The Somerset Levels - A Beginner Birdwatching Tour

Tour Code: GBR40

A short birdwatching break, focusing in particular on the spectacular winter congregations of Starlings found on these ancient moors and wetlands. This tour has been designed specifically with Beginner Birdwatchers in mind.

3 days from
£485 (land only)

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Highlights

Summary

The magical movements and acrobatics of a million roosting Starlings. Bitterns. Huge congregations of wintering wildfowl, Lapwings and Golden Plovers. Birds of prey; amongst them Short-eared and Barn Owls, Marsh and Hen Harriers, Merlins and Peregrines. These are just some of the possible highlights on offer at this special expanse of seasonally inundated lowlands that spans 650 square kilometres between the Quantock and Mendip Hills. This ancient habitat, that until recently had fallen victim to drainage and other modern farming demands, has now been restored to much of its former glory by the RSPB and other conservation bodies. It is a heartening modern-day conservation 'success story'! As this tour is designed for beginners, more time will be taken on instruction, explaining in more detail the identification features about the birds we encounter.

Enjoy the aerial artistry of a million-strong Starlings as they gather at dusk prior to roosting
The optional opportunity to return at dawn to watch the Starlings emerge from the roost
Bittern, Great White Egret, and Bearded Tit regularly seen
Special effort to find the Cranes which have been re-introduced to the area and now breed
Birds of prey including Marsh Harrier and Peregrine with large concentrations of wintering wildfowl & waders
A 3-star hotel, with award-winning restaurant, beside the cathedral in the historic market town of Wells
Led by expert naturalist guides

Grading

Easy day walks only.

The Somerset Levels, a magical expanse of seasonally inundated lowlands that spans 650 square kilometres between the Quantock and Mendip Hills, is a conservation ‘success story’! An ancient habitat that, until recently, had fallen victim to drainage and other modern farming demands, has now been restored to much of its former glory by the RSPB and other conservation bodies. Indeed the area supports such a rich variety of plant and birdlife that it is under consideration for status as a World Heritage Site.

Our visit is timed to coincide with the massive flocks of wildfowl that gather here during the winter, when internationally important numbers of Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Pintail and Shoveler are present. Another species found here in vast flocks is the Starling, made famous in recent years by BBC coverage. A dusk outing to watch hundreds of thousands of birds swirling over their roost sites makes for breathtaking viewing. The other star attraction of the area is the Bittern. Habitat creation has, in recent years, attracted several breeding pairs, and in winter these are joined by migrants, giving us a good chance of seeing one standing among the reeds or flying across the vast reedbeds.
There are small numbers of wintering raptors such as, Merlin, Peregrine, Marsh Harrier and Hen Harrier, and in recent winters it has been possible to watch Great White Egret alongside Little Egret with regularity. This superb bird bred in the UK for the first time in 2012 and chose the Somerset levels in which to do so, such is the extent and quality of the habitat here. Another bird which we will hope to encounter is the Common Crane which has been re-introduced here as part of the Great Crane Project. Although it can be unpredictable as to their whereabouts, many have been lucky.

Otters are another success story and do occur on the Somerset Levels in ever increasing numbers, though few are lucky enough to see them on such a short visit.

There is a very special quality to the landscape and wildlife of the Somerset Levels, and there are wonderful views across Glastonbury Tor, Deer Leap and Wookey. Indeed a visit here in winter can offer a host of rewards, so please do join us on this ever-popular Naturetrek short break

DETAILED INFORMATION

Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive Wells

Day 2/3

Somerset Levels; Avalon Marshes; King's Sedgemoor; West Sedgemoor

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What's Included

What's Included?

Accommodation: A comfortable 3-star hotel, with an award-winning restaurant, in the historic market town of Wells; all rooms have private facilities.
Food: Breakfasts and 3-course evening meals included in the price.

Reviews

Excellent service from start to finish. The administration and support from the office staff was extremely efficient. Enquires were dealt with promptly. The paperwork was comprehensive and arrived in plenty of time for the start of the holiday. The hotel accommodation provided was very comfortable with friendly staff. Matt and David, the two tour guides were superb, obviously well qualified, very experienced and enthusiastic. This holiday was the first I have taken with Naturetrek and I would definitely use them again.
E.S. Berkshire, Feb 20
This was a weekend on the Somerset Levels geared to birdwatching, especially starlings en masse, ducks and wildfowl, and rare visitors such as hawfinch and cattle egret. The hotel in Wells was an excellent base and the itinerary and leaders were extremely good. It was even well worth getting up at 5am on the Sunday to go to see the starlings rise from their roost!
A.C. Dorset
We really enjoyed the holiday. The trip leader Dave Nevitt was really knowledgeable and helpful.
T.W. Kent

I cannot praise the two leaders enough. It was a privilege to be in their company with all their knowledge and expertise. I had a great little holiday and Wells is a lovely base.
G.M. Kent

Both tour leaders were excellent in helping us "beginners" identify birds at a distance and also explain why birds were in certain places i.e. shallow or deep water. The starling roost and its close proximity was startling.
D.M. Surrey

Loved the enthusiasm and knowledge of the guides. Good accommodation, good food and a nice friendly group of people. The starlings leaving their roost at dawn was a magical sight that we will never forget.
J.B. Surrey

Both tour leaders demonstrated excellent specialist knowledge in a variety of relevant areas including local history, wildlife and environmental concerns.
L.E. Dorset

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Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost

Wed 12th Feb – Fri 14th Feb FULL £485

Land only cost:

The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.

