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The amazing weather of last week continued into the early part of this week and with it the interesting sightings continued to flow. The weekend saw a huge influx of Swifts over the Avalon Marshes, with 1000's seen and there were several hundred flying over the reserve today as well along with...

Another great week nearly over, with once again plenty to report. The wonderful weather and the amazing variety of birds on show at Ham Wall & Shapwick Heath has proved to be a big draw for visitors and we have been very busy all week. The new car park for Ham Wall (work should begin in August) can't...

Firstly, please accept my apologies for the missing blog last Friday, I was away from work for the whole week, so this week we have a bit of catching up to do. Overview of last week (30th Mar-5th April) Sand Martins and Swallows continued to arrive on the reserve and were greeted by some quite...

A very cold week on the reserve this week but spring is just around the corner. A number of Sand Martins have been seen on a daily basis. You got to feel for them though - they must be wondering what the hell they are doing here at the moment. As many as 20 have been seen daily from several locations...

Spring hasn't exactly sprung on Ham Wall but it's certainly stirring from its winter slumber. There's been plenty of bird song of all kinds on the reserve this week including: Great Tit, Chaffinch, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Robin and Wren amongst others. Song Thrush too has been...

Firstly, apologies for the lack of recent sightings blogs for the last 2 Friday's. I was on annual leave last week and the week before I had to stay home and nurse my 2 daughters through chicken pox - mildly bird related I guess but I'm back now and ready to blog away. With all the stories of...

It's been a very snowy day today so was unable to get into work myself what with school closures etc. I also can't be of too much assistance in giving info about the state of the roads close to the reserve but if you are out and about take great care or seek other local knowledge before traveling...

Some more great sightings for you this week. The stars of the week turned up yesterday (x2) and more joined them today. This morning 6 Waxwings were present (and still there at lunchtime when I left) in the Alder trees surrounding the car park at Ashcott Corner and also feeding in the small Rowan Tree...

It's been a mixed week weather-wise on the reserve this week but the heavy rain still continues to cause problems for our breeding birds. Last weekend however, saw some interesting sightings with Sparrowhawk, Kingfisher, Stonechat, Marsh Harrier, Great White Egret & Bittern all seen. The highlight...

After all the headlines in the media this week about Buzzards and its happy outcome (for now at least) thought we should celebrate with a couple of Buzzard pictures to get us started. Of course buzzards can be seen every day at Ham Wall almost without exception, often in pairs or larger groups...

Despite the huge amounts of rain we've been having over the last couple of weeks the reserve has managed to stay above water apart from a few puddles along the trails and there is quite a lot to report. Last Friday (27th April), discovered too late for last weeks blog, an Osprey flew from Ham Wall...

A more typical April week has seen plenty of rain, bouts of hail and a colder wind but still plenty of migrants turning up for the breeding season or passing through. Better numbers of Martins and Swallows throughout the week, although they must be wondering what they're doing here, with it being...

Lots going on at the reserve again this week, with plenty of interesting reports and one or two unusual sightings. Bitterns seem to be much more active over the past couple of weeks and there have been plenty of sightings at Ham Wall. The first viewing platform still seems to be the most fruitful...

The slightly milder weather this week has thawed out the reserve and so birds have been able to move around a little more freely. Most noticeably there has been an increase in Bittern activity this week. There have been several sightings in front of the first viewing platform and within Waltons. 4 different...

There's still plenty happening on the reserve this week, with several interesting sightings and occurrences. One of the most significant came on Monday, while 3 volunteers were undertaking the monthly WeBS (Wetland Bird Survey). In the north of the reserve a Bittern was heard to grunt (a sound often...

The Starlings seem to very happy at the far end of Shapwick Heath as they have now settled for their 2nd week. The numbers of birds are still huge and crowds of people who have been coming down to enjoy the spectacle have not been disappointed with their fantastic displays. In fact this week the displays...