Ham Wall
Make Little Bittern showing well this morning along with 11 Great White Egrets (9 feeding I front of VP2), 2 Green Sandpipers and my first Brown Hawker of the year.
A few distant pics of the Glossy Ibis. Along with a few Marsh harriers and a Hobby from yesterday at Ham Wall. A good day!
Saw one of the Little Bitterns at 1.00 after a 2 hour wait, listening to it call regularly. Still needed the help of a helpful RSPB volunteer to see it even then! Also today, Hobby (2), Marsh Harrier (3), Glossy Ibis, LRP, Green Sandpiper, GWE, Raven, Kestrel, along with some more standard stuff.
A Hornet was working the brambles at the Sharpham end today and on the 2VP scrape, a juv LRP and c10 Green Sand. 1 Hobby on Noah’s. I presume Meare Heath scrape is not being drained while dredging is carried out…
Tues. a.m. VP2 , 2 Ruff ;1 Redshank; 2 M Garganey; Pair of Wigeon; G.Ibis plus 25 Blk Tailed G’Wits. probably the group that were on Meare Heath early yesterday as seen by Martin , they certainly were not there around 11 this morning, just one Dunlin on the scrape then !
There were 26 Blackwit and a single Dunlin on the Meare Heath scrape at 08.00 this morning but the Godwits didn’t stay long.
Highlight from VP2 today 2 Mistle Thrushes (unusual) ! 4 Garganey early afternoon, (3m and 1 F). 6 Blk Tld. G’Wits; A pair of Wigeon are still with us as is the Ibis. Apart from half a dozen Lapwing I saw no other waders, it looks as though the Ruff from last week have cleared off. Bitterns ; M. Harriers and G.W. Egrets present plus good numbers of Hobbies.
Meare Heath scrape from 1000 until 1100 hrs. was devoid of any waders.
The water Level in the area between VP2 and the path to the Avalon Marshes hide has risen slightly, some of the smaller ridges have gone under but during an evening visit (2000 hrs onward) on Fri. produced 2 Garganey and a Redshank from VP 2. Mike J. visiting from Chew Valley confirmed that the Ibis and at least 3 Ruff and a couple more Redshank were viewable from the blinds on the lower path and a small flock of Whimbrel had dropped in.
Nice to meet you yesterday.
Saw two ’ Marsh chicken’s ’ flying and fighting in the sky this morning ! Real treat.
Some pics of the Ham Wall ‘Marsh chickens’ on my blog, plus a very showy Cetti’s Warbler! 😊
http://carlbovisnaturephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/bitterns-in-flight-and-very-showy.html
Nice to meet you yesterday.
Saw two ’ Marsh chicken’s ’ flying and fighting in the sky this morning ! Real treat.
From VP2 midday 1 drake Garganey; 3 Ruff; 1 Redshank; 1 pair of Wigeon still here as is the Glossy Ibis; lots of Hobbies with noticeably more dragonflies presumably Hairy and vast numbers of small damsel fly things! There were also 15 Blk Wits which may well have been the ones seen earlier on Shapwick as those were missing from the scrape when I returned there at 1415.
From VP2 (1130-1430) Woodsand 1: Ruff 4 ( couple of dark birds) ; Redshank 1 ; Pl;us a male and female Garganey; the single drake Wigeon is still here as is the Glossy Ibis ; Cuckoos 4 one of which was female calling hence the get together! . Flybys of 5 Whimbrel and 7 Ringed Plover, neither party landed. Numerous widespread Hobbies with occasional Bittern , G.W.Egret and Marsh Harrier sightings.
The summer pumaged Ruff was again off VP2 at 2030 this evening as were 2 drake Garganey and a Greenshank. as I left Ham Wall at 2055 seven G. W. Egrets were in the air at the same time but not all heading in the same direction.
There were 2 Little Ringed Plovers on Meare Heath scrapeearlier at 1930 but nothiing else
An evening visit to Ham Wall produced two summer plumaged Black Terns flying over the southern part of the Godwins plot ( that’s west of the RSPB Walton Heath area) viewable from the railway bridge, they were there around from 1945 until 2000hrs when they lifted high and headed east and could not be relocated but they might be in the area tomorrow.
The summer plumaged Ruff was still around VP2 this evening.
A beatifically coloured RUFF with a redish orange ruff was visible from VP2 this morning along with 2 Common Sandpipers and a Ringed Plover. The Ibis and one Greenshank still present but no Woodsands today.
Meare Heath scrape held one Ringed Plover and 40 Black Tailed Godwits around 1000 a.m. today