Tuesday 16th May 2023 - Somerset Levels.

 

Sometimes when birding you can have good and bad days, a few weeks ago we had a day to remember when we visited the Somerset Levels and this week we made a return visit to the same place and to say we had another good day is an understatement. Bryan was unable to join us having only returned from a week’s holiday the previous evening. We were hoping for a few summer visitors that in past years the Somerset Levels have proved to be a reliable place to see them.

On the way to Westhay our first stop we started our lists with Blackbird, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Starling, Rook, Lesser Black Back Gull, Collared Dove, and Pheasant. Driving across the levels we added Swallow, Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Magpie and Kestrel. Also 4 Cattle Egrets in the same place as we saw double figures on our last visit. Walking along Dagg’s Lane Drove Mallard, Buzzard and Chiffchaff were quickly logged, then David spotted a bird in the distance only having the briefest of views  before flying behind trees, it had the jizz of a Cuckoo and luckily it emerged from the tree enabling us to have good views and confirm it was a Cuckoo. This was one of the summer visitors that we were hoping to see. Swifts were heard screaming overhead where 3 were found with a Marsh Harrier soon seen being joined by a second both female types. Great White Egret, Cormorant, Coot Great Crested Grebe and Carrion Crows were all added before we reached the wooded area and here the wood was full of birdsong but male and female Blackcap and a Great Tit were all we found even though we could hear Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler and Wren. We continued on to the bridge that crosses a drain where we added Mute Swan and Canada Goose to the days list. Our 1^st butterfly of the day was a Green Veined white followed soon after by an Orange Tip. Walking back to the car park Robin, Reed Bunting, Grey Heron and Long Tailed Tit were seen. Next stop Ham Wall where we would have lunch, on the way we ticked 2 Greylag Geese. Whilst having lunch sat at the picnic tables a Brimstone butterfly flew by and overhead was a circling Hobby the second of the summer visiting species we were hoping to see, we had better views later in the day. Another fly past while eating lunch was a couple of Lesser Black Back Gulls. Setting off towards viewing platform no1 we passed a small pond with a Moorhen and 3 chicks one seeming twice the size of the other 2 perhaps from an earlier brood. Our next new sighting for the day was 2 Blue Tits. When we reached the old railway bridge that crossed one of the drains we spotted a few Black Headed Gulls flying in the distance and flying with them was an unexpected bonus bird a Black Tern a year tick that came as a surprise, a Herring Gull was also flying in this small group. As we continued a Chaffinch sang from the top of a bush and a bird we had heard in the morning but failed to find was also singing this time we had more luck in finding a Willow Warbler. At viewing platform no1 we ticked Tufted Duck, Pochard, Gadwall, Lapwing, Redshank and Shoveler. We then headed for viewing platform no2 finding a singing Whitethroat on the way. Speckled Wood and Red Admiral were 2 more species of Butterfly noted. One of the main reasons for the visit here today was that a Great Reed Warbler had been on site for a few weeks being a fairly rare visitor from Europe. It is a bird which is known as an overshoot meaning that on its spring migration it got it sums wrong by flying past its usual nesting area and arriving here, not that its unusual in bird species and ones or twos do turn up most years somewhere in England, but this would be a lifer if we could find it. When we reached the spot the bird favored we knew we were in the right place as other birders were searching for it but it had not been spotted for a while but while waiting a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over. After waiting for 20 mins or more we decided to head on to the viewing platform and have another look as we came back. Nothing new so we headed back via a lower footpath and when we arrived back the bird had still not been seen although we had regularly heard snatches of its distinctive call. Then one guy spotted it in the reeds on a stem just above the new growth and wow what a fantastic bird much larger than I had imagined although the name probably gave its size away Great Reed Warbler a life tick which after 45 years don’t come that often although it’s my second of the year after Hume’s Warbler. 

Library picture- Great Reed Warbler

It was time to get back and on the way I found a Little Grebe and as we were approaching viewing platform 1 we heard the call of a Garden Warbler in a bush besides the path which we found in the top but as we looked it moved down the bush and out into the open giving us and 2 others who were new to birding a fantastic view, a bird new to them and who were excited to see it. Back at the viewing point 30+ Black Tailed Godwits had flown in since we had looked earlier. Our last sighting of the day was a Grass Snake swimming in a pond close to the car park.