8 JULY 2025 – SOUTHERN COUNTRY PARK

I wanted to get out early to miss the heat of the day (predicted to be around 25 degrees C – which is just about my limit these days) so I started out at 0910 hrs taking in Thorley Wedge on the way.

A flowering buddleia was paying host to several species of butterfly and a few bee species. So I stopped awhile to photograph Red Admiral; Peacock; Comma; Large Skipper, and Gatekeeper butterflies (ignoring the Large and Small Whites on this occasion), then made my way along the pathway until a grassy knoll revealed a lovely male Brown Argus butterfly (my first of the year and a new species for me for Thorley Wedge) and a superb black and yellow species of Ichneumon Fly, which was also new to me. Then, on to Southern Country Park.

I’d just left Thorley Wedge, and as I was crossing Villiers Sur Marne I noticed something on new fencing that I knew was a moth of some kind, and when I approached I was delighted to discover that it was a beautiful Leopard Moth, a species I’d not seen since moving to Stortford 23 years ago; and of course I took a couple of shots before moving on.

On the outskirts of SCP there is a Care Home, which apart from housing elderly residents, has a small population of breeding Jackdaws, so I stopped a while to at least attempt to photograph a few juvenile Jackdaws that were preening on the chimney tops.

Into the park itself – it was approaching 10.00 a.m.; and the first butterfly I saw was a female Common Blue which I photographed, then I made a beeline for the walkway along the northern reedbed where I was hoping to see a good selection of dragonflies; but I was to be sadly disappointed, because the only species to be seen was a couple of Black-tailed Skimmers. So, where were all the Azure Damselflies; the Broad-bodied Chasers; the Emperors; the Blue-tailed Damselflies etc?? I walked the length of the walkway- and apart from the skimmers, the only wildlife of interest was a pair of Carrion Crows and a family of Magpies; the only life on the lake were a Moorhen and a plethora of Mallards.

I walked the eastern flank of the lake but there was nothing of interest, and not a single butterfly over the adjoining grasslands; not one! At the southern end of the lake, I found a lone Azure Damselfly and no other species – not even any Common Darters which usually would be present at this time of year. I really couldn’t work out what was going on.

I walked down to the Chalky Bank area, but again there were very few butterflies – a couple of Common Blues, several Ringlets and Meadow Browns, and some Gatekeepers. I continued along the bank continuing all the way round Middle Wood and down to The Wedge where I was confronted with hardly any insects at all. And then, all of a sudden, a few Large White became obvious, then a Marbled White…………….and another, and as I approached a huge bank of Scabious I was virtually surrounded with butterflies…………………… Large Whites (in huge numbers), Small Whites; Meadow Browns; Gatekeepers (so many it was impossible to count them); several Peacock Butterflies, Red Admirals, and a lone Painted Lady in almost pristine condition - but extremely difficult to photograph as it was continually on the move; a couple of Common Blue Butterflies, Small Skippers, a lone Large Skipper, and at least three Brown Argus (two males and a female). I was in butterfly heaven for a while. And then I began to realise why it was that up until then I’d seen hardly and butterflies and dragonflies…………………… I was looking too early in the day!!  And now, at around 11.30 a.m. the insects were taking advantage of the warming temperature – now probably approaching 24 degrees C.

Having sated myself on butterflies, I turned towards what is known as The Old Pond and immediately noticed damselflies flying at the pond edges – a male and female Banded Demoiselle, a few Azure Damselflies; a single Blue-tailed Damselfly, and a lone Common Blue Damselfly. In the pond, small shoals of fish - probably Roach - were coming to the surface, undoubtedly looking for insects to eat (or gulping for air - it was hard to tell). Above me a juvenile Common Buzzard called continually but didn’t show itself. Comma Butterflies and Large Whites flitted over nearby brambles.

Walking up to the Spring Meadow (previously known as the Maze field) I was hoping to see clouds of Marbled Whites - as I’d seen here in previous years - but only two worn individuals were found. The species usually has a small window of about 3 weeks or so to emerge and mate before dying off - beginning in mid-June; but it seems the extreme temperatures of late had caused the species to emerge slightly earlier than usual, so that now in  early July they were almost gone - hence the small numbers seen. It was something I had no control over due to recent heart surgery during the main period, so this year I’d missed the main event.

