A Smew at Bowyer's Lake

8th December 2025

A dull and damp day but a male Smew had been reported at Bowyer's Water. It was nowhere to be seen when I first arrived, but I eventually found it asleep close in to one of the islands some 80 yards away. It drifted around there for a while, but then got disturbed and began to wake up and swim around. In fact it started swimming towards me, unfortunately just as it started raining.

The rain passed after about 10 minutes and I was able to grab some shots while it was just 40 yards away and in a brief period of sunshine.

The bird had quite a bit of brown in the plumage and I therefore assumed it was a 1st winter male.

However, some of the shots showed it had distinctive black lines running down the back of the head which are characteristic of an adult male moulting out of eclipse plumage.

What a cracking bird, but sad we only get low numbers in the Lea Valley these days, compared to the double figures we used to get at Amwell alone 20 years ago.

A Morning at Aspley Heath

3rd December 2025

My first visit to Aspley Heath in search of Crossbills. A perfect day for it too with wall-to-wall blue sky and flat calm conditions so you could hear a pin drop. So all I needed now was some Crossbills chip-chipping to give away their presence. Perfectly quiet at the moment apart from the tantalizing call of a Nuthatch high up in a stand of Scots Pines.

Looking for a very small bird in a maze of closely planted trees is not easy but the call helped, and I soon tracked it down although had to wait until it came out of the shade before I managed a couple of shots.

Now back on the main track and once again in listening mode. I did here some calls now and again but most were either distant, the birds were seen flying away or not seen at all. I did eventually track five birds which landed in the tops of a line of Larch trees at least 100 yards away, but because of the fantastic light I did manage to get a couple of shots of this male.

They then flew, towards me for a change, and landed in a Silver Birch next to me. Unfortunately, as opposed to perching on top of the Larch, they perched inside the Silver Birch and therefore were obscured for much of the time behind a multitude of small twigs. However, after a bit of manoeuvring to get a line-of-sight and get round the sun, I did manage to get a few shots before they flew into some adjacent Scots Pines and started feeding deep inside.

Well, got there eventually and thanks to Ian Conn for the information.

Peregrine Falcons and Kingfishers at Verulamium Park

2nd December 2025

During the winter months Kingfishers used to be seen regularly on the River Ver at the eastern end of the main lake, but were absent last winter and very intermittent this winter. They are sometimes seen further along the Ver east of the Fighting Cocks pub, although today a look along this stretch of river also drew a blank.

There was, however, a very entertaining male Kestrel which was perching up high in the trees and staring down at the ground looking for prey, just begging to have his photograph taken.

And then he was off.

I then decided to walk up to the Cathedral to see how the Peregrines were getting on. Recently both adults and one of the youngsters have been seen on or around the tower, but today I could only find one adult which was initially perched on a lead overflow pipe on the north side of the tower, and then gave an impromptu flying display.

So finally the Kingfishers. Still no sign on the River Ver by the lake, so off to the boating lake which appears to be the favourite spot this year. Here a juvenile male has taken up territory and likes to perch on a Weeping Willow which overhangs the lake.

Then, for a change of scene it will perch on overhanging trees on the Ver next to the lake.

One of the most photographed Kingfishers in Hertfordshire at the moment.

Kingfishers in Hertford

28th November 2025

We are very fortunate in Hertford to have so many waterways passing through our boundaries including the Rivers Mimram, Beane, Rib, Old Lea and Lee Navigation as well as three substantial lakes in Panshanger Park. This is why Hertford has such a healthy Kingfisher population. But many people have already found out why they can be difficult to see.

The first reason is that they fly low and fast over the water and therefore easily missed. You often hear people talking about the "flash of blue". And if you were to see the back of a Kingfisher you would understand why, as it is a bright turquoise from the back of the neck to the tip of the tail.

The second reason is that they like to perch in a tree overhanging a river so they can stare down into the water looking for Sticklebacks and Bullheads. Unfortunately,  the Kingfishers are difficult to see when the trees are in leaf. So now we are approaching the 1st December, and nearly all the leaves have fallen, is a good time to go looking for them. Here is a series of shots I took over three hours on the Old River Lea near the town centre on the 28th November.

But you have to be quick!!!!!

An Hour at Abberton Reservoir

25th November 2025

After a most successful morning at Holland Haven time to try and get to Abberton before the low winter sun casts long shadows over the eastern side of the Layer de la Haye causeway. There was quite a significant increase in the wildfowl since my last visit with hundreds upon hundreds of Tufted Ducks with a sprinkling of Pochard and Great Crested Grebes. But the most pleasing of all were the 30+ Goosanders present, a sure sign that winter is on its way.

Mostly keeping their distance and not coming into the sluice to feed on the large shoal of small Perch that live in there, but one or two did come close enough for some shots. 

Here is a male................

.........................and a female.

Further out on the reservoir there was a lot of commotion...............

.......................which eventually turned into aggression........................

.................and appeared to be males fighting for females for next years breeding season.

I then spotted a particular brown duck far out amongst the tufties. Luckily it started swimming towards the bank and after about five minutes had come close enough for some photos, a female Scaup. There had been five during the week, but no sign of the others.

And a couple of shots showing the comparison with a male tufty. Notice the difference in head profile.

There had also been a Slavonian Grebe in the morning, but it had swum out with the main flock and did not return with them, so that will have to wait for another day.