The Great British Bird Race - Somerset

Summary

Experience the wild heart of the West Country with Naturetrek’s Somerset Winter Bird Race, a thrilling adventure across one of the UK’s richest winter birding landscapes. With its vast wetlands, rolling hills and varied coastline, Somerset offers an outstanding variety of habitats — and bird species — to discover in a single action-packed event.

The goal: to record as many bird species as possible in 48 hours. We will be in friendly competition with the best birding counties in Britain, so every species will count.

Our race will take us deep into the Somerset Levels, where the reedbeds and flooded meadows come alive with Teal, Shoveler, Snipe, and the booming call — or elusive flight — of Bittern. Starling murmurations are likely to dazzle at dusk, while Marsh Harriers, Glossy Ibis and both Great and Cattle Egrets will be sought by day.

At Chew Valley Lake, one of the South West’s premier inland waterbodies, we’ll scan for wintering duck, Goosander and the possibility of a rarity among the grebes or gulls. Along the Bristol Channel coast, wader flocks and Brent Geese forage on mudflats and saltmarshes, with the added chance of a seaduck or diver offshore.

Led by expert local guides, this fast-paced yet enjoyable race blends strategic birding with great scenery and camaraderie. Whether you're a seasoned lister or new to the bird-race experience, Somerset’s diverse habitats promise a rewarding start to your birding year.

Join us for birds, banter, and the thrill of a winter race!

• The thrill of the bird race
• Great White & Cattle Egrets in numbers
• The enormously impressive Starling murmurations
• Huge numbers of wildfowl on the Somerset Levels
• Wader flocks along the Bristol Channel
• Search for owls after dark
• Wintering harriers
• Potentially a big total in a rich and diverse county