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Recent sightings

• 4 April 2012

  Are you a Wildlife Detective?

  Come on up to Swell Wood over Easter and see what you can spy in the treetops and in the undergrowth.  Did you know that herons are otherwise known as 'frank', from the Urdu for the sound they make?  Wander around the woodland with one of our Wildlife ID Detective Guides.  Enjoy a sit down around the turkey oak circle and listen to the wind in the trees.

               

  Do be sure to say hello to our Wardens who will be at Swell Wood from Easter Friday to Monday, 10am to 4pm, when they can tell you more about the woodland and the birds and flowers you will see.

  

                                       Willow grass snake at Greylake!

  And if you have time, do be sure to pop across to Greylake where you can have a wriggle through our new willow-woven grass snake!  Be sure he doesn't gobble you up completely.  You could even wriggle your way along to the new willow-woven viewing screen (lots of weaving has gone on this past couple of months!) where you might lapwing displaying or perhaps even a garganey or two. or And don't forget to pop through to the hide to see our lovely new information panels.  There's so much more to Greylake than just a car park on the side of the A361.

  Posted by Trish Harper

• 9 December 2011

  Swell Wood Visit

  I visited Swell Wood last week and was amazed at the close up views of woodland birds on the feeders! They are not at all worried by your presence so you can see a multitude of birds in all their colours, a must 
  for anyone into photography.

  

                                              Blue Tit on feeder- Nick Stacey

  The Scarp Trail offers a peaceful walk for anyone and shows off all the woodlands autumn colours,but will definately leave you out of breath! The route to the hide and viewpoint offers a more leisurely walk. Don't forget to look out for other woodland wonders as well as the birds, there are plenty of colourful lichen hidden away for anyone who looks a little closer.

  Sammy

  Posted by Sammy, People Engagement Volunteer

• 3 November 2011

  Feed the Birds Day

  Potentially, a great day for the birds. After a walk in Swell Wood twenty-five people, including a number of children, went down to Dewlands Farm where they were refreshed with tea, coffee and biscuits, and the making of bird feeders commenced. Favourite was the fat feeders which consisted of logs with large holes drilled into them, which were then filled with lard containing seeds and peanuts. This wonderful, greasy mess was happily stuffed into the holes and spread all over the work bench, much to the enjoyment of the young people concerned.

  

                                                               Photo: Nick Stacey

  The making of the nut and seed feeders entailed a lot of hammering, but no swear words, as all was carefully supervised, except one child did manage to hit its parent’s thumb, but more in fun than in malice. Replete with two feeders and some seeds and peanuts to start them off, a number of families will now be keeping their garden birds a lot happier this winter. If you weren’t with us last Saturday you missed a fun time, so why not catch up with one of our other walks being held through the Autumn and Winter at West Sedgemoor and Greylake and Ham Wall.

  Richard Montagu

  Posted by Steve Ross

• 25 October 2011

  Mushroom magic!

  The autumn and winter walks season kicked off with an amazing turn out for the Mushroom Magic walk at Swell Wood on Sunday 9 October.  There were 22 keen foragers booked to hunt fungi with the god of mycology, Michael Jordan.  Two worshippers of Michael also brought their 'Mushroom Magic' books along, written by Michael Jordan, with a view to having them signed, which he did without hesitation.

  In all 30 species of fungi were found and identified, despite the very dry conditions through September and October.  Species included Russulas, Boletes, and a rather aptly named Herald of Winter.

  

                                                                   Herald of Winter

  Speaking of which, our winter guided walks will soon start at West Sedgemoor, with the chance of seeing wildfowl and waders in vast numbers, very often averaging fifty thousand birds.  For more information visit the West Sedgemoor pages for booking details.

  

  Posted by Trish Harper

• 31 August 2011

  Where are the birds?

  At this time of year you may be forgiven for wondering whether the neighbour’s cat has wreaked havoc with the local bird population. Go for a walk in Swell Wood and it is hard to find many birds and the question often asked is where are they? If you have read the article on page 47 of the current edition of Birds magazine you will know the answer, but for those that haven’t, the answer is that they are there, but keeping their heads down. They’ve finished breeding and are going through a moulting period. This often means that their ability to fly is effected and thus birds will tend to hide away until their new flight feathers are fully formed. They are no longer out in the open, singing to maintain their territory or busy foraging for food for their hungry chicks, but rest assured they are there.

   There are other things to see. Fungi have started to sprout and the variety in Swell Wood is vast. If you want to get an understanding of the various functions these plants (yes, they are) perform, book yourself on to the fungi foray led by Michael Jordan on 9 October.

