MID-MAY 2024 - IN THE GARDEN

I’ve been very active in terms of garden photography in recent weeks, with a fantastic array of wildlife from insects; birds, and plant life to keep me occupied.

On 17 May, a juvenile Dunnock appeared and came to within a few feet of me as I sat having a welcome cup of tea mid-afternoon. The camera was waiting to be used on the garden table but was immediately snatched up ready for action when the Dunnock showed signs of being somewhat bold, as it hopped towards me. I certainly wasn’t expecting such a close encounter, as I don’t often see Dunnocks in the garden generally.

A juvenile Robin has been coming to the garden regularly over the past week, and at times  has been accompanied by at least two ‘siblings’ - although of course, I’ve never managed to photograph them together, or indeed as they were being fed by the parent birds. But on 18 May, I was photographing plants growing near or around my wildlife pond, when I was suddenly aware of some movement virtually at my feet. Staring down, I was surprised to see a juvenile Robin hopping around with absolutely no fear of me being near, and of course I took advantage of the situation, and fired off numerous shots. And because the juvenile was so close, potentially the results promised to be a definite improvement on shots taken previously (through the kitchen window).

Starlings don’t seem to appear that often these days, but one alighted on a neighbour’s chimney stack caught my eye and made a reasonable photograph.

The weather of late has been largely rather cloudy and showery, so insect life hasn’t been especially abundant. However, one or two days have been warmer, so I’ve attempted to try photographing insect life at the wildlife pond.

Midday has proved the best time, as that has brought the maximum amount of sunlight on the pond, which has brought out various insects. Recently, I found a female Large Red Damselfly ovipositing in the pond, and later a pair of Large Reds copulating - neither of which I’ve never witnessed here in the four years since I’ve had the pond. It wasn’t at all easy to achieve good shots, mainly because the insects were almost out of range (or too close) for my camera lens; but I persevered and managed some reasonable photographs eventually.  I also noticed several Sun Flies, which occasionally alighted on a dead branch or on a rock I’ve placed in the pond precisely for insects such as damselflies and dragonflies etc to use, and despite being very small insects, the lens has picked them out perfectly. A species of Hoverfly (it was tiny) suddenly hovered in front of the lens, so I attempted to focus on that too, and although I couldn’t freeze the wing movements sufficiently, the body of the insect remained surprisingly sharply defined. A Bee Mimic alighted on the tree branch, allowing reasonable attempt at photography - a species I don’t ever recall having experienced previously, anywhere. So that was pleasing.

I’ve always been interested in flower photography, so as my wildflowers have bloomed, I’ve been taking close-up shots. Dandelion ‘clocks’ are especially attractive, but one doesn’t often encounter a pristine specimen that hasn’t been affected by the wind. So, the photograph depicted here, shows one such - Nature in ‘perfect symmetry’.  One of my favourite wildflowers are Herb Robert and Cranesbill - both of which are shown here. A Water Forget-me-not planted around the western periphery of the pond, is a beautiful addition, and makes a really appealing photograph.

HERB ROBERT

JUVENILE DUNNOCK

HOVERFLY Sp

LARGE RED DAMSELFLIES

LARGE RED DAMSELFLY (F)

WATER FORGET-ME-NOT

SUN FLY

STARLING

NATURE'S PERFECT SYMMETRY

JUVENILE ROBIN

JUVENILE ROBIN

CRANESBILL

BEE MIMIC (?)

13 MAY 2024 - BISHOP’S STORTFORD to TWYFORD LOCK

No great distance I admit (about 2 miles there and back) but the aim was to try and photograph as much of Nature as I could; and anyway, I didn’t want to be out more than 3 hours at the most, so this walk was ideal from that point of view.

I had warm sunshine with minimal cloud cover at the outset (9.30 a.m.) but cloud increased substantially by around 12.30 p.m.) which of course affected the number of insects seen, and reduced the available light for my photography; but I just had to manage the conditions as best I could.

I was hoping to see some species of dragonfly, and things looked promising when I began walking along the river Stort towpath and almost immediately saw a dragonfly zooming along the river in my direction. But I couldn’t identify the species as it was far too fast for me to get a reasonable view - though it was likely to be one of two, either a Four-spot Chaser, or a Hairy Dragonfly, the latter had increased substantially in the past three years or so. But it was destined to be the only Dragonfly (other than a few Azure Damselflies) I would see.

I was also dis appointed at the lack of Moorhens along this stretch of the Stort (only three pairs seen) and especially the complete absence of any Coots. There was good activity of smaller passerine birds such as Great and Blue Tits; Chaffinches; Robins and Chiffchaffs, but very little else of note to be seen. Two separate Song Thrushes were belting out their beautiful songs, and a couple of Blackbirds, with only the one male Blackcap present. Of the Corvids - a stunning adult Carrion Crow was seen taking a drink along the northern bank of the river, and I was lucky for it to remain in situ long enough for me to fire off several shots. A Jay was quite an unusual sighting (as usually they keep well away from humans in the breeding season), and of course the ubiquitous Magpie was well in evidence.