£485

Single Room Supplement:

Single Room Supplement.

£75

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Among our programme is a significant range of short breaks, designed specially for those wishing to enjoy some of Europe’s top natural history highlights at the best time of year. All of these holidays have the bonus of being short-haul and supported by like-minded wildlife enthusiasts.
Naturetrek Short Break Wildlife Tours
Short breaks are becoming increasingly popular and in response to the high demand for this type of holiday we are continuing to increase our programme both within the UK and abroad. Most of our short breaks are within Europe, for convenience of travel.
For some of our mini-breaks there is an option to travel by plane or train, and we offer a choice of duration and type of break, from a weekend’s birdwatching in the Somerset Levels to a 6-day whale watching tour in the Azores.
A selection of our UK short breaks:

A winter bird watching break in Norfolk
An autumn holiday to enjoy the Red Deer rut in Ardnamurchan, Scotland
A wildlife weekend in the New Forest

A selection of our overseas short breaks:

In Spain we look for the world’s rarest cat, the Iberian Lynx
Wolves on the plains in rural northern Spain
An exploration of La Brenne’s exceptionally rich butterfly-life in northern France

 

 
Our specialist recommends...





"We offer two superb short breaks to the lovely island of Madeira in search of whales, dolphins and seabirds. It’s hard to beat our Just Brown Bears trip for families, while if you fancy something off the beaten track, try Estonia in Early Spring for some excellent spring birdwatching." 

Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager

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The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.
Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours
We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.
The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.

Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:

Southern Morocco – an exploration of the birdlife in Morocco’s southern deserts, oases and mountains
The Camargue in Spring – a short break to enjoy the spring birds of the Rhône Delta and Camargue wetland
Wallcreepers & Cranes in Northern Spain – a 2-centre holiday focusing on Lammergeier, Wallcreepers, raptors, Cranes, bustards, sandgrouse and more!
Madeira & Desertas Islands – A Seabird Extravaganza! – a short break focusing on special breeding seabirds, including a night on the remote Destertas Islands
Peru – Macaws & Machu Picchu – searches for boobies, macaws and Inca Terns
Spain & Morocco: Birding on Two Continents! – watch the spectacular spring bird migration from both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar

Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection
Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.
 

Our specialist recommends...


"Try Coto Doñana & Extremadura for an excellent introduction to Europe's wetland and steppe birds. I would recommend our bargain holiday, 'Nepal – A Birdwatching Tour' for those interested in Siberian rarities and Ibisbill, while Costa Rica offers a chance to search for arguably the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal."

Byron Palacios - Tour Leader

  
 
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            [description] => Birdwatching Tours – Learn from the Experts
Many people take delight in watching birds, and would like both to learn more about them, and to be able to identify them (or at least some of them!).
We offer a selection of holidays specially designed for the novice birdwatcher – these are designed to be slower in pace than other similar holidays and they provide an even higher level of instruction from our top leaders.
We still intend of course to see all the key species of these special areas but we shall take a little more time explaining about everything we find and how the species are identified.
Naturetrek's Birdwatching Holidays for Beginners
On all of our ‘Beginners’ Birdwatching’ holidays, we provide a high level of instruction from our top leaders. These tours are undertaken at a relaxed pace and are suitable for the complete novice, as well as those with some knowledge who would benefit from ‘brushing it up’ or learning more.
And, as is typical with Naturetrek tours, there will be an emphasis on enjoying our surroundings and other wildlife, as well as the birdlife. Questions will be very much encouraged, with emphasis placed on participants being able to see, enjoy and identify every bird well for themselves, whether common or rare.

Our specialist recommends...



"It’s hard to beat the Somerset Levels for the beginner birder. Our Somerset Levels winter break offers a perfect introduction to a variety of waterbirds and, of course, you can enjoy the impressive Starling murmurations. Further afield, our week-long holidays to Extremadura and Coto Doñana in Spain are great for getting to grips with more exotic Mediterranean species."

Tom Mabbett - Operations Manager 
 

All Beginner Birdwatching Tours
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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire

Tour Reports

Tour report - May 2014

Tour report - February 2014

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Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!