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We've experienced a range of weather this week on the reserve with cold winds, calm sunny spells, rain & hail. It's confusing for us so imagine how it is for the resident wildlife, nest building, incubating eggs or rearing young. It's been an interesting week again though with the...

The weather was pretty dour early in the week and the blog was looking a bit lean a couple of days ago but the brighter weather has woken everything up again and the last few days has seen plenty more activity on the reserve. Last weekend saw a huge influx of Swallows and Martins and Swifts in particular...

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...

Another bumper week of sightings on the reserve this week, with yet again plenty to report. In fact one of our volunteers and local birdwatcher Joe Cockram got over 90 species from Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath on his visits to the reserves on Monday. That's pretty impressive and shows just how well...

Spring has finally sprung for good this week and what a week it's been on the reserve, with an awful lot to report. The warmer weather of the last week to 10 days has made an amazing difference to the reserve. There are warblers galore along the treelines of the old rail path and the reedbeds...

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...

Although there is a hint of spring on the reserve, it seems the winter is reluctant to release its grip for the moment. It's been a cold and wet couple of days on the reserve and wildlife has seemed more reluctant too to show its face - not surprising (I've felt the same way). There has been...

The last 2 days have been a bit of a contrast here at Ham Wall. A very cold start yesterday led to a gloriously sunny day and today the slightly warmer start has lead to some miserable and wet conditions this afternoon. It looks like they chose the right day to undertake the Bittern survey yesterday...

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...

The drier weather has continued this week and this has been a great help to staff in lowering water levels around the site to get them at the optimum level for our breeding birds. Fairly large numbers of visitors have continued to flow through the reserve this week in search of the Pied Billed Grebe...

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 relatively dry week for a change in comparison to many we've had recently, although water levels locally are still high with the last of the snow melt and a few deluges adding to the problems. We have been able to operate our pump for much of the week and are beginning to make some...

Thankfully the snow we had in midweek came to nothing, although the temperature has remained low as I have found out to my cost after slipping in a ditch up to my waist on Wednesday morning and filling my wellingtons with more icy water this morning - I seem to be making a habit of this lately. Thank...

Firstly apologies for the lack of blogs recently. Of course, it was the Christmas break but then I had a bout of sickness which means I have only just returned to work. This means there is plenty to catch up with and I have done my best to gleen information from wherever possible - thanks to John Crispin...

Well, as suggested by some, the world didn't end today and the reserve is indeed full of life. A visit out this very morning proved highly productive with a host of species on show. The female Smew is still present from the 1st platform but often swims down the channels and is hidden from view. Today...

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...

We've had some horrendous weather this week with high winds and a LOT of rain. With the surrounding drainage system so high it's over-topping in places Ham Wall is almost full to the brim in some areas and causing a few problems. There is one area of the reserve where we are actually trying to...

The final push to complete the work in Phase 1 (the section in front of the 2nd viewing platform) has enabled us to complete the works and we are now allowing water levels to rise in this section. As the levels rise, albeit slowly, the habitat should become suitable for wading birds at first (with several...

The area in front of the 1st viewing platform is a top place for a bit of bird watching at the moment. We are aiming to hold the water levels at their current position to create a great feeding area for ducks and waders. The varying heights of the islands offer varying depths of water to suit a wide...

Work has now finished in front of the first viewing platform and we have been gradually raising water levels in here over the past week to suppress any re-growth on the islands. Happily, the by product of this is splashy islands being enjoyed by a host of ducks and waders. It's a pleasing site at...

With the area drained down in front of the first platform to access for reed cutting we have provided some muddy areas for waders - particularly Snipe. At first glance the area may appear empty but scan the cut islands on the left or just wait and small groups of Snipe will pop up and sometimes circle...

It's been very changeable with the weather over the last 7 days with bright sunshine one minute and showers (sometimes heavy) the next. There are signs also that things are on the change with the birds too. Swallows can be seen gathered on telegraph wires close to the reserve and groups pass through...

July can often be a quiet month for birds and the scorching weather means more than ever that they want to hide away especially in the middle part of the day when the sun is at it's hottest - and who can blame them. The sun has made work on the reserve quite energy sapping but we have achieved a...