birding...

Berrow

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The reedbed between the golf course and the beach has Bearded Tit and Water Rail. There are extensive stands of Sea Buckthorn that often attract winter thrushes and have a fair population of wintering Blackcaps. The beach is good for waders and has been host to rare migrants such as Short-toed Lark.

Brean Down

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Brean Down is caused by the westward extension of the hard Mendip limestone into the Bristol Channel. It is a steep climb from the car park to the footpath on top of the down and it is not recommended for those of a weak disposition. The path then goes along the top of the hill and gradually falls until you reach the old fort at the end. The promontory is a good place to see spring and autumn migrants though it is hard work to do it thoroughly and regularly. Rock Pipit can be seen foraging among the cliff-top plants and Peregrines are often seen overhead. Sea duck can sometimes be seen off the point along with passing terns and skuas in the right wind conditions. From the inland end of the down you can look into the estuary though the views are distant.

Catcott Lows Reserve

This reserve is superb for seeing wintering ducks. The hide by the car park offers views across a flooded area of fields which can hold large flocks of Wigeon, Lapwing and Mallard with good numbers of Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Pintail and a few diving duck in the main channel. In spring, Garganey are regular and wader passage can be very good when water conditions are favourable. Good numbers of Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwit are regular and rarer migrants may include Wood Sandpiper and even Temminck's Stint. Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Hobby and Peregrine regularly hunt over the area. A second hide is visible across the field, and following the drove out to this hide in winter is a good way to find flocks of Redpoll and Siskin. Grasshopper Warblers can still sometimes be found in this area in summer.

Chard Reservoir

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Chard Reservoir was once the balancing lake for the Chard to Taunton Canal. The canal is long gone but the reservoir still attracts birds including Great Crested Grebe, Little Egret and various duck species. Rarer recent visitors have included Ring-necked Duck, Red-throated Diver and Firecrest, and Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers are occasional visitors. The South Somerset District Council has erected a hide and there are footpaths through the surrounding woods where a variety of common woodland species can be seen.

Cheddar Reservoir

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Lying at the foot of the Mendip hills this is an almost circular concrete bowl. There is virtually no marginal vegetation but when the water level is low a muddy shoreline and gravelly islands become exposed. This is a very good winter waterfowl site, with a good selection of duck species, and large populations of wintering Great Crested Grebe and Coot. Goosanders roost, and Black-necked Grebe and Great Northern Diver are almost annual; other diver and grebe species turn up occasionally too. Because of its position and depth it is often one of the last stretches of water to freeze over and in hard weather can be spectacular: in winter 2009-10 the species list also included Black-throated Diver, Ring-necked Duck, Ferruginous Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Smew, Ruddy Duck, and Scaup. The gull roost occasionally attracts white-winged gulls, and it is a good place to visit after violent storms in the autumn and winter when wind blown species such as Grey Phalarope or Long-tailed Duck may be seen. It is often used by migrating terns for a short stay in spring or autumn, and sometimes by passage waders when water levels are low. Sailing and windsurfing occur on weekend afternoons and on Wednesdays so these times are not the best for birding. No permit is required.

Greylake

This relatively new RSPB reserve covers part of Kings Sedgemoor and consists of seasonally flooded grazing marshes with some stands of reed and reedmace. Good in winter for wildfowl and raptors (including regular Hen Harriers), it is managed to provide habitat for breeding waders and Yellow Wagtails, now scarce in the county. Scarcities already recorded include Green-winged Teal and Spotted Crake.

Hurlstone Point

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To say that Hurlstone Point is one of Somerset's premier sea-watching spots is not saying much if you are comparing it to Pendeen and on some days even Tring! It is, however, the best place to add seabirds to your Somerset list and is a nice walk even if you see nothing. You must park in the car park at Bossington, which is the closest approach by car, then walk to the sea, turning left then climbing uphill until you reach an old building along the cliff path. Some people watch from here; the hardier souls climb down from here until they are nearer sea level. Like Brean, this is not for the faint-hearted. While the birds are not prolific, they are all possible. In spring, Wheatear and Black Redstart are often seen along the cliffs here.

Shapwick Heath & Ham Wall

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These two superb reserves (run by Natural England and the RSPB respectively) are the centrepiece of the Avalon Marshes project, which has created new and extensive wetlands out of old peat diggings. Much patient effort has attracted Bitterns and Bearded Tits to breed, and the mosaic of reedbeds, open water, scrub and damp woodland holds a wide variety of other breeding species. Winter wildfowl are another draw, and a scrape on Meare Heath (part of Shapwick Heath reserve) is drained down in spring and autumn to attract passage waders. The two sites have an impressive list of rarities to their name, including (to name but a few) Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis, Whiskered Tern, Green-winged Teal, Red-footed Falcon and Red-necked Phalarope (not to mention the Booted Eagle!) In recent years the huge Starling roost has attracted large crowds late on weekend afternoons in winter (a time best avoided unless the Starlings are your aim). It’s also a great place to see Otters, though sightings are still far from guaranteed. The reserves are accessed along the old railway line either side of the car park at Ashcott Corner. In 2012 30 male Bitterns were booming across the marshes and many pairs bred as did two pairs of Great White Egrets that successfully reared four chicks!

