News
Saturday, 1 December 2007
Reports from the Reserves - 2007
Tractor-mounted mowing equipment was used to cut vegetation such as rushes along the edges of field drains or "gutters". This will help to open up overgrown areas in some fields to make them more appealing to waders in spring. Wet features in the form of new pools or "scrapes" were created to provide more feeding areas for breeding waders next spring.
Birds on passage through the reserve, such as wheatear and green sandpiper, were regularly seen during mid-August.
Hobbies and quail were still present in late August. There were regular sightings of peregrine through September and October. Small flocks of lapwing and golden plover were drifting onto the reserve from late September. Fantastic sightings of a great bustard (no wing tag and found to be from the Salisbury release birds) were had by Damon and Les. A first sighting for the local area of purple heron - juvenile bird, on Stathe Bridge, just off the reserve, was quite an exciting event too!
GREYLAKE
Planned work for the rotary ditcher had to be postponed as ground conditions were too wet during early August. The ditcher was finally able to operate in mid-September, when the peat soils had a chance to dry out enough to take the weight of the ditcher plus trailers carrying soil from the newly created gutters. New scrapes and gutters were created at the northern end of the reserve and preparations were also carried out for a new reed bed field. The rotary ditcher only got stuck once on the first day, during three days of work!
A willow warbler was singing in the car park during mid-August. A green sandpiper was regularly visible feeding in the scrapes in front of the hide in September. Nine ruff and a merlin were present in October. Flocks of fieldfare and redwing passed through the reserve during mid-October. Also, small flocks of wigeon and teal, from 20 to 70 birds in some flocks, were sighted from mid-October.
Among other wildlife present were hares and leverets in some of the fields during mid-September. A mink was also sighted on the bridge in mid-September. Stoats are still a regular sight on the boardwalk!
Best wishes to Lee Newton who has spent six months with the team at Greylake. He will be moving to the Aylesbeare Reserve to continue as a volunteer during the winter months.
The Greylake Reserve first anniversary and wetland discovery day on September 15th was a huge success attended by about 200 visitors. Bug hunts, pond dipping, a wildlife safari quiz and having-a-go at reed planting were enjoyed by all. The reserve is on the A361 between Othery and Greinton and well worth a visit any time of the year.
E-mail west.sedgemoor@rspb.org.uk or phone the reserve office on 01458 252805 if you need more information or visit www.rspb.org.uk/Reserves/Greylake for directions.
The River Festival at Taunton's French Weir was also very successful on the following week-end. Barn owl pellets, badge making and a "count the ducks" competition plus an RSPB sales stall were attended by many visitors.
A big thank you to all who helped with both events.
Volunteers, Taunton loval group and staff fron the RSPB all rallied around to ensure the success of these events.
Becky Thorpe, Assistant Warden, West Sedgemoor and Greylake Reserves.
HAM WALL
Now that the breeding season is over, our reed cutting work is well under way. We have made a fantastic start and have already cut, raked and burned the usual ends of the islands in front of the viewing platform. We have also have cut other parts of these islands to bring them into an eight-year rotation. Some of these areas have never been cut and it is quite hard work as the growth and leaf litter is very dense. We have now made a start in phase 2 and at Loxtons marsh.
Last year more reed than ever before was cut on the reserve and this is mainly due to the new Softrak machine which was purchased almost entirely through funding. For those of you who do not know, this is a tracked vehicle (like tank tracks) that can drive over very soft ground where a person could not walk due to very low ground pressure.
The machine has a forage harvester on the front which cuts the reeds and blows it through a chute into a bin at the back. This eliminates the need for raking and burning, which is not only greener, but saves everybody a bit of back-ache. It also means that more reed can be cut by hand on the islands and volunteer and staff time is freed up to concentrate on other projects.
Work has also been under way re-roofing the viewing screens at Walton heath with undulating fibrous sheets called Coralline. Some of the old roofs were warping and beginning to leak, so it should improve them greatly. We have also taken delivery of our new colour modular signs to replace the old black and white ones and bring the information on them up-to-date.
Despite the adverse conditions during spring and summer, our breeding birds have done remarkably well. Highlights include grasshopper warbler, eight pairs of bearded tits, two pairs of barn owls which are thought to have raised seven young, and five pairs of garganey (a Ham Wall record). Common terns were seen regularly feeding over Ham Wall and were breeding on land adjacent to us. The pair succesfully raised three healthy chicks. We have plans to improve the condition of the four tern rafts this winter in a hope that we will be able to attract the birds to breed on the reserve itself next season and make use of our ample food supply.
A large flock of thirty bearded tits was seen in late September, the largest flock on the reserve, showing that they have had a successful breeding season. A bittern has been seen on several occasions around the Walton area of the reserve and a purple heron was reported on one occasion - probably the same bird that spent a time at Shapwick heath. Marsh harriers are seen frequently of late with sightings of both male and females reported. Otters are still present on the reserve with good signs found showing frequent activity, although sightings are still proving elusive. It is a similar story with water voles with encouraging signs but few sightings.