DAVID'S NATURE BLOG

21 SEPTEMEBER 2026 - ROYDON to HARLOW TOWN

Andy Saunders and I had been talking about doing a walk ‘somewhere’ for some time, and this was the day we carried it out. After some deliberation we decided of taking a train to Roydon, then walking back to Harlow Town, partly along the Stort Navigation towpath, then veering off to follow the towpath along the actual River Stort through Hunsdon Mead, Parndon Mead, and on to Harlow Town station.

We caught the train at Bishop’s Stortford that got us into Roydon shortly after 10.00 a.m. then crossed over the level crossing to follow the towpath east along the Stort Navigation, until we reached a gate that took us into Hunsdon Mead. The only things of note along this this part of the towpath were the hordes of Ivy Bees.

Shortly before reaching that point, we’d heard, then saw two Rose-ringed Parakeets; a distant Buzzard, and a single Clouded Yellow Butterfly - but once we reached the gate into Hunsdon Mead, things began to take off in terms of the number of Clouded Yellows seen, it started with a couple of Small Heath butterflies, then one or two Clouded Yellows, then several more moving swiftly over the meadow, until we encountered a pair mating in the lush grass (the first time I’d ever seen a pair in copulation). I (thought I) took several interesting photos until we reached the course of the ‘old’ or actual River Stort when I noticed a warning that ‘flashed’ up in the camera viewfinder (not seen at all whilst taking all my other shots) to the effect that I had no SD Card in the camera, which meant of course that all the shots I thought I’d taken (including those of the mating Clouded Yellows) didn’t in fact exist!! This was especially galling since in normal circumstances my camera wouldn’t allow me to take any photos if a card hadn’t been inserted first. So, where was the 124 GB SD Card I thought I’d inserted before we started out then……………………. well, back on my front room table I guessed!! Fortunately, I did have a few 64GB cards in a wallet in my camera bag, so I loaded one up.

Between that point and Mead Lock we enjoyed a plethora of Clouded Yellows, possibly more than 40 individuals, seemingly the vast majority were females: more than I’d ever seen before at one location. There were a few more Small Heaths, with a sprinkling of Small Whites; a couple of Holly Blues; a possible Common Blue, and a Peacock butterfly. Migrant Hawker Dragonflies were everywhere, in large numbers, with the occasional Common Darter, and a single Emperor Dragonfly. Of the birds, there were good numbers of (Western) Jackdaws and some Carrion Crows; At least two Red Kites at close quarters; two Eurasian Buzzards, and another Little Egret.

We ate our lunches at the lock, then followed the course of the River Stort along the towpath, where Migrant Hawkers abounded - more than I’d ever seen before - with Common Darters (some in tandem) and Common Blue Damselflies well represented too. Every now and then, Cetti’s Warblers sounded out their presence in the reeds, with at least two showing themselves briefly. There were a few Moorhens and Mallards on the river too, and three Cygnet Swans in the lock area. As we approached the end of our walk and Harlow Town station, we began to see Western Emerald Damselflies - some in tandem - in keeping with the recent rise in records along the Stort at Thorley Wash in recent years.

The weather forecast was for clear, sunny skies, and an afternoon temperature of around 22 Degrees C, but it seemed considerably warmer than that at times; and with little shade along the towpath, it became almost unbearably hot, which didn’t suit my demeanour one little bit, and I was ‘flagging’ considerably as we arrived at the station. But we’d enjoyed the walk, nonetheless.