Austria, September 2026

 My partner and I visited the Austrian Tyrol (an Alpine region) for a week's walking and relaxation (there is more of the latter than the former as I get older) near the end of September. The weather and scenery were fantastic, the hotel was excellent and the walking was good, but what about the wildlife? Well, this part of Austria is not renowned for its wildlife but I was hoping for something special - a Golden Eagle or a Snow Finch perhaps? The outcome was predictably more prosaic - here are limited highlights.

Birds

I explored the local village on five early morning walks. This was 'pine country', so it was no surprise that Coal Tits were the commonest species. Great Tits and Blue Tits were also common and a few Crested Tits (quite common and widespread in Europe) were seen or (more often) heard. Long-tailed Tits were heard on one occasion. Chaffinches and Goldfinches were common and a couple of Bullfinches (a female and a juvenile) were recorded on every walk. One notable difference with the UK was that Black Redstarts were very common, often being seen and heard singing from rooftops in the village. Flocks of Common Crossbills were seen on the edges of the village, where Nuthatches, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers were occasionally recorded. A few Starlings flew over and Blackbirds were resident. Swallows and Crag Martins, presumably passing through on migration, were seen on the first couple of days but not thereafter.

Female Bullfinch, Austria, 23 September

Black Redstart, Austria, 25 September

A Kestrel was seen on a couple of occasions and a Buzzard was heard, but no other raptors were recorded. Local ponds yielded only Mallard and Coot. On one day we took a funicular railway high into the mountains above the town of Seefeld. It was here that I saw my only Alpine speciality in the form of several Alpine Choughs, which were snaffling chips and other food items discarded by people at the Alpine restaurant - not an unusual sight in this part of the world - these birds are the Alpine equivalent of our Herring Gulls! At the end of the week I had recorded and identified 38 bird species, whilst a couple more 'got away'.

Alpine Chough, near Seefeld in Austria, 27 September

Local Wildlife Sightings September 2026

 Following the long, hot, dry summer, September brought more familiar weather with westerly winds and low pressure systems that fringed our area, producing small amounts of rain. High pressure to the south kept pushing up into the south east, producing some very warm, but not hot, days. There were reasonable amounts of sunshine, but nothing like the hours that we had had during the summer.

Wader migration through the country continued into early September. Reports of a rare Ferruginous Duck at Wilstone Reservoir prompted me to visit for a third time in a few weeks on the 2nd, giving me the chance to add more wader species to my Hertfordshire year list. Ruff, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit and Common Sandpiper were seen at the jetty end. Five Ringed or Little Ringed Plovers were on the spit that points out from the island towards the jetty. At distance, I couldn't decide on which species they were, but when I walked round to the other end of the reservoir (near the hide) more (or the same) plovers were roosting on the mud and at least two of these were Ringed Plovers, probably on the way south from Scandinavia. These were much darker than the Ringed Plovers that I saw on the beach at Titchwell (see my September UK blog) , but nevertheless they were definitely Ringed Plovers!

Ruff, Wilstone Reservoir, 2 September

Two Barnacle Geese (feral birds, of course) were on the spit at Wilstone. People were looking for the Ferruginous Duck in that area and eventually it appeared, swam about for a bit and then clambered back on to the spit. A poor record shot of the bird, showing the characteristic white patch near the tail, is included below.

Ferruginous Duck (Bird on the Left) with Mallard, Wilstone Reservoir, 2 September

Barnacle Geese (with Pochard and Cormorants), Wilstone Reservoir, 2 September

The first half of September is often a good time to catch up with migrating warblers and Common Redstarts passing through the area. However, although a few were recorded elsewhere in Hertfordshire, I couldn't find any locally. A warbler subsong, heard from deep within a bush near The Heath, reminded me of Reed Warbler, but I eventually decided that it was just a Blackcap tuning up. I made an unsuccessful attempt to see a Red-backed Shrike in Bedford (Priory Park) on the 10th, but generally bird watching was pretty quiet. My monthly trip to Scales Park (Meesden)  on the 9th produced nothing better than a couple of noisy Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Little Grebes (seven counted) were much in evidence at Phillup's Lake, also on the 9th, with at least four juveniles, probably from two different broods, seen. All bar one were fully grown and would soon be unrecognisable from the adults. Moorhen, Coot and Mallard were the only other species seen.

