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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...

Together with all the partners in the Avalon Marshes we are holding our annual Avalon Marshes Open Day on Sunday 26th May from 10am til 4pm to celebrate what we all do for nature in this inspiring mosaic of reedbeds, open water, woodland & meadow within a working farming landscape. There will...

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...

There will be another opportunity to purchase some of Ham Wall's peat free soil conditioner this weekend. Sunday 24th March 10am - 4pm It is produced from the waste vegetation obtained during the habitat management of the reserve for birds & wildlife. It's a great way to help your garden...

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...

Staff and around 40 volunteers from the RSPB, Natural England and the Somerset Wildlife Trust braved the cold and darkness yesterday morning to record the number of booming bitterns in the Avalon Marshes. One hour before dawn they patrolled the reedbeds and marshes counting the numbers of calling...

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...

The awe-inspiring sight of Somerset’s swirling starlings just before sunset is well known. However, the RSPB and Natural England are hosting three events to witness an even more impressive spectacle - the Dawn Explosion. Hundreds of thousands of starlings flood out of the reed beds on the Avalon...

Still a very wet Ham Wall at the moment making some of our duties a little more tricky than normal. We are still managing to run our somewhat sticky guided walks albeit with a slightly diverted route but there's still plenty to be picked up across the reserve. The Marsh Harriers in particular...

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...

Super Starling Saturday & Big Garden Bird Watch Saturday 26th January 2013 10am - 4pm Celebrate our famous Starlings, make a mobile & join in with our monster murmuration. Get ready for the Big Garden Bird Watch, build a nestbox & make bird feeders & learn how to make the most of...

5th January - 28th February Come and visit an exhibition of stunning Starling Photography by Annie Henderson alongside other Starling inspired art and craft by other members of Somerset Crafts. Somerset Crafts Avalon Marshes Centre, Shapwick Road, Westhay, Somerset, BA6 9TT Open...

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 may be cold but at least it's stopped raining and water levels in surrounding ditches are beginning to fall. This now means that we are able to expel some of our excess water too. Several areas of the reserve have risen to levels higher than we would have wished for, but sometimes there's...