Glossy Ibis, Bittern, Marsh Harrier, Great White Egret and more at RSPB Ham Wall!

Saturday felt like the first day of Spring. Officially it wasn't of course, that was earlier in the week, but this was the first day of sun since!
 I got up early (ish!)  and headed off to RSPB Ham Wall to take advantage of the bright conditions!
  Despite the sun, it was a very windy day and was particularly cold up in the Avalon hide! I braved the hide with a few other hardy souls including Chris Hooper, and was rewarded with many views of the nesting Marsh Harriers over the reedbeds, a pair of Glossy Ibis that have made Ham Wall their home, a distant Bittern stalking between a channel in the reeds and a hover-hunting Kestrel!
    Elsewhere on the reserve, Chiffchaffs were singing, as were Cetti's Warblers, although these evaded my cameras on this occasion! A Great White Egret flew right past me and disappeared from view.
 Ham Wall is a fantastic reserve, especially at this time of year, with lots of special birds. I can't wait to return!

Below are some of the pics taken on Saturday at Ham Wall, plus some other photo's taken since my last blog post;

^Above^ - Glossy Ibis!

^Above^ - Bitterns.

^Above^ - Marsh Harriers.

^Above^ - Tufted Ducks.

^Above^ - Mallard.

^Above^ - Wigeon.

^Above^ - Male and female Teal.

^Above^ - Shovelers.

^Above^ - Male and female Gadwall.

^Above^ - Canada Goose.

^Above^ - Cormorant.

^Above^ - Great Crested Grebes.

^Above^ - Little Grebe.

^Above^ - Female Pochard.

^Above^ - Mute Swan.

^Above^ - Kestrel.

^Above^ - Great White Egret.

^Above^ - Grey Herons.

^Above^ - Little Egret.

^Above^ - Sand Martin.

^Above^ - Male Reed Bunting.

^Above^ - Robin.

^Above^ - Great Spotted Woodpecker.

^Above^ - Chiffchaffs.

^Above^ - Female (top) and male Chaffinches.

^Above^ - Dunnock.

^Above^ - Great Tits.

^Above^ - Blue Tits.

^Above^ - Carrion Crow.

^Above^ - Buzzard.

^Above^ - Long Tailed Tits.

^Above^ - Magpie.

^Above^ - Some kind of Pipit!

^Above^ - Wrens.

^Above^ - Small Tortoishell Butterfly.

^Above^ - Grass Snake swimming in a ditch before disappearing into the muddy bank!

^Above^ - New growth at Ham Wall.

^Above^ - Backlit reeds.

^Above^ - Daffodils at Ham Wall.

Those were the photo's taken to a wonderful saturday morning at RSPB Ham Wall.
 Now for some photo's taken since my last blog post;

^Above^ - Mistle Thrush near Moorland in Somerset.

^Above^ - Great Spotted Woodpecker at Moorland.

^Above^ - Cyclamen at Moorland.

^Above^ - Lesser Black Back Gull in Bridgwater, Somerset.

^Above^ - Little Egret near Bridgwater.

^Above^ - Sand Martins near Bridgwater.

^Above^ - Carrion Crows at RSPB Greylake in Somerset.

^Above^ - Great White Egret at Greylake.

^Above^ - Female Mallard at Greylake.

^Above^ - Little Egret at Greylake.

^Above^ - Male and female Teal at Greylake.

^Above^ - Male and female Wigeon at Greylake.

^Above^ - Curlew amongst the Wigeon at Greylake.

^Above^ - Male Pheasants at Bruton in Somerset.

^Above^ - Treecreepers at RSPB Swell Wood in Somerset.

^Above^ - Nesting Grey Herons at Swell Wood.

^Above^ - Great Spotted Woodpecker at Swell Wood.

^Above^ - Long Tailed Tit at Swell Wood.

^Above^ - Grey Squirrels at Swell Wood.

^Above^ - Female Blackbird in my garden.

^Above^ - Goldfinches in my garden.

^Above^ - Bleeding Hearts in my Somerset garden.

^Above^ - Forsythia near my home.

^Above^ - Primroses in my garden.

^Above^ - Magnolia near my home.

^Above^ - Daffodils at Bruton.