Juvenile Little Grebe (fully grown), Phillup's Lake, 9 September

Unusually, more dragonflies (particularly Common Darters) were seen locally in September than had been seen earlier in the summer. A mating pair was seen at Phillup's Lake on the 9th, where a few Common Blue Damselflies were still on the wing.

Common Blue Damselfly, Phillup's Lake, 9 September

Butterfly numbers were lower than usual at this time of year, probably because they had burnt themselves out in a few days of hot weather after emerging during the summer months. A few Adonis Blues were still on the wing in September, most being on Lankester Hill, when I visited The Heath on 10th. Church Hill, at the other end of The Heath, was much quieter. Brown Argus butterflies (which only live for a few days, but seem to emerge over a much longer period than most butterflies), Common Blue, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Small / Green-veined White, Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Peacock butterflies were all seen in the first half of the month but in small numbers. A single Clouded Yellow was seen not far from the house on the 7th.

Male Brown Argus Butterfly (Wings open) with a Female (Wings Closed), Royston, 7 September

Ivy Bees were, as usual, very active in September, feeding on flowering Ivy. Before flying off they seem to clean themselves (?) whilst resting on nearby leaves, as was the case for the individual in the image below.

Ivy Bee on Ivy Leaf, Royston, 10 September

Other invertebrates were in limited supply, although I did come across a sawfly with red legs, Tenthredo atra, close to the house (image below). Although this is, apparently, a common and widespread species, I don't remember seeing it locally before.

Sawfly, Tenthredo atra, Royston, 10 September

The second half of the month was even quieter. The only summer visitors that I recorded were Chiffchaffs, which usually stay on in the area into October, provided the weather is fine and there are no cold 'snaps'. A few Adonis and Common Blues were still on The Heath (Old Rifle Range) when I visited on the 17th (images below), but I failed to find any when I made a return visit, following my holiday, on the 30th. However, Ivy Bees were still very active and Hornet Hoverflies were seen on both dates.

Female Adonis Blue, Therfield Heath, 17 September

Female Common Blue, Therfield Heath, 17 September

Male Common Blue, Therfield Heath, 17 September

Hornet Hoverfly, Royston, 17 September

UK Wildlife Sightings, September 2026

 After more than ten years and 229,000 miles I finally said goodbye to my trusty Ford Focus at the beginning of the month. My final trip in it was to RSPB Titchwell Marsh, a reserve that we have visited together countless times over the years, on the 3rd. There was nothing special to see there (although a Spotted Crake turned up and showed well shortly after I left), so I concentrated on photographing the waders, walking along the beach out to Thornham Point. Several Ringed Plovers, Dunlin and Sanderling  were roosting out on the point at high tide. A single bird, roosting on its own, looked at first glance to be a rather plump Dunlin. However, closer examination showed it to be a much rarer Purple Sandpiper, still in partial summer plumage.

Purple Sandpiper, Thornham Point, 3 September

Several Turnstones were also present and, as is their nature, pretty tame allowing close views. The ringed Plovers looked markedly different to those that I had photographed at Wilstone Reservoir the day before. I suspect that the birds seen here (image below) were all UK breeding birds, whilst those seen at Wilstone were Scandinavian breeders (a different race), passing through on migration. There was no sign of wintering Knot, Bar-tailed Godwits or Grey Plovers, but I still saw 14 different wader species on the day.

Ringed Plovers (and Sanderling) in High Tide Roost at Thornham Point, 3 September

Turnstone on Titchwell Beach, 3 September

I was surprised not to see any Common Terns during my visit - presumably they had all departed for Africa. Sandwich Terns (which are always the first to arrive and the last to depart our shores) were still present in small numbers. A single, juvenile Little Tern also showed up and landed on the beach close to a Sandwich Tern, giving me a rare opportunity to photograph them together to show the large size disparity (image).

Sandwich and Little Terns together on Thornham Point, 3 September

I popped briefly in to Thornham Harbour on the way home. There were few waders around, but I did notice an Ivy Bee colony, with what I assume was a 'mating Ball' of bees on the ground. It isn't just frogs and toads that get excited at breeding time!

