Somerset is dripping with birds

Somerset Birdwatching Holidays

Trip Report 25-28 April 2023

 Tour leaders: Graeme Mitchell and Brett Westwood

Tuesday 25th April 2023

A nice bright and sunny afternoon was the perfect start for our first residential trip of the spring. Walls Farm had singing Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Goldcrest, with distant yaffling from a Green Woodpecker along with the first Orange-tip and Brimstone butterflies flitting through the garden.

Our first stop was at the western end of Tealham Moor which brought an immediate sighting of a pair of Yellow Wagtails as yellow as the dandelion and rape-seed flowers that surrounded them. Linnets flew by, distant Buzzards wheeled in the thermals with the odd Meadow Pipit flitting in and out of the rushes as a Whitethroat sang its scratchy song from a bramble clump close by. Continuing along towards the Glastonbury Road a smart Grey Heron was stalking one of the drainage rhynes (pronounced ‘reen’) and the first of many Little Egrets began to appear.

Arriving at Westhay Moor, Somerset Wildlife Trust’s flagship reserve, we were met with the rather ominous presence of a large Police vehicle at the entrance - With his SWT Chair’s hat on Graeme hoped there had not been an incident of any kind, and after later enquiries was reassured that there hadn’t been – perhaps the policemen were just enjoying the reserve for a break?

The reedbeds were full of newly- arrived Reed Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and singing Blackcaps. Cetti’s Warblers audio-bombed us at regular intervals and Sand Martins and House Martins flew overhead.

Brett identified many insects that had appeared in the warming weather. The first Azure damselflies were making their maiden flights among the grass stems and metallic green Dock Beetles were mating on the  leaves of their host-plant.

Both Male and Female Marsh Harriers were patrolling the reedbeds and high above the reserve a female Sparrowhawk was mobbed by a couple of persistent crows, as was a passing Kestrel. More Little Egrets were spotted from the car park before we stopped for a quick scan of some open water by the road where we saw two or three Great Crested Grebes and heard the whinnying call of a hidden Little Grebe. A large Raven dropped down for a drink from a steep-edged drain before powering  back to its nest in a nearby pine tree.

Back at Walls Farm in the evening a group of who were strangers only a few hours ago enjoyed a delicious and convivial supper prepared by Kay like old friends.

Wednesday 26th April 2023

Our group was joined by a further two budding birdwatchers who immediately mixed in with the group, so in order give us a bit more elbow room in the van Brett took his car and tailed the van for the rest of the day – no matter how hard Graeme tried he could not shake him off!

Again, we crossed Tealham Moor stopping to see the Yellow Wagtails which again showed well. In addition, this morning we were met with a fine Wheatear sitting on a gatepost when we arrived and there were many more singing Skylarks.

The car park at the RSPB’s wonderful reserve at Ham Wall was almost as full as the hedges and trees were with warblers – Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, and Cetti’s all lined the old Burnham to Evercreech railway line (now the main footpath through the reserve) as we wandered slowly along to the first viewing platform. The skies above were thick with Sand and House Martins along with many Swifts too. From the viewing platform we quickly spotted four Glossy Ibis, male and female Garganey and an elegant Spotted Redshank resplendent in its dark breeding plumage. A Redshank flew behind it at one point showing the white wing-edges which the “Spotshank” doesn’t have. A Snipe rose from the sedge and zipped low into a patch of reeds. There was a brief sighting of a disappearing Bittern, although not seen by all, in addition to a good mix of ducks including Gadwall, Tufted, Shoveler, Mallard, and Pochard. Walking through to the Avalon Hide a Little Grebe bobbed close by and a Coot was building a nest right next to the track showing off the rather wonderful bulbous feet that they have. From the hide there is the rather unusual sight of Herons nesting in the reedbeds close to the water’s edge (rather than on top of tall trees). A Cuckoo called which was the first of the Spring for most of our group, but sadly it was not seen. Leaving Ham Wall, Brett’s car-ful saw a Mistle Thrush on a peaty pasture.

After a well-deserved coffee from the back of Thunderbird 1 we crossed the Polden Hills to the southern side of the Somerset Levels and dropped into Greylake, another RSPB reserve full of reedbeds and water birds. A female Marsh Harrier flew over the car park (always a good start) followed by a nice view of a fishing Great White Egret. As the hide was quite busy we moved on to a higher viewing screen and scanned across the pond and large area of open moor/bog. Teal, Garganey, Shoveler and Mallard were dozing and doing what bored ducks do.  A Water Rail squealed nearby and there were more sonic fusillades from Cetti’s Warblers.

The trumpeting call of some Cranes got our attention and pulses racing. Quickly Bett spotted two cranes fly into view, albeit at quite a distance away, then another two birds came in to land a little closer which Graeme was able to get the telescope on giving good views. Things only got better when the original two birds took off and circled around before giving us a splendid flypast so close that we hardly needed to use our binoculars to enjoy.

Cranes photo by Sue Lambert

Walking back to the van Brett identified many more plants and insects including a beautiful, Green-veined white Butterfly, on its foodplant, Lady’s Smock.

Green veined White Butterfly photo by Brett Westwood

After a hearty lunch at King Alfred the Great’s favourite pub (!?) we had a quick cultural visit to Athelney where the good King reputedly ‘burnt the cakes’.

Aller Moor, adjacent to the River Parrett did not produce any more Cranes largely because of possible disturbance caused by building works at a nearby solar farm.

Our last visit of the day was to Swell Wood, an old oakwood full of calling Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Goldcrest and a variety of tits – Long-tailed, Blue, Great and Coal. From the viewpoint overlooking West Sedgmoor after some scanning, another three or four Cranes were spotted along with a Roe Deer.

