At 12.35 p.m., I saw a Grey Heron flying past in a westerly direction, almost certainly heading towards the lake at nearby Gloucester Park.
This was my first record of the year from my flat and the first since November 2022.
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I had my first visit to Lee Valley Regional Park for many years today, taking advantage of an Abellio Greater Anglia ticket sale which offered me a day return from Billericay to Cheshunt for a mere £10.
It is a site that is relatively
easy for me to visit by public transport: bus to
Billericay, train to London Liverpool Street followed by 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 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.
I saw the male Smew in the north west corner of Seventy Acres Lake whilst walking the 1.4 miles from Cheshunt train station to the Wildlife Discovery Centre.
The single Bittern that I saw was, as expected, seen from the hide at the Wildlife Discovery Centre. Views were initially obscured by the surrounding dense reeds but eventually I had excellent views as the bird crossed a channel from one section of the reedbed to another. I also saw a single Water Rail from the hide and was able to watch this bird for several minutes as it bathed although unfortunately it was also slightly obscured by reeds so I was unable to get any photos.
The most notable sightings from my visit were as follows: Bittern (1), Grey Heron (3), Water Rail (1), Kingfisher (1), Smew (1 male), Mallard (c.20), Tufted Duck (c.10), Common Pochard (2 females), Teal (male and female), Gadwall (male and female), Shoveler (3 males and 1 female), Mute Swan (6), Great Crested Grebe (4), Coot (c.25), Moorhen (c.10), Egyptian Goose (2), Canada Goose (c.20), Greylag Goose (2), Cormorant (11), Chiffchaff (1 heard calling), Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 heard calling), Ring-necked Parakeet (1)
Here are some photos from my visit:
Photo: Bittern
Photo: Bittern
Photo: Bittern
Photo: Bittern
Photo: Bittern
Photo: male Smew
Photo: male Smew
Photo: male Smew
Photo: male Smew
Photo: Grey Heron
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Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
This morning, I had a short bus and train journey to Leigh-on-Sea followed by a short walk to EWT Two Tree Island.
EWT Two Tree Island is situated adjacent to the internationally protected Thames Estuary and it is a winter refuge for a huge diversity and abundance of winter wildfowl (most notably Dark-bellied Brent Geese) and waders plus a wide range of breeding and migrant birds during the rest of the year.
EWT Two Tree Island was reclaimed from the sea in the 18th century when a seawall was built around the saltmarsh and it was originally used for farming. It is now managed as a nature reserve.
Approximately 4 miles of trails, which are a mixture of gravel and grass paths, provide access through the grasslands and scrub areas. At the end of the western section of the reserve is a bird hide which overlooks a lagoon which provides a valuable habitat for roosting and breeding water birds. The eastern section is part of Leigh National Nature Reserve where the saltmarsh is one of the best surviving in the Thames Estuary.
I spent around 3 hours in the western section of the site including the hide overlooking the lagoon and the seawall overlooking Hadleigh Ray, an inlet of the River Thames leading to Benfleet Creek.
It was very cold, 1°C to 3°C, and dull, grey and overcast, making it very difficult for photography. However, I still had an excellent visit and added 5 species to my 2023 UK year list: Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Kingfisher, Skylark, Rock Pipit
The main highlights of my visit were the concentration of waders on the rising tide and an unexpected Kingfisher perched up on a moored boat between the cockle sheds and Leigh-on-Sea train station.
The most notable sightings from my visit were as follows: Dark-bellied Brent Goose (c.400), Knot (c.1000 at least), Dunlin (c.300 at least), Bar-tailed Godwit (c.100), Common Redshank (c.25), Avocet (c.25), Lapwing (c.20), Curlew (c.10), Grey Plover (c.10), Ringed Plover (c.10), Oystercatcher (4), Common Snipe (3), Wigeon (c.400 at least), Teal (c.200 at least), Shoveler (16), Shelduck (c.10), Mallard (c.10), Cormorant (2), Little Grebe (5), Moorhen (4), Coot (4), Mute Swan (2), Black headed Gull (+), Herring Gull (+), Common Gull (5), Kingfisher (1), Rock Pipit (1), Skylark (2), Fieldfare (4)
Here are a few photos from my visit:
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Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
WWT London Wetland Centre is a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in the Barnes area of
the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London.
The site occupies more than 40
hectares of land which was formerly occupied by 4 disused Victorian reservoirs
tucked into a loop in the Thames. These were converted into a wide range of wetland
features and habitats before the site opened in May 2000. It was the
first urban project of its kind in the UK. In 2002 an area of
29.9 hectares was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The site is important for resident, passage and wintering bird species, many of which can not be found anywhere else in London. In addition, there is a collection of captive wildfowl.
#DefendNature .... Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife
💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
