Avalon Marshes wildlife on-air

Birdlife on the Avalon Marshes, west of Glastonbury, is diverse at this time of year as winter avian visitors come from Europe and as far away as Russia to mix with British residents, and since the trees are bare more of our own woodland species can be seen foraging and gathering among the branches.
Notably, “flocks of finches and tits can be seen moving through the tree line, whilst among the unusual winter migrants coming from Europe we can see Redwings, Fieldfares and Brambling,” says Simon Clarke, Natural England’s manager for Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve.
The Brambling, Simon tells us, “Can also sometimes be seen at garden bird tables and traditionally this bird is a harbinger of cold weather to come,” some of which we may be feeling this week.
Wildfowl such as Wigeon and Teal can be seen on the open water of the Avalon Marshes at this time of year and across the Somerset Levels. The areas of reed bed with open water habitats were created after the end of peat extraction, and have now been turned into protected wildlife areas.
Most spectacular are the murmurations or gatherings of millions of Starlings during the winter months which attract large numbers of human visitors to watch the black masses of birds which twist and turn in flight at dusk before dropping down into the reed beds for the night. “They, along with many of the ducks at this time of year, are attracting the attention of birds of prey such as Marsh Harrier, Sparrow Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, and Buzzard who are finding ‘ready meals’ in plentiful supply,” Simon tells us.
“One other highlight to mention is that late December into early January is the peak of the fox mating season, and if you live in a rural area or an area of town with lots of waste ground you will be able to hear the calls of male dog foxes or the female vixens for most of the night,” Simon adds.
Simon Clarke’s infectious enthusiasm for the wildlife of the Marshes and his talent for verbally communicating to audiences have been discovered by Glastonbury FM, community radio for Glastonbury, Street and Wells.
The radio station have started broadcasting an hour long show each month called Green Watch, an environment and eco programme – which I am pleased to be presenting – and Simon has agreed to become a regular contributor of news and reports from the local nature reserves.
The pilot show which includes Simon talking about the starlings at Shapwick Heath NNR, has now been repeated more than once on GFM, prompting people to say how great it is to hear about the local wildlife on the air waves and that Simon is a lively contrast to Chris Packham or Simon King at the BBC.
Having a dedicated programme to showcase this areas’ wild nature and ‘all things eco and sustainable’ is probably unique among the community radio stations and local BBC. As the show builds and becomes more popular its content could be shared with other radio stations as there is so much interest across the county in our spectacular wildlife sights and wonderful range of wild places to visit.
For more details of when Green Watch is broadcast on Glastonbury 107.1FM the station’s telephone number is 01458 835 299 or go to www.glastonburyfm.co.uk