2025's final wild wander.

This week, the wildlife is hidden deep in the foliage.

The temperature has finally dropped, turning last week’s wet mud into a chewy brown surface that allows me to move silently along the trail. Handy, because the birds are particularly skittish today.

This is due to the hordes of visitors to Fowlmere, many of them power-walking around while loudly discussing their loved ones’ personal business. They are, of course, entitled to do this. Just as I am entitled to wait until they have passed and do a little scowl to myself.

Thankfully, the plants are as obliging as ever. I spot this Mistletoe from hundreds of metres away and it stays put as I approached.

I wonder if there’s a Flowerology post about it and of course, there is! It goes far beyond my rudimentary knowledge that the word mistletoe comes from the Old English for ‘sh*t stick’.

The hedgerows are adorned with Hawthorn berries, rather nicely set off by the ‘Old Man’s Beard’ that catches the light. Beard, also known as Traveller’s Joy, is a climbing member of the buttercup family.

And although less attractive, the black berries of Ivy are some of the most calorie-dense food available to birds in winter, so it’s good to see them thriving among their more vibrant counterparts.

There’s a female Blackcap in here somewhere, I promise.

Blackcaps are here in some number. Ours head south for winter, but we get an influx of Scandinavian birds in their place. Like many other warblers, they switch from insects to berries throughout winter, so they’ve come to the right place.

The ‘skewered sausage’ flowers of Great Reedmace are looking especially glorious today, too. I admire them for a while, when I notice a flurry of activity near the ground.

The Blue Tits that used to dangle from berry bushes over pathways have retreated into the reeds, where the swaying stems keep them hidden from view.

In the trees next to the reserve, hundreds of Redwings and Fieldfares are chattering noisily to each other.

Despite being too loud to miss, they are several layers of foliage deep and incredibly hard to photograph. This is my only Fieldfare of the year.

Every now and then, the chattering suddenly gives way to an eerie silence. I wonder what has spooked them – then spot this Sparrowhawk looking accusingly at me from the far side of the woods.

In a bid for some more of that lovely quiet, I head to the ‘boring’ hide. The Mallards are there as usual, preening and dabbling and squabbling among themselves. The odd parent comes in with a kid and says ‘Look, ducks!’ and then leaves.

I rarely see much in this hide. Around 20 years ago I saw a Turtle Dove here (my only Turtle Dove), and there have been Water Voles on the odd occasion. Neither are likely today, but it’s so tranquil so I stay a while.

And today, of course, is the day that one of our loudest yet most illusive warblers decides to show up. Unannounced by it’s usual explosive call, it hops into view maybe 4m away. A lovely little Cetti’s Warbler.

An almost perfect circle! This is almost as surprising as the out-of-season Reed Warbler I spotted last week. It shouldn’t be, as Cetti’s Warblers do spend winter here. But they’re so damn hard to spot!

While Cetti’s are only seen if they allow themselves to be seen, Grey Herons stand at over 1m tall and have a 2m wingspan. This one was, I’m sure, trying to sneak away unseen. ‘Trying’.

At this point, the sound of engines running told me that the carpark was full and someone who would enjoy themselves even surrounded by other people would probably appreciate my parking space. I was happy to oblige!

A quick snap of this little one – a Wren – and that’s it for me at Fowlmere in 2025.

While we’re here…

Thank you for reading! I turned to Substack as a creative outlet after I was made redundant in March and it’s just been the loveliest experience. I’m enjoying sharing my imperfect photography and artwork and I’m constantly inspired by everything I see here. Thank you for every read, like, comment and restack. Have a wonderful turn of the year… see you in 2026!

Gem