Royston Wildlife Blog: Local Wildlife Sightings, September 2025

With low pressure dominating for the first time in months, the start of autumn was decidedly different to the vast majority of summer. It was (relatively) cool, it was breezy and there were rain showers which were particularly lively on the 3rd, when over an inch (28mm) fell in the day, including a torrential shower in the early afternoon that deposited 15mm in around 20 minutes. More rain fell on the 3rd than in the whole of May, or the whole of June, or the whole of August. There was still a little butterfly activity when the sun came out between the showers, but my macro lens was becoming redundant as I switched to local bird watching. A visit to Phillup's Lake on the 2nd produced at least one Little Grebe, a single adult Coot, three Tufted Ducks (one male) and, a local 'first' for me, two Teal.

There was no mud, and consequently no waders, at Phillup's Lake, but there was plenty of mud at Dernford Farm Reservoir where the water level was still, despite the rain, extremely low on the 2nd. I counted at least six Ruff and five Common Sandpipers feeding around the reservoir, as well as a Common Snipe that flew off as soon as I appeared. A single Yellow-legged Gull was with the (resident?) Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls. The Tern family had departed, but large numbers of juvenile Tufted Ducks were seen after what has clearly been a very successful breeding season. As usual, the reported Ruddy Shelduck was nowhere to be seen. More gulls (mostly Lesser Black-backs) were seen when I went on a short (rain shower clouds spotted) 'there and back' walk east along the Icknield Way from the A505 layby, again on the 2nd, and they included a Herring Gull.

Ruff, Dernford Farm Reservoir, 2 September

Juvenile Tufted Duck, Dernford Farm Reservoir, 2 September

Record Shot of a distant Teal, Phillup's Lake, 2 September

I made a further unsuccessful attempt to see the Black Redstart at the Baldock model aircraft field on the 5th - this is obviously going to be this year's 'bogey bird'. On the same day, a Wheatear was seen at Thrift Farm, near the bottom of Church Hill. I found a couple of almost pristine Adonis Blues on the Old Rifle Range the following morning.

Wheatear at Thrift Farm, Therfield, 5 September

Adonis Blue, Therfield Heath (Old Rifle Range), 6 September

A holiday in the Spanish Pyrenees (I may publish a future blog post) kept me away from my local patch for the better part of two weeks. The holiday included plenty of hill walking, and on my return I decided that I was fit enough to go on the extended walk round the villages of Reed and Therfield (8-9 miles) on the 19th, for the first time since early May. Passing through Hatchpen Farm I encountered three more Wheatears. There was an obvious visible southerly migration of Swallows (40+) and House Martins (8-10) through the farm, and a single Yellow Wagtail was seen amongst them. A 'record' four Little Grebes were seen at Phillup's Lake, where a Cormorant was swimming and diving. Also seen here were four Tufted Ducks. Further on, I encountered another Wheatear at Park Farm (Therfield). A total of 43 bird species were recorded (37 seen). Although I must have heard 30-40 Robins on the way round, none were seen! Another surprisingly 'heard only' species was Goldfinch.

Cormorant at Phillup's Lake, 19 September

One of four Little Grebes seen at Phillup's Lake, 19 September

Another Wheatear, this one at Hatchpen Farm, Reed, 19 September

High pressure once again dominated the scene in the second half of September, with most of the rain having fallen in the first week of the month. Insect life dwindled, with the exception of the thousands of Ivy Bees, that awaken in late summer to take pollen from the many flowering Ivy bushes in the area. However, whilst butterflies have had a much better year in 2025 than in 2024, I have seen far fewer grasshoppers, shield bugs and bush crickets than in previous years. Whether this is a consequence of the very dry spring and summer I don't know. Anyway, here are a few images of insects that I did manage to photograph in late summer, including a mystery insect (tentatively identified as an Ichneumon Wasp), which was noted rapidly flickering its antennae. I suspect that there will be very few insects left to photograph in October....