A Couple of Hours at Lemsford Springs

29th September 2025

Still fairly quiet on the migration front so off for the afternoon to Lemsford Springs. Seemed fairly quiet at first glance with just a single Litttle Egret on show. Just look at those yellow feet!!!

Then something unusual. Buzzards are quite common here but are usually seen just wheeling around overhead, giving out their distinctive mewing sound. However this one decided to perch on the dead tree opposite the hide and was staring down at the ground for a meal.

During this time a Great Spotted Woodpecker was chip-chipping, also at the top of a dead tree, but this time above the hide so I had to go outside to get a shot.

Then something even more unusual for this site, a Jay which flew into the Sallow opposite. Looking through my catalogue this is the first decent photograph I have taken of a Jay for many years. I must get out more.

Muntjacs are quite regular here but this male caught my eye as it was rubbing its head on a cut branch.

They have a beautifully marked head.

Now on to the site specialities starting with this Grey Wagtail which was searching for insects on the piles of watercress.

It then flew to the other side of the stream.

The Green Sandpipers are back in numbers now from their breeding grounds in Scandinavia and there were seven present today, some sporting their colour rings which are used to track their movements.

This one has yet to be ringed.

But the stars of the show today were the Snipe which are now coming onto the site as winter approaches, and there were four present today, albeit well dispersed.

 

This is a most unusual shot of one sunbathing, and it held this pose for several minutes.

Well, Lemsford never disappoints and I look forward to seeing how it develops during the winter months.

Also good to have a catch-up with Rose and Dave.

Avocets at Two Tree Island

25th September 2025

Having settled down in Monty's Lookout, the first bird to arrive was a rather inquisitive Chiffchaff which was feeding amongst some dead Hemlock, but knew I was there and kept an eye on me.

It also turned out to be a bit of a performer.

A rather scarce visitor to the lagoon was a Lesser Black-backed Gull which had caught a crab but didn't seem to know what to do with it.....................

.....................and promptly dropped it.

There has been a marked difference in the behaviour of the waders using the lagoon as a high tide roost over the last few visits. Previouly you would arrive in the hide a few hours before high tide and the lagoon would have very few birds, just a few Redshank and Avocets feeding on the lagoon rather than the mud on the estuary. Then as the incoming tide covered the mud they would fly into the lagoon and roost on the islands until the tide went out again.

But on the last few visits when we arrived a few hours before high tide there were already many birds present and today there were at least 500 Black-tailed Godwits and Redshank. 

Then later on, as the high tide was covering the mud, more godwits flew in starting with just a few individuals.................

....................then larger groups................

...................followed by the main contingent!!!!

It is difficult to get seperate counts for the godwits and Redshanks as they roost in tightly packed groups like this. Today there an estimated 1500 Black-tailed Godwits/Redshanks present.

Redshanks are the second highest species count here but arrive in ones and two and small flocks of up to 10 birds.

There are never any Ringed Plovers when we arrive and are always the last to leave the river, normally arriving in small flocks.

They have a couple of preferred islands.

Greenshanks are regular visitors here and on this visit there were 30 birds present. Unfortunately they always roost on the island furthest away from the hide, a distance of 300 yards as measured on Google Earth. Here are 19 of them.

So why were the Avocets special today? Well, my first visit to Two Tree Island was on the 10th March 2014 and I usually visit about five times during the winter months. During that time the Avocets were always present when I arrived and none flew in from the estuary, and therefore seemed to be a resident flock of some 50-60 birds.

However, today there were indeed about 50 birds on the lagoon, but then others were flying in from the estuary all the time we were there, resulting in a total of 125 birds by the time we had left. Never seen that before. The first three photos are of the usual scenes.

Then they started flying in giving lots more flight shot opportunities than usual.

And even some individual flight shots.

I always assumed that wader high tide roosts were predictable. However, I have already found out that the species mix changes during the winter, for instance the large numbers of Black-tailed Godwits during early winter are replaced by large numbers of Knot during late winter. But now it appears that even arrival times are variable.

But I wonder what caused the sudden influx of Avocets?