DAVID'S NATURE BLOG

1 NOVEMBER 2025 – A WALK ALONG THE RIVER STORT

I needed a well-earned break from the stresses of modern life, as I hadn’t been out anywhere local (apart from shopping) for two weeks or so, and it was beginning to show. It’s Saturday morning and it has dawned bright and sunny - surely enough incentive. And so, following breakfast and some more mundane obligations, I picked up the binoculars and my camera and headed out into a breezy but sunny world, and headed for the River Stort, just slightly south of Bishop’s Stortford Railway station.

It wasn’t a good start, after all it seemed to me that half the population of Bishop’s Stortford had the same idea as me, along with their pet dogs, and the towpath was busy as a consequence. But I trundled on, until I approached the railway bridge, and a few Moorhens and Mallards gathered on the waters both near and beneath it. My camera was busy, as the birds looked at home on the river amid the wonderful array of autumn colours, that splashed through my lens; and the light was simply gorgeous. I knew I had some decent photographs, so I moved on.

Approaching Southmill Lock the play of autumnal colour on the water was truly beautiful at times, and even a gathering of leaf litter in the lock seemed to me to make an excellent composition for photography, as did the reflections of the sides of the barges moored there. Well, I do tend to pride myself on my objective to find unusual subjects for my photography, although I don’t always succeed. But today was different - so far, I thought I’d reached my goal – several times over in fact.

I hadn’t really intended to enter the reserve at Rushy Mead - which is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust - largely because the place looked hugely overgrown, but something urged me to give it a go. I walked along the path, jagged with tangled brambles and Comfrey, through the trees, but nothing of interest emerged. Turning back, nearing the entrance again, an extremely large flock of Long-tailed Tits - 30-40 individuals strong - exploded above me, some blue tits and a Goldcrest amongst them, and when they eventually moved through (though no photographs were possible) I noticed one particular bird feeding low in the brambles, and when I got my binoculars on it, I couldn’t believe my eyes……………….. it was a Marsh Tit - the first one I’d seen here at Rushy Mead since December 2006! The species was regularly seen both here and at Thorley Wash further downstream near Spellbrook in the early 2000’s (although only two or three pairs or so were known to breed) but had since declined and had completely disappeared locally. Unfortunately, the Marsh Tit moved so quickly through the undergrowth that it proved impossible to get any sort of photograph; but this was a special record indeed.

Further downstream I continued to photograph autumnal scenes, with only a sighting of a Little Egret which flew in briefly, intending to land along the banks of the river, but was thwarted by the sight of anglers and boatmen (the latter clearing debris in preparation for a boatrace on the river tomorrow (2^nd November). I ended my walk at Twyford Lock with no further sightings of bird species, or any other wildlife.

Passing through Thorley Wedge on my way home, I saw at least two Red Kites, which looked as if they were hunting for food, as they continued to veer in flight this and that way, swerving their wedge-shaped tails in the swirling wind. Eventually they came overhead and the views were superb in the strong afternoon sunlight as at one stage a Carrion Crow attempted to intervene, with little effect. I was able to get some fantastic images in the camera, arguably my best efforts to date. Out into Norfolk way, the two birds came back and forth over me, and when I came into Patricia Gardens, they were joined by a third, mewing continually - the sound resembles that of a buzzard, but is higher pitched and drawn out. But I’ve rarely had such close views so near to my home. It was a truly fitting conclusion to my morning outing into the autumn sunlight.

I took a total of 81 images throughout the morning, with only a handful that I knew needed to be rejected; so that was certainly a high success rate - something I’ve rarely managed to achieve. I couldn’t have been happier in that regard.