At Rushy Mead (a reserve managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust) held very little birdlife, with disappointing numbers of insects other than a few bee species; several Silver Y Moths scattering amongst the grasses; good numbers of bright red Cardinal Beetles; a couple of Ladybirds (an eleven spot variety was the first I think I’d ever seen); and a sprinkling of Azure Damselflies which didn’t stay still long enough to photograph, much to my consternation.

Downstream a way, I was hoping to see the first Red-eyed Damselflies of the year, but as the sunshine had largely gone by mid-morning, none were encountered. But a family of Canada Geese - both parents with three goslings - were a lovely sight, especially when the sunlight reappeared, which it did sporadically. Down at Twyford Lock the Grey Wagtails that usually held a territory here in Spring, were sadly absent (all three locations along the Stort to Spellbrook, were so far missing these enigmatic Wagtails, although hopefully this might change as they season progresses; it isn’t yet a lost cause.

I returned home via Twyford Fields, but didn’t see any Swallows or Swifts; Green Woodpeckers or Mistle Thrushes, all of which would normally be seen here at this time of year; a sad indication of what is happening to Nature these days. But plant species were in abundance all around, with lots of Forget-me-nots; White Dead Nettle; wild Geranium; Cow Parsley (and other umbellifers); Jack-by-the Hedge; Herb Robert (a particular favourite of mine); Buttercups; Daisies and many more - enough to lift one’s heart.

 

GERANIUMS etc

SPECKLED WOOD

SNAILSp

LOVLINESS AMONGST THE PRICKLES

HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD (?)

HOLLY BLUE

CARRION CROW

CARDINAL BEETLE

CANADA GEESE

 

  

11 MAY 2024 - SOUTHERN COUNTRY PARK (SCP)

The weather forecast was for very warm, dry conditions; so, my aim was to set out reasonably early to get back before the sun got too warm and uncomfortable for walking. Well, it didn’t quite work out like that because I couldn’t get out before 10.0 a.m. which meant that I wouldn’t be arriving at SCP until 10.45 a.m. (it takes me 40 minutes these days as opposed to the 25 minutes it used to take - I now need a Nordik pole for support as my right hip requires replacement, which of course slows me down quite a bit).

I set out immediately for the northern section of the lake, and the public walkway, where I could already hear a Common Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler, and a Reed Warbler in full song. The former two birds stopped singing as soon as I set foot on the walkway, but the Reed Warbler was very vociferous, although it wasn’t easy to actually see. However, once I established the precise area to start looking, it wasn’t long before said songster came into view, occasionally atop the reed stems. But it certainly wasn’t a cinch to photograph as the bird moved continually between reeds, and only occasionally came sufficiently clear to allow decent photography; but I persevered and eventually managed a few reasonable shots. It didn’t help matters when members of the public walked by with their (sometimes excitable children) or ‘yapping’ dogs, which caused the warbler to slink deeper into the reedbed - I just couldn’t quite understand how some people could be so unaccommodating when it was blatantly obvious that I was trying to photograph a wild animal!

I was also on the lookout for dragonflies, but all I could muster were several (mainly teneral) Large Red Damselflies, which were not at all accommodating, photographically. The overall lack of birdlife on the lake, was worrying - all I saw were just two moorhens, and some Mallards - no Coots; no Gulls and no Common Terns(although arguably it was a tad too early in the season for those). Only two Swifts were seen swooping over the lake, but no Swallows or House Martins whatsoever, which was very disappointing. Conversely, the number of singing male Cetti’s Warbler (at five mainly around the lake vegetation) was encouraging; though of course, all the birds remained out of sight! A species of Terrapin was sunning itself near the walkway, likely to be the same individual that has been here for several years and has now grown substantially. I can only conclude that it had been ‘abandoned’ by its owner.

Butterflies too seemed almost completely absent, with just a singular Small White, a Large White and a single male Orange Tip, although Brimstones made up for that with at least five individuals including a female.

There is a small pond to the southern end, where I found a few Azure Damselflies, with more Large Red Damselflies - one pair in tandem already. Just goes to illustrate how important reproduction is in Nature!!

At the maze field (although the ‘maze’ effect is no longer here as such) there were several Carrion Crows, Rooks, Magpies and Jackdaws picking around amongst the daisies and buttercups - quite an unusual sight to see four species of Crow at one location - but they were not easy to photograph. A Red Kite circling high overhead, its worn wings and tail feathers indicating that it was a probably a breeding bird; another individual seen a little later was in a better condition plumage-wise.

REED WARBLER

REED WARBER

AZURE DAMSELFLY

LARGE RED DAMSELFLY

DANDELIONS

YELLOW FLAGS

ROOK

ROOK, CARRION CROWS and a JACKDAW

MAGPIE

TERRAPIN Sp

 

 

 

4 MAY 2024 – TEDNAMBURY AND THORLEY WASH

I’d been out of action for two weeks or so and needed to get out with the aim of trying to get a handle on the bird migration, which otherwise I would miss out on, given that local birdwatchers had reported observing good numbers of Garden Warblers; Sedge Warblers and Grasshopper Warblers, to name but a few.

