A beautiful work of art with a very serious message.
"Together with local artists UV Arts and the community, RSPB NI created a unique art installation on the East Strand of Portrush beach. Bringing the community together to highlight how the iconic Puffin is at risk of disappearing."
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
Kacho Fugetsu is a 6 century old Japanese philosophy which encapsulates continuous self-discovery through the appreciation of the natural world.
Kacho Fugetsu is comprised of the kanji (characters) for flower (ka), bird (cho), wind (fu) and moon (getsu) and is collectively referred to as the "beauties of nature".
The theme of kacho fugetsu encompasses everything that is not of the man-made world and reflects a heightened awareness of nature which is fundamental to traditional Japanese society and artistic sensibilities.
OM Systems (the manufacturers of my camera bodies and lenses) have adopted the concept of Kacho Fugetsu ....
It's In Our NATURE (omsystem.com)
8 out of 10 bats was broadcast for 2 weeks on YouTube in November.
The live shows were hosted by Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin, alongside several new young presenters: Indy Greene, Christina Sinclair, George Hassall, and Kwesia, from the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre in the Scottish Highlands for its first week and from the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey for its second week.
The 8 live shows were exceptionally interesting and entertaining and reminded me of the The Self-Isolating Bird Club which Chris and Megan hosted during the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Date: 11th November 2023
Time: from 8:15 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 5°C to 8°C
Whilst a lovely sunny morning, it was undoubtedly the coldest of the autumn/winter so far with some residual frost remaining in shaded areas and on the boardwalk.
I recorded a relatively low number of species, not surprising given that all the summer migrants and the dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies have long disappeared.
The most notable bird sightings were 4 Mallards (2 males and 2 females) on Willow Pond and a brief and obscured view of a Moorhen on Meadow Pond.
Grey Squirrels were quite conspicuous with 5 seen: 1 in the wooded area near the Spanish Steps, 1 at the edge of the wooded area between the storage shed and the Eastfield Road entrance, 2 in the bushes adjacent to the southern boardwalk and 1 in trees around Meadow Pond.
There were several Shaggy Inkcap fungi growing in the grass area around Thorny Wood.
As I walked home near Asda, I heard a calling Ring-necked Parakeet which unfortunately I failed to see. This is a species that I have recorded on 4 occasions at my St. Nicholas Church local patch site, most recently on 6th November 2023.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
