With other commitments on Saturday and Sunday it wasn't until Monday that I had an opportunity to get out for a spot of birding - a bank holiday and so no work! Talking to Kevin Heath (@kev07713) I found out he planned to go birding with his wife Karen to RSPB Ham Wall and meet up with his sister Karen (@hobbylovinglife) and her partner in crime Dean Reeves (@worlebirder). I was lucky as they invited me along - I know Kev's sister and Dean from previous trips. We stopped for breakfast on the way and arrived in the car park ten minutes before Karen and Dean. We were here to see the Great Reed Warbler that had been showing reasonably well for a few days.
Leaving the car park we added a calling lesser whitethroat, song thrush and a fly-by green woodpecker. We set out to the reed bed where the bird had been showing, finding a couple of dozen people already in place - the bird had been showing. Currently though it appeared to have relocated on the far side of the reeds and so we spent some time trying to catch a glimpse of it.
After about 15 minutes it appeared and quickly flew to reeds on our bank, although largely obscured by reeds making it difficult to photograph - I did manage a shot in perfect focus as it relocated but the bird was looking directly away from me. Moments later it crossed the water and back into the reeds opposite, landing on the front edge - this was the opportunity for a better photo.
The bird then hopped around the reeds in partial view for about ten minutes before disappearing back and out of view. Kev and Karen talked to a couple they'd met while birding elsewhere - Sacha and Stuart Crowley (@SachaCrowley71 & @StuCphotography) - nice to meet them too. Karen had seen and ticked garden warbler on the way but wanted to get better views - on the path along from the warbler there were numbers calling and showing well - she got rather splendid views, and I took photos.
As we watched hirundines cut across the sky we added a few marsh harriers and lots of Cetti's warblers. Whitethroat, reed and sedge warblers called from all around too. The reed beds have filled up nicely since we were last here and bitterns continue to 'boom' although I am yet to see one this year.
We decided to return to Viewing Platform 1 but stopped to watch the Great Reed Warbler again as it was showing high in the reeds - I couldn't help myself.
Kev's sister Karen and I left first and were on VP1 when we could hear distant calls from a cuckoo. We were joined by Karen, and we picked out redshank and a couple of dunlin at distance. The cuckoo calls got closer and closer until we saw one fly into a nearby tree - I took some photos. After a couple of minutes it took off and passed reasonably close - Dean called a female bird passing across the top of reeds ahead but none of the four of us managed to get on it before it was lost behind a tree.
Time was marching on and so we decided to go for lunch (Sweets Tea Rooms Cafe) and discuss where to go after. Refuelled we set out for Tealham Moor as Karen and Dean had seen a Channel (yellow) wagtail here the previous day - although it is just a sub species it is something that Kev, Karen and I have never seen. We pulled up, parked the cars and chatted to a nice chap in a van - he had seen a number of yellow wagtails and the Channel species so we might be in luck.
Karen called and we made our way back to a gate where another car was parked - the Channel wagtail was perched on a bramble stalk in clear view. I managed to get a photo before it departed. Over the back we saw more yellow wagtails and both great and little egrets. A buzzard and a distant sparrowhawk were also recorded.
The car in the gateway eventually left and we stood there watching wagtails land on posts - our bird did this a couple of times and could also be seen out in the field, along the drains and atop rape plants.
It had been a great day with a couple of year ticks but with a couple of hours to get home, we left to arrive home before dinner time.
Year List: 208.
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