Flooded Levels bring in the birds

Trip Report 26-28 January 2023

Tour Leader - Graeme Mitchell

Thursday 26 January 2023

We headed out into a grey but blessedly dry winter’s afternoon for a gentle introduction to the birds of the Somerset Levels.

Dropping down off the Isle of Wedmore to the Levels proper, Tealham Moor still showed traces of flooding from heavy recent rains. There were many Mute Swans - including one dead, we guessed probably a victim to Avian Flu.

Two elegant Great White Egrets and one Little Egret were probing in the flooded fields – with the Little Egret showing off its yellowy/green feet which someone suggested that it looked like it had just walked through a bowl of custard - and just by the Glastonbury Road, amongst a flock of sheep around 15 Cattle Egrets waited patiently for the sheep to stir up some bugs or invertebrates. So we had seen all three British Egrets within our first 20 minutes which by any standards was a good start to our trip.

A single Stonechat and a hovering Kestrel were the only other birds of note.

We passed Somerset Wildlife Trust’s latest land acquisition and first Rewilding project at Honeygar Farm adjacent to one of the last remnants of Somerset’s Peat Extraction Industry - the old and the new industries of the Somerset Levels.

Continuing through the village of Burtle to our first visit was to another Somerset Wildlife Trust reserve at Catcott Lows. From the hide we enjoyed a rich selection of ducks, including Shoveler, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal and at least two drake Pintails. A female Marsh Harrier cruised by in front of a distant Glastonbury Tor and a Peregrine Falcon flew up briefly to land in a distant tree causing some disquiet amongst the large number of Lapwings.

Lapwing painting by Graeme

Heading on to RSPB’s Ham Wall reserve we saw a family group of three Roe Deer along with some Fieldfares and Redwings and growing flocks of Starlings.

Ham Wall never disappoints, and from the first Viewing Platform we added to our collection of wildfowl for the afternoon with Tufted Duck, Gadwall and Coot, Great crested and Little Grebe and calling (although unseen) Water Rail, along with a splendid group of up to five Snipe probing at the edge of the open water. Additional treats were Blue Tits, Great Tits, an over-wintering Chiffchaff, and a particularly tame Robin.

The Starlings began to appear from 5.00pm - huge numbers flew over creating wonderful shapes and patterns in the sky – most birds flew further over towards Glastonbury, however many settled in a corner of the reed bed close to where we were standing leaving the reeds looking like it had been covered by a dense black cloak. Just as we thought the show was over, something must have spooked the birds as they all seemed to take off again to head off again to find the larger group of the roost.

Sadly, no Barn Owls obliged on the return to Walls Farm where Kay had prepared a wonderful supper.

Friday 27th January 2023

The morning brought spitting rain, which was somewhat unexpected, however it did not last, and by the time we reached West Huntspill Church the sun was shining on nearby Brent Knoll, the Iron Age hill fort by Junction 22 of the M5.

Snowdrops we out between the gravestones around the church yard and Coal, Blue, Great, and Long-tailed Tits flitted through the trees. Rooks were fixing up their nests in the high trees, and we heard both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers (although failed to see either bird). After a quick look round the attractive old church itself we checked out the adjacent vicarage garden where a substantial evergreen Holm Oak is home to a large Heronry – although as it was still mid-winter, and we were not expecting much Heron action, one Heron did take off from the crown of the tree – perhaps it was checking out what had to be done to repair last year’s nest or was looking for the best spot for a new nest this year.

An quick trip through Bridgwater ended at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve at Steart Marshes. Large numbers of Lapwings and Golden Plovers circled the lagoons with many ducks - Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal and the much larger Shelduck. In front of the Quantock Hide was a rather obliging Little Egret who was ‘puddling’ the muddy water to stir up some tip-bits and a most beautiful Greenshank flew in which was enjoyed by all. Just as we commenced our return to the van a large female Peregrine cruised low over the water causing quite a stir – and that was just amongst the birdwatchers, let alone the surrounding wildfowl!

The falcon settled at the very top of one of the tall pylons, where we were able to set up the telescope and zoom in to get great close-up views of this magnificent raptor. From the Mendip Hide, which looks over the vast area towards the breach (a deep herring-bone shaped channel, dug to dissipate an incoming flood tide and not to flood Bridgwater town centre) we saw a distant female Marsh Harrier and a female Kestrel which sat on a fence post just below the hide.

The slow amble back to the car park brought a few Meadow Pipits, Linnets, and a single female Stonechat.

Heading back onto the Levels we past the site of the last battle on English soil at Westonzoyland, that of the Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685 - and a little further on we stopped in the car park below Burrow Mump where we scanned across a vast area of flooded fields – covered with swans, ducks, and gulls – close by was a large and dapper Fieldfare and its smaller cousin the Redwing, two of our common winter thrushes.

Cranes below Burrow Mump - painting by Graeme

Lunch was enjoyed at King Alfred the Great’s favourite pub before continuing deeper inland alongside the swollen River Parrett, passing the road to Athelney where Alfred reputedly ‘burnt the cakes’. From the bridge at Stathe we scanned for Cranes over a large flooded area of fields and through willow groves. Little and Great White Egrets seen, and a low fly-past by a female Sparrowhawk was glimpsed before Graeme managed to track down our target bird and 4 or 5 Cranes were spotted at some distance through a tangle of willows – Boom!

We continued to RSPB Swell Wood where we saw feeding tits in the car park, Nuthatch and Treecreeper before walking the short distance Theo the oak woods to a viewpoint which looks over all of West Sedemoor, most of which was under water. Three more Cranes were spotted below our viewpoint – most probably two adults and last season’s juvenile.

Back at RSPB Ham Wall our day ended with an incredible flypast of a huge number of Starlings – the skies darkened as up to 600,000 birds came into roost albeit a distance from the reserve closer to Glastonbury.

Kay once again provided a delicious meal in the evening, all washed down with convivial company and good conversation.

Saturday 28th January 2023

A perfectly still winter’s morning kicked off with a male and female Bullfinch showing well in the hedge at Walls Farm.

The familiar figure of Stephen greeted us at Sloway Bridge which spans the Huntspill River, and all guests were pleased he was able to join us for the last morning. The Huntspill River is not a natural river, but rather an original old drain coming off the Levels that was expanded into a reservoir for a munitions factory during the war. I don’t know how he does it, but Stephen had managed to rustle-up a splendid male Goosander, a singing Greenfinch along with our regular Kingfisher that zipped back and forwards across the flat-calm mirrored water. In a nearby field which had been churned up by horses a Little Egret sat motionless as all around it the field seemed to move with a large flock of Redwings.

Redwing painting by Graeme

Two Ravens followed us down the track to the Sluice at the edge of the Parrett estuary. The incoming tide still had half an hour before it reached its highest level, but already the swollen estuary had pushed many waders higher and higher up the river. There was Teal, Wigeon and Mallard along with many redshanks, a couple of Curlew and a sprinkling of elegant Avocets described by one of our party as looking like Audrey Hepburn in a shapely black and white dress – I will now never be able to look at an Avocet again without thinking of Audrey Hepburn!?!

On the far side of the river thousands of Dunlins massed in long lines along the shore with a tight grouping of at least 100 Audrey Hepburns. Closer to the end of the Steart Peninsula clouds and clouds of Dunlin put on a continuous show to rival the Starling murmurations we had enjoyed the last two evenings on the Levels. Oystercatchers, Grey Plover and a small group of Bar-tailed Godwits finished off a grand morning and a grand three days of winter birding.

Godwit painting by Graeme