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On Saturday 22nd March, nineteen members of the group enjoyed a shared car trip to The London Wetland Centre. The day was bright and sunny with a chilly wind.
This was my first visit and my first thought was about how easy it was to get there from Hemel Hempstead (M25, M4/A4, A306), taking only about an hour.
Whilst waiting in the car park for everyone to arrive, we had our first sighting of Ring-Necked Parakeets, a “lifer” for at least one of our party.
As we entered the reserve, I was impressed with the facilities: gift shop, exhibitions, art gallery, In-Focus shop, theatre and café, as well as well-sited , comfortable hides.
It has to be said that, bird-wise, the day was very quiet. We had enjoyed almost a week of warm sunny weather and this had probably prompted the wintering birds to leave on migration. It was still too early for the incoming migrants to have arrived.
We did see one Little Ringed Plover. I caught a fleeting glimpse of a Water Rail and some of our members saw a Water Vole.
This site is owned and run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and, as at Slimbridge, there is a collection of birds from around the world. I particularly enjoyed the close-up views of Long-Tailed Duck, a duck I have seen many times before, but I had never realised how much it’s colours resemble that of the Long-Tailed Tit.
The reserve has played host to many exciting birds, dragonflies, damselflies, bats, amphibians and over 300 moth and butterfly species in its three years history. It seems incredible that one can sit in the reserve and see major landmarks of London and enjoy such a wonderful diversity of wildlife. This was my first trip. It will certainly not be the last!
Paul Green (photographs - Stuart Harrison)
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