25 FEBRUARY 2026 – A WALK ALONG THE RIVER STORT TO TWYFORD LOCK

I’d already planned a walk, but the forecast was for exceptionally mild and sunny conditions, although it was a tad chilly to begin with, so I donned a coat - which I took off within 20 minutes in favour of a short-sleeved tee-shirt as it was so warm.

There was very little activity on the river up to Southmill Lock, where I hoped to see a Grey Wagtail or a Kingfisher, but council workers were cleaning the bridge over the weir, so I moved on to Rushy Mead Reserve, and on the way notched up my first Canade Geese to be seen locally this year, and the cackle of a Green Woodpecker somewhere.

Before turning into the reserve I perused the woodland as thoroughly as I could and spied a movement in the larches, which turned out to be a lone male Common Redpoll (the first I’d seen locally for thirteen years) keeping company with several Eurasian Siskins; then a loud almost piercing call of a Nuthatch gave rise to an almost frantic search in the treetops before the said male was found. Despite a crick in my neck, it proved a very pleasing few minutes indeed. Nothing much stirred on the reserve itself, the highlight being a small troupe of Long-tailed Tits and the lovely sight of a Red Admiral butterfly on the newly open flowers of a Blackthorn.

Back on the towpath a pair of Eurasian Buzzards, mewing constantly, soared overhead, then a female Sparrowhawk, both of which I managed to photograph, though it was difficult in the extreme, given the immediacy of the sightings and the fact that the birds were virtually directly overhead.

I took a route through Twyford Lock Fields but apart from a huge swathe of snowdrops and daffodils (the latter yet to burst into flower) there was nothing much on view until I reached the fishing lake at the railway crossing, when I saw up to four Brimstone butterflies (all were males as far as I could tell), which were a welcome sign that spring was just around the corner; then made my way home. 

LARCH CATKINS

IVY ON BEECH

LONG-TAILED TIT

RED ADMIRAL ON BLACKTHORN

SNOWDROPS ON TWYFORD LOCK FIELDS

EURASIAN SPARROWHAWK