Ham Wall RSPB - Sat 17 Jul

After a late lunch Ellie and I decided to get a bit of exercise so we drove up to Ham Wall RSPB for a decent walk. It was about 4.30pm by the time we actually pulled in to the car park at Ashcott Corner, but the weather was pretty good and despite a bit of a breeze it was very warm still.

As we got walked down the track through the reserve we noted a fair few butterflies flitting about, especially a good number of Small Whites and Red Admirals:

We also saw a Holly Blue, but unfortunately it did not settle in any one place long enough for us to get a photo. A Silver-washed Fritillary was an unexpected find and there were several Peacocks, one or two Speckled Woods, and a couple of Commas about:

As we continued down the path we came across a few people waiting for a glimpse of the Little Bitterns which have been reported at the site for the past few weeks. We gave it five minutes but with nothing in view continued our walk. However, just twenty or so metres further up the track I spotted something out of the corner of my eye and we were treated to flight views of a female Little Bittern...excellent stuff.

As we neared the Sharpham end of the reserve we saw a couple of Bullfinches and a female Marsh Harrier drifted over an area of reeds. We then returned to the car after a very profitable and enjoyable early evening out and about.