  

   Soon our summer visitors will be leaving, some have left already – the Swifts had departed by the beginning of August.   In return we will be getting our winter visitors to our neighbouring West Sedgemoor wetland reserve, those birds who come east because our weather is just that bit warmer and the ground does not freeze solid. I know what last winter was like, but that was unusual. The tens of thousands of duck, lapwing, golden plover and the attendant birds of prey will soon start to gather on the flooded moor. We run field trips to see these, explain what and why they are there and generally introduce you to the fun of winter birding. We provided hot drinks too, to keep out the cold. Why not book yourself on one of our guided walks, or enquire about group bookings. For all our events booking is essential. We look forward to seeing you or if you have any queries give the office a call, or all the information about our winter events can be found here.

  

  Richard Montagu

  Posted by Steve Ross

• 25 May 2011

  New Arrivals

  We saw the first little egret chicks of the year at Swell Wood this Saturday. They are on the most visible egret nest from the hide though you will need binoculars or a spotting scope to get a good view. To begin you may just see the mother bird sitting tight on the nest however with a bit of patience, when she moves, you will be able to see the young birds. Like young herons, they look truly prehistoric – all spiky white bristles and a fierce looking bill. With little egrets becoming a more and more familiar sight it’s easy to forget that the first UK breeding record for this bird was as recent as 1996 – and this year we have up to 10 nests at Swell Wood alone.

   

  Even with the fresh leaves on the trees there is still plenty of activity to see with many young herons stretching their wings in preparation for leaving the nest and there were some newly fledged blue tits buzzing around the trees in front of the hide.

   

  The pool in front of the side continues to be a source of interest with great spotted woodpecker, treecreeper, nuthatch, goldcrest and many others coming to bathe and drink.

  Nick Edge

  Posted by Steve Ross

• 9 May 2011

  First Flights

  This weekend we’ve seen the first flights of this years’ young herons. There are still plenty of chicks in the nest – giving great views when adult birds are seen flying in with food. The little egrets have been showing well amongst the herons – their fine white plumage looking spectacular against the backdrop of the spring foliage.

   

  Last weekend saw the first spotted flycatcher of the year – coming down to bathe in the pool in front of the hide. On the right day you can get good views of blackcap, goldcrest, nuthatch, treecreeper, great spotted woodpecker amongst others as they use the pool to bathe and to drink.

   

  Keep an eye on the tree stump in front of the pond – this can be a favourite spot for feeding bank voles and with luck you’ll get great views as they dart in and out of the leaf litter.

  Nick Edge

  Posted by Steve Ross

• 4 April 2011

  Hungry Mouths

  Despite the rain, Sunday didn’t disappoint at Swell Wood.

   

  Chicks can be seen on at least 3 of the heron nests visible from the hide – on one nest the chicks are already very well grown. Being in a heron family must be a real exercise in co-operation as one false move in the nest could mean a 30-metre drop!

   

  Little egret are also beginning to build nests alongside the herons. It is at this time of year that the plumage of the little egret really comes into its own – the delicate white feathers and plumes looking truly exquisite. If you get a close enough view take a look at their feet and lores – the area between the eye and the bill. At the height of the courtship period these areas change to a pinkish-red. Over the next 3 weekends in April we’ll be at Swell Wood with telescopes to help you get the best possible views of the herons and the egrets.

   

  Down from the canopy there is always plenty to see in terms of woodland birds. You can get great views of nuthatch, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, marsh tit and treecreeper amongst others. The pool in front of the hide is a particular favourite and there is even a goldcrest that regularly comes to bathe.

   

  With all this and wildflowers breaking through across the woodland floor it is easy to forget you are only 100 metres from the road.

   

  Nick Edge

  Posted by Steve Ross

• 6 January 2011

  The birds return!

  Well, the duck are back at West Sedgemoor. During the Great Freeze everything vanished off the Moor as the water and the ground either froze or vanished under a deep sheet of snow. Now the thaw has set in the duck have started to return, but not in the numbers we would normally expect for this time of year. Give them time and barring further Arctic conditions, the number may well increase. With the return of the duck came the Peregrines and currently a female Marsh Harrier. Lapwing and Golden Plover are yet to return, but with conditions set to continue this should be soon.

   

  There are still guided walks planned to see the spectacle of West Sedgemoor in the winter and spaces are available, but numbers are limited so early booking is advisable. For details please follow the link http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/w/westsedgemoor/events.aspx.

  Posted by Steve Ross