Early June at Lakenheath Fen

5th June 2026

The first week of June so some of the Bitterns should have young by now so hopefully there will be some food flights. June is a notoriously quiet month in the birding calendar but more than compensated for by the appearance of other wildlfe like flora and a multitude of insects.

Starting with some flora in order of appearance Creeping Cinquefoil, Dwarf Mallow, Pineapple Weed, Viper's Bugloss and yellow Water-Lily, also known as Brandy Bottles.

And last but not least Comfrey with a Large Skipper nectaring on its blooms.

It was starting to warm up now so a few insects began to appear including this superb Southern Cuckoo Bumblebee Bombus vestalis.

And a first for me, a pair of mating Harlequin Ladybirds.

And this is a male hoverfly Helophilus pendulus which translates from the Greek as "dangling marsh lover".

And finally one of my favourites, if only because of its name, the Thick-legged Flower Beetle.

Surprisingly there very few butterflies and in addition to the Large Skipper a lone Small Heath and a couple of Red Admirals

But by far the most numerous butterflies today were Painted Ladies. This year I have seen more than ever before and mainly singletons, but apparently up in The Broads they are being seen in their hundreds.

A few dragonflies are on the wing now like these Black-tailed Skimmers, the blue one being the male and the yellow and black well-camouflaged one the female.

This is a teneral male Scarce Chaser as it hasn't got the got the dark patches on the wing tips as seen on females.

But by far the most common dragonfly today as is generally the case at Lakenheath was the Four-spotted Chaser........................

.......................and I spent some time trying to get some flight shots which can be tricky but great fun.

Now on to the damselflies and only four species photographed today. There were a few Banded Demoiselles around but they were keeping out of the cold breeze and hunkering down in the tall grass. In order of appearance these are Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damsefly, Common Blue Damselfly and Red-eyed Damselfly.

So what about the birds? Well, as I said earlier it is a quiet time of year and as I walked round birds were indeed few and far between. But first a word of warning. It is quite possible on your travels you will come across a family of Greylag Geese on the track. Sometimes as you approach they will disappear into a ditch but these adults had other ideas and stood their ground, hissing aggressively at you as you walk past just two feet away.

On my way up the main track a Wren was singing away in the reed bed................

....................and a juvenile Whitethroat was doing its best to stay hidden.

At the Mere Hide a Reed Warbler thought it was a Hobby and was catching Red-eyed Damselflies for its young in the nearby reeds.

So what about the Lakenheath specialities? Well, all the time I was there I didn't hear or see a Common Crane. Also, the main concentration of Hobbys has now moved on to their breeding grounds. I did see a couple of local birds but because of the chill wind were screeching low across the marsh at break-neck speed so no chance of a photo.

However, there were a couple of Marsh Harriers hunting close to the river bank side of Joist Fen so I took a walk up the river. Naturally with me standing they didn't come close , but I did manage to get some shots of a female fying west along the river.

Today Lakenheath certainly lived up to its name Cuckoo City and I broke my own record seeing four flying together. I wonder why they do that when they are supposed to be finding a mate and a suitable nest to lay their egg in? I eventually managed to get close enough to one for a shot.

So what is happening with the Bitterns? Well, I was expecting to see a number of food flights today but in the six hours I was there only saw two Bitterns in flight. The first flew past the Mere Hide but had already gone past when I first saw it. The other bird was seen from the river bank but on the other side of Joist Fen and flying high in the sky but I did mange a few record shots.

So why so few flightS? Well, perhaps the season is a little late this year and the young haven't hatched yet, or the worse scenario is when there are known to be 18 booming males, perhaps there aren't so many females. We will have to wait and see if it picks up over the next week or so.

                                                                 I'LL BE BACK!!!!

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.