Follow in footsteps of Bishop’s Stortford nature expert Jono Forgham on a circular walk from Bat Willow Hurst Country Park

Nature Notes columnist Jono Forgham covers your fortnightly look at nature around Bishop’s Stortford

New Year’s Day dawned bright and unseasonably warm, so out early for a wander north of the town, beginning at Bat Willow Hurst Country Park.

Once parked in the car park, I picked up the footpath that heads north along the River Stort, but not before I had enjoyed watching a charm of goldfinches feeding on the teasel heads that abound on this site. Always a lovely bird to watch and listen to. I fired off several shots in the early morning light.

The path goes under the A120 bridge. On the right, willow scrub down to the river whilst on the left, open meadows grazed by horses. One particular horse watched me inquisitively as I went through a gate into the open field. A little egret flew overhead as magpies clacked from a dead oak. The field here was partially flooded, so I scanned for any small birds, such as snipe and pied wagtails, feeding at the water’s edge, but just several moorhens wandering about.

The river was fast flowing and full, and at one spot I had to climb over a barbed wire fence as the footpath was underwater. The amount of litter in the river was dreadful, well over 40 plastic bottles and several abandoned and deflated footballs. A wren called from dense vegetation as a kestrel darted for cover, posing nicely for a photo. A female who seemed very confiding as I crept closer for more shots.

After another few hundred yards, the path emerges onto Gypsy Lane near the old farm buildings. I took a right along the lane towards Stansted. Here the trees were all covered in ivy, so I checked for roosting tawny owls. Often, the easiest way to find them is to listen for birds such as blackbirds and great tits alarm calling and flying around a specific tree. Usually, this mobbing behaviour is to disturb the owl and make it move on. No such activity was noted here before I arrived at the junction with the road into Stansted.

I backtracked to Forest Hall Road and on the left here is a footpath that follows Stansted Brook. A lovely habitat. Blue tits, robins, a mistle thrush and more magpies before a colourful jay flew off from one of the oaks.

Another tree species here was some impressive beech which I estimated to be in excess of 150 years old. At the base of one tree trunk was a slate-grey bracket fungus, Ganoderma australe. This looked like it had been growing here for a fair few years and is always found growing on beech.

Normally on my wanders I encounter few fellow ramblers, but today there were plenty of folk making the most of the dry weather and the wonderful footpath network we have around the town. I took a short break to see if any kingfishers were about but none were noted, so I continued along the path and arrived at Stoney Common Road.

Taking a left turn took me over the railway bridge, with good views of Stansted windmill, before arriving back on the main road adjacent to The Bell pub. Here another left as I headed back towards Stortford before taking a quiet lane on the right. This is Limekiln Lane.

A party of mixed bird species were busy feeding on low branches. By now, the light was greyer than when I set off so more difficult to get some sharp photos. Through my binoculars I recorded long-tailed tits, blue tits, a solitary great tit and, most pleasingly, a goldcrest. Normally these tiny birds are constantly on the move, but this one stayed still just long enough to enable me to grab a few record shots before it was off again. It is not uncommon to find birds gathering together in winter, especially smaller birds such as these. They may even all roost together on colder nights to keep themselves insulated against the frost. They will use nest boxes and holes in trees to squeeze into.

A little further along, a very muddy field where, again, I scanned for wagtails, but just a selection of carrion crows and jackdaws. The lane here was flooded, so I slipped along the muddy grass verge for a while before rejoining the tarmac. A badger “Roman road” headed across a field, easy to identify by the footprints in the mud showing the five toes that a badger has, as opposed to the four that are found on a fox.

I arrived at Watermill Lane on the left and headed downhill. Here there is a small conservation area and, again, looked good for owls, but they were not in evidence as I passed. At the bottom of the hill I came across the River Stort again. Moorhens on the lawn of a house. A pair of common buzzards mewed overhead as I now headed uphill towards Farnham cricket ground. Some splendid oaks here, again in excess of 150 years old, I think. A robin sang from the top of a hedge as a male yellowhammer flew off just as I was about to get a photo. Fortunately it landed nearby and, in good light, made for a pleasing photo.

The lane meets the road to Manuden at The Three Horseshoes pub and nearby is a small farm pond where another robin was in full voice. A moorhen dashed over the surface and into bullrushes as I approached.

A footpath heads south through the farmyard of Hazel End Farm and Vineyard. In a field of horses were several jackdaws and in the distance from a wood, a great spotted woodpecker called. Once through the yard the path opens out onto open fields with the wood on the right. A barn owl box has been put up here, near the vines. I checked underneath for any pellets which may indicate the box was in use, but none were found. A skylark flew by, trilling merrily.

I looked into the wood as another woodpecker called. Mainly hornbeam, oak and hazel and it looked to be well managed. The gnarled hornbeams looked to have been coppiced many years ago whilst the rows of hazel had received their coppicing more recently. It is a private wood, so I didn’t enter.

On the horizon, the new housing estate appeared to be crawling closer to Hazel End with St Michael’s Church spire in the distance. As I approached Hazelend Road a flock of siskins could be heard calling, but I didn’t manage to see them.

Soon I was back at the car park and thought a quick wander around the country park would be a good finish. The siskins had alighted in an alder tree near Michaels Road. Some came down to lower cones to feed. I noted the huge number of berries present here, almost all rosehips and guelder rose. Both are used by several species of moths which feed upon them so I planned to return after dark to see what I could find. Yet another robin sang from one rosehip bush, permitting a fairly close-up photo.

I returned to the car park after dark in persistent drizzle and checked the berries with a head torch. No moths were feeding as maybe I was too early, but upon checking the tree trunks I came across plenty of resting male winter moths. They congregate on trunks as the female is flightless. She emerges from the leaf litter and crawls up the trunk, emitting pheromones which will attract the males. These females usually emerge later in the evening so the males just hang around and wait. In the space of 15 minutes I must have seen over 300 specimens.

As I checked these trunks, I also looked for other invertebrates. All I came across was a large snail, Cornu aspersum, the common garden snail. This was tucked away in a crack in the bark. I managed a few flash photos.

Now dripping wet and trying to keep my camera dry, I headed back to the car. This had been a wonderful walk, one that I haven’t done for a few years. After the hectic festive period it was lovely to be out and about again. The last time I wandered along this route I had issues with nettles along the riverbank, this time it was flood water. Maybe I should try again in the summer to see if it’s more open and passable without hindrance.

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