Ivy Bees at Thornham Harbour, 3 September

On the 6th I visited Chelsea Physic Garden in West London, with my partner and her brother. We all like visiting (botanic) gardens and Chelsea Physic Garden is particularly interesting for chemists (like me) and pharmacists who study the extraction and use of plant natural products in the treatment of disease. However, on a sunny day and having visited the garden before, I was particularly interested to see whether any dragonflies were present at the pond. In fact, good numbers of three species (Willow Emerald damselfly, Common Darter and Migrant Hawker dragonflies) were present and showed so well that I filled what was left of my memory card with photos of them! Here are a few images that I took on the day.

Male Common Darter, Chelsea Physic Garden, 6 September

Male Common Darter, Chelsea Physic Garden, 6 September

Migrant Hawker Dragonfly, Chelsea Physic Garden, 6 September

Migrant Hawker Dragonflies Mating, Chelsea Physic Garden, 6 September

On the 16th I was back at Titchwell, this time with my new car. Two Spotted Crakes, a bird that I haven't seen in the UK for seven years, were on the freshmarsh and, after a little wait, one emerged from the reeds. All my photographs of this bird were taken at long range and, unfortunately, looking into the sun (image).

"Record Shot" of a Spotted Crake, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 16 September

As usual, I walked along the beach to Thornham Point, encountering lots of waders and a Wheatear near the tip. Black-tailed Godwits showed well in the channel below the path that runs along the side of the Volunteers' Marsh.

Wheatear, Thornham Point, 16 September

Black-tailed Godwit, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 16 September

Our first RSPB Local Group coach trip of the season was to Rye Harbour (East Sussex) on the 20th. A good selection of waders, including Greenshank and Curlew Sandpiper, were seen on the reserve. After visiting the hides I explored along Winchelsea Beach and found several Knot, Ringed Plover and Dunlin here. A single Sandwich Tern was seen, as were several Wheatear around the reserve. However, the star bird was a Whinchat which posed nicely for me. A few images from the trip are shown below.

Curlew Sandpiper, Rye Harbour SWT, 20 September

Knot, Winchelsea Beach, 20 September

Whinchat, Rye Harbour SWT, 20 September

Invertebrates seen included a good variety of dragonflies. Several Clouded Yellow butterflies were also seen, and I finally managed to get a respectable image of one (below).

Clouded Yellow Butterfly, Rye Harbour SWT, 20 September

News of a Lesser Yellowlegs (an American wader and uncommon vagrant to the UK) at the Broom gravel pit complex near Biggleswade, encouraged me to visit on the following day. The bird was distant, but I managed a few record shots (one below). Had I known that I would get better views of another bird in October (an image will appear in due course in my UK wildlife post for October) I probably wouldn't have bothered taking any photos! On the 22nd I departed for a week in Austria, which I will also mention in a separate blog post.

'Record Shot' of a Lesser Yellowlegs, Broom Gravel Pit Complex, Stanford, 21 September

 

Local Wildlife Sightings, August 2026

 Drought conditions continued into August, with daytime temperatures varying a few degrees either side of 28C and no sign of rain. Locally, many crops had already been harvested by the end of July - ripe, but with lower than average yields. The Heath was slowly turning from brown to yellow, with hardly any flowers and, consequently, very few insects other than the ubiquitous but declining Chalkhill Blue butterflies, most of which were looking decidedly tatty, and second generation Meadow Brown, Common Blue and Small Heath butterflies. I say 'second generation' Meadow Brown advisedly, because there is really only one generation, but I have noted more than once that there seem to be two emergences, one in June and one in late July, with a gap in between. Also, more of the larger form (females?) are seen in the second emergence. With the exception of the ubiquitous Jersey Tiger Moths, which regularly popped out of nearby vegetation when I was gardening, and a host of smallish grasshoppers, very few other insects were seen on or near The Heath. Hoverflies, in particular, seemed to be doing very badly in the drought, although the largest species, the Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) was seen regularly.

