My Somerset Levels – the wildlife of the Avalon Marshes by Alison Uren

Alison Uren’s volunteering on various nature reserves inspired her to write the book “The Wildlife of the Avalon Marshes”. Here she tells us what makes the area special for her….

My husband Mike and I moved to Somerset in 2021 and immediately fell in love with the Avalon Marshes, the amazing set of nature reserves which includes Ham Wall, Shapwick Heath, Catcott, Westhay Moor and Shapwick Moor. In less than half a century these places have become a vibrant wetland where thousands of species flourish: Bitterns boom in the spring, Marsh Harriers float over the reeds, Great White Egrets stalk in the shallows and Kingfishers flash by. Hundreds of thousands of Starlings delight visitors with their spectacular murmurations.

Otters, Beavers and other mammals thrive. Insects buzz, hunt and feed. Reptiles, amphibians and fish play their essential part in the ecosystem. Every year there are surprises as a new species takes up residence…

Provide the right habitat and nature will do the rest!

We volunteer on the reserves in various capacities, as surveyors, information guides and walk leaders. We count butterflies at Catcott, survey dragonflies at Westhay Moor, and help to monitor Bitterns, Marsh Harriers and Bearded Reedlings at Ham Wall. Mike looks after the weather station at Honeygar.

We cannot imagine a better way to spend our retirement and we are often on one of the reserves early in the morning, enjoying the peace, beauty and fascinating wildlife of this very special area.

The Avalon Marshes inspired me to write my first book, “The Wildlife of the Avalon Marshes”, which was published in October 2025. The first edition has nearly sold out – clearly other people love the area as much as we do! It is packed with stunning photographs contributed by 19 different local photographers and all the profits are going to the RSPB.

A huge thank you to the RSPB, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Hawk and Owl Trust and others for their tremendous achievement here in Somerset; may this success story continue far into the future.