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

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 the long, hot summer of drought was finally ended.

UK Wildlife Sightings August 2026

 Hyde Hall Gardens (RHS) in Essex incorporate a number of ponds, which are good for dragonflies. On a visit with my partner and her brother I saw several species and was able to photograph (for the first time) mating Small Red-eyed Damselflies. Willow Emerald Damselflies seemed to be appearing everywhere in early August, and several were seen here.

Small Red-eyed Damselflies Mating, Hyde Hall RHS, Essex, 2 August

Willow Emerald Damselfly, Hyde Hall RHS, 2 August

My attention in August slowly turned back to birds and, on yet another hot and humid day on the 4th, I drove up to the North Norfolk coast, arriving at RSPB Snettisham just in time to catch the high tide. Although this was not a particularly high tide, the water was covering the mud flats. Many waders roosted briefly on the southernmost lake before flying back on to the mud. It was fascinating to see huge groups of hundreds of each species (Bar-tailed Godwits, Oystercatchers, Knots, Dunlins and Redshanks) occupying separate areas on the mud or on the lake. Somewhere in amongst them was a White-rumped Sandpiper, but I failed to connect with this bird. Several terns were also roosting on the mud - these included a handful of Little Terns. Hundreds of Sanderlings were back from their Arctic breeding grounds and I saw a flock of perhaps 400, some in summer plumage but most in various stages of moult, on my way back north along the coastal path. Back at the Snettisham Coastal Park I finally caught up with my first Turtle Dove of the year. Since 2023 I have relied on the Snettisham area for my sightings of this now very rare species. Apparently, numbers of migratory Turtle Doves are very slowly increasing in England following a moratorium on shooting in some European countries, but I think that it will be a long time (if at all) before they become regular again in the Hertfordshire area.

Some of the 400+ Sanderlings seen at RSPB Snettisham on 4 August

Terns (and a few gulls) on The Wash, Snettisham, 4 August. A Little Tern can just about be seen at the back, left of centre.

Turtle Dove, Snettisham Coastal Park, 4 August

Unlike these waders, I moved on to RSPB Titchwell. The reserve was quiet, but I did see my first Curlew Sandpiper of the year (a moulting adult) on the Freshmarsh. A single Spoonbill was also seen here.

Moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper (front row, 3rd from right) with Dunlin, Lapwing and Gulls, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 4 August

There had been a noticeable change in dragonfly populations when I made a return visit to Paxton Pits. The Ruddy Darters that I saw on my first visit had been largely replaced by Common Darters, and many more Willow Emerald damselflies were on the wing. The darters seemed to prefer perching on man-made objects (particularly barbed wire) to the more natural objects (e.g. twigs, berries etc.) that would have made for better photographs. Still, you can't have everything.

Common Darter Dragonfly, Paxton Pits, 7 August

Willow Emerald Damselfly, Paxton Pits, 7 August

Not all my trips end in success, but I can rarely have been on a more frustrating visit than the one to Wilstone on the 11th. I had hoped to see Water Rail, Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwit (all seen on the 10th) at the reservoir, before moving on to the Grand Union Canal to photograph damselflies and dragonflies. However, as I drove up the slip road to join the M25 the traffic ground to a halt and was stationary for half an hour. After that, we started inching forward, with frequent stops. The cause of the delay (which added two hours to my journey time) was, apparently, a vehicle fire. At Wilstone Reservoir I could not find any of my target birds and only a handful of damselflies were seen on the canal. Migrant Hawker dragonflies were the dominant species here and I ended up trying to photograph one or two in flight. My best effort is shown below: to see some top quality images of dragonflies in flight I can recommend the Herts. and Middlesex dragonflies Facebook page - truly excellent photos by Allan Burrows et. al. Anyway, I at least made it home in one piece.......

Migrant Hawker Dragonfly in Flight, Grand Union Canal, Wilstone, 11 August

Anglesey, 15-22 August

I spent a week on the island of Anglesey, North Wales, with my partner and her brother, in August. It was a general interest holiday, with walking along various parts of the island's beautiful coastline, visits to castles on the mainland, etc. We arrived too late in the summer to appreciate Anglesey's impressive seabird colonies - indeed, I didn't see a single Puffin, Guillemot, Razorbill, Kittiwake or Fulmar on the trip. My main target species were Chough, which I saw on the South Stack RSPB reserve, and Manx Shearwater, which I saw on an evening walk along the east coast near the town of Moelfre. Small numbers of Black Guillemots breed along this coastline but, in common with the other auks, they remained undetected. I was, however, a little surprised to see a small group of juvenile Eider Ducks here - do they nest on Anglesey?