Hornet Hoverfly, Volucella zonaria, Royston, 1 August

Local dragonfly numbers were well down on recent years, probably at least partly due to ponds drying up and a shortage of insect prey. A few Migrant Hawkers were seen on and around The Heath and a beautiful male Emperor Dragonfly posed briefly for me when I visited Phillup's Lake on the 6th.

Male Emperor Dragonfly, Phillup's Lake, Reed End, 6 August

Little Grebes (adults and juveniles) were still present on Phillup's Lake, as were a host of moulting Mallard ducks and a single moulting Tufted Duck. An adult and juvenile duck, which I had assumed were Mallards and did not bother to photograph, turned up very blurred on one of my photographs of the Tufted Duck and may have actually been Gadwall - I will have to return to check this out, as breeding Gadwall on the lake would be a local 'first'. I assumed that another photo, of another small bird that was seen to dive at the far side of the lake, would be of a Little Grebe. However, the bill of this bird was far too broad. Having ruled out the possibility of an extreme rarity (juvenile Pied-billed Grebe, an American species) on common sense grounds, I came to the far more logical conclusion that this was in fact a juvenile Coot (Coot do dive and, as readers of this blog know, they do breed on Phillup's Lake). Anyway, the image is below.

Juvenile Coot (I assume), Phillup's Lake, 6 August

Having seen a report (Rupert Evershed) of Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls at Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits, I visited on the evening of the 5th. Water levels were very low, but I managed a few shots of large gulls both on the exposed mud and on the lake itself. One of the paler mantled gulls (not Lesser Black-backed) on the mud had yellow legs (so, I assume Yellow-legged Gull) whilst a number of juveniles on the water appeared to be Yellow-legged or Caspian Gulls. The image below shows some of the gulls - what a motley selection!

Some of the Gulls on the main Lake at Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits, 5 August

I took a photograph of a Small Heath butterfly whilst visiting the Henry Moore Foundation at Perry Green (near Bishops Stortford) with my partner on the 9th. Although it is a small, brown butterfly on a brownish background, I quite like the photo and may get a print of it in the future.

Small Heath Butterfly on Grass Stem, Perry Green, 9 August

I had been waiting for a couple of weeks for the emergence of the second generation of Adonis Blues on The Heath and finally, on the afternoon of the 10th, they appeared - and in good numbers - on the Eastern Heath (between Lankester Hill and the Sporting Clubhouse). I saw perhaps 30 - 40 males and one or two pristine females (although these could have been late emerging Chalkhill Blue females - the females of these two species are hard to separate). Also seen were good numbers of Meadow Brown, Small White and Small Heath butterflies, a few Common Blues and Brown Argus and a single Clouded Yellow, which refused to settle and allow me to take its photograph (this has been the best year for migrant Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady butterflies since 2009).

Male Adonis Blue Butterfly, Therfield Heath, 10 August

Male Adonis Blue Butterfly, Therfield Heath, 10 August

On the way home, I passed a field that was being ploughed and saw my first big local gathering of gulls (the vast majority Lesser Black-backed, with a few Common and Black-headed Gulls) of the autumn. Also present were seven Red Kites and a large number of corvids, making the most of a rare opportunity to look for large invertebrates beneath the parched ground. I was hoping to see my first local Caspian Gull (there had been a big influx into the country in the previous few days). One possibly interesting gull did turn up, an immature bird with long wings and tail that made it look like a small vulture, but my photos, looking in to the sun, did not pick up enough detail for me to try to identify it. It's in the images below.

Gulls 'following the Plough', Royston, 10 August, with mystery gull on the right. The remaining gulls are all Lesser Black-backed: the gull second from the left looks paler due to a trick of the light.

Gulls (and a Jackdaw) with mystery bird second from the right, Royston, 10 August

From the 11th we braced ourselves for another heatwave (the 5th of the year), and the 13th turned out to be the hottest of many hot days this summer, with the temperature in Kew Gardens reaching 38.2C. For once, I heeded instructions to keep indoors, but on the following day (much cooler) I walked up to Hatchpen Farm. A Fallow Deer stag was an unusual sighting (I normally just see groups of females and young) as it ran across the track behind me. A dead badger was nearby, close to one of the known setts. Badgers have, like many other mammals, suffered badly in the drought due to their inability to access worms and other invertebrates in the hard ground. Several Swallows and a few House Martins were at Hatchpen Farm, perching on wires and rooves, presumably getting ready for their long migration. Meanwhile the garden ponds had, apparently, become the 'go to' place in the area for drinking water. Woodpigeons were the dominant species, with the occasional Jackdaw seen. Magpies were also regular visitors and, as well as drinking, these intelligent birds appeared to be finding food (pond snails?) in and around the ponds.

