'Among The Reedbeds'

Having only ever had a taster of the Somerset levels from a brief Saturday visit earlier in the year and with no autumn holiday previously booked, it seemed like a great place to get away too for a few days as a change of scenery without having to travel too far. My previous visit to the RSPB’s Ham Wall reserve had been late on a March afternoon and although promised much, the weather came in and sightings were at a minimum. So having the opportunity to visit again with a bit more time on my hands was a promising prospect.

Unfortunately the weather was very similar to last time with most afternoons grey and overcast, although this time the wildlife on show was a lot more obliging. Working a 9-5 weekday job doesn’t often bring the chance of visiting reserves during the week. But oh how I wish I could do that more often, there were hardly any people around and those that were, were there for the wildlife and not to walk the dog or keep the kids entertained like the usual weekend crowd I encounter.

It didn’t take too long as I entered the reserve before I got a glimpse of a Somerset levels specialist, a very brief flyover by a Great White Egret, always an elusive tick in north Hampshire. It seemed like I was gorging myself on reed bed dwellers as a few minutes later the first of at least half a dozen Marsh Harriers wheeled its way over the tops of the path side standing reed.

With Marsh Harriers in my sights and well within camera range, I quickly headed down to the Tor View hide, situated smack bang in the middle of the reedbed. With great views across the levels to Glastonbury Tor and almost a 360 degree vantage point, it was the perfect place to scan for Harriers.

As the afternoon went on Marsh Harriers of different ages both male and female glided effortlessly over the rows of reed. Hunting and hovering like beautiful angels of death, hanging motionless in mid-air as they sought out prey. I longed for some better light, it never came, but I really couldn’t complain about the great views these majestic birds of prey were giving, all just metres out from the hide.

As light levels dropped even more and the prospect of tens of thousands of Starlings starting to arriving to roost, the adult female was joined by a stunning creamed capped, slate-blue winged male, who happily alarmed the resident Teal as he joined the fray. Dropping down low enough on occasions so I could capture his cracking plumage.

The Marsh Harrier wasn’t the only species making regular flights over the stands of reed, Ham Wall is a great place to see Bitterns and I was not let down from the Tor View hide as several made extremely short flights from one stand of reed to the next. Appearing only inches above the cover as they swiftly disappeared amongst the next band, it was real if you blinked you missed it kind of birdwatching and It took me a little while to get a clear shot as anticipating the movement was the biggest challenge.

There was plenty of other waterfowl on display throughout the afternoon, with Great crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Shoveler, Teal, Mute Swan and plenty of Cormorants alongside the ever present background exploding soundtrack song of the Cettis warbler. I even managed to catch the thousands of Starlings coming into roost, unfortunately they didn’t feel too much like performing and dropped down into their roosting spots with minimal fuss. There is always next time!

All in all a nice couple of afternoons spent enjoying some of the levels finest species. I can’t wait to get back there again soon and hopefully in some better light to enjoy the awesome aerial displays of the Marsh Harriers and maybe catch a better view of the Starling murmuration.

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Caring For Kestrels - September 2015

The blog is back, but for how long who knows, but this time I am going to try make a conscious effort to post regularly.

This year’s autumn week away only stretch as far as a few days down to the Somerset levels, what with a new job and new house planning holidays had been the last thing on my mind. However it gave a great opportunity to explore the Avalon Marshes nature reserves of Ham Wall, Shapwick Heath and Westhay Moor.

After a morning exploring Steart Marshes we headed over to Westhay Moor a site I hadn’t been to before. Donna and I spotted a couple of big lens bods further down the path from the car park so we headed off that way. A passer-by informing us of a very bold Kestrel that was obviously their targeted subject.

We soon spotted the bird perched among the autumn leaves of a row of silver birch, camouflaged well against the greens and oranges of the changing leaves. It kept peering down, seemingly not too bothered by the few spectators clicking away.

A group of kids and their mothers passed, screaming and running amok flushing the bird up for a couple of minutes, it did a couple of circle flight and then came straight back in and landed in the branches 20ft above our heads. I’ve not seen a wild Kestrel this close before and was quite surprised by how fearless it was.

It looked quite ragged in flight so I did wonder if it wasn’t too well, but it was soon catching Dragonflys that were basking on the path and hunting for earth worms among the mole hills.

Having almost filled the memory card up with Kestrel shots we walked off around the rest of the reserve, missing the resident Bearded Tits by seconds. Kingfishers called and zoomed along all the channels. After a couple of hours covering the wide expanse of Westhay and taking in the several different hides overlooking the reed beds, we ticked of Great White Egret on the furthest walk and as we headed back to the car in the gloom, the Kestrel appeared again in front of us.

The way it perched on the branch it just didn’t look healthy, the wing drooped a little but still it kept dropping down to catch earth worms. We crawled ever closer taking yet more pics in the awful light accommodated all the time by the bird.

It then flew up and did a short circle flight before dropping down in the bracken, emerging a few seconds later with a mouse. So it looked ill but somehow seemed to catch more prey in the time we were watching it than should be natural. I still couldn’t make up my mind.

We had to walk on a bit more and as we got a little closer the Kestrel was up and off further down the path with its catch, out into a more open area with some slightly better light. Just as it got out into the open it dropped its prey and having found a new vantage point knelt down just metres away it came trotting back through the grass in search of it.

Finally reunited with its lunch my final Kestrel shot was of the bird feeding atop one of the hides. A close encounter never to forget and one that by the end of our visit to Westhay had convinced us that there wasn’t too much wrong with this bird. All we could put it down to was that perhaps it had been injured before and raised back to health with a human imprint on it.

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