Although the temperature had increased substantially since I arrived mid-morning, I decided not to return to the lake for dragonflies and damselflies, leaving that instead to another day. But as I left the park, heading for the Pennington Fields - which is a sort of annex, just outside the main park area - a female Southern Hawker flew close to my head - a new species for the year. Pennington Fields was full of Teasel and Ragwort, with several Marbled White, Peacock, and a couple of Red Admiral which I stopped to photograph. Further round a single (female) Common Blue flew round at my feet, before a lovely male (in pristine blue) eventually settled and allowed me a couple of shots before shooting off and away.

It was almost 12.15 p.m., and the heat was getting to me; so, at that point I headed for home for lunch and to process the 118 photographs I’d taken throughout the morning. That was going to take me quite a while.

BROWN ARGUS (M) - THORLEY WEDGE

ICHNUEMON FLY Sp - THORLEY WEDGE

LEOPARD MOTH - NEAR THORLEY WEDGE

PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY

PEACOCK BUTTERFLY

RED ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY

RINGLET BUTTERFLY

BANDED DEMOISELLE DAMSELFLY (F)

ROACH (or RUDD)

COMMON BLUE BUTTERFLY (M)

COMMON BLUE BUTTERFLY (M)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 JULY 2025 – HATFIELD FOREST

This was my first outing in nearly a month following heart surgery - and with John and Mike - we headed for Hatfield Forest, hoping to ‘clean-up’ on Butterflies and Dragonflies in particular.

It was already very warm with almost unbroken sunshine to begin with, so the conditions augured well, and as soon as we were through the main entrance we were seeing Silver-washed Fritillaries in good numbers, with Ringlets and Large Whites bring up the rear.

Down to the car park by the Shell House, we made for the Decoy Lake and on the way looked for Purple Hairstreaks on a tall oak opposite the Shell House Café and quickly found several zipping through the foliage and waited patiently for them to come to rest before confirming the identity.

Below the oak were brambles simply alive with Ringlets; Gatekeepers; Meadow Browns; Commas, and Large Whites - with a sprinkling of Small Whites too. At that time none of the Hairstreaks were venturing to the brambles. It was already obvious that butterflies here were having a good year. At the lake, a Common Tern was seen, and another shortly after.

At the Decoy lake we were delighted to find that it was in excellent condition (compared to previous years) with Coot; Moorhen and Mallard families present, and good numbers of dragonflies and damselflies too. Species seen here included a male and female Emperor Dragonfly; at least two Brown Hawkers; three or four Four-Spot Chasers; Common Blue and Azure Damselflies; both Large Red-eyed and Small Red-eyed Damselflies; a couple of Blue-tailed Damselflies; a couple of Common Darters, and a Black-tailed Skimmer. Then we set off for Purple Emperors.

Along the rides towards Collins Coppice there were huge numbers of butterflies – more Large Whites - far exceeding the Small Whites in numbers; more Ringlets than I’ve ever seen before; Meadow Browns; good numbers of Gatekeepers; Large and Small Skippers (there could well have been Essex Skippers too, and although the guys were lucky, I missed out); initially, small numbers of Marbled White butterflies, that grew as we proceeded; a very tatty Painted Lady that John thought could well have indicated that it was a recent migrant; a couple of Brimstones (males only); and of course good numbers of Silver-washed Fritillaries - which I confess are one of my favourite butterflies, so very elegant in flight. On the way, we saw at least three Common Buzzards and three Red Kites (including a juvenile bird).

Taking a detour across towards Lodge Coppice we walked along another open ride with more butterflies flitting this and that way - more Marbled Whites and Silver-washed Fritillaries, though none staying still long enough to photograph well, which I found especially frustrating. The guys both thought this was mainly down to the extremely warm and sunny conditions. Further along the ride a way, we approached a tall, broad oak where Purple Emperors were seen by the guys in 2024, but at first nothing was stirring. And then, quite suddenly, a male did a circuit at the top of the oak, then (presumably the same individual) made two more brief forays that satisfied us all, before we came away.

Nearby, Mike found a White-legged Damselfly (the species was also seen here in 2024) which was photographed well; and John found a lovely Hummingbird Hawkmoth that mesmerised us for a short while; and a male Emperor Dragonfly flew by.

I was keen to visit a nearby ride that previously was good for Silver-washed Fritillaries – and where I’d taken my more memorable photographs of the species in previous years. And although we found our way through, it wasn’t until much later that we realised that part of this ride - along with others throughout the forest - had been fenced off to ‘recuperate’ for one year only. Yet the butterflies were still here in exceptionally good numbers. Our second White-legged Damselfly, was also seen here.