Fallow Deer Stag in full flight, Royston, 14 August

Magpie with an unknown Food Item, my Garden, 14 August

Following a week's holiday I spent the following few days (23-25th) covering the various wildlife locations on my local patch. Three late Swifts and one or two House Martins were seen near the house on the morning of the 23rd. In somewhat cooler, but still dry weather, up to 50 Adonis Blue butterflies were still flying over the eastern side of The Heath (mainly on Lankester Hill), but very few were seen on Church Hill, where all was quiet. Lots of Small Heath butterflies were on the wing, with smaller numbers of Meadow Brown, (mainly Small) Whites, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Peacock and Clouded Yellow butterflies. Single Comma, Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies were also seen. Increasing numbers of dragonflies (the vast majority Common Darter and Migrant Hawker) were also seen.

Male Adonis Blue Butterfly, Therfield Heath, 25 August

Immature Ruddy or Common Darter Dragonfly, Therfield Heath, 25 August

I visited Phillup's Lake on the 25th. Unlike many of the lakes and farm ponds in the area, this held plenty of water. I counted 51 Mallards there, but there was no sign of any Gadwall. A single Teal (in eclipse plumage, probably a male) accompanied the Mallards. At least two fully grown young Coot were present. Little Grebes were still much in evidence, including a youngster that was diving on its own before being shepherded by an adult to the safety of the side of the pond.

Juvenile Little Grebe, Phillup's Lake, 25 August

Teal (right-hand Bird) with Mallards, Phillup's Lake, 25 August

Return wader migration begins in July and, in August, several interesting birds passed through our region. I visited Amwell on the 23rd to see a Little Stint which, along with Temminck's Stint, is Europe's smallest wader (and so very difficult to photograph at distance!). Coincidentally, a few days later, two Temminck's Stints turned up at Dernford Farm Reservoir (Stapleford). A telescope was necessary on both occasions to see the birds properly. Record shots of both species are shown below. Differences between the two include leg colour (black for Little Stints, yellow for Temminck's Stints) and back pattern, but I'm afraid that my photos are of no help in this regard.

Record Shot of a Little Stint, Amwell, 23 August

One of two Temminck's Stints at Dernford Farm Reservoir (Stapleford, Cambs.), 28 August

Whilst the stints were the rarest waders to pass through my region, the greatest variety was to be had at Wilstone Resrvoir, where no fewer than eight species of wader (Lapwings, Green and Common Sandpipers, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit) were present towards the end of the month. I visited again on the 27th, thankfully avoiding a two hour sit on the M25 this time. Whilst all but the Lapwings and the two sandpipers proved to be very distant, and I didn't have my telescope handy, I did identify the presence of all but the Spotted Redshank from photos of distant waders taken and later 'blown up'. I apologise once again for the poor quality of the Greenshank photo (below). Two Hobbies were also seen - one in a tree and the other sitting on the mud (there was a lot of mud and very little water present on the reservoir).

Greenshank (centre) with Teal, Wilstone Reservoir, 27 August

Hobby at Wilstone Reservoir, 27 August

A visit to Dernford Farm Reservoir (still almost devoid of water) on the 29th allowed me to see my second stint species of the week, as two tiny Temminck's Stints were present there. As usual with tiny waders, I only managed some distant record shots of the birds. If you do get better views of these birds the patterns on their backs are different and Temminck's Stints have yellow legs, whilst Little Stints have black legs.

Record Shot of Temminck's Stint, Dernford Farm Reservoir, 29 August

Although the second half of August had been somewhat cooler than the first half, there had been very little rain until the 27th, when the weather finally broke and almost an inch of thundery rain was recorded in the garden. Low pressure took over and, with further heavy rain at the end of the month, the long, hot summer of drought was finally ended.