Steart Point

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Steart is probably the best place in Somerset to see large concentrations of waders. Success does depend on being there at the correct time, which is over high tide, with spring tides being the best, as birds are pushed up out of the River Parrett and its deep creeks. From the Somerset Wildlife Trust car park, either walk to the beach and turn right or follow the road along until it becomes a footpath out to the hides. There are several hides out on the point including the amazing Tower Hide, which is part of the artistic Parrett Trail. The best for seeing the high tide wader roost are the two on the end of the point but the others can have their delights including a Peregrine or a Merlin perched on one of the posts on the salt marsh. Passage waders can be very good here and have included Wilson’s Phalarope, Kentish Plover, Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher. Skuas and terns can sometimes be seen from the hides as they fish in the estuary or migrate up the Bristol Channel and small parties of geese sometimes drop in to the salt marsh in winter.

Sutton Bingham Reservoir

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Sutton Bingham Reservoir is a moderately large expanse of water privately owned by Wessex Water, however there are a number of vantage points around its shores. Interest has declined in recent years due to increased recreational activities on the water, but it still attracts commoner winter wildfowl and rare ducks have been noted among the more common species whereas Mandarins have become a feature in recent years having successfully bred at the site. Spring or autumn passage usually turns up at least one passing Osprey, and if water levels are allowed to drop during the summer months the reservoir can attract passage waders in August and September with Common Sandpipers being especially numerous. The site also provides opportunities to see several warbler species, including the occasional Cetti's Warbler. Facilities at the reservoir include a car park with toilets at the northern end from where you can follow the water's edge to the hide at the south of the reservoir. Dogs are not permitted on site. The site list stands somewhere in the region of 225 species.

Swell Woods & West Sedgemoor

The RSPB reserve at West Sedgemoor is an important site for wintering wildfowl and waders and breeding species such as Snipe and Redshank. The major focus for the site is to provide secluded feeding and resting places for the bird species that winter or breed on the marshes so access is restricted and views from the hide generally distant. Swell Wood is a breeding site for Grey Heron and the heronry can be watched from a hide in the wood near the car park. The RSPB also provides food for small birds in the winter and the car park is a great place to see Marsh Tit, Nuthatch and Jay as they come to within feet of the parked cars to feed.

Webber's Post & Horner Wood

Webber's Post car park looks out over a fantastic vista of wooded valleys and high moor land tops. A visit in May, when the migrant woodland birds have arrived and the trees are alive with the songs of Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and Tree Pipit is a memorable experience. You can either park in the car park and walk down the footpath into the valley below, or there is a car park at Horner in the valley bottom. You can then follow the footpath up along the stream where Dipper and Grey Wagtail are often seen. This is also a good spot for all three of the woodpecker species although you will need luck to see Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. The trees around the upper car park attract Redpoll, Siskin and Crossbill. Further up onto the moors, Whinchat and Grasshopper Warbler can be found, though Red Grouse is now extinct and Ring Ouzels occur only on passage . Dartford Warblers have colonised in recent years, but recent harsh winters have taken their toll and they are currently hard to find. The valley below the car park also holds the majority of the British breeding bat species.

Westhay Moor

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This reserve is part of the Avalon Marshes, a complex of interlinked wetlands including Catcott Lows, Shapwick Heath and Ham Wall, forming one of the most important wetland areas in the southwest. Westhay has open water, reed beds and scrub, and a remnant of raised bog habitat, and attracts a wide variety of wetland birds. It regularly has wintering Bittern and one winter hosted a pair of Penduline Tits that enthralled hundreds of birders as they decimated the reedmace heads in search of food. Visitor numbers have reduced as the focus has shifted to Shapwick Heath in particular, but Westhay is still well worth a visit. Wintering Goosander and Goldeneye are regular and the woods hold Siskin and Redpoll in winter and a variety of warblers in summer.

Birding in Porlock

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It must be admitted, Porlock is hardly a 5 Star Birding Hotspot brimming with rarities, so twitchers can give it a miss. It`s not exactly well placed for migrants, and all my attempts at seawatching have drawn a total blank...

Birds & Moths of Burnham-on-Sea

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The Birds and Moths of Burnham-on-Sea Web site aims to introduce visitors to the diverse habitats found within this stretch of coastline and to highlight some of the species of birds and moths that have been recorded here. Maintained by local birders Andy Slade & Paul Gay, this website sometimes contains nuggets of bird sightings info not usually available elsewhere...

Chew Valley Lake Birding

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Chew Valley Lake, ten miles south of Bristol, is the largest reservoir in south-west England. This website contains regularly updated news and information on its birds and wildlife.

Clevedon & Portishead Birds

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A website dedicated to birdwatching in Clevedon & Portishead, North Somerset concentrating on the area of coastline from the Congresbury Yeo through Clevedon and up to Portishead and other areas in between such as the Gordano Valley and Portbury Wharf. The site will be regularly updated with the latest birds sightings and other pieces of natural history information...

Hankridge Farm

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Hankridge Farm is Tauntons answer to Weymouth! With v detailed descriptions of birds & as it is updated every day you are sure to catch that rarity!

River Parrett Trail

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This is comfortable walking through the gentle hills of the Dorset and Somerset borders and across the wetlands of the Somerset Levels and Moors. It is also a fascinating journey through orchards, woods, withy beds and the watery haunts of birds.

Somerset Birder

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This web site is devoted to birding and natural history. The site has a bias towards Somerset birding in the UK, but hopefully this is not all that will appear here.

Somerset's Birds of Prey

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All images on this page are record shots of wild birds, as the quality reflects...

Taunton Wildlife

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I have always been enthusiastic about nature, birdwatching and environmental issues but, since I have recently taken up wildlife photography, I thought it was about time I published a website...