We stopped for the day then (it was approx. 1.45 p.m.) and although the heat remained, the sunshine was beginning to fade under cotton-wool clouds. So, we made for the Shell House Café for a very welcome Cappuccino each, before heading home.

It had been a memorable day indeed - the numbers of butterflies (and the individual species); and a broad selection of Odonata being something we would all remember for a long time.

17 Butterfly species recorded. 12 Dragonfly species recorded.

BRIMSTONE BUTTERFLY (M)

LARGE SKIPPER (M)

LARGE SKIPPERS MATING

PEACOCK BUTTERLY

RED ADMIRAL with BEE Sp

RINGLET

RINGLET

SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY

SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY

SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY

WHITE-LEGGED DAMSELFLY

 

31 MAY 2025 – THORLEY WASH and RIVER STORT NORTH

I was unavoidably delayed in getting out this morning by an hour, so by the time I arrived at Spellbrook and aimed for the towpath along the River Stort towards Twyford Lock, it was almost 11.00 a.m. but the lack of birdsong and activity along this stretch of the Stort was a tad worrying.

The weather as I arrived was sunny, extremely warm - even humid, but was more overcast towards midday, then sunny intervals later on; and really, the heat was almost unbearable at times; although from Twyford Lock there was a cooling northerly breeze.

Right at the start I saw a few Banded Demoiselle Damselflies (the first ones for this year) but Red-eyed Damselflies were not seen here as in previous years. It wasn’t until I reached Thorley Wash Reserve that some birds made themselves known ………………. A male Reed Warbler sang from the depths of the reeds, so wasn’t seen; same goes for two male Cetti’s Warblers; a male Chiffchaff and a distant male Blackcap. A pair of Moorhens were seen with a single chick (did it have any siblings?), but very little else stirred. I was aware that this was the nesting season, but the lack of activity was still worrying, as was the distinct lack of insects. Hardly any bees; no dragonflies except for the odd Banded Demoiselles sailing gently up and down the river, and several Hairy Dragonflies which indicated that the species was taking a hold here; so that at least was encouraging.

I had intended to walk around the reserve itself, but the thick groves of nettles that put me off; and anyway, the lack of insects here - despite heavy vegetation - was disappointing. So, I turned back and continued north along towpath towards Twyford Lock.

The lack of dragonflies was concerning, but when I got to within twenty minutes or so of Twyford I enjoyed a ‘purple patch’ where several species new to me for the year at this site were observed within a very short stretch of the Stort - at least three Hairy Dragonflies; two Brown Hawkers; three or four Four-spotted Chasers; lots of Azure Damselflies; both male and female Banded Demoiselles; at least four Red-eyed Damselflies (although even with binoculars these were difficult to see well, as they were on lily pads some 30 feet or so away); and finally a single Black-tailed Skimmer - only the second record here since August 2006. It goes without saying that photography was virtually impossible due to the fast flight of the Odonata, and all I got was a few shots of the Banded Demoiselles as they alighted on the vegetation that lined the towpath. In addition, I did a bit of flower photography. I also noted a fairly large emergence of Mayflies, although none allowed me the pleasure of photographing them.

I rested a while at Twyford Lock, then continued along the Stort heading for Southmill Lock. Just before the entrance to Rushy Mead reserve (which I chose not to visit) I observed a lone juvenile Cormorant fishing for a while then at Southmill Lock  - lots of Azure Damselflies; Hairy Dragonflies and at least two Emperor Dragonflies (a male and a female) were observed. But I was especially fascinated by the huge shoals of fish (I was advised by a gentleman who lived nearby on a canal boat) that they were mainly young Tench - a species I don’t think I’d seen here previously. There were also three young 'Jack' Pike - stark still in the water, waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting fish swimming by – so they could have had a field day with the Tench; and a superb mature Common Carp.

It hadn’t been an exceptional day but at least I’d boosted my local dragonfly tally. But one thing worried me more than anything else was the amount of human traffic along the Stort towpath - walkers; dog walkers; runners; cyclists etc. Of course, access to the towpath is open to anyone and everyone (including myself as a naturalist and photographer) but is it any wonder that all this activity (welcome or not) is having a negative effect on the Natural World. I’m not at all convinced that we can truly curtail this from getting worse.

BANDED DEMOISELLE (F)

BANDED DEMOISELLE (M)

LARGE RED DAMSELFLY (M)

(LONE0 MOORHEN CHICK

MOORHENS WITH CHICK

MOORHEN (AFTER PREENING)

MOORHEN (JUST LOOK AT THOSE FEET!)

