A Hobby over Meare Heath was the highlight of a pleasant couple of hours or so at Shapwick this afternoon with Colin Sage. Though a Spotted Redshank on one of the stumps out from Noah's Hide was the most unusual sighting. otherwise a good mix of warblers, hirundines, 3 Marsh Harriers, bomming Bitterns etc. Only waders on Meare Heath scrape were 54 Black-tailed Godwits,single Redshank and Snipe, and a couple of Lapwings. Distant Cuckoo heard.
One Common S'piper;2 Redshank; 53 Blk Tld. G'Wits on the srape today with 2 G W Egrets, 4 Hobbies were up together over Meare Heath. I thought I had photographed one Otter from Meare Heath Hide at around 1400 hrs, in fact 2 appear in the snapshot!
A rewarding morning and early afternoon in Shapwick and Ham Wall today when I was leading a group from my old bird club at Dursley (Glos). 56 species were noted from the railway line between Noah's in the west and Ham Wall first platform in the east including:
Osprey. One over Noah's at 11.30.
Great white Egret. 2 seen.
Bittern. Several booming and 4 seen in flight.
Hobby. 6 seen in flight, all in Ham Wall.
Cuckoo. at least 3 calling.
Bearded Tit. 2 males on 70 acres.
Swift 2.
Garden Warbler. 3 singing males all located and showing well.
6 other Warbler species.
One other species that locals know about singing in Ham Wall.
For good measure I saw an Otter on Meare Heath scrape at 8.50 before the group arrived. My first sighting for a year.