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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...

Hi All, well it's been another pretty miserable week as far as the weather goes but it's not been an uneventful week on the reserve. There are plenty of warblers out on the reserve to keep people occupied, with as usual, the railway path tree line proving very fruitful, with a good number of...

After the first Cuckoo was heard last week and then one seen at the weekend we can now add Whitethroat and Swift to the list. A Swift was seen flying over on Saturday and Whitethroats have been heard over the weekend and I had great views myself this morning and heard at least 3 individuals. Opposite...

An early Blog this week as it's Good Friday tomorrow and I'm lucky enough to have a long weekend off. I've also been on annual leave on Monday and Tuesday so have had to work a little bit harder than usual to find out what's been happening on the reserve this week. The blazing summer...

It's been a very warm week on the reserve as everywhere and there's been a real buzz of activity. Birds are most definitely on the move with a few Swallows seen on the reserve this week as I reported in a previous blog. However, it appears that some Sand Martins did beat them after all. On Thursday...

Reported to me today at 3.30pm ( I missed them by seconds myself), 2 Swallows flying left to right in front of the first viewing platform at Ham Wall. No Sand Martins as yet but only a matter of time. Also a great looking male Marsh Harrier hunting over Loxtons 3.35pm and another male seen just a...

It's been another great week for working on the reserve and you can really now get the sense that things are changing. There's been some great Dawn Choruses on the reserve already, with Blackbirds, Robins and Song Thrushes all trying to outdo each other. Chiffchaffs are singing in several areas...

There have been some beautiful days on the reserve this week, although there has been a cold wind at times. Spring is slowly creeping it's way upon us, but as yet, I cannot report the first Sand Martins (usually the first to arrive) or Swallows of spring at Ham Wall. The odd one or two have been...

Well there's certainly more than a hint of spring in the air this week, with some glorious days to be out and about on the reserve. There have been birds in full song such as Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock and Great Tit amongst others all creating a dawn chorus feel during the...

Plenty to report once again this week I'm pleased to say with lots of interesting sightings! The Yellow Browed Warbler is still present and often seen at the same location as before - the first wooden No Entry gate along the footpath side of the main drain, by the wood. It's often seen with other...

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...