I visit at all times of year, since it is my local patch so to speak. There are photos here from two summers and winters ago, as I haven't gotten round to uploading photos taken in the last six months or so.
Panoramic view of Amwell Nature Reserve, with my mum, Hattie.
Hertfordshire, May 2014
Wild red fox
Vulpes vulpes crucigera (Bechstein, 1789)
Canidae; Carnivora; Mammalia; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, March 2013
Some mammals to start with. I saw this fox in broad daylight in the fields adjoining the nature reserve, probably taking advantage of the many rabbits that abound in this area.
Wild Reeves' muntjac
Muntiacus reevesi (Ogilby, 1839)
Cervidae; Artiodactyla; Mammalia; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, May 2014
It's not too unusual to see Reeves' muntjac around in these parts but during the day is unusual (for me at least), and also oddly enough, I think this deer was on an island! The waters around it must be shallow, as the grey heron in the background shows. Reeves' muntjac are not native to the UK, being introduced from China, having escaped into the wild from Woburn and Whipsnade deer parks in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Wild eastern grey squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin, 1788
Sciuridae; Rodentia; Mammalia; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, June 2013
A grey squirrel at the feeders by the James hide, a great place to see small birds, and some mammals, without disturbing them.
The author with Konik ponies
Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758
Equidae; Cetartiodactyla; Mammalia; Chordata
Amwell Nature Reserve, June 2013
Here I am with two of the reserves Konik ponies, before and after being bitten on the arm by one. When they're not biting bloggers, they are seen grazing the reserve. They are semi-wild, being a breed of domestic horse selected for its similarities to the ancestral tarpan (the now extinct wild horse that gave rise to all domestic horses and ponies). The Koniks are very hardy and not very tame, as evidenced by the bite.
Female (left) and male northern shoveler
Anas clypeata Linnaeus, 1758
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, March 2014
Male gadwall
Anas strepera Linnaeus, 1758
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, March 2014
Greylag goose
Anser anser anser (Linnaeus, 1758)
Anatidae; Anseriformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, March 2014
There are many wildfowl species to be seen at Amwell. Residents include the feral greylag geese that probably descended from farmyard geese (which themselves originally descended from truly wild greylag geese!) and mallards. Gadwalls and shovelers are more common in winter, as are teal, pochard and wigeon.
Common gull
Larus canus Linnaeus, 1758
Laridae; Charadriiformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, March 2014
Many species of gull congregate on the reserve and its surrounding waters, including black-headed, herring, and lesser black-backed gulls. I rarely see other types, but this common gull was an exception. Despite its name, common gulls are not all that common in southern Britain, preferring northern parts of the country.
Common tern
Sterna hirundo Linnaeus, 1758
Sternidae; Charadriiformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, June 2013
Common terns are summer visitors to Britain, breeding on shingle islands and artificial tern rafts in fresh water bodies, unlike most other British terns, which are pretty much exclusively coastal. The reserve is absolutely buzzing with common terns in June, being seen over the gravel pits themselves (as this one can be seen bathing in the shallows of), or over the River Lea navigation among the barges.
Little ringed plover
Charadrius dubius Scopoli, 1786
Charadriidae; Charadriiformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, May 2014
Many wader species can be found at Amwell, common ones including snipe (Gallinago gallinago), redshank (Tringa totanus), and lapwing (Vanellus vanellus). The little ringed plover is a summer visitor to Britain from Africa, being found in gravelly areas like former gravel pits, but are often hard to spot because of their size and awesome camouflage. If it weren't for the yellow eye ring it would have gone unnoticed by me!
Common moorhen
Gallinula chloropus chloropus Linnaeus, 1758
Rallidae; Gruiformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, March 2014
Juvenile Eurasian coot swimming among mare's tail (Hippuris vulgaris)
Fulica atra atra Linnaeus, 1758
Rallidae; Gruiformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, May 2014
Britain's most common rail species are the common moorhen and Eurasian coot. These birds are often mistaken for ducks because of their shape when seen on the water surface, but their long-toed feet reveal their allies with other rails. Both are found in all sorts of fresh water bodies, from urban park ponds to expansive wetlands. Both start out life as little fluff balls with ginormous feet and colourful faces, with the colour becoming limited to the beak in the moorhen, and turning to white in the coot.
Grey heron
Ardea cinerea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758
Ardeidae; Pelecaniformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, March 2014
Semi-submerged grey heron
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, June 2013
Grey herons are normally very elegant birds, taking fish and other aquatic prey from the water's edge. The heron in the lower photo apparently felt the urge to go right into the pond. I felt concerned for the bird's ability to fly out again, as its feathers would be waterlogged.
Dunnock
Prunella modularis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Prunellidae; Passeriformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, March 2014
The dunnock, or hedge sparrow, is a common European accentor, a group of birds endemic to Eurasia that look somewhat like sparrows. It is mainly a ground feeder, preferring not to visit bird tables but to eat crumbs that have fallen from above, which this bird seems to have been doing. I always found them difficult to photograph, as they are fast-moving and prefer darker environments. This was my first opportunity to photograph an otherwise-occupied dunnock.
Cetti's warbler
Cettia cetti (Temminck, 1820)
Cettiidae; Passeriformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, March 2014
Cetti's warblers are more often heard than seen. Their explosive song can be heard in wetlands mainly in spring and summer but as they are resident, they can be heard, and potentially seen, year-long. I caught this Cetti's warbler completely by chance. I was trying to focus on a wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) that was perched in exactly the same spot, when the wren flew off and was instantly replaced by the Cetti's warbler. My slow reflexes, instead of catching the wren, caught the Cetti's warbler the instant it perched. This was also the day I saw a kingfisher in the same reed bed, but got no decent photographs. Still, the Cetti's warbler was a perfect compromise.
Sedge warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Acrocephalidae; Passeriformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, May 2014
Sedge warblers are another bird that is more often heard than seen, frequenting British reed beds during the summer. They can be distinguished from the similar reed warbler (A. scirpaceus) by the white supercilium (eye brow).
Male reed bunting
Emberiza schoeniclus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Emberizidae; Passeriformes; Aves; Chordata
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, March 2014
Reed buntings are seen the year round in Britain in reed beds. Males have the black head and chest patch, while females look rather sparrow-like.
Mayfly
Ephemera danica Müller, 1764
Ephemeridae; Ephemeroptera; Insecta; Arthropoda
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, May 2014
Mayflies are known for one thing, unless you're a fisherman or a biologist. Their incredibly short lifespan. This is partly true - as an adult, mayflies last for about a day, maximum two days. They do, however, spend the vast majority of their lives in the water as a nymph. The nymphs have the three cerci (tails) that the adult has, but lack wings, otherwise looking vaguely similar to damselfly nymphs. Before becoming a fully-fledged adult, mayflies go through a winged sexually immature phase known as the subimago. This was the first mayfly I've seen in its adult stage.
Common scorpionfly
Panorpa communis Linnaeus, 1758
Panorpidae; Mecoptera; Insecta; Arthropoda
Wild at Amwell Nature Reserve, Hertfordshire, June 2013
One last insect for you, a scorpionfly. The rear portion of its abdomen vaguely resembles a scorpion's tail, but is completely non-venomous. It is a holometabolous insect (one which goes through the life cycle of egg > larva > pupa > adult), never really straying far from the place it pupated.
Next, the London Wetland Centre.
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