RED CAMPION

'JACK' PIKE

YOUNG TENCH

YOUNG TENCH

COMMON CARP

RIVER STORT - SOUTH OF TWYFORD LOCK

RIVER STORT - NORTH OF TWYFORD LOCK

 

 14 MAY 2025 – SPARROWHAWK IN THE GARDEN

I’ve observed Sparrowhawks in the garden on many occasions - indeed forty individual sightings in or from the garden since 2006 - but never like the one I witnessed today. Indeed, the only photographs I’d managed to achieve were through the kitchen window. But this time I was actually ‘on the spot’ when the Sparrowhawk flew in.

I was in the back garden spraying some unwanted weeds (around 9.40 a.m.) when suddenly I became aware of a commotion of birds’ distress calls, and stood up only to have a ‘dark’ bird literally brush my scalp, and land at the bottom of the garden beside the birdbath, with a screaming juvenile Starling clutched firmly in its claws. It was a Sparrowhawk - a male.

I rushed into the house to grab my camera, and when I got back, I was able to fire off a few shots - just for ‘insurance purposes’ - in case the Sparrowhawk flew off. But it didn’t. So, I pushed my luck and attempted to get closer and closer - with the camera and 100-400 mm telephoto lens poised accordingly - until I was within a mere few feet of the bird, with the Starling still very much alive, and flapping its wings vigorously, trying to get away from the hawk’s iron-grip.

The Sparrowhawk didn’t seem to know what to do with the Starling, and in fact it was only towards the end of the observation that the hawk began to pluck the poor Starling’s feathers; but throughout this time the poor thing was very much alive, occasionally flapping its wings vigorously in a vain attempt to escape, whilst calling distressfully. Normally, I would have assumed that the bird was maybe a first summer male, and inexperienced in dealing with prey; but it was in full summer plumage, so was very probably an adult male - so maybe it was confused because of my presence.

The hawk made several unsuccessful attempts to fly off with its prey, until eventually it managed to do so, and flew into my neighbour’s garden and into dense bush cover, and out of sight.

I was initially under the impression that the entire episode (from start to finish) lasted about 20 minutes, with sixty-five images taken, but the EXIF details on the images themselves, indicate that it was a mere 8 minutes in total. Quite unbelievable!

 

1 MAY 2025 – WEST CANVEY MARSHES and HANNINGFIELD RESERVOIR

This was originally intended to be a trip with just me and Mike, but John was a late addition (having just returned from a couple of days in Weymouth); and he offered to drive. An 8.10 a.m. start from mine, saw us eventually arriving at West Canvey Marshes, Essex within 90 minutes or so - the delay caused by a road traffic accident around Chelmsford.

Mike chose this site as he and his wife Anita have often visited and found it within easy driving distance of home, and is a relatively flat area too, so not an excessively difficult terrain. It comprises a couple of small lakes (or ponds) with smaller ditches and reedy areas, over extensive grasslands, interspersed with hedges (mainly hawthorn and similar bushes).

We made straight-for the nearest hide - but before we got there John spied a distant Cuckoo (which as it didn’t call might have been a female) though we did see a male later on in the morning;  and as soon as we were inside, we were accosted by an incredibly loud Magpie-ish ‘noise’ which in fact turned out to be Marsh Frogs in a nearby pond! Investigation revealed many Marsh Frogs, spread out amongst small lilies and similar plants, with some seen to expand their voice sacs as they ‘sang’ . Birds from the hide included a single Little Egret two Little Grebes; a pair of Great Crested Grebes; a Pochard; and some Tufted Duck, but nothing untoward. We then made for the Pantiles - which was a fair distance way and which was another area of water, where different species could be seen including a pair of Black-necked Grebes (in full summer plumage – apparently a pair bred nearby in 2024); a couple of Mediterranean Gulls, along with other common gull species; Common Terns; Lapwings and Avocets (both with young); a male Marsh Harrier; several Black-tailed Godwits; Redshank; Shoveler; a Teal; and a Wigeon. All around, there were sounds of Reed Warblers; Sedge Warblers; a single Garden Warbler (which refused to show itself); and at Redhill (a nearby hillock), a male Corn Bunting. There was a later record of a Garganey, which we only heard about when we were at Hanningfield Reservoir later that afternoon.