To save a bit of time I took a bus down to Spellbrook, walking south along the Stort Navigation to Tednambury, then a little further south towards Sawbridgeworth. But I was surprised by the lack of birdsong, given that reports indicated that migrating warblers were singing well.

Anyway, I soldiered on, with no indication of sedge warbler or Reed Warbler activity - although that was almost self-explanatory as large swathes of reeds had been cut back along the Stort. I stood opposite a stretch of reedbed that had been used by Reed Warblers in recent years, when a bird ‘popped-up’ from the lower part of the bed, making itself seen briefly before flying off to a sycamore, where it promptly disappeared. There was no song whatsoever, but from its plumage I was satisfied that it was a Sedge Warbler. Along the Stort a way, and the familiar song of a male Cuckoo echoed out over the environment; and soon the said Cuckoo had alighted high on a dead elm some distance away, unfortunately into the sun so good photography wasn’t going to be easy.

Opposite Tednambury Farm, at least three Common Whitethroats could be heard, but remained well hidden in the grasses, along with at least three male Cetti’s Warblers that were singing loudly but were also out of sight (which was normal for the species). At the lock gates there was no sight of any Grey Wagtails that usually nest in the gates, and no sign of any Common Terns which can often be seen resting on the gates. I thought I’d try getting down further into the marsh, but my attempts were thwarted by the extremely muddy conditions (no doubt due to recent heavy rainfall).

Continuing along the Stort towards Sawbridgeworth, there were no singing Garden Warblers that I’d seen here in the past, and no Lesser Whitethroats either, only a couple of singing Chiffchaffs, a pair of Linnets (a fast-disappearing species) and a few pairs of Reed Buntings. I turned back at that point, thinking that maybe Thorley Wash might be the redeeming quality.

Shortly before leaving Tednambury, a female Eurasian Sparrowhawk was seen circling above me, and a male Kestrel nearby. A few Orange Tip and Small White butterflies were seen, together with a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly.

Past the lock gates at Spellbrook - and once again no sightings of Grey Wagtails that nested in the gates last year - the first bird of interest was a singing male Nuthatch, which regrettably remained out of sight. A singing Cetti’s Warbler announced his presence loudly - one of the successes of recent years with up to six territories last year in the Thorley Wash area. A juvenile Mute Swan was a bit of a surprise here, as usually adult swans accompany them.

I met a photographer who told me that this was his first visit to Thorley Wash, and although he hadn’t seen much, he had seen and photographed a male Bullfinch - a species that sadly I hadn’t seen at Thorley Wash for two years (and his photograph was excellent). I hadn’t intended to walk around the reserve itself as I was feeling a bit tired, but the possibility of seeing a Bullfinch spurred me on; though in fact it was a futile exercise, except for a beautiful male Sedge Warbler that eventually showed itself to me briefly. Up to three Common Whitethroats were seen on the reserve also, but alas no singing Grasshopper Warblers. Along the river northwards towards Bishops Stortford, there was no sign of any dragonflies - except for a teneral male Large Red Damselfly. A lone Buzzard and another Kestrel were the only raptors seen along this stretch. Only two Swallows were seen, with another single at the stables opposite Twyford Lock, but again no sign of any Grey Wagtails, which was very disappointing, as they are one of my favourite birds.

So, in essence a slightly disappointing walk given the lack of migrant birds, but I’d photographed some interesting plant and insect species, including a silhouette of a male Cuckoo, so that aspect was relatively successful. But of course, it’s still early in the year, so hopefully I‘ll be making further excursions to Thorley Wash and the surrounding area, with my camera close to hand.

 

WOLF SPIDER (?)

TIME FLIES

REED BUNTING IN FLIGHT

REED BUNTING (M)

RED CAMPION

IMMATURE MUTE SWAN

MALLARD FAMILY

MALLARD DUCKLING

KESTREL (F)

DANDELIONS

DANDELION AND UMBELLIFER

CUCKOO (M)

CRANE FLY Sp

CARDINAL BEETLE

29 APRIL 2024 - THROUGH THE ‘LOOKING GLASS’

The ‘Looking Glass’ in this context being my kitchen window, where in recent days, I’ve captured some excellent photos of various species of birds and even the nuptial behaviour of a pair of Grey Squirrels.

However, arguably the best sighting came yesterday morning when I just happened to glance in the direction of the feeders and saw a male Greenfinch pecking away at the sunflower seeds. Nothing untoward about that one might claim, but these days Greenfinches are increasingly uncommon visitors to our gardens, and in fact this one was the very first one to be seen in my garden since I moved to Bishops Stortford in 2002. So, for me, a bit of a red-letter day!!

GREENFINCH

GREENFINCH

BLUE TIT

BLUE TIT

BLUE TIT

GREY SQUIRREL

GREY SQUIRREL

HOUSE SPARROW

HOUSE SPARROW

WOODPIGEON