Somerset Levels Day Trip – 5th June 2026

A warm June day on the Somerset Levels produced Common Cranes, booming Bitterns, hunting Hobbies and an impressive array of dragonflies.

Picking up two guests in the New Forest, we made our way to the meeting point at Greylake RSPB to meet two other guests, stopping briefly for coffee en route.

Arriving at Greylake at around 09:40, the group gathered and set out towards the main hides for a quick leg stretch and to see what was around. The air was full of birdsong, with Blackcaps and Cetti's Warblers singing in the car park and the reeds seemingly crammed full of Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings. Before reaching the hide, a member of the group spotted two Common Cranes flying in. One landed nearby and proceeded to give excellent views, vying for attention with six very young cygnets!

Common Crane @ Greylake (C) WNFGT

The hides were relatively quiet, with some distant views of Marsh Harriers and Great White Egrets. While watching a family group of Shovelers, a female Garganey swam out into the open, giving good views, and a couple more Common Cranes were seen flying in the distance.

Following a tip-off, we opted to swing by Catcott Lows for a quick look. Thirty minutes in the hide produced more Cranes, Great White and Cattle Egrets, while singing Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers were heard nearby. A nice collection of dragonflies and damselflies added further interest.

From here, we parked in the Ham Wall car park and walked into Shapwick Heath, heading along the old railway line to Noah's Hide. The area was generally quite quiet, with a few of the regular Marsh Harriers dotted around and a couple of Hobbies seen hunting dragonflies. The hide itself produced further sightings of Hobbies and Marsh Harriers, along with a fly-by Kingfisher. It was also nice to scope the Cormorant colony, where many chicks appeared to be receiving regular feeds from the adults.

Back at Ham Wall, we enjoyed a picnic lunch (despite the fact that I had left the cheese and ham in the fridge at home!) and a well-earned coffee. Out on the RSPB reserve, we were struck by the overwhelming number of dragonflies, made up of several species but dominated by Four-spotted Chasers.

Great Crested Grebe pair from Avalon hide (c) WNFGT

A tour of the main viewpoints, including the Avalon and Tor View hides, produced a nice mix of species, accompanied by the regular backdrop of booming Bitterns. Highlights included lovely views of three "humbugs" riding on the back of a female Great Crested Grebe and being regularly fed by the male, some excellent views of hunting Hobbies, and a good selection of warblers, including a singing Garden Warbler.

Amongst the hordes of dragonflies, a Norfolk Hawker patrolled the canal, while a couple of Grass Snakes were spotted making a home for themselves within some old brickwork.

We reluctantly decided to call it a day at 17:00 and made it back home by 19:30. It had been a long but thoroughly enjoyable day.

		Greylake	Catcott	Shapwick	Ham Wall
1	Greylag Goose			X
2	Canada Goose			X
3	Mute Swan	X		X	X
4	Garganey	X
5	Shoveler	X
6	Gadwall	X		X	X
7	Mallard	X		X	X
8	Pochard				X
9	Tufted Duck				X
10	Stock Dove				X
11	Wood Pigeon			X	X
12	Cuckoo				H
13	Swift	X		X	X
14	Water Rail	H			H
15	Moorhen	X			X
16	Coot		X		X
17	Lapwing				X
18	Black-headed Gull			X	X
19	Herring Gull				X
20	Lesser Black-backed Gull				X
21	Little Grebe				X
22	Great Crested Grebe			X	X
23	Common Crane	X	X
24	Cormorant		X		X
25	Bittern	H			H
26	Cattle Egret		X		X
27	Little Egret	X			X
28	Great White Egret	X	X		X
29	Grey Heron			X	X
30	Marsh Harrier	X	X	X	X
31	Red Kite			X
32	Buzzrd	X	X	X	X
33	Great Spotted Woodpecker			X	X
34	Kingfisher			X
35	Kestrel				X
36	Hobby			X	X
37	Raven		X
38	Carrion Crow	X		X	X
39	Jackdaw			X
40	Swallow	X		X
41	Sand Martin				X
42	House Martin	X
43	Blue Tit				X
44	Great Tit			X	X
45	Bearded Tit				H
46	Long-tailed Tit				X
47	Willow Warbler				X
48	Chiffchaff	X		X	X
49	Sedge Warbler		X
50	Reed Warbler		X	X	X
51	Grasshopper Warbler		H
52	Cetti's Warbler	H	H	H	H
53	Blackcap	X	X		X
54	Garden Warbler				X
55	Treecreeper			X
56	Wren	X	X		X
57	Blackbird		X	X	X
58	Robin			X	X
59	Dunnock				X
60	Stonechat		X
61	Pied Wagtial		X
62	Chaffinch				X
63	Goldfinch	X	X	X
64	Linnet		X
65	Reed Bunting	X