Three Choughs in Flight, RSPB South Stack Reserve, Anglesey, 16 August

Juvenile Eider Ducks, Moelfre, Anglesey, 20 August

One of the locals told me that Ospreys were breeding on Anglesey for the first time, and this was later confirmed in a news report, but we didn't go out of our way to look for the nest site. Several common wader species were seen around the island, including a flock of around 70 Ringed Plovers, seen and photographed at the end of the 1.5 mile (!) breakwater at Holyhead. We made a number of trips to the mainland, including a visit to Bodnant Gardens, where I photographed a very obliging Dipper.

Ringed Plovers in Flight, Holyhead, 16 August

Dipper at Bodnant Gardens, North Wales, 17 August

The weather was cooler than we had become used to at home, with cloudy days in the first half of the holiday and sunshine and showers during the second half. Insect life was quite restricted - indeed, I can only remember seeing one unidentified (darter) dragonfly during the whole week. Butterflies were more numerous and I did have my first confirmed sighting of the year of Grayling butterflies whilst negotiating the rocky and rather precipitous coastal path at South Stack.

Back in England, waders were on the move and I visited Eyebrook Reservoir (Leicestershire / Rutland) on the 24th to see a juvenile Red-necked Phalarope, a tiny wader which feeds by swimming vigorously around in lakes and other water bodies, picking small insects off the surface of the water. I needed my telescope to get good views of this bird, even though it was perhaps only 150 metres away, and my images (one of which I have rather reluctantly included below) are rather poor. Red-necked Phalaropes breed in small numbers on the Shetland Islands, but this bird more likely came from Iceland or Scandinavia.

Poor Record Shot of Juvenile Red-necked Phalarope (with two ducks), Eyebrook Reservoir, 24 August

Local Wildlife Sightings, July 2026

 Early in July, we received the very sad news that a developers' appeal had successfully overturned the council blocking of a 280 home development on fields adjoining my estate. Along with the inevitable major traffic disruption that the building work will entail and the further dilution of local services, this will mean the loss of a lovely wild flower meadow near the house - very bad news indeed, and another kick in the teeth for conservation and green field sites.

Back from holiday, I visited Therfield Heath (east side) on the morning of the 5th. Initially everything was quiet, but as soon as the sun came out clouds of butterflies emerged from the grasses. Foremost amongst them were Chalkhill Blues - I reckon that I must have seen at least 200. I also saw my first Gatekeeper butterflies of the year: these tend to congregate around the bushes on The Heath. A few Dark Green Fritillaries were still flying and I actually managed to get a few photographs of one - quite a challenge, as this fast flying butterfly never seems to stay still for more than a couple of seconds.

Male Chalkhill Blue, Therfield Heath, 5 July

Male Chalkhill Blue Variant (Smaller or Incomplete Spots, c.f. the Butterfly above), Therfield Heath, 5 July

Gatekeeper Butterfly, Therfield Heath, 5 July

Dark Green Fritillary, Therfield Heath, 5 July

Closer to home, a new (for my local patch) micro-moth, Pyrausta purpuralis, was recorded.

Pyrausta Purpuralis, Royston, 5 July

The hot, dry summer continued with another heatwave, starting around the 5th and lasting for at least 10 days with temperatures reaching 34C (so not as hot as in June!). After that the weather cooled somewhat, with an easterly wind bringing in early morning cloud, but not a drop of rain was to be had until the morning of the 26th, when 2.5mm fell - hooray! After that it was back to heatwave conditions, with the temperature reaching 34C on the 29th. July became the second hottest month ever in England and also one of the driest. Plants withered and crops were harvested early. By the middle of the month thousands of Chalkhill Blues had spread all over The Heath and a few males were seen a mile or two away from the nearest colony, although they would have been frustrated at being unable to find any of the far more sedentary females. I spent a lot of time in the evenings photographing roosting 'blues' (second generation Common Blue and Brown Argus butterflies were on the wing from the middle of the month), because they were too active in the hot, daytime temperatures. However, the females emerge from their chrysalises in the morning and immediately mate with whichever passing male is lucky enough to find them. I was therefore lucky to find a mating pair on a rare morning visit to The Heath (just east of the Therfield Road) on the 11th (image below). On a later morning visit to the Old Rifle Range (24th) I counted eight mating pairs in quite a small area.

Mating Chalkhill Blue Butterflies, Therfield Heath, 11 July

Following the emergence of Chalkhill Blues and Gatekeepers, I had only one 'regular' butterfly species left to see on The Heath - Silver-washed Fritillary. This butterfly was seen for the first time in the Fox Covert / Jubilee Wood area six or seven years ago and has since colonised this woodland, albeit in very small numbers. I now know their favourite areas, and saw my first butterfly on the 9th. I returned on the 11th, when I saw at least three, including both a male and a female, and on the 14th when, perhaps getting tired of being pursued by me, I was able to photograph two different males and a female, whilst a fourth butterfly (another male) was seen. Hopefully more females were around, and this colony will (continue to?) grow. Silver-washed Fritillary was the 28th butterfly species to be seen this year on my Local Patch and six days later the 29th, a Clouded Yellow, was seen on The Heath (Old Rifle Range). This was no big surprise, as several were reported elsewhere in Hertfordshire in July. Of the 29, only Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady are not resident, although in good summers the latter goes through a full breeding cycle here, but neither species can survive our winters - yet! There were no further sightings of Silver-washed Fritillaries on subsequent visits to The Heath, although another Clouded Yellow was seen on Church Hill on the 27th.

