A Jack Snipe at Lemsford Springs

14th January 2026

Jack Snipes are not routinely found on the cress beds at Lemsford Springs, but are known to feed on the surrounding fields. It is only when the fields are frozen that they move onto the springs where the relatively warm running water keeps most of the feeding area ice-free.

So once settled into the hide time to look around. Not too surprising to see the usual suspects of Little Egret, Grey Wagtail and Green Sandpiper

Also good to see the large dead tree put to good use with a Cormorant and a Heron.

This is the Heron sunbathing and using its wings as reflectors to reflect the sun's rays onto its body.

And more recently the new kid on the block, the Ring-necked Parakeet.

So how can you tell the difference between a Snipe and a Jack Snipe? Well luckily there was a Snipe feeding by the far bank and you can see it has a very long bill and a gold central crown stripe.

The good news was that the Jack Snipe was close to the hide, but the bad news was because of this it was in the shade. I normally go to Lemsford Springs after 12pm as by then the sun has moved round and the full width of the cress beds is in the sun.

Let's look at the Jack Snipe. The Jack Snipe is smaller than the Snipe, but this can be difficult to use as a differentiator when you are looking at a single bird with nothing to compare with. The more reliable features are the bill which is only about two thirds the length of a Snipe bill, and the lack of a gold central crown stripe. And of course the Jack Snipe's famous bobbing up and down action when feeding, but be aware that the occasional Snipe have been seen bobbing, and I have seen it myself.

Here are the rest of the shots, some of which show the lack of central crown stripe much better.

And finally at 12.00pm one in better light when the sun came round, and thereafter it tucked its head in and went to sleep.

Well, what a great way to spend a morning. Also good to have a catch-up with Ashley Cox and see Scott Poynter for the first time in 5+ years.

Now to see what Fowlmere has to offer.

A Freezing Day at Verulamium Park

7th January 2026

After days of pour weather the forecast for today was sunny intervals albeit near freezing so off to Verulamium Park. The two lakes were mostly frozen over but the river was free of ice so off to see if I could find any Kingfishers.

As I was walking along the river keeping an eye out for the Yellow-browed Warbler, I came across a Goldcrest looking for insects in the ivy of an over-hanging tree. It proved very tricky to photograph as it was obscured for most of the time, and when it did break cover you had a few milli-seconds to get your shot.

Both males and females have a yellow central crown stripe, but the males also have an orange stripe which is normally hidden from view except when displaying. So if you see any orange feathers in the crown stripe it is a male, but otherwise inconclusive. When going through the photos I came across this last one which appears to show a glimpse of orange at the back end of the stripe.

Cropping the photo confirms the presence of orange feathers under the yellow and therefore the bird is a male.

Moving further along the river a juvenile Little Grebe was preening under some more over-hanging trees.

What's not to love about a Little Grebe?

Now on to the bridge by the boating lake with ducks and gulls standing on the ice, but no sign of the 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull. However this Pied Wagtail seemed to be a bit ambitious in trying to find food on the ice but did provide a few opportunities for some shots. The one thing about ice is that it does provide some almost perfect reflections.

So what about the Kingfishers? Well, this year there have been two Kingfishers in the park, a juvenile male at the boating lake where I am now, and an adult male at the other end of the river by the Fighting Cocks pub. During my last visit on the 2nd December the juvenile was performing most of the time and the adult bird was very elusive. However, today it was all change.

The juvenile had been seen earlier but flew off at 10.30am and had not been seen since. However, the adult was showing very well from the footpath although would disappear for half an hour at a time. Here are the results.

Well, what a fantastic day and good to have a catch-up with Ashley Cox and meet Claire Nuttall.

A Fine Selection at Abberton Reservoir

4th January 2026

I had six target species at Abberton today, one of which was Smew which have been showing well in front of the reed bed by the weir at the south-west corner of the Layer Breton Causeway. Just imagine my horror then as I drove onto the causeway and saw that the entire body of water to the west of the causeway was frozen over with a flock of swans standing on the ice!!!

I quickly switched to Plan B and started at the Layer de la Haye causeway. Goosander numbers were well down from the 50+ birds that were off the sluice a week ago, but I was treated to some take-off shots.

There were also a couple of pairs of Goldeneye quite close in. Just look at those dapper males and the pastel-coloured females.

Not many Egyptian Geese around today, but this one was bracing itself for a crash landing.

So what about the six target species? Well the first was the three Tundra Bean Geese that have been seen mostly in the fields south of the Layer Breton causeway. They were there today but extremely distant and were disturbed by the farmer and ended up standing on the ice at the extreme western edge of the reservoir, a distance of 500 yards as measured on Google Earth. I did grab a shot and not bad for 500 yards.

The second target species was the White-fronted Goose of which a flock of 10+ birds have been frequenting the fields behind Billets Farm. Luckily while I was still on the Layer Breton causeway they flew in over the trees and landed on the stretch of water in between the causeways.

The third target species was the Black-necked Grebe of which there have been up to six birds present this winter. I did find four birds but very distant, but luckily a fifth bird was close in, and certainly the closest I have been to one this winter.

The fourth target species was the Bewicks Swan of which there have been two present over the last couple of weeks but very mobile. Luckily today they were in the narrow strip of water just below the car park.

The fifth target species was the Little Stint which had been seen recently on the bank of the reservoir in the north-east corner of the Layer de la Haye causeway. This is the favourite area for Wigeon on the reserve and today this small group were grazing above the water line, but not much sign of any grass.

This is also one of the favourite corners for Redshank and today was no exception, and they seem totally oblivious to people peering over the wall.

A more unusual bird here is the Ruff. Ruff are often seen at wetland reserves during the winter, but I have never seen many at Abberton. Not the most conspicuous bird in winter, but they do have a lovely scaly back.

So where are the small waders? Well, I did find two but these were Dunlin with a decurved bill and far too big for a Little Stint.

But then three small birds came scurrying along all fitting the bill perfectly.

I think this is the first time I have ever seen and photographed Little Stint in winter.

So now on to the sixth and last target species, the Smew. As I said previously their favorite spot was frozen over, but they too put Plan B into action and flew over the causeway to the other side where the water was still open. They weren't there in the morning, but better to see them there in the afternoon as the light is so much better. Lets start with the female or Redhead.

And then the immaculate male. Just how amazing is that!!!!

Well, what a fantastic day with all six target species seen and photographed. Also good to bump into my mate Steve Grimwade, but a bigger surprise was to see a large car trip from the South-east Herts RSPB Group including Phil Blatcher, Julie Paice, Stuart Fox and Chris Gibson.