Hi everyone

Just to let you know that we allowed some water into the Meare Heath Scrape today, to cover some of the drier areas of mud that where not being used by any migrating birds.  We have now stopped moving water and will wait to see how any passage birds respond.  We will continue to monitor the level and if required we can pump down again.  On leaving site this evening there where large numbers of lapwing using the newly flooded but shallow areas with a number of smaller waders also feeding.

With kind regards
Simon Clarke
Shapwick Heath NNR

2 Common Sand Pipers today( first I’ve seen here this year I think)  1 Ringed Plover stopped for 15mins thenheaded off West; plus 2 Green Sands; 55 Black Tailed God Wits;  Large gathering of Great and Little Egrest numbers much as yesterday. Unusually 2 Grey Wagtail dropped in and a Water Rail made a brief appearance along the reed edge at the back of the scrape as did one Sedge Warbler.

Missed off yesterday’s note, 1 Hobby,  3 Snipe ans 3 Wigeon. Today Wigeon presence had risen I saw 4 but was reliably informed that 8 were present earlier; only 1 Greensand.  1 flyby Bittern and 1 male Marsh Harrier plus one Kestrel.

73 Blk Wits;  30 Lapwing;  1 Glossy Ibis;  2 Green S’Pipers; max of around 40 Little Egrets early this morning with 12 Great Whites that included 2 ringed birds, RED AAC ringed Ham Wall 2016 and the Orange over Lime French bird ringed in Briere Marsh,  Loire Atlantique in 2009!  Almost all the birds cleared off late morning when a large tracked vehicle involved in the Noah’s Hide replacement came up the track. returning very slowly with lots of absentees up to 1400 when I left.  Nothing of note seen on Noah’s Lake!

Egret Bonanza was a great sight this morning on the Scrape.

See here
Egret bonanza
and here
Egret bonanza

28 Godwits flew onto the Scrape
Also small Otter in South Drain, 2 Otters in with the “Polish” cygnets.
Hobby over Noahs.

25 Little Egrets; 3 Great White Egrets and 10 Blk. Tld. G’ Wits, plus the Glossy Ibis at around 1100hrs. today .  The tde is well out!

18-Aug- 2017
Good amount of mud now showing this morning, but only waders were 5 Black-t Godwits and 8 Lapwings. Also the Glossy Ibis, 3 Grt W Egrets, 14 Little Egrets, a quartering juv Marsh Harrier and a Kingfisher that flashed along the back channel. Many of the commoner ducks present including a few Teal.

Thanks for the info Alan, nice to know that we may soon be seeing passage-waders there.

The pump has been put on today to lower the water level and given a couple of days a muddy edge should appear. Very little except a dozen duck there last night but 30+ Little Egrets went to roost on Noah’s along with 4 Great White Egrets.

For those who haven’t visited the ‘Scrape’ it is now no more! The tide has been rising since Monday, ( a board on the sluice has been lifted)! the last Green Sand left on Tuesday around 1130, 20 Blk Wits were still there then tiptoeing around, today Thursday apart from a few Egrets of which only a single Great White could reach the floor there was nothing!. Hopefully N. England will be saving up and will put the pump on early Autumn, whenever that arrives!

I made it at least 12 Green Sandpipers at 08.00 this morning-the highest count I have had this year although there were 11 there on Tuesday. Water level is noticeably higher since the recent rain but just enough mud to attract small waders.

At least 9 green sandpipers this morning, 16 little egret and 3 great, as well as glossy ibis and 60+ lapwing.

Late morning Sunday,A single Redshank ( first for several weeks); 2 Green Sands; 20 Blk. Tld. G’Wits. (one ringed report sent off): 150 Lapwing; Plus the Glossy Ibis for an hour before it flew back whence it came into the reeded lagoon immediately east of the scrape. A single Cattle Egret was also settled at the back, eventually flying off west.

7 Green Sands today, plus the Glossy ibis that appeared from the reeded lagoon next door, lifted out by the downdraught of a passing low flying Chinook!

Again this morning 6 Green sands present , 149 Lapwing (where are they coming from?). no Godwits until early afternoon when 20 Blk Wits came in from the Ham Wall direction. ( No Terns on Noah’s Lake!