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 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 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 decide that it was 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 more 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

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