Brett was now in his element identifying the woodland plants which included Wild Arum, the plant with more folk-names than any other in the UK. These include Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Wake Robin and the unforgettable Kitty-come-down-the- lane- jump- up- and -kiss- me, all saucier than they sound. Also here lining the paths among the native Bluebells and Harts-tongue Fern were Goldilocks Buttercups, a plant of old woods, whose flowers rarely have a full set of petals. En route to the open bird hide we passed English Elm saplings the latter unscathed (so far) by Dutch Elm Disease. 

From the hide we enjoyed watching the Herons come and go to their nests in addition to at least one (or possibly two?) Little Egrets nesting amongst them.

In the evening Kay again produced a lovely meal, and our guests produced good conversation about birds seen, and birds missed.

Thursday 27th April 2023

We woke to an overcast morning with foreboding dark clouds in the west, which sadly was the exact direction we were to travel.

A surprise stop-off at West Huntspill Church on any spring morning is always a tonic, and we were not to be disappointed walking round this wonderful little churchyard stuffed full of primrose and bluebells. Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Tits along with Jackdaws and Rooks followed us around the 14th century church before we slipped into the vicarage garden to check out the Heronry in a large Holm Oak. In addition to many nesting Herons there was a large number of Little Egrets and several Cattle Egrets, with their prominent crests and flanks now tinged with a subtle orange colour of their breeding plumage.

This treeful of herons is more what you might expect to see in the Serengeti – let alone a sleepy Somerset vicarage garden.

Buoyed by this good start to the day we headed through Bridgwater to WWT Steart Marshes arriving just as the first drops of rain landed on the van’s windscreen.

From the Quantock Hide there were many nesting Avocets, Little Ringed Plover, and Oystercatchers. Five Black-tailed Godwits probed the mud with their long bills while Pied and Yellow Wagtails patrolled the grass verges of the far side of the lagoon. There was a good selection of gulls, mostly Herring and Black-headed, with some Lesser, and at least one prominent Great black-backed Gull. Shelduck, Teal and Shoveler were there in good numbers and the whole time we spent at the Quantock Hide a Grasshopper Warbler reeled from a nearby hawthorn clump but no matter how hard we tried, frustratingly we were unable to see it – such is birdwatching! Much more visible were the swirling flocks of Swallows, Sand and House Martins skimming low for insects over a stubble field as we continued round the reserve.

Sedge and Reed Warblers sang from various sites, both seen, at times better than others, and a Mute Swan sat tight on its nest keeping her eggs warm and dry in now pretty miserable weather.

Refreshed by a coffee by the van, we made for the sanctity and dry of Stogursey Church – known as the Cathedral of the Quantocks. Everyone enjoyed seeing the carved bench-ends dating back to 1525, particularly the one which features a Spoonbill.

When we were having a nice lunch in Kilve, the rain had stopped so we made for Hodder’s Combe, a steep-sided wooded valley, chiefly of oak, located behind the village of Holford.

Goldcrests, Blue and Long-tailed Tits and Robins followed us through the wood, and a Dipper was soon spotted in the fast-moving stream. A Grey Wagtail gave us tantalising glimpses along the brookside, but much showier was a male Pied Flycatcher on the edge of a streamside wood, an essentially western bird in the UK. Redresssing the oriental balance, a pair of Mandarin Ducks surprised us, looking very much at home in the dripping woods. A distant Cuckoo was again heard calling from the heathland above the treeline bringing to an end another very varied day.

Friday 28th April 2023

The rain had gone; however, the wind had picked up, making viewing a challenge when we arrived at our first birding site at Sloway Bridge over the Huntspill River. The Huntspill River is of course not a natural river, but an enlarged drain coming off the Levels which was straightened and widened to act as a reservoir for a munitions factory during the Second World War.

We were buffeted by these strong winds, and other than hearing a hidden Cetti’s Warbler calling from the reeds and seeing Greenfinch, Dunnock and overhead Linnets, we quickly returned to the van for shelter.

Whitethroat photo by Sue Lambert

Down by the Sluice and the River Parrett estuary the tide was low but on the rise. Shelducks grazed and some Cormorants sat like ebony statues on the steep chocolate-mousse mudflats, reducing slowly under the incoming tide. Brett noticed a large white bird on the far side of the river moving slowly along the water’s edge: in Graeme’s scope it materialised into a splendid Spoonbill sifting the tidal silt with its large flat-ended bill, watched by a scatter of Oystercatchers and two or three probing Curlews.

As we proceeded along the sea wall, three Ravens flew over as only Ravens can – basically showing off in the strong wind. Skylarks also took to the air and an obliging Wheatear bobbed along in front of us flashing his ‘white-arse’ making it plain where its name came from.

On the samphire saltmarsh below, the slightly smaller relative of the Curlew appeared, a Whimbrel, sharing with us its distinctive whistling call: an old folk-name   is the Seven Whistler. In fact, before long several more appeared and took to the air to continue their journey from West Africa to their breeding grounds in the far northern tundras.

As we returned to the van a Skylark posed on a fencepost giving an excellent view of this most popular bird and a Bullfinch piped from a small copse where Greenfinches wheezed while we warmed ourselves with hot drinks.

Our last visit was a rather hopeful one to Cheddar Reservoir as there had been recent reports of a Slavonian Grebe in its colourful breeding plumage. Sadly, it was not to be. The wind was whipping the surface of the water into a lather, and the only colourful things we saw were the windsurfers whizzing over the waves. Great Crested Grebes and a quartet of Tufted Ducks offered some compensation, and we were rewarded with two late additions to our trip list tally-   a nice male Dunlin keeping company with a Common Sandpiper, both on their journey to very different breeding grounds. Our journey though ended here with four days of excellent and remarkably varied birding to reflect on.