Hatfield Forest
A unique forest home to dozens of breeding bird species is well worth putting on your list of birding hotspots to visit
A unique forest brimming with wonderful wildlife, including more than 60 species of bird
Three miles east of Bishop’s Stortford, not to mention just south of London Stansted, Britain’s fourth busiest airport, lies our only remaining intact royal forest. Dating from the Norman Conquest and now owned by the National Trust, the 1,000 acres of Hatfield Forest are a remnant of the once extensive forest of Essex that includes Epping Forest to the south-west, Hainault Forest to the south and Writtle Forest to the east.
Immediately prior to the Conquest, Hatfield was owned by Harold Godwinsson. It passed to the Conqueror after his victory and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The royal forest was created by Henry I around 1100 and royal hunting rights remained until 1446. ‘Forest’ defined an area where deer were kept for hunting and a special law, forest law, applied.
Trees were merely coincidental, subsidiary to the main purpose of hunting, for which Fallow Deer, originally from Sicily, were introduced.
Oliver Rackham, in his book The Last Forest, says: “Hatfield is of supreme interest in that all the elements of a medieval forest survive – deer, cattle, coppice woods, pollards, scrub, timber trees, grassland and fen. As such it is almost certainly unique in England and possibly in the world… The forest owes very little to the last 250 years… Hatfield is the only place where one can step back into the Middle Ages to see, with only a small effort of the imagination, what a forest looked like in use.”
The ecology of the forest is certainly pristine – it is one of largest areas of land in East Anglia which has not been ploughed. There is a wide range of habitats, including coppice woodland, wood pasture, scrub, grassy plains, marsh and lake. The coppices and wood pasture are likely to be managed relics of the original wildwood and provide a refuge for lots of specialised wildlife.
wildlife haven
Among mammals to be seen here are Grey Squirrel, Hedgehog, Rabbit, Fox, Weasel, Fallow Deer and Reeves’ Muntjac. There are Badger setts, though being nocturnal, the animals are rarely seen. Unsurprisingly, eight species of bat are found, with dusk the best time for sightings. Two herds of red poll cattle graze in the traditional manner. Sheep are used as conservation grazers for areas cleared of scrub.
Among the more than 60 species of birds breeding here are Water Rail, Snipe, Stock Dove, Cuckoo, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Marsh Tit, Willow and Grasshopper Warblers, Goldcrest, Nightingale, Bullfinch and Reed Bunting. Raptors such as Sparrowhawk and Buzzard are often seen soaring over the open areas. The woodland areas are home to Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Blue and Great Tits, Robin, Chaffinch, Hawfinch and Greenfinch. Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Linnet and Yellowhammer can often be seen or heard in the scrub. Around the marshy edges of the lake one may find Grey Heron, Moorhen, Kingfisher (occasional) and Reed Warbler. On the lake, depending on the time of year, are Canada and Greylag Geese, Mute Swan, Mallard,
Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant and Coot, with Common Tern and hirundines feeding over the water.
rare species
More than 4,000 species have been recorded at Hatfield – 60% of which are insects. Many species of butterfly can be seen including Purple Hairstreak, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Speckled Wood and Ringlet. A recent coloniser is the beautiful Silver-washed Fritillary. Many nationally rare species of beetle have been discovered at Hatfield, too, including Lesser Stag, longhorn and Rhinoceros Beetles.
The wetland and lake areas also support a diversity of species, and dragonflies are a common sight on warm summer days. One of the larger species to be found here is the Emperor Dragonfly, but also common are the Southern Hawker and other smaller damselflies.
Main tree species are Ash, Hawthorn, Hornbeam, oaks, Hazel and Field Maple. There are more than 800 ancient trees in the wood pasture areas, some more than 1,200 years old. Of note are the huge pollarded oaks and Hornbeams. Mistletoe grows in profusion, especially on the old Hawthorn scrub. A total of 320 species of wildflower have been recorded in the forest, including Common Birdsfoot Trefoil, White Clover, Agrimony, Perforate St John’s-wort, Herb Robert, Sheep’s Sorrell, Common Field Speedwell, Bugle, Selfheal, as well as Pyramidal, Common Spotted and Bee Orchids. The forest also has extensive fields of Meadow Buttercup during late May and early June.
Wetland habitats
West of Bishop’s Stortford, the Rye Meads area contains a variety of wetland habitats and is notable for regular wintering Bittern and breeding Common Tern. A small portion forms the RSPB’s Rye House Marsh reserve and other areas are managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. A complex of marsh, willow scrub, pools, lagoons and reedbed has been supplemented with specially constructed scrapes, while a large part of the area is occupied by sewage treatment ponds. In winter, small numbers of Water Rails are present – best looked for from the hides, as is Bittern. Both are very secretive, but with patience show well. Jack Snipe, Snipe, Green Sandpiper and Water Pipit also winter and may be found by scrutiny of the water’s edge.
Other winterers include Shoveler, Teal, Pochard, Goldeneye, Cormorant (on the North Lagoons) and Grey Wagtail, with Lesser Redpoll and Siskin in Alders. Bearded Tit and Stonechat are irregular visitors. On passage small numbers of Little Ringed Plover, Common and Green Sandpipers, Greenshank, Whinchat, Wheatear and Yellow Wagtail may pass through, with occasional Garganey, Pintail, Teal and Snipe, in late summer, plus occasional rarities. Breeders include Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Water Rail, Little Ringed Plover, Common Tern (which use specially constructed rafts), Turtle Dove, Kingfisher, Kestrel and nine species of warbler including Cetti’s, Sedge, Reed and Grasshopper. Hobby is regular. Other notable flora and fauna include fen vegetation, invertebrates and reptiles.
Ducks in winter
To the north, the picturesque Amwell Nature Reserve consists of disused gravel pits with reedbeds and woodland. Key birds in spring and summer include Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover.
Winter brings ducks (the reserve is a SSSI for wintering Shoveler and Gadwall) including Smew, as well as Bittern. This is the best site in the county for dragonflies, with 19 species recorded, as well as Otter, the local and uncommon Marsh Dock, plus Early and Southern Marsh Orchids.
To the north-west of Amwell, the unique King’s Meads is the largest remaining area of grazed riverside flood meadow in Hertfordshire, where 119 species of bird have been recorded. Summer sees Sky Lark, seven species of breeding warbler including Reed, Yellow Wagtail and Reed Bunting, while winter and spring feature Shoveler, Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal, waders including Snipe and gulls. Other wildlife of mention include 265 species of wildflower and 18 species of dragonfly, as well as a significant population of Short-winged Conehead.
These sites are probably only on the radar of local birders, but prove the worth of exploring further afield within Britain for birding. The attractive market town of Bishops Stortford would make an ideal base for the weekend, 27 miles north-east of central London and 35 miles by rail from Liverpool Street station.