I last visited Lee Valley Regional Park on
27th January 2023, principally to watch and photograph the wintering Bittern.
In recent weeks, there
have been reports of a Bittern again returning to this area for the winter, hence prompting
another visit given the success of my last one.
Lee Valley Regional Park is a site that is relatively easy for
me to visit by public transport: bus to Basildon, train to West Ham,
DLR to Stratford and another train to Cheshunt and then a short walk to the
site entrance.
Lee Valley Regional Park is a 10,000-acre and 26 miles long linear park. It is
Greater London's largest park (more than 4 times the size of Richmond
Park) and extends beyond Greater London's borders into the neighbouring
counties of Hertfordshire and Essex.
Lee Valley Regional Park follows the course of the River Lea (Lee)
along the Lea Valley from Ware in Hertfordshire through Essex and the
north east of Greater London, through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic
Park to East India Docks Basin on the River Thames. It is
managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and is made up of
a diverse mix of countryside areas, urban green spaces, heritage sites,
country parks, nature reserves, lakes and riverside trails as well as leading
sports centres.
The
focus of my visit was again the Wildlife Discovery Centre in Fishers Green, on the Hertfordshire
and Essex border. The centre offers 360 degree views of the area from a 5
metre viewing tower overlooking Seventy Acres Lake and adjacent reedbed,
wetland and grassland habitats plus a two-tier viewing hide.
My main
target species was obviously Bittern (this is one of the best
sites in the UK for this species during the winter) but unfortunately on this
occasion, despite a patient and very long wait, I did not see it.
Therefore, I missed the amazing sighting that I had on my last visit on 27th January 2023 ....
Photo: Bittern
The main
highlight from my visit was a single Water Rail, initially “squealing” several
times from the reedbed in front of the hide and eventually followed by a brief
sighting of a bird running across a gap between one section of the reedbed to
another.
The
most notable sightings from my visit were as follows:
En-route
to the Wildlife Discovery Centre via the River Lee Navigation Canal and Seventy
Acres Lake: Mallard (c.25), Gadwall (2), Shoveler (7), Coot (c.25), Moorhen (5), Great
Crested Grebe (4), Mute Swan (2), Canada Goose (2), Cormorant (3), Chiffchaff (1 heard calling)
Wildlife Discovery Centre: Water Rail (1), Grey Heron (2), Mallard (5), Tufted
Duck (4), Common Pochard (2), Gadwall (1), Shoveler (8), Coot (c.20), Moorhen (2), Great Crested Grebe (2), Mute
Swan (4), Canada Goose (1), Cormorant (c.20), Black-headed Gull (c.20),
Lesser Black-backed Gull (2), Ring-necked Parakeet (1)
Photography opportunities were limited, primarily due to
the exceptionally bright sunshine, but I did manage to get some photos of both a
Grey Heron standing on top of the Kingfisher nesting bank and a Ring-necked Parakeet on the bird feeders, both at the Wildlife Discovery Centre.
Photo: Grey Heron
Photo: Grey Heron
Photo: Grey Heron
Photo: Grey Heron
Photo: Grey Heron
Photo: Grey Heron
Photo: Grey Heron
Photo: Ring-necked Parakeet
Photo: Ring-necked Parakeet
Photo: Ring-necked Parakeet
Photo: Ring-necked Parakeet#DefendNature
#RestoreNatureNow
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife
💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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