Trip report: Kennard Moor (1 June 2013)

Eleven members met in the village of West Pennard on a bright but cool morning. We then drove a short distance on to the Moor and parked adjacent to a farm drove. This was a first visit for the Club to this rather remote part of the Somerset Levels even though Glastonbury Tor was less than two miles away. We heard a Sedge Warbler in a nearby ditch and a Skylark rose from the adjacent field in glorious song. We paused and listened to some song from a willow which sounded somewhat like a Reed Bunting but not quite. When it flew it was indeed a Reed Bunting and we concluded it must have had a local Somerset accent. Further down the drove a Lesser Whitethroat “rattled” in a hawthorn and gave a brief view as it worked its way down the field hedge. This was a life bird for some of the members. For the rest of the morning we wandered through the lane which crosses the Moor. Although the birding was fairly quiet, it was nice to hear and see a number of Common Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, Linnets and Goldfinches as they all flitted in and out of the hedgerows. About thirty species were encountered during the morning. It may well be worth revisiting this area during the winter as the habitat looks promising. Thanks for leading, Mike.