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  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter

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1°C

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Map of Northward Hill

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51.458196,0.544553
  • Grid ref: TQ768765
  • Lat/long: 51.458196,0.544553
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Grey herons at St Albans (Aren't birds brilliant!)Nightingale singingBluebells Hyacinthoides, in bloom Wood of Cree
White-letter hairstreak butterflyMale whitethroat in songMale marsh harrier over reedbed
Flying swallowMigrant hawker dragonfly in flightJay carrying acron
Flock of crows at duskFieldfare in snow with applesMale shoveler dabbling
Photo by Nigel Blake
Photo by Nigel Blake
Photo by Andy Hay
Photo by Steve Round
Photo by Steve Round
Photo by Graham Catley
Photo by Steve Round
Photo by Graham Catley
Photo by Mike Weedon
Photo by Steve Round
Photo by Steve Round

Top things to do in Spring

  1. 250 pairs of grey herons and little egrets nest in the trees in the UK's largest heronry. Nightingales return to the wood in April and sing in dense undergrowth
  2. Carpets of bluebells from mid April-May
  3. Avocets nest on reservoir islands

Top things to do in Summer

  1. Watch out for hobbies hunting dragonflies over the marsh, while marsh harriers quarter the reedbeds
  2. You could see the rare white-letter hairstreak butterfly in the woodland, or turtle doves on overhead wires
  3. See the whitethroat dart rapidly in and out of cover, before heading to the south of the Sahara for the winter

Top things to do in Autumn

  1. Swallows gather around farm buildings. Noisy jays in the wood gather acorns
  2. Migrant hawker and common darter dragonflies can be present in large numbers
  3. Migrating waders such as green and common sandpipers may be seen on the reservoirs

Top things to do in Winter

  1. Redwings and fieldfares can be seen in the orchards below the wood
  2. See the 4,000-strong rook and jackdaw 'spectacular' as they prepare to roost in the wood
  3. Wintering wildfowl like wigeons, teals and shovelers gather on the reservoirs and flooded fields

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