A VISIT TO HAM WALL
WEATHER: very warm, with broken sunshine. Top temp 25C
Despite this hot spell there have been quite few bird sightings at local reserves and it looks like migrating birds will be returning earlier than they usually do this year. My local Common Swifts left in late July instead of early August and some passerine migrants have already come through my local patch.
Wading birds are my forte and several uncommon birds have arrived at Ham Wall recently. Also, it is possible (yet to be comfirmed) that Purple Herons have bred there this year, a showy juvenile bird has been seen regularly from the Avalon Hide at Ham Wall.
Today, Guy picked me up at 7am and we drove to Ham Wall to look for a few waders and the Purple Heron. The walk to the Avalon Hide produced very little, we Great White Egrets and a few a Common Ducks.
The water level in the pool in front of the hide was very low which a nice margin of mud around the edge, ideal for waders. We quickly located a couple of our target waders, SPOTTED REDSHANK and WOOD SANDPIPER.
Spotted Redshank and a Wood Sandpiper behind it
Also around trhe edge of the pool we spotted at least 8 Water Rails, several of them were juveniles. There were also 6 Great Egrets, two Little Egrets, lots of Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler and a few Teal. Both Little Grebe and Great Crested Grebes had chicks in tow.
Juv Water Rail feeding behind a Gadwall Duck
Great Egret
Looking down into the reeds below the hide, we saw several Reed Warblers, also Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers. I had short views of Bearded Tits in the far stand of Reeds.
Despite searching for over 2 hours we never had a glimpse of a Purple Heron
Reed Warbler
After a long wait two Green Sandpipers landed on the far bank, we also picked out a Common Snipe feeding in the mud at the base of the reeds.
two Green Sandpipers
On the way back to the car park we had a very extraordinary sighting of a BARN OWL. Some young people we photographing the Owl from a gate. It soon became apparent that the Owl wasn't well, it tried to fly off but the wing feathers were too worn, it could lift off the ground. We reported the sighting to the Warden's Office in the car park.
I didn't expect to see this bird today!!
From Ham Wall we drove the short distance to Tealham Moor in the hope of seeing a Hobby and a Yellow Wagtail. After searching for a while we found the wagtail, in fact there was half-a-dozen of them feeding around the feet of a small herd of cows.
Yellow Wagtail and a Cow's snout!
Yellow Wagtail - not looking too yellow at this time of the year.
From Tealham we stopped at the Avalon Visitor's centre for lunch where a Brie,Bacon and Cranberry toatsie went down very well. Our last stop was at cattcott Lows, the pool in front of the hide had been hosting a Glossy ibis for the last month or so. However, nearly all the water has dired up in the wader pool and no birds were present at all. In the distance we could see a flock of about 50 Cattle Egrets with some cows, but no Ibis was present.
a view of the main 'Drain' at Tealham Moor.
Our last good sighting of the day was in fact a Hobby, it fed over the Lows at Cattcott, we watched from the hide for a good ten minutes.
Guy got me back home mid-afteroon, it was getting very warm by then.