The purpose of this page is for everyone to enjoy wildlife sightings, photos, news, events and updates from Ham Wall as well as Greylake, Swell Wood and West Sedgemoor. We hugely encourage you to share sightings, photos, pose questions and have discussions about the site. We all have a love of these reserves, so please assume positive intent in each other. Whether you are new to visiting, have bee
n coming for years, or have never actually been but hope to one day, then all are welcome in this group. Ham Wall reserve lies within the Avalon Marshes and is a wetland teeming with wildlife - from rare species like water voles and otters to magnificent birds like bitterns and kingfishers. Enjoy stunning views across the marshes to Glastonbury Tor and make some time to follow secluded paths through the mystical landscape. Greylake, located in the heart of the Somerset Levels and Moors, is the perfect place to get closer to nature. Thanks to all the water, you can see lapwing, redshank and snipe nesting in the spring and vast flocks of ducks and waders, being hunted by birds of prey in the winter. The ancient oaks of Swell Wood are part of a strip of woodland extending 10 miles along the ridge from Langport to the Blackdown Hills. Come to find nesting herons and little egrets between March and June, while nuthatches and woodpeckers feed at the car park bird feeders in winter. West Sedgemoor located in the Somerset Levels and Moors is part of England’s largest remaining wet meadow system. As such it is home to the largest lowland population in southern England of breeding waders in the summer and in winter home of overwintering wildfowl. The reserve has restricted access to protect ground-nesting birds and over-wintering flocks. An excellent network of public footpaths provides views from the edge and over the site
This official page is managed by some of our staff and volunteers. Please note, it will be checked daily during work hours of 9am-5pm but is not staffed throughout that whole period. If you have some specific feedback or a complaint to make please contact us on 01458 860494 during office opening hours (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm) or email [email protected]. You can find lots of information on our reserve pages at www.rspb.org.uk/hamwall, www.rspb.org.uk/greylake, www.rspb.org.uk/swellwood and www.rspb.org.uk/westsedgemoor as well. We encourage polite, friendly discussion, but personal insults, abusive or threatening language, including sexism, racism, transphobia will not be tolerated, so please be respectful of each other and of our staff and volunteers. Any comments that include swearing or are deemed offensive will be removed and if individuals continue to post these types of comment to the page, then we may block them. Photography is allowed and encouraged on the reserve. Whether you have specific kit or just your camera phone, the wildlife and landscape of the reserve provides beautiful photography opportunities throughout the seasons. Please follow these considerations:
- Stick to the designated areas for visitors and adhere to any signage.
- Be mindful of your dwell time at viewpoints and in hides to allow everyone an opportunity to view the wonderful wildlife here.
- When it comes to nature photography, please always remember the welfare of the subject is more important than the photograph, so follow the Nature Photographers' Code of Practice https://bit.ly/NaturePhotoCode.
