Thornbury U3A outing to RSPB Ham Wall, 22nd May 2023
Ham Wall is an RSPB reserve on the Somerset Levels and part of the more extensive Avalon Marshes area west of Glastonbury. The reserves here were developed for conservation mostly following the closure of peat extraction work. Ham Wall was acquired by the RSPB in 1994 and reed beds were planted in the wetlands left behind by the peat removal. The reserve is now at the forefront of wetland conservation work and a particular success has been in attracting long-legged heron-like wading birds such as Bittern, Great White Egret and Cattle Egret, as well as even rarer species such as Glossy Ibis which has overwintered here on occasion.
For this outing, we experimented with two start times, the first at 8.30 and the second at 10.45. The intention of this was to increase the chances of seeing Bitterns, which make feeding flights early in the day to gather food for their young. They feed away from the nest so as to avoid drawing the attention of predators, but these flights become much less frequent beyond mid-morning (which is also when predator activity tends to increase). The early group was very fortunate to get excellent views of two Bitterns flying together in front of the Avalon Hide for a good ten minutes or so. This pattern of almost parallel flight is thought to be a courtship display rather than a feeding flight. As for the mid-morning group, they also managed to see a single Bittern flight at the same spot and everyone saw Marsh Harriers quartering the reed beds looking for prey.
Our walk took also us to one of the main viewing points at Ham Wall, where we were able to watch a muddy scrape with nesting waders (Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing and Common Sandpiper, as well as a small Black-headed Gull colony), and a variety of other water birds including a handsome male Garganey (a species of duck that migrates to the UK to breed). We also found a good list of Warbler species and some members of the group were lucky to spot a Hobby, a Red Kite and to hear a Cuckoo calling.
The final tally of 58 different bird species was testament to the wonderfully rich habitat at Ham Wall and the success of this and other wetland conservation efforts by the RSPB and other organisations across the UK. A great day for all involved.
Species list
| Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) | Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) | Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) | Garganey (Spatula querquedula) | |||||||
| Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) | Gadwall (Mareca strepera) | Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) | Teal (Anas crecca) | |||||||
| Pochard (Aythya ferina) | Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) | Swift (Apus apus) | Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) | |||||||
| Stock Dove (Columba oenas) | Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) | Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) | Coot (Fulica atra) | |||||||
| Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) | Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) | Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) | ||||||||
| Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) | Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) | Redshank (Tringa totanus) | ||||||||
| Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) | Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) | Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) | ||||||||
| Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) | Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) | Great White Egret (Ardea alba) | Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) | |||||||
| Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) | Red Kite (Milvus milvus) | Buzzard (Buteo buteo) | , Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) | |||||||
| Hobby (Falco subbuteo) | Jay (Garrulus glandarius) | Magpie (Pica pica) | Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) | |||||||
| Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) | Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) | Great Tit (Parus major) | Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti) | |||||||
| Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) | Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) | Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) | Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) | Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) | Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin) | Whitethroat (Curruca communis) Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) | Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) | Blackbird (Turdus merula) | Robin (Erithacus rubecula) | |
| Dunnock (Prunella modularis) | Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) | Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) | Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) | Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) |
