A Jack Snipe at Lemsford Springs

10th November 2026

A sunny day and a couple of hours to spare, so what better place to go than Lemsford Springs? Good to see that the numbers of Teal were building up with at least 10 present, but interestingly they were the only species of duck present today, not even a single Mallard.

One of the resident Grey Wagtails was feeding in the shallows amongst the watercress. Just look at those colours!!!!

There were about six Green Sandpipers present out of the usual dozen or so, so perhaps the others were up the local gravel pits.

There was very little activity, but then one started having a bath, which is always a spectacle.....................

.......................followed by a wing flap to dry those wings before preening.

But the best performers today were the Snipe. Here is one showing the gold stripe down the middle of the crown which confirms it as a Common Snipe. This may come in useful later.

All very photogenic in the afternoon sun.

And when you have finished feeding, time to have a chill-out with your mates.

Just look at the colours on that tail!!!!

But then bath time, and like many other waders Snipe really go for it.

As an ex-ringer I have held many Snipe in the hand and am aware just how flexible their mandibles are, just like they were made of rubber. This is what happens when the shake their head when bathing!!!

Get those feathers wet!!!

Anf then again a wing flap to dry the wings.

At that point a call came through on the red phone from the InFocus Hide Outpost, which turned out to be Agent Rose saying she had found a Jack Snipe. Unfortunately by the time I got there it had retired behind a small concrete wall, but still a sufficient view to see it was a Jack Snipe with the lack of the gold central stripe down the crown.

And then on subsequent views when it came out more into the open you could see the bill which is about two-thirds the length of a Common Snipe bill. Apologies for the Moorhen trying to get into the act.

Well. that was a bit unexpected and great to spend the afternoon in the company of Rose and Dave, and well done Rose for finding the Jack Snipe.

A New Kid on the Block at King's Meads

7th November 2026

It had been a foggy morning but the forecast suggested it could clear by lunchtime and be sunny spells during late afternoon and evening, so seemingly ideal conditions for the Barn Owls. On my first two recent visits the Barn Owls first appeared at 3.00pm and 3.30pm, but tonight it was 4.30pm. This is 10 minutes after sunset and so the light was already fading and the owls were distant so no shots tonight.

However, this was more than compensated for by the appearance of a new celebrity, a beautifully coloured confiding Buzzard. Buzzards although common are often difficult to approach, but this one sat on its favourite telegraph pole and didn't bat an eyelid when dog walkers and joggers passed along the footpath below. These photographs were taken at a range of 15-20 yards.

Well that was a nice surprise, and also good to meet Stephen Marsh.

A Visit to Verulamium Park

4th November 2026

Getting near the start of the birding winter so time for a visit to Verulamium Park to see what was going on. First stop was the river Ver by the main lake and boating lake in search of Kingfishers, but no luck there. However, I did stumble across a rather smart Grey Wagtail by the bridge by the boating lake, so grabbed a few shots. What stunning birds!!!

I then checked the River Ver further downstream where it runs south of the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub, but still drew a blank. So no Kingys today, although I am aware that a couple have been seen over the last few days.

So now for the long haul up the slope to The Cathedral to see if the Peregrines are still in residence. All I can say is it is lucky I am still young and fit.................well, one out of two ain't bad!!!! The Peregrines were indeed in residence, but the light was a bit challenging.

They do like an overflow pipe.................

.....................and a sheltered ledge....................

.....................and another overflow pipe.....................

...........................and somewhere to eat your dinner. Not much left of this prey item!!!!!

Well, at least the Peregrines are in residence and will hopefully produce more falconets in the spring. The presence of Kingfishers varies each year so hopefully still time for one or two individuals to set up a winter territory on the River Ver and perform for all.