Update on Access at
#RSPBHamWall
Open:
✅Tor View Hide
✅ Avalon Hide
✅Viewing Platforms
✅Part of the Picnic Area
Closed:
❌Play Area
❌Part of the Picnic Area
Waltons and Loxtons require Wellies. Parts of the Ham Wall Loop are very muddy.
📷Mike Pearce
June is a great time to spot day hunting Barn Owl at RSPB Ham Wall. To find out more about Barn Owls and good spots on the reserve to look for them check out this blog:
It's been a fantastic week for wildlife sightings on and off the reserve. Kirsty was lucky enough to capture this video of a Bittern close to the reserve earlier this week.
I guess the question is - why did the Bittern cross the road?
📹Kirsty Constanza
We're pleased to say that the Lookout and Treehouse Hides are now open at RSPB Greylake. Please read the signage, wear a face covering and use the hand sanitiser provided. We hope you enjoy visiting the hides once more.
Alpine swift, purple heron, osprey, goshawk, nightingale, bittern great white egret, cattle egret.....just another week at Ham Wall - read about it here...
📢 THREAD 📢 It is with great sadness that for this year’s starling season, for the safety of all our visitors, staff and volunteers, we ask that our visitors please try to visit alternative sites if possible before choosing to visit us at RSPB Ham Wall. (1/3)
@IoloWilliams2
Thanks for sharing! Sadly, due to the large number of people who usually visit our reserve for starlings and the need for social distancing and other Covid-19 measures, we are asking people to stick to viewing their local roosts this year and follow our guidance (1/2)
Signs of spring are appearing every day here at
#RSPBHamWall
. Assistant Warden Steve has heard his first cuckoo today. Watch the video below to find out what our Warden Ali has heard.
#WardenWednesday
📷 RSPB Staff: Ali
Despite some very slight changes in lockdown restrictions, the reserve remains closed to the public for now. Our priority is to ensure that we only re-open when we have everything in place to keep our members, visitors, volunteers and employees safe. Check here for updates. (1/3)
It's
#WorldWetlandsDay
🎉
#RSPBHamWall
was created in 1994 to provide the vital reedbed home needed by the then struggling bitterns - in '97 there were just 11 booming males in the UK but in 2019 there were 19 boomers at
#RSPBHamWall
alone. What's your favourite bittern memory?
The toilets at RSPB Ham Wall are now open. We will be operating a 'one household at a time' rule and will be cleaning the toilets throughout the day. Please follow guidance on site whilst using the toilet facilities. The Welcome Building, mini marshes and hides remain closed.
Unfortunately there no blog today but we couldn't leave you without a few of John's photos for the week (Thanks John)
Looking to avoid the Royal Wedding this weekend? Why not plan a visit to
@RSPBHamWall
and enjoy all the wonderful wildlife that
#RSPBHamWall
has to offer
It has come to our notice a small number of individuals are leaving the permitted paths to photograph wildlife spectacles at Ham Wall. Click here for more information:
Did you know that barn owl owlets (chicks) will eat the same amount as their parents so feeding a large clutch is hard work for both the male and female. It's why you will often see them day hunting in the summer months.
#WildlifeWednesday
We are delighted to share that the Avalon Hide is now open. You’ll notice we’ve made a few changes to keep everyone safe. So that you can all safely enjoy watching the wonderful wildlife here, please be aware of limited capacity and wear a face covering if able to.
Vote in the BBC
#Countryfile
Magazine Awards 2019
Welcome to the 2019 BBC Countryfile Awards – this is your chance to celebrate the best of the British countryside by voting in the 10 categories.
VOTE NOW:
Magnificent marsh harriers, booming bitterns, grumpy great white Egrets and glorious glossy ibis - just another week at RSPB Ham Wall. Read all about it here in this week's sightings blog:
We are still in the grip of winter but there are plenty of signs to suggest that spring will soon be on the way. Read all about it here in the latest sightings blog from RSPB Ham Wall:
Our first count this year recorded 22 booming males at
#RSPBHamWall
with more in the wider
@AvalonMarshes
Have you heard one booming yet this year?
