Print pageStar species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
The reedbeds at Ham Wall were specially created to encourage bitterns to return. In 2008 two nests were discovered here - the first in Somerset for 40 years. Listen for the distinctive 'booming' of the males in spring and check the reedbeds throughout the year for this elusive bird. |  |
You will often hear bearded tits before you see them. Listen for their bell-like 'pinging' calls, then watch them whizzing across the tops of the reeds. They perch up on the stems in calm weather and feed on fallen seeds on the mud at the base of the reeds. |  |
Cetti's warblers are recent colonists of the UK. They are very often hard to see, but their 'explosive' song is unmistakable, once learned. |  |
Hobbies are falcons which arrive at Ham Wall in late April, leaving in September. They are very agile and fast - they hunt small birds like martins, and dragonflies, which they catch with their feet. Watch carefully and you'll see them passing their prey up to their beaks to eat in flight! |  |
Starlings congregate in the reedbeds at Ham Wall in winter to roost in vast numbers. Their presence attracts predators in turn. |  |