Butterflies included several Small Heath; Green-veined Whites; Large and Small Whites; Speckled Woods; a few Peacocks; and Mike had a single Red Admiral. Dragonflies included a Hairy Dragonfly; a probable Four-Spot Chaser, and a Blue-tailed Damselfly, which I missed. We also saw a lovely Brimstone Moth, my second of the week.

I must admit that although progress around the site was relatively easy - being mainly flat grassland - the weather was exceptionally hot, although there was a light S Easterly wind, which was very welcome in the circumstances - I still struggled in the heat, and with my right hip impairment, found it very difficult to keep up with my fellow birdwatchers.

It was around 1.30 p.m. when we made the decision to move on to Hanningfield Reservoir, where we’d heard that at least 10 Black Terns had been seen that morning. It didn’t take long to get there, but a very long walk through the Visitor’ Centre and on to the relevant hide, eventually saw us viewing the said 10 Black Terns constantly moving up and down the reservoir (and what a sight) together with several Common Terns, and a distant Little Gull. There was a couple of Red-Crested Pochard; a lovely Little Egret showing off its plumes to full effect; an Avocet and an Oystercatcher. In the woodland, a male Garden Warbler showed itself briefly, and on a small pond, a male Broad-Bodied Chaser; an Azure Damselfly, and a Large Red Damselfly delighted us still further.

MARSH FROG

MARSH FROGS - ONE ON LEFT SHOWING INFLATED VOICE SACS

THREE MARSH FROGS

CRANE FLIES IN TANDEM

DANDELION - NATURE'S CLOCK

SHIELD BUG Sp

SMALL HEATH BUTTERFLY

NURSERY WEB SPIDER

28 APRIL 2025 – SOUTHERN COUNTRY PARK (SCP)

I hadn’t been to SCP for a while, so I thought I’d try and see if any migrant birds had come in. Due to mobility issues, it took me just shy of an hour to walk there from my house in Bishop’s Stortford, arriving at 010.00 hours, with the sound of Reed Warbler echoing over the reedbeds, though surprisingly no Sedge Warbler, which I expected to hear first (as they usually arrive earlier). But it took me a while to locate the Reed Warbler to reeds along the boardwalk at the northern end of the lake.

One had to be very patient of course, so once the bird was located, I was ready with my camera, But the Reed Warbler remained stubbornly hidden as its song reverberated loudly over the reeds. Then, suddenly, at the rear of the reedbed, a movement; and then the bird moved to a small willow, where it continued to sing, without revealing itself fully. This went on for around 20 minutes, until the bird moved to the reeds again, but this time much higher up, so I could see the bird properly, and could try and get some decent images through my lens. Eventually, with around 40 images I managed to get some decent results, as the following shots hopefully convey.

Away from the boardwalk (where it didn’t seem likely that Sedge Warblers were in fact present) reedbeds along the eastern edge of the lake revealed another Reed Warbler, with a rather shy Sedge Warbler singing nearby, which eventually showed itself. A male Cetti’s Warbler sang nearby too, though of course, photography just wasn’t on the cards.

Strangely, I didn’t catch the song of any Blackcaps (though surely, they were in), with only the occasional scratching song of Common Whitethroats in places. A single Chiffchaff was heard, but nothing other than a single Robin; Blue Tits; Great Tits, and a single Long-tailed Tit was seen. Rooks and Jackdaws were feeding amongst the Daisies and Cowslips in the wildflower meadow. As the morning progressed and the warm spring sunshine beat down, many Small Whites; Orange Tips and a couple of Large White; a Peacock Butterfly and a single Red Admiral were seen; then later Brimstones became more profuse, which included my very first Brimstone Moth.

I wanted to try for Yellowhammers, which had sadly declined in numbers in recent years; so I made for farm fields towards Mathams Pit (a small private fishing lake) where I’d seen a pair in the past two years, and eventually, was lucky to see a male and a female (though they weren’t paired up) in different locations - although photography was extremely difficult. Up towards St, James’s Church, I was hoping to see Yellow Wagtails and/or Northern Wheatears but was disappointed in that regard. There were no hirundines either, or no obvious movement of Sand Martins observed here in 2024 (though, maybe it was a tad too early in the season). At the Church - where I took a welcome rest on a seat in the graveyard (which was full of delightful spring flowers) I saw an adult Mistle Thrush - the first ‘local’ one I’d seen this year; and nearby my first view this year of a male Blackcap singing vociferously from a hawthorn bush.

So, nothing exceptional in the five hours I was out, but I was really pleased with some of the shots of the Reed Warbler in particular.

REED WARBLER