01-May-2026
After we met you today Mike at VP1, stopped our car at the old railway-bridge and hey presto a quietly singing Willow Warbler seen! No luck around Stawell, not sure exactly where to look?

Heard several willow warblers at ham wall last week. Drake ring necked duck was on pool to right of path to Avalon hide, & mating Pochard in front of VP 2

Garganey still present at Midday, plus Whitethroats and Swifts (VP1). Cuckoo and Bitterns heard, Glossy Ibis at Tor Hide.

23-Apr-2026
My fav UK falcon the Hobby, 3 (2+1) this morning at Ham Wall feeding with 20+ Swifts. As we walked from car park at c.10:00hrs a flyover ->N Osprey. A drake Garganey from VP1. Also 4 Garden Warblers, 2 Whitethroats, but no Willow Warblers!

Ham Wall about 10am, Osprey, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshanks, Bitterns booming, Black Tailed Godwits, Cetti’s, plus the usual ducks etc.

26-March-2026
Not much at a quiet Cattcott Lows this morning, the usual Marsh Harriers, c.25 Teal, 1 Little Egret, and best of all a circling flock of c.120 Sand Martins that soon drifted away to the west. No sign of the Glossy Ibis.

At least 3 Blackcaps singing close to the railway line in Ham Wall yesterday morning in very cool and windy weather. i have been away for a week or so but can report the first flock of Sand Martins (at least 10) over Noahs on Sunday March 1. That was (like Jeff) my second earliest date having seen a single over Meare Heath in February 2007. Another early record for me this year was a male Brimstone in my garden on February 25th. I also saw 2 on the Poldens this morning.

10-March-2026
No sign of the adult & juv Whooper Swans this morning (10-Mar) on Noah’s Lake at Shapwick Heath NNR, but a flock of c.25 Sand Martins was my 2nd earliest date in Somerset. Lots of duck still present and I counted 116 Pintail, but prob missed some of the distant females. NB: The 2 Whoopers were reported as still present y’day.

03-Mar-2026
Drake Ring-necked Duck on Meare Heath lake this morning, part of Shapwick Heath NNR where told also another R-n Duck & 2 Whooper Swans (adult & juv) distantly on Noah’s Lake, but didn’t walk that far. Again, no sign of the Firecrest 100m west of the Shapwick Heath entrance gate at Ashcott Corner 10:00 to 11:30.

Random waterfowl at moment include a swan goose with 14 greylags at greylake, plus barnacle goose (presumably the one that was previously at sharpham lane) and black swan at westhay. A browner than normal Grey Heron has been hanging out at VP1.

On travel issues - moorlinch road is closed for next 3 weeks (no notification at A361 end), Greylake footpaths are only ankle deep, but have an extra closed sign there, but catcott lows track has been flattened out

Thanks for your prompt reply Alison, much appreciated.

The Firecrest was in the area where the trees are both sides of the track.. Probably less than a 100 metres west of the gate..

Firecrest: Alison, was that just west of Ashcott Cnr car-park where the trees are both sides of the track up to the closed boardwalk entrance, or further on towards the raised hide?

Three or four Sand Martin were over Noahs Lake this morning and a Firecrest showed well from the main track west of the Ashcott corner (NE) carpark .

17-Feb-2026
Glossy Ibis still showing very well at 10:00 hrs from the main hide at Catcott Lows car-park.
Also, later this morning, a feeding flock of c.120 Cattle Egrets on wet roadside fields (Godney Moor) along Westhay Moor Drove just east of its jct with Tillys Drove. This is about 1.5kms east of Westhay Moor NNR car park