Avalon Marshes (new topic from Feb 2025)
06-Dec-2025
Adult drake Ring-necked Duck showed very well 13:30 to 14:00 today on Decoy Lake, Shapwick Heath NNR. It was with 34 Tufted Ducks, but no sign of the other drake.
There have been yellow browed warbler, chiffchaff, gold and firecrest reported in the bushes before VP1 in last few days
My customary visit to Ham Wall on the first of every month was hard work this morning as wind and rain approached but it was mainly dry between 9 and 11am. The most notable records were from the area north of VP1 where there were at least 500 Lapwing, 86 Blackwits, 2 Snipe, 4 separate Marsh Harriers in view at the same time, plus good numbers of Coot, Canada Geese, Teal, Shoveler, Wigeon, Tufted Duck and particularly Gadwall. By contrast VP2 lakes were almost deserted with just one GWE and 6 Mallard seen there. Passerines were hard to find but a Goldcrest was the highlight. 33 species in total. Away from the Avalon marshes but not far, I was surprised to see a pair of Blackcaps in my Westhay garden at 8am. I know many people have overwintering Blackcaps but they seem to avoid us most years.
Yes, Tom Raven also reported one from Walton’s on 5th, but other sightings from around the 12th seem to relate to a Grey
For the avoidance of doubt, I can confirm that the juv purple heron I saw on 5th was definitely not a dark juv grey heron - striking mottled brown wing coverts, scapulars and mantle contrasting with grey primaries and secondaries very clear in flight! Which isn’t to say of course that there hasn’t been a dark juv grey present more recently. I had a close view and watched it for some time as it flew ahead of me, paused and flew again on Waltons. Best view I’ve ever had of one in the UK. Nice bird.
On another note, great egret AJW ringed on Ham Wall this year has been reported from the Isle of Wight.
Seen photos of penduline tit at greylake today.
More recent reports of purple heron at ham wall seem to involve a very dark immature Grey…
Obliging juv purple heron on Waltons, Ham Wall, this afternoon.
1,possibly 2 Pintail on Noahs Lake this morning, 1 Sparrowhawk and 2 Marsh Harrier were the only other birds of note. I left before an Osprey was reported over Ham Wall heading towards Noahs.
28-Oct-2025
Firecrest: 3 brief views of one c.50 yds up the track from Ashcott Corner carpark at Shapwick Heath NNR this morning, also a Chiffchaff.
159 cattle egrets roosting on Shapwick Heath this evening, and several great whites fishing. A pair of black swans on Noah’s, 60 cormorants in the tree on Canada Farm Lake, wigeon whistling on the Scrape and the ring ouzel still in the Ham Wall car park.
The large numbers (1000s) of hirundines feeding over various parts of the area these last few days seem to have almost entirely disappeared today - at least in the areas I’ve been: Godney, Westhay, Tadham, Shapwick Heath. Just a few swallows going over Canada lake this evening.
An hour in the Decoy Lake hide at Shapwick early this afternoon. Three hobbys over the trees at the eastern end of the lake when I arrived had increased to a group of at least eight by the time I left. Sand martins were moving through more or less constantly and the hobbys were up at the same height as the martins so I wonder if they were looking to pick out a weaker martin, although I didn’t see any predator/prey interaction. Neither did the hobbys seem to be going in low over the reedbeds in dragonfly-hunting mode, although there were dragonflies around. Otherwise, fairly quiet with just a few dozen mallard and gadwall, a few egrets, lone marsh harrier.
29-June-2025
A single large Lapwing chick at Catcott Lows this morning being accompanied by a parent, no sign of anymore chicks.
Purple Heron present this morning at Meare Heath