A Mid-September Visit to Lemsford Springs

16th September 2026

Time for another visit to Lemsford Springs, and once again the dead tree opposite the hide didn't disappoint with a superb Great Spotted Woodpecker surveying the scene.

The next bird on show was a Mandarin Duck, a bit of a surprise for me. They are recorded at Lemsford somewhat spasmodically, but I have only seen them here on a couple of occasions.

 

Today the flock of 10 or so Linnets was joined by a single Goldfinch to enjoy the shallow water for a bath and a drink.

And of course no visit to Lemsford is complete without a Grey Wagtail and today there were four birds strutting their stuff on the sleepers and inbetween the clumps of watercress.

Of course the site speciality is the Green Sandpiper which are caught and colour-ringed and sometimes satellite-tagged to track their movements. On my last visit twelve birds were present, but today just six. It is possible there were more up the side channel which is not visible from the first hide.

The resident Water Rail lives under the large Sallow opposite the hide and today kept trying to come out into the small bay under the tree but was always deterred by the numerous Moorhens present in that area.

So the best I could manage today was a sneaky shot when it was partially obscured by some Phragmites.

But the stars of the show today were the two Snipe which were feeding out in the open in front of the hide.

And when they are preening you get an opportunity to marvel at that plumage...............

......................and to see those normally hidden tail feathers.

And the two together having a well-earned rest.

Well, another relaxing afternoon at Lemsford and good to have a catch-up with Rose and Dave.

And true to form I didn't recognise SH4RPY without him standing next to his famous number plate.

Good to see you Chris.

Half a Bittern at Amwell

21st September 2026

Bitterns have often over-wintered at Amwell but lately their behaviour has changed. When our winters were cold with ice and snow the Bitterns tended to arrive at the onset of the cold weather and then could be seen fairly regularly and reliably either in the north-west corner of Great Hardmead Lake or at the Bittern Pool. They could even be seen skating on ice.

However, as the winters have become milder the Bittern(s) tend to arrive earlier in July, but are far more elusive and sometimes not seen at all for considerable lengths of time. During these periods it is unknown whether they have moved to another site or just keeping undercover in the reedbeds. Well this year the first Bittern of the forthcoming winter was reported on the 30th July and since then only reported twice on the 2nd August and the 15th September. 

Today I stood watching the Bittern Pool for a few minutes and caught sight of a Bittern partially obscured at the edge of the reeds. It immediately turned round and walked back into the reeds. I waited for half an hour but it didn't re-appear.

I walked up to the Dragonfly Trail and on my way back stopped to have just one more look at the Bittern Pool and there was the Bittern still partially obscured in the reeds, so only half showing, at the left-hand end and enjoying the warm sun. Only one photo I'm afraid as although I took several it didn't move a muscle all the time it was in view. It then turned around and walked into the reeds.

Well not my best encounter with a Bittern at Amwell, but great to enjoy it in the company of my old mate Ron Cousins.

A Whinchat at Stapleford

17th September 2026

A report had come through of a Whinchat at Stapleford so off for the 10-minute journey there. I was familiar with the site in question as it was on the 2nd September 2013 that Barry Reed found a Wryneck here which I photographed.

I was only on the site for five minutes when I spotted the Whinchat sitting on Public Footpath Post No17.

It then flew to the top of a Hawhorn bush allowing some shots in a more natural setting, albeit a little more distant.

Pleased with that as it is the first Whinchat I've photographed for a couple of years as they are now nowhere near as common as they used to be.

Also a special thanks to Clive Harding for getting the news out quickly.

A New Kid on the Block at All Saints Church Hertford

14th September 2026

A pair of Peregrine Falcons first appeared at All Saints Church in 2021 and various individuals have been present ever since, but so far have never bred. Here is a potted history of their presence on the church tower:

2021

A pair of Peregrine Falcons first set up home at All Saints Church in Hertford in 2021. Unfortunately the female was a juvenile being bred in 2020 and was therefore considered too young to breed successfully which proved to be the case.

2022-2023

In 2022 and 2023 a pair was still present but with changes to the male and female, and still no breeding. One of the females that appeared was colour-ringed and had been born on Salisbury Cathedral and was named Flo. She didn't hang around very long but for the last few years has been successfully breeding on the old Shredded Wheat factory in Welwyn Garden City.

2024

In 2024 the pair at the time seemed very settled and likely to bred, but for whatever reason left the site in April and moved to a narrow ledge on the Ware flyover. They tried to breed there in 2024 and 2025 but failed in both years.

2025-2026

A single male bird had been seen on All Saints on just a handful of occasions during the 2025/2026 winter, and from the prey item feathers found below the Peregrine's vantage points it was known it used the tower at night to hunt under the lights of the town. On the 29th March a female appeared.

It had been assumed that this was the pair from the flyover returning to All Saints, although this proved to be not the case. It was only when I was checking my photos on the back of the camera that I noticed the male had a large orange colour ring on its left leg. Neither of the flyover birds were ringed. The bird was ringed as a nestling at Bickley, Bromley in Greater London on the 24th May 2024 and therefore was a 3CY (3rd Calendar Year). Both birds disappeared the following day.

In May 2026 a male arrived and has been present at the tower ever since. It has an orange ring with letters ZFT and was ringed in the nest on the Civic Centre at Morden Greater London on the 2nd June 2025. So time for me to go down and meet this new arrival. 

It doesn't seem to have a favourite perch and today was sitting on a gargoyle on the north-facing side of the tower. From the feathers that Andy Day has collected on the ground around the tower it would appear that its prey items, apart from the usual suspects, include Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Ring-necked Parakeets.

So let's meet the new kid on the block.

Well, what a fantastic bird and let's hope he attracts a female before the Spring.

Also a special thanks to Andy Day for providing additional information.

The Hobby Family at Wilstone Reservoir

9th September 2026

Now that the two-month long heatwave has at long last passed, time for a visit to see how the Hobbys are getting on at Wilstone. Three youngsters fledged and are now probably able to fend for themselves, but the two adults are still in attendance, so it was just a matter of settling down and waiting for the action to commence.

Luckily there was a great support act with five Chinese Water Deer browsing close by.

The juveniles had a favourite perch nearby and spend a lot of time there between feeding sorties.

They were quite happy to share it and seemed to be very comfortable in each others company.

The third bird would also join in, but had obviously never heard of photo composition!!!!

They were also very accomplished flyers as this next sequence shows.

The juveniles have pale fringes to the mantle, wing coverts and primaries and more of a creamy throat and underparts base colour, as opposed to the white of an adult. Also they call for much of the time whilst in flight.

This is an adult with a white throat and underparts base colour, and deeper red trousers

Also good to see two sparring in the air.

At that point a Red Kite drifted across quite innocently, but raised the Hobby alarm and all five birds went up to intercept it.

The kite saw the threat coming and took evasive action....................

.........................whilst all the time keeping its eyes on the incoming attacker....................

....................and then a final evasive manoeuvre as the first attacker arrived, followed by a hasty retreat.

As I said before, the juveniles are probably able to feed themselves now, but it doesn't stop them from trying to steal a dragonfly from one of the adults.

Well, what an amazing action-packed couple of hours, and also good to have a catch-up with Phil Luckhurst and Miguel, and the rest of the Wilstone crew.