Female Silver-washed Fritillary, Therfield Heath, 14 July

Male Silver-washed Fritillary, Therfield Heath, 14 July

Silver-washed Fritillaries were also seen on two visits to Scales Park in the first half of the month, whilst three second generation Small Blues were seen when I visited Clothall Common (Baldock) on the 15th. The colony of Chalkhill Blues at Clothall must have numbered well over 100.

Small Blue, Clothall Common, 15 July

Local dragonflies were rather thin on the ground. It was surprising not to see Common Darters by the middle of July: have all the local ponds dried up? I visited Panshanger Park (between Hertford and Welwyn Garden City) on the 17th, hoping to see a reported Southern Migrant Hawker (still a rare dragonfly, although expanding in numbers and area - another beneficiary of climate change). I missed this, although there were plenty of the commoner dragonflies about, with Black-tailed Skimmer being the commonest. I saw lots of Ruddy Darters there, but no Common Darters. As the month wore on, Migrant Hawkers (first seen on the 14th) started to appear locally. This smallish hawker dragonfly tends to become very common here in August.

Black-tailed Skimmer, Panshanger Park, 17 July

Record Shot of a Migrant Hawker, Therfield Heath, 14 July

Hereabouts, bird activity dies back to practically nothing in July, as nesting finishes for most and I take a break from the delights of failed gull identification (there aren't any gulls to identify). However, after a Herts. Bird Club report (Paula Moore) of Spotted Flycatchers in Fox Covert on the 13th I realised that I had been neglecting this species. An investigation on the 14th revealed at least five birds in two areas of the woodland that were separated by a few hundred metres. One adult bird was feeding at the edge of woodland. I managed to photograph it (after putting my arm on to barbed wire and losing a fair bit of blood) and noted it feeding a juvenile at one point. Whether the birds were from one family or from two separate ones, it was good to know that they have successfully bred again in the woods. Other bird sightings of interest were of a family of seven Grey Partridges (two adults and five tiny chicks which were, nevertheless, able to fly for cover when they saw me approaching) on the Old Rifle Range on the 24th and a family of at least five Chiffchaffs with recently fledged young, near Royston Hospital on the 27th.

Adult Spotted Flycatcher, Therfield Heath, 14 July

'Record Shot' of an Adult Grey Partridge (one of a family of seven), Therfield Heath, 24 July

The path that loops round Phillup's Lake from the road between Therfield village and the A10 had become impassable, being blocked by brambles, nettles, thistles and various other stinging and cutting plants. I don't know who is responsible for maintaining it, but they are not doing a very good job! I decided to cut a swathe through this jungle on the 14th. It took 25 minutes and I ended up covered in cuts and scratches (I was wearing shorts). My reward was to see at least six Little Grebes on the lake - at least three adults and three tiny young - suggestive of two pairs having bred on the lake. It is so difficult to count the grebes, because as soon as they sense my presence they dive under the water and head for cover at the side of the lake. However, the baby grebes apparently can't dive at an early stage and don't swim very fast, which makes it easier to count them!

I finally saw my first local Common Darter in Fox Covert on the 27th. Its photo is below, together with a few other images taken locally during an intense period of butterfly photography.

Female Common Darter, Therfield Heath, 27 July

Female Common Blue, 'mariscolore' Variant, Therfield Heath, 24 July

Roosting Chalkhill (Upper Butterfly) and Common Blues, Therfield Heath, 20 July

Painted Lady Wing Detail, Royston, 27 July

On my way to a garden centre I popped in to Dernford Farm Reservoir (Stapleford, Cambs.) on the 30th to look for birds and dragonflies. It was no surprise to see that the lake had almost dried up. A single Redshank was probing the mud here and a group of Lapwings were present, but no other waders could be seen. However, a pale yellow dragonfly on the perimeter path caught my eye and turned out to be a Red-veined Darter. This dragonfly is another continental immigrant, which is becoming more common as a result of climate change. However, numbers vary greatly from year to year. The species is unusual in that if adults mate and drop eggs in the spring, dragonflies can emerge in the same year. Also seen here were several other species, including a mating pair of Common Blue Damselflies, where the head of the female is, unusually, coloured yellow.

Red-veined Darter Dragonfly, Dernford Farm Reservoir, 30 July

Mating Common Blue Damselflies, Dernford Farm Reservoir, 30 July