Spotted Flycatchers at Wallington Church

27th May 2026

Spotted Flycatchers have been reducing in numbers in Hertfordshire for several years now and as recent as three years ago there were three pairs in Wallington and Sandon. However, no sign of the Sandon pair today for the third year running and the pair at the junction of The Street and Kits Lane in Wallington are no longer there but have been seen on occasions a little further away. So off to Wallington Church to see what is going on there.

As a walked into the churchyard I was welcomed by one of the usual suspects, a Red Kite, looking down at me as it drifted over but not at all concerned by my presence.

You often hear Nuthatches nearby from the churchyard but today one was particularly close and a quick scan revealed it was collecting food for its young. Not at all easy to photograph as it was high in the tree and often the wrong side of branches and moving very quickly. These are the best I could get but unfortunately none looking at the camera.

But the biggest surprise today was the sudden appearance of a Black Squirrel bounding along the wall. Black Squirrels are common in North Herts particularly Hitchin, Letchworth and Baldock but this is the first I've seen in Wallington since I started coming here in 2012.

So what about the Spotted Flycatchers? Well, I think it can be summed up by the words of the song "Fings ain't what they used to be". When I started coming here in 2012 it was easy. The flycatchers bred in the churchyard and to photograph them all you had to do was lean against the black barn and photograph them sitting on the gravestones just 10 yards away!!!

However over the last couple of years they have moved into the garden of Wallington Chase next door. This garden is 4 acres in size with approximately 2 acres to the south of the house which can be viewed from the track by the church and the churchyard. The other 2 acres are to the north of the house and can be viewed from the public footpath that runs down past the dead ivy on the black barn to the paddock at the bottom, but the views are fairly restricted.

Most observers this year have said the birds are very elusive and some having no success at all. From this and the only two flights I saw when I was there I can only conclude they are centred in the garden to the north of the house and possibly around the tennis court where they have been seen in previous years. If this is the case then the Yew trees they seem to like next to the churchyard are on the boundary of their territory which would explain the sparse number of visits. I was there for two and a half hours and only saw one for about five minutes.

Kingfisher Update

22nd May 2026

The Kingfishers at Rye Meads are now feeding young in the nest so time for a visit to see how they are getting on, but first a quick call into the Draper Hide. Fairly quiet except for the resident Little Grebe.

However, there was a lone Common Tern which decided to have a bath..................

........................and when they have a bath they really go for it!!

Now at the Kingfisher Hide and the resident Heron had taken over the prime Kingfisher perch. 

Up on the pylon behind the pond the pair of Kestrels were keeping an eye on it and then proceeded to dive-bomb it. They were far too fast to photograph........................

...........................but this was the Heron's reaction!!!

I was there for an hour and a half and during that time the female was perched in the small bay to the left of the hide and only emerged once. At no time did she bring in a fish.

The male was on show most of the time, alternating from the far post to the central perch.

During my stay he brought in two fish which he took into the nest burrow to feed the young.

And two pieces of action, the first when he flew to the nest bank................

.......................and the second when he changed positions on the central perch.

The young are expected to fledge over the next couple of days.

POST SCRIPT: The young fledged on Monday 25th May. Not quite sure how many but a minimum of two.

Marsh Harrier Update 22nd May

22nd May 2026

A month since my last visit so time to see how the Marsh Harriers are getting on. The Heron was in its usual place but the lack of rain meant no Jack Pike to feed on. 

Therefore, had to make do with a spot of sunbathing using its wings as reflectors.

The reed bed was full of Reed Warblers that were chasing each other around making them very difficult to photograph. When they land they normally shin down the stem thereby disappearing into the tangle of stems. Luckily I found a little tunnel through the reeds for this one.

Cuckoos seem to be having  a very good year and there are at least three at Fowlmere having seen them all in flight at once. This one obligingly sat up on a Sallow above the owl box.

And talking of owl boxes this Stock Dove was enjoying sunning itself just outside the nest hole. I know the box is still occupied by the Barn Owls so they must be happy to charge it rent for the use of the veranda.

So how are the harriers getting on? Well the male was spending quite a lot of time in the air and only once left the site and returned without prey.

However, what was confusing was the female also often being in the air leaving the nest unattended. She also left the site on one occasion and also returned without prey.

So what is going on? Well, the eggs must be coming up to their hatching date, but the lack of food being brought in suggests not yet. So perhaps she was just stretching her wings and letting the sun keep the eggs warm.

                                                       SO WATCH THIS SPACE!!