We paid another visit to RSPB Ham Wall and Catcott on the 29th March, the weather forecast was that the gloomy early morning would turn into a brighter day but it didn’t happen, it was gloomy for most of the time we were there but it didn’t matter. I had an idea of what I was hoping to see but as usual what I did see was totally different, but we had a great day.
Rod and I got there fairly early and headed for the large Avalon hide at RSPB Ham Wall and camped out for a couple of hours with a flask of hot tea and sandwiches, mostly eaten before lunch time! Our patience was rewarded the Marsh Harriers were very active busy nest building and interacting together. Great Crested Grebes together and one flying which I haven’t seen before (not my best picture the Grebe took me by surprise!). I was hoping to see their mating ritual of dancing with weed but not to be. Various ducks and a Cormorant. A really exciting spot was a number of Barn Swallows flying over the water we didn’t realise what they were for a while, great see them back. Another highlight was spotting an Otter in the water, we saw a Canada goose getting agitated on her nest and it was because there was an Otter swimming underneath the bank where she was nesting. We did hear plenty of Cettis Warblers, and Chiffchaff and I heard and then saw my first pair of Blackcaps this year. We were hoping to see a Bittern but no luck but we heard a few booming, what a sound!
After a while we headed back and spent a short amount of time in the Tor View hide, again a few ducks about but the highlight was the Herons coming in to their nests each with a single twig, we were fairly close and could watch them flying into the reeds without disturbing them. Such big birds but they could manoeuvre very well and their mate was waiting in the nest to accept the twig!
We then made our way to Catcott a little detour before we went home, a few ducks on the water including Wigeon a Heron in the distance and a few Lapwings which I spent time trying to take pictures of them in flight, they are very quick and duck and dive, so I was pleased I managed to get some.
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