BW-2019-05
Ham Wall, May 2019
On Tuesday morning 7 of us left the RSPB Ham Wall reserve car park in overcast weather with some light drizzle. Luckily the drizzle didn't last so we didn't get wet during our 3 hours on the reserve.
We walked along the main track heading for the Avalon Hide and saw there and from the first viewing platform a grey heron, little egret, great white egret, bittern, mute swan with cygnets, cormorant, great black backed gull, moorhen, coot with several red headed young, male and female tufted ducks, gadwall and pochards. We crossed the water and started heading for the Avalon Hide. On the bridge we heard and briefly saw a whitethroat. In the small wood, where you turn left and then right we were lucky enough to see a hole in a birch tree and a small greater spotted woodpecker head poking out and calling loudly. Then a parent came and fed it.
We carried on to the hide and in the lake beyond we saw a pair of great crested grebes with young, and a little grebe. On the way back to the car park we saw a chiff chaff, blackcap, reed warbler, willow warbler, great tit, robin, song thrush, blackbird, house martin, male and female marsh harriers and carrion crow.
All of the time there were largish numbers of swifts flying around. Cettis warblers and cuckoo were heard but not seen. Generally quite a successful visit we felt.