We took some time away from home to visit the Somerset Levels early in September. We stayed on two sites both on working farms. One near Godney looking towards Glastonbury Tor for one night and then for two nights at Edington near to Catcott Nature Reserve, part of the Avalon Marshes

I was hoping for a good sunrise on the first morning but it was not to be, still wanting to get that image of Glastonbury Tor in the mist. We spent our days down RSPB Ham Wall just walking around and enjoying the wildlife. What an amazing few days we had the levels never disappoint and there is always something special to see.

The Great White Egrets were well in evidence I was told they had bred well this season and wherever you went there was one in the background, at the Tor hide there was one feeding just in front of the hide; beautiful birds much larger than the Little Egret.

In the afternoon I walked over to Shapwick Heath also part of the Avalon Marshes complex to one of the hides looking over Noah’s lake I was told there was an Osprey on the lake and sure enough I spent a good hour or more watching him fish unfortunately at a distance but I still managed to get some photos. He was very successful with the fishing and very active.

There was also a Marsh Harrier flying over the lake and also saw them on Ham Wall; I saw several in the todays we were there.

One of the highlights was seeing Grass snakes in the pond near the Ham Wall visitor’s centre. There were two swimming about and they wound together for a short time. One I’m sure checked me out while I was sitting on the bank he came quite close.

There were also many other birds around, juvenile Grey Herons who were not so nervous of people, Gadwall ducks, Wrens, a few Kingfishers in different place Cetti’s Warblers heard but not seen to name a few. I also spotted a couple of Bittern but they were up and down in the reeds before I could lift the camera.

This was only a small number of the different wildlife we saw from Dragonflies to the Osprey, it is a very special place and only just over an hours drive from home. I have a gallery of more images from the Avalon Marshes on my Gallery page on this website Avalon Marshes Sept 2018 Gallery page and also a Part 2 of this blog – Avalon Marshes Sept 18 Part 2.