Hudsonian Godwit draws crowds at Meare Heath

Hudsonian Godwit

Hudsonian Godwit

Great White Egret

My first Swift of the year

Bittern

Bittern

Bittern

Twitchers delighted

Great White feeding

I'm never one for crowds so when I was offered a lift to see a Hudsonian Godwit at Meare Heath, Somerset that arrived on the 25th April I quickly declined due to it being a mega twitch.

The arrival of the Godwit was a very welcome bird for twitchers every where as it unblocked a rarity that had slowly acquired mythical status over the 32 years since it was last twitchable in Britain.

Only two Hudsonian Godwits have ever made it to Britain. The first was at Blacktoft Sands, Yorkshire on 10th September to 3rd October 1981 before it was relocated that same autumn at Countess Wear, Devon. Here it remained from 22nd November to 14th January 1982 and was then presumed to have gone until, amazingly, it reappeared at Blacktoft Sands from 26th April to 6th May 1983.

After the final Blacktoft appearance the trail really did go cold but the species remained just about on the radar thanks to a one-day bird at Slains Pools, Collieston, Aberdeenshire on 26th September 1988. Since then, however, there has not been a sniff of one in Britain.

What makes this species a particularly special find here is that it is not always an easy bird to see in its home range of North America. It breeds very locally across Alaska, the northwest Canadian Arctic and around the western fringe of Hudson Bay but then undertakes a direct oversea migration to northern South America, largely missing out the ‘lower forty-eight’ states. From here it continues south to its winter quarters in the southern half of South America, some reaching the very southernmost tip of the continent.

For those who were twitching in the early 1980s this was one of the highlights of a real ‘golden era’ which also yielded such delights as Little Whimbrel, White-crowned Black Wheatear, Green Warbler, American Redstart and Varied Thrush. A repeat of any of these other ‘early 1980s blockers’ would now also generate something of a stampede.

Many of the places frequented by Black-tailed Godwits are well-watched nature reserves and this is something of a ‘standout’ bird. The striking black underwing is of course the thing to look for but the photographs of the bird in Somerset also show quite well its relatively narrow upper wing-bar compared with that of Black-tailed Godwit. (Source Rare Bird Alert)

The bird looked to have moved on after being mega twitched so when it returned for a number of days I had an early start on Saturday down the M5 to see the Somerset superstar. On arrival I was pleased to see a new car park had been opened which will also site a visitor centre next. Good to see a great reserve like Ham Wall getting the facilities it deserves.

Heading straight up the path a Cuckoo and Garden Warbler were in good voice but was over looked by most birders having just the Godwit on their mind. Reaching the first reed bed a Bittern was sat on the edge showing very well and occasionally booming for a mate. 

There was no mistaking where the Godwit was by the lines of scopes and cameras. I quickly located the bird on the far side. In all fairness it wasn't the hottest looking bird in my opinion however when taking flight you could see the dark under wings. 

Two Great White Egret were feeding on the same part of the reserve whilst Marsh Harriers were observed passing over. Other highlights included Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Hobby and 15 Swifts that were my first of the year.

The new toilets can't be built quick enough for many. I'd never seen so many middle aged men crossing their legs !