Today on the scrape, 10 ruff, 1 glossy ibis,1 greenshank, 2 green sands, 1 common sand, 2 great white egrets, numerous snipe together with the usual bt godwits

4-Sep-2016 (morning)
Similar to Alan’s posting of the 2nd: 3 Greenshank, 2 Grn Sandpipers, 1 Ruff, 2 Glossy Ibis and lots of Blk-t Godwits; also my first Garganey of the autumn and a count of 58 Teal while scanning for it.

3 Hobbies over trees at the back of Noah’s lake, where the Osprey was on its usual perch. I was told of second bird, sporting a blue colour-ring, that flew in with it from the direction of Ham Wall, but not present when I was there.

Similar number of birds on the scrape this morning. What surprised me was the total lack of waders on the scrape just before dawn, seems to be plenty of ducks, swans and geese. However as the sun came up, the waders, egrets, herons, ibis drifted in, in various numbers.

The two glossy ibis were very active as were the GWEs.

Hobby flew over the scrape as well. No sign of the Ospreys up to 11am when I left but it appears from twitter than 2 Ospreys were seen over Meare Heath later in the day.

PS I was at Middlebere on Thursday and was lucky to see 4 Osprey flying together. A wonderful sight. Later one returned to the Osprey pole with a fish. Is there any possibilty of a Post/nest being up on the Somerset Levels?

Godwit nos. were at 193 midday today Fri.  but many left in the next couple of hours when the rains came, heading west. Glossy ibis 2; Greenshank 3; Greensands 3; Ruff 1; Snipe 7; Lapwing 20 .
Once again this time around 1110 Two Ospreys were over Meare heath (one again was the Noah’s bird!) the seconnd appeared from South of Ham Wall. sure enough both disappeared and one returned to Noah’s Lake after an hours absence.
The Mute Swan noted on the “Scrape” on this Wed. 31st Aug. (YELLOW DKC) was ringed as an adult at ABBOTSBURY on 12/07/2016 fairly recent and not been recorded anywhere else yet!

1-Sep-2016
An update on Alan’s posting: When suddenly flushed from all-points into the open by a passing Marsh Harrier at 16:00hrs the Blk-t Godwits numbered 164.

Much as yesterday but with 3 Greenshank present. I missed 35 Knot by 5 minutes around 0900 this morning
There were two Ospreys together high over Meare Heath at 1005 this morning. A quick phone call to Noah’s confirmed the bird there had lifted off heading N.East so that accounted for one., Both birds continued circing high headnig S.East over Ham Wall. Nothing was seen of them for an hour then one returned to the usual perch in Noah’s lake. No sign of the second bird up til 1500 hrs. when I left!

Wed. 10 1500. Glossy Ibis 2; Great White Egrets 4 or 5 on and off;  Blk Wits 130; Greensands 2; Greenshank 1; Common Sand 1;  Dunlin 1 ;  Snipe 3; Ruff 1; Lapwing 20 ( nos. varied during day); a ringed Mute Swan (number noted and sent off);  A Sparrow Hawk probably female, 2 Passing Bitterns, 2 Marsh Harriers, ( I missed a passing Peregrine around 3p.m.). And a couple of Shoveller among many mostly still brown ducks .
  An Osprey was still on Noah’s Lake where a single Hobby passed by.

30-Aug-2016 between 10:15 and 13:15 hrs.
More mud emerging as pumping again after BH WE - now about right so left phone message for Simon (NE) to turn off later today.
Glossy Ibis 2, Grt W Egret 10, Little Egret 16, Bittern 1 (sunning on mud edge), Blk-t Godwit 90, Greenshank 1, Ruff 1 (male on size), Grn Sandpiper 1, Snipe 4+. Water Rail 1 adult, Marsh Harrier 1 juv, Hobby 1, Kingfisher 1, also a small party of Dunlin (SBO earlier) but didn’t land. Good nos of Gadwall, fewer Shoveler and Teal, but no sign as yet of a Garganey. An Otter appeared very briefly, fishing along the RH channel.

29-Aug-2016, late morning:
Glossy Ibis 2, Grt W Egret 10, Little Egret 18, Bittern 1 (in flight), Blk-t Godwit 32, Greenshank 1, Ruff 1 (male on size), Grn Sandpiper 2, Snipe 2.

Ossie the Opsrey still on Noah’s Lake and a Hobby hawking over its southern tree-line.
Apart from 2003, my records show that I saw an Osprey (or 2) at Shapwick Heath NNR from 2002 until 2016; recorded in 14 years, but only the one juvenile which was in 2011. I saw one in 2003 at Catcott Lows that was flying east in the direction of Shapwick!

Shapwick Heath today 26-08-2016 One male Marsh Harrier, one Osprey, one Sparrow Hawk,One Sedge Warbler seen ,A short video of two Glossy Ibis feeding on the scrape.
A short video of the Glossy Ibis here.http://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com/p577876181#h335ec48

26-Aug-2016 mid-morning.
Meare Heath scrape looking good, with just the right amount of mud showing and lots of shallows, but Lapwings apart, only one wader a Green Sandpiper. Also 2 Glossy Ibis showing well and feeding together with 2 Grt W Egrets and 16 Little Egrets, a juv Marsh Harrier passed over and what was presumably a family of Water Rails, 2 adults & 3 juvs, on the muddy edge against the far LH reed curtain, plus a male Kingfisher perched on the dead tree in far LH corner of the scrape.
The Osprey was on its usual perch on Noah’s Lake until at least 11:20, when I was told it flew up and circled, climbing high into the sky before drifting off SW (time will tell whether it’s gone or not?); also a Grt W Egret, and a Hobby over the northern tree-line.

Mid day today (Fri.). 3 Greensands;  2 Glossy Ibis; 4 Great White Egrets, ( 2 of which were locally ringed juveniles Red rings) ( AAF and AAC) ; 15 Little Egrets present; 20+ Lapwing; 4 Water Rails together along the rear LHS reed edge ( 1 Adult and 3 Juvs.)  2 Wigeon among the Gadwall Mallard and Teal, all showing well in the sunshine; just one flyover Hobby and Marsh Harrier in around 3 hrs. An Osprey was still present on Noah’s Lake mid p.m.

Nature was doing its best yesterday afternoon Alan. A female Sparrowhawk was sitting on the edge of the mud in front of VP 2 so the only waders present were flying west!

A narrow edge of mud now visible and the first? wader of the Autumn arrived this afternoon a Green Sand Piper
. One of the locally ringed this years juv Great White Egrets was present RED colour ring on left leg letters AAF . Three other Great Whites were also present one of which was the 2009 ringed French bird ORANGE over PISTACHIO.
By tomorrow if the pump doesn’t run out of fuel there’s a chance that something new will arrive, if not we must organise a drive to get some of the invisible waders that are hiding down on Ham Wall up here ready for the weekend.

The pump has been put on today to lower the water level, the Osprey which was still on Noah’s Lake lifted off around 1450 to fish, failed on Noah’s and went to Meare Heath, it had a good look at the scrape at around 1500 but flew to the back of Meare Heath towards the Piggeries. It will get a surprise if it tries it’s luck there tommorrow.