An Autumn Visit to Lemsford Springs

16th October 2021 

My first visit to Lemsford of the forthcoming winter so I unlocked the hide, took off my rucksack, opened the window, sat down and peered out to see if there were any goodies nearby. Absolutely nothing!! Then a quick glance to the right revealed why. A gentlemen with a large lens was standing just 20 yards away in front of the hide and was staring aimlessly at the water. He then wandered back towards the entrance.

I immediately called for back-up and PC Johnson was soon on the scene with support from WPC Trevis. The culprit was soon apprehended and said he hadn't been to the reserve before and didn't know where to go. So despite the footpaths being obvious and well sign-posted, he decided to duck under a barrier marked "No Footpath" and go exploring. Oh well, time to sit back and wait for something, anything, to return. It is at moments like this you get excited at the appearance of a Moorhen.

The first "rare" bird to appear was a single female Teal, quickly followed by a Pied Wagtail

Then one of the usual specialities returned, a Grey Wagtail. These are one of the posers of the birding world and Lemsford is ideal for them to strut their stuff on the wooden structure of the cress beds.

A Little Egret put in a brief appearance and showed off its amazing yellow feet which they use to swoosh the water to disturb potential food items.

And last, but by no means least, five Green Sandpipers returned and continued to feed on the freshwater shrimps which are abundant in the cress beds.

So not quite the day I had planned, but a great day nevertheless, and I am sure there will be more visits to come during the winter months.