It seemed to have been a while since I'd visited the Somerset Levels, so off I went, bright and early. I realised that, although I had been on the Levels this year, I'd hadn't been to Shapwick Heath since 2011.
I parked the car at Ashcott Crossing and set off on foot to Noah's Hide.
Before I reached my destination, I spotted this Great White Egret on the Mere Heath side of the track.
Although its legs are hidden in the water and any colour-rings are hidden (plus it was a bit far anyway), I suspect that it was probably the French-hatched bird that's made this area home for a little while now.
At last I reached Noah's Hide and settled in to see what came my way.
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| Cormorant on a mission |
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| Mute Swan - just cruising |
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| Great Crested Grebe out fishing ... |
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| ... and what the menu had to offer |
The water was like this as far as the eye could see (into the water) and Pike were having a whale of a time (accidental pun) coming to the surface and hoovering them up. Some of the Pike were quite large and, when they leapt out, the return to the water sounded as if someone had thrown a fridge in!
Greylag were swimming around in the same part of the lake as the Mute Swan. I can see that there will be some sorting out to be done there when nest-building starts.
After my early, chilly start, I was beginning to feel hungry. It was time to start back towards the car and drive round to Shapwick for some lunch at Eco-Friendly Bites - a facility that is not only eco-friendly, but also people-friendly ☺.
I was delayed on my way to the car by a rare sight.
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| L-R: Grey Heron, Little Egret, Great White Egret |
I don't know how often you get to see this line-up, but a crowd of birders had gathered and passers-by were being lured into gazing through digiscopes. There were some valiant attempts at photography, too. The distance was at least 300m and I 'fastened together' all I'd got with me to achieve this mediocre shot with a focal-length of 840mm.
I have my own fantasy about the gap between the Grey Heron and the Little Egret. I like to imagine it was reserved for the local Bittern that was busy booming further away in the reed-beds and so missed this photo-call.
Eventually, I did reach the car park, but not before almost tripping over this pair on their way to the water.
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| Toads |
Lunch-break was a welcome respite.
Then down to the RSPB reserve at Greylake:
It was quiet there, but it always is in the middle of the day. Early morning is far busier.
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| Wigeon in flight |
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| A lonesome female Teal |
The rest of my images are of a Little Grebe busy fishing. It spent more time underwater than on the surface.
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| My favourite from the set (enlarged a little) |
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