A long-awaited Somerset tick

Red-footed Falcons have become more regular in Somerset in the last decade or so, but they used to be very rare birds indeed in the county. After only a handful of previous records, at least 11 turned up in the massive 1992 influx, but I was new to the county then and didn’t have my own car, so missed them all (though on an East Anglian trip with Alastair Stevenson that June I ticked Redfoot near Swanton Novers in Norfolk and found my own near Lakenheath two days later).

Spool on 16 years then, to 2008, before the next chance came to add the species to my Somerset list. On 13 May a female was found over Shapwick Heath – I dived out  of work at 4 pm with Alastair and Stuart Holdsworth and headed straight up there. It was very mobile though, and the weather was turning – overcast and cool. After dashing out on Shapwick only to find it had drifted off south, we headed back to the car park and drove along the minor road along the south side of the reserve, through Buscott, in the hope of picking it up. But no joy. A certain amount of despondency set in, and there was talk of jacking it in, but I wasn’t prepared to give up just yet. But what best to do?

In the end we drove back to Ashcott Corner and walked out on to Shapwick again, much more in hope than expectation. We got as far as Noah’s Lake and had been scanning around for a while when suddenly I picked it up sat in one of the spindly dead trees to the north of the drain – oh, yesss! Where had that reappeared from? I got the news out and birders spread out over the site quickly gathered. It was a bit of a surprise to see a car coming towards us along the track from the Ashcott Corner end (the gates either end are locked and only reserve staff and a few regular volunteers have the combination), and even more of a surprise to see that in the front passenger seat was TV’s Simon King. Not that it had anything to do with the great man himself, but the car then very nearly ran over my foot!

Some enterprising soul had gone round through the wood to the Meare Heath hide and discovered that the bird was showing better from there, so we trogged round and joined them. Still scope views only, but very welcome indeed. It was now about 7.30 pm, though, so we decided to head home, very happy.

I’ve seen at least another four Redfoots in Somerset since, including the incredibly showy immature female not far from home at Isle Brewers in 2018, but gripping it back that evening, when it seemed so likely we would dip, was a special moment.