{"id":38634,"date":"2024-07-11T10:34:07","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T08:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/5ce278af-cb01-471b-a1f5-e7314f1f084c"},"modified":"2024-07-11T11:27:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T09:27:45","slug":"ham-wall-somerset-starling-murmuration-great-egrets-bitterns-and-more","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/ham-wall-somerset-starling-murmuration-great-egrets-bitterns-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Ham Wall, Somerset: Starling murmuration, great egrets, bitterns and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

A stunning nature reserve in Somerset’s Levels near Glastonbury with scenic trails, birdwatching hides, and breathtaking views. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 11 July 2024 at 08:34 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Plant it, and they will come. In the mid-1990s, the RSPB<\/a> took ownership of a peat-extraction site in Somerset, then set about reimagining it as a wetland wonderland. <\/strong><\/p>

The land was sculpted with machines, then flooded to create open water, before thousands of reeds were planted by hand. <\/strong><\/p>

**Sunrise over Ham Wall in the Somerset Levels. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>**Where is Ham Wall?<\/h2>
RSPB Ham Wall is a nature reserve located in the Somerset Levels, near the village of Meare and close to Glastonbury<\/a> in Somerset, England.<\/p>
How many starlings at Ham Wall?<\/h2>
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Visit during autumn and winter for a chance to see a murmuration of starlings. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Tens of thousands of starlings<\/a> roost in the reed-beds at Ham Wall. According to the RSPB’s website, in some years these numbers have even risen to an estimated one million birds.<\/p>
For more information about the starlings at Ham Wall<\/a>, read our days out guide and the Countryfile team’s day trip to try and catch the mesmerising starling murmurations on the Somerset Levels<\/a>.<\/p>
What other birds can I see at Ham Wall?<\/h2>
Ham Wall boasts double the number of reedbed-breeding bitterns<\/a> than existed in the entire UK in 1997. <\/p>
Find out more about bitterns breeding in the Somerset Levels, in our podcast, The Plodcast<\/h3>
<\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-when-to-visit-ham-wall\">When to visit Ham Wall<\/h2><p>The bittern is most readily seen in spring, when females use regular flightpaths as they provision hungry chicks. <\/p><p>Spring is also the time to gawp at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/bird-of-the-month-hobby\">hobbies<\/a> \u2013 aeronaut falcons that pluck flying insects from mid-air, as seen in a BBC Wild Isles sequence filmed at Ham Wall. Some of those unfortunate invertebrates are four-spotted chaser dragonflies, thousands of which roost here. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/07\/ham_wall_great_egeret.jpg\" alt=\"A majestic great egret flying over the wetlands\" class=\"wp-image-188426\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A majestic great egret flying over the wetlands. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>In summer, Ham Wall also treats you to Britain\u2019s largest population of great egrets.<\/p><p>And dont’ forget, in late autumn and winter starlings congregate to put on their unforgettable display as they prepare to roost. Backlit by the sunset, the murmuration shapeshifts incessantly: no two minutes are the same.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-to-see-and-do-at-ham-wall\">What to see and do at Ham Wall<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/07\/ham_wall_glastonbury_tor.jpg\" alt=\"Glastonbury Tor overlooks the wetlands at Ham Wall. \" class=\"wp-image-188427\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Glastonbury Tor overlooks the wetlands at Ham Wall. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>The wetland is teeming with wildlife and lucky visitors may spot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/days-out\/how-and-where-to-spot-otters\">otters<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/mammals\/water-vole-guide-how-to-identify-where-to-see-and-top-facts\">water voles<\/a> or the vibrant blur of a passing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/birds\/kingfisher-guide-where-to-see-them-in-the-uk\">kingfisher<\/a>. <\/p><p>The landscape is beautiful too: explore the many paths through the marshes and take in the sweeping views of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/glastonbury-tor\">Glastonbury Tor<\/a>.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-visitor-information-for-rspb-ham-wall\">Visitor information for RSPB Ham Wall<\/h3><p>The reserve features trails, viewing platforms, and hides that provide excellent opportunities for wildlife observation.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-visit-other-wetlands-and-reserves-in-somerset\">Visit other wetlands and reserves in Somerset<\/h3><p>If you’re looking for more bird watching haven’s to visit in the county, check out our guides to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/how-to\/green-living\/day-out-steart-marshes-somerset\">WWT Steart Marshes<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/days-out\/shapwick-heath-somerset\">Shapwick Heath<\/a> National Nature Reserve, and find out more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/uk-travel\/holiday-ideas\/discover-the-somerset-levels\">the Somerset Levels<\/a>.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A stunning nature reserve in Somerset’s Levels near Glastonbury with scenic trails, birdwatching hides, and breathtaking views. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":38635,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/ham-wall-somerset-starling-murmuration-great-egrets-bitterns-and-more.jpg",2121,1414,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/ham-wall-somerset-starling-murmuration-great-egrets-bitterns-and-more-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/ham-wall-somerset-starling-murmuration-great-egrets-bitterns-and-more-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/ham-wall-somerset-starling-murmuration-great-egrets-bitterns-and-more-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/ham-wall-somerset-starling-murmuration-great-egrets-bitterns-and-more-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/ham-wall-somerset-starling-murmuration-great-egrets-bitterns-and-more-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/ham-wall-somerset-starling-murmuration-great-egrets-bitterns-and-more-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A stunning nature reserve in Somerset's Levels near Glastonbury with scenic trails, birdwatching hides, and breathtaking views.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/38634"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Where is Ham Wall?<\/h2>RSPB Ham Wall is a nature reserve located in the Somerset Levels, near the village of Meare and close to Glastonbury<\/a> in Somerset, England.<\/p>

What other birds can I see at Ham Wall?<\/h2>Ham Wall boasts double the number of reedbed-breeding bitterns<\/a> than existed in the entire UK in 1997. <\/p>

Where is Ham Wall?<\/h2>
RSPB Ham Wall is a nature reserve located in the Somerset Levels, near the village of Meare and close to Glastonbury<\/a> in Somerset, England.<\/p>

What other birds can I see at Ham Wall?<\/h2>
Ham Wall boasts double the number of reedbed-breeding bitterns<\/a> than existed in the entire UK in 1997. <\/p>