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Needless to say, Rhian's excited proclamation - upon the arrival of our first avocet of the year in mid-February - that spring was here, was a little premature. Since then we've had plenty more snow flurries, frozen pools and lots of gratitude for the stove in our reception hide. However, we've...

Here's the full bird list for Ham Wall for November 2012: Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Short Eared Owl, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Kestrel, Peregrine, Merlin, Bittern, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Glossy Ibis, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Canada Goose, Greylag...

Recent highlights around the Newport Wetlands reserve include a ring-tailed hen harrier, the marsh harrier , and the short-eared owl (which disappeared after my last blog post, but has been spotted once or twice again this week!). There’s been a sparrowhawk hunting around the Visitor Centre this...

Many may have noticed this year that we have had no trouble raising our water levels. Plenty of rain has meant that the reserve is possibly looking the wettest that most can remember. This is fantastic as it has created a great habitat for the winter bird’s arrival. It also makes our days much...

It is getting to the time of year where we start seeing the marsh looking like everyone supposes a marsh should look like.....very wet. With all the rain we have had over the last couple of weeks it is not surprising that the water levels have risen and all the rills and scrapes have filled up. This...

It's been a very misty week in general on the Avalon Marshes and this has meant a slightly cooler week too, but this has not dampened the spirits of our breeding birds. This week, staff and volunteers at Ham Wall had an extra early start, coming in at 5am on Thursday morning to undertake the first...

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...

With exactly one week to go before our first Parkgate high tide event of the year, there is much excitement in the air as numerous phonecalls, emails and enquiries begin to ask the familiar old questions. Where is the best place to go? What is the best time to be there? What is the best day to come?...

A friend of mine came over to the island today to do a bit of winter birding. The recent cold snap has frozen the reserve, with the result that most of the bird interest stays outside the seawall on the Swale. As a result, we decided to head elsewhere today. First stop was the beach at Minster, on the...