Reeds whisper secrets

Intro / Verse 1
Here are some facts about RSPB Ham Wall,
On the Somerset Levels, wetlands standing tall.
One of the UK’s most important wetland lands,
A place shaped slowly by human hands.
Peat extraction, drainage, flood control too,
Man-made changes, but wildlife grew.
By accident, by time, by water’s call,
A perfect wetland home now stands at Ham Wall.

(Chorus)
Reeds whisper secrets, wings cut the sky,
Life moves quietly as the Levels lie.
From hidden bitterns to starlings in flow,
Ham Wall is a world where the wild things grow.

Verse 2
Once heavily worked for peat every day,
Right through the late twentieth century.
When the digging stopped, the waters rose,
Nature returned at its own slow pace.
Reedbeds spread where the cuttings lay,
Lagoons and open water found their way.
Now some of the largest reedbeds known,
In southern England, fully grown.

(Chorus)
Reeds whisper secrets, wings cut the sky,
Life moves quietly as the Levels lie.
From hidden bitterns to starlings in flow,
Ham Wall is a world where the wild things grow.

Verse 3
Internationally known for the bittern’s call,
A secretive heron, rare and small.
Once almost lost from the UK scene,
Now winter sightings are regularly seen.
Come springtime, males begin to boom,
Claiming breeding grounds deep in the gloom,
A sound that rolls through reed and air,
A sign of life still thriving there.

Verse 4
Bearded tits breed among the stems,
Cetti’s warblers shout from hidden dens.
Reed warblers sing through summer days,
Marsh harriers soar in quartering ways.
The reedbeds’ size and quality show
Why species needing dense wetlands grow.
Ham Wall stands critical, vital, and true,
For birds that depend on reeds to live through.

(Chorus)
Reeds whisper secrets, wings cut the sky,
Life moves quietly as the Levels lie.
From hidden bitterns to starlings in flow,
Ham Wall is a world where the wild things grow.

Verse 5
Water levels here are carefully planned,
With sluices and channels across the land.
Managed for fish and invertebrate life,
For breeding birds and wintertime flight.
These systems help the wider Levels too,
Reducing flood risk as waters move through,
Balancing nature, people, and place,
A working wetland sharing the space.

Verse 6
One of the UK’s top dragonfly sites,
Alive in the warmth of summer lights.
Hairy dragonfly skims the pools,
Emperors patrol by ancient rules.
Variable damselflies flash and gleam,
Dozens hunting in a single scene,
Over ditches, lagoons, and open water,
A living web of predator and quarter.

(Chorus)
Reeds whisper secrets, wings cut the sky,
Life moves quietly as the Levels lie.
From hidden bitterns to starlings in flow,
Ham Wall is a world where the wild things grow.

Verse 7
Hides are placed where the views run wide,
Over reedbeds, open pools, and tide.
Viewing platforms set just right,
For observing feeding grounds and flight.
Perfect for ethical photography,
Long-lens work without disturbance to see.
Close enough to witness, far enough to care,
Respect for wildlife everywhere.

Verse 8 – Seasonal Verse
There’s interest here the whole year through,
Every season offers something new.
Winter brings bitterns, ducks, birds of prey,
Starlings gather as short days fade.
Spring brings breeding and booming calls,
Summer hums with warblers and dragonfly sprawl.
Autumn sees migrants begin to arrive,
Murmurations build as the nights grow alive.

(Chorus)
Reeds whisper secrets, wings cut the sky,
Life moves quietly as the Levels lie.
From hidden bitterns to starlings in flow,
Ham Wall is a world where the wild things grow.

Verse 9
Not every night on the reserve itself,
But close to the most famous sites on the shelf,
Somerset’s starling murmurations roll,
With birds using reedbeds and winter roosts nearby,
Ham Wall lies within that wider scene,
Where thousands move as one unseen.

Verse 10
Working alongside Shapwick Heath close by,
A National Nature Reserve under the same sky.
Together they form a connected whole,
A vast wetland system playing one role.
Supporting biodiversity far and wide,
Stronger together than apart they thrive.

(Final Chorus)
Reeds whisper secrets, wings cut the sky,
Life moves quietly as the Levels lie.
From hidden bitterns to starlings in flow,
Ham Wall is a world where the wild things grow.