Did you know that
#RSPBHamWall
was restored to provide bittern with inland habitat and the first reeds on site were hand planted?
Britain’s loudest bird is making a roaring recovery! 🔊📈
Bitterns have had a record-breaking year in 2021, with 228 booming males counted. This is thanks to restoring and protection their wetland habitats 💦🌾
Find out more:
Did you know that autumn is a great time to see Bearded Tits at
#RSPBHamWall
? Follow the link to the blog to find out more about how you can see these brilliant birds for yourself:
As its
#DawnChorusDay
we thought you might like to enjoy a few minutes of dawn chorus from a misty Ham Wall. This was taken while our Site Manager was out undertaking essential work in line with government guidance. 🐦
For the best sound quality we recommend headphones!
Steves off on holiday this week so no blog. But we couldn't leave you without at least one photo - Great White Egrets playing playing Simon says.
Thanks to John Crispin for the photo. Normal service will resume again next week.
Our Site Manager discovered this frog spawn at
#RSPBHamWall
this week while on site completing essential works. Have you seen your first frog spawn of the year yet?
#FrogFriday
Last Thursday staff and volunteers at RSPB Ham Wall carried out the first bearded tit survey of the autumn.
The total count was exactly 100 birds, lower than 2017 but we’ve one more survey to come in October so fingers crossed for a higher count then.
Robins think they're the 🌟 of the show. Take a moment to watch one of the friendly
#RSPBHamWall
robins strike a pose.
#MondayMindfulness
🎥 Steve Jennings
We were delighted to welcome a very hard-working team from CITB to Ham Wall on Tuesday. The group volunteered their time to come & pollard the willows along the path to Tor View Hide. They all worked incredibly hard & we got the whole path completed - thank you so much everyone!
Thank you & Merry Christmas to all our Ham Wall
#volunteers
who give so much of their time, expertise & enthusiasm - an essential part of the Ham Wall team! Thank you for 📷s of 2 of our practical work party groups Lee Dutton & Abbie!
#SouthWestHeritageTrust
#ThankYou
We have opened our some of trails and car park, but please be mindful that it has limited capacity. Our welcome building, toilets and hides remain closed. Please stay local to your nearest reserves/greenspaces. (1/2)
Sadly its come to our attention a small number of people are accessing closed parts of the reserve to view the starling roost. People are purposefully excluded from these areas so that the wildlife that lives here is undisturbed. For full details:
We popped a trail cam up to see if we could get some footage of which owl was using the Avalon Hide as their dining room. Can you tell 'hoo' it is?
#TrailcamTuesday
#Nature
#wildlife
📢THREAD📢 The Starlings are back and
#RSPBHamWall
is too
We are asking visitors to help us make this a safe and pleasurable experience for everyone, so we ask that you read this blog before arriving:
These grebes were seen doing their weed dancing display in late December at
#RSPBHamWall
😮
Normally grebes weed dance from February through the spring.
What's the earliest you have seen dancing grebes? 💃💃
Covid-19 update. In line with Government guidance on outdoor exercise during
#SecondLockdown
, our car park, trails & toilets remain open. The hides are now closed. Please follow all current Government guidance & on-site signage. Full information here: 1/4
We're open and ready for your visit!
✅ Car park and trails 5 am -10 pm
✅ Welcome Building – Meet and Greet/ Light refreshments (take away) 10 am-4 pm*
✅ Contactless payment
✅ Toilets open
✅ Full details of facilities here:
1/2
With a
#BankHoliday
approaching, we would like to remind everyone that in line with clear instructions from the Government for us all to remain at home (apart from a limited number of allowed activities), the reserve remains closed to visitors until further notice. (1/2)