So Much To Learn............

The quote that headlines this piece comes from my friend Graham, communicated by, of all things, a WhatsApp chat at the end of a magnificent day of learning about nature in a location new to us both.

Ham Wall in Somerset is an RSPB reserve in what used to be known as the Somerset Levels, now known rather more romantically as the Avalon Marshes and therefore consisting of a mix of open water, a massive reed bed and plenty of scrub.

Having set out from home at about 5.00 am, we started walking in the morning the mists of 7.30, marvelling at ghostly great white egrets as they emerged into view. These are huge, white herons more or less unknown in the UK until recently and Ham Wall boasts several nesting pairs.

The soundscape was equally stunning, a whole list of warblers battering the ears; whitethroat, blackcap, cetti’s warbler, garden warbler, reed and sedge warblers all singing as if life depended on their skill, which of course, it does.

The spring sound of cuckoo was also a constant background to our experience as the mist lifted and  allowed this male pochard to generate shiny reflections. 

More humdrum birds can also hold the stage however and a singing dunnock vied for attention with a great tit, seemingly hell bent on destruction.

Much excitement on seeing our first hobby of the day, dashing, fast flying falcons with a liking for dragonflies and indeed any flying insect big enough for a meal and small enough to be consumed on the wing. Our first hobby turned into several and at one point, scanning across the reed bed and its surrounds, we counted thirty such falcons.

Larger raptors come in the form of marsh harrier, more of a slow, floating glider than a dasher, beautiful of course and a necessary element in any southern reed bed.

Our day finished across the road, literally, at Shapwick Heath, more reed bed, more open water, more hobby and two bittern, conducting a flypast on our behalf. Booming bitterns featured throughout the morning on and off and these secretive, invisible herons are now in amazing numbers throughout Avalon. There is something medieval about that name, half expecting King Arthur to challenge our right to be here.

A day filled with birds, butterflies and bugs in the company of friends, much learnt? Yes, much still to learn? Oh yes, always

Grey or not

No post since August so it appears I will be an occasional contributor to my own blog. Back to my favourite local site today in the shape of Papercourt. In this case, quite some time spent at Papercourt Lock trying to claim acceptable images of grey wagtail. that name doesn't begin to do this bird justice of course given that while they are indeed grey backed, it is the lemon yellow that inevitably attracts attention.
These aren't rare birds by any means. Many rivers with rocky beds and edges or in the south, any canal with locks and weirs is a good candidate to hold these elegant wagtails (I have even had a pair on the 'pond' in the middle of the Barbican Centre in central London). So, having spent all that time photographing grey wagtails, these are the imperfect results.

Except, I also dropped by by my local lake, Goldsworth Park Lake in exotic Woking, to do my WEBs count for April. We have had breeding great crested grebe for many years and it would appear, this year is to be no exception.