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
