Wall’ we could see 8 non-breeding-plumage Bar-tailed Godwits and Curlews on the far side of the Parrett, and several Whimbrels on the near side giving good views. A dog-walker handed us an Oystercatcher egg (brought across from Stert Island by a gull?), and on our walk back we saw a pair of Greenland Wheatears – possibly the latest Wheatears and Whimbrels we will see here this spring; and finally, a pair of Linnets drinking water from puddle in car park.
We drove across the western levels to the Somerset Wildlife Trust at Catcott Lows, where we were greeted by a flurry of anxious Lapwings rising up and calling, and a Whitethroat singing at the back of the car park. From the hide itself, we enjoyed great views of a splendid Great White Egret (which caught and swallowed a large fish), two drake Shovelers, a drake Garganey (and probably a duck nearby), a baby Stonechat and a Yellow Wagtail; and a Hobby as we emerged from the hide.
For our final stop we returned to our first: Tealham Moor, where we finally had wonderful views of a male Yellow Wagtail pottering for insects amongst the rushes at the front of the damp field; plus Greylag Geese, Lapwings with chicks, and several Cattle Egrets, including a wonderful flypast from seven of these lovely birds, to end what had been an excellent trip, with no fewer than 99 different species in just three days!