Mother Nature at Father Christmas time in the Bishop’s Stortford area

In no way has nature been additional essential to our wellbeing than now, for the duration of but a different type of lockdown at the end of this demanding year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It truly is not achievable for everyone to get out and about and take in the flora and fauna domestically, but a picture can be the upcoming best factor – and no just one does that better than the Stortford Mother nature Facebook team.

We invited users to ship us a picture on the concept of “Mother nature at Xmas”, to be taken in just a five-mile radius of Bishop’s Stortford on any working day concerning Xmas Eve and Sunday (Dec 27).

Swans at Southmill Lock on the River Stort at dusk on Christmas Eve by Mariko Ward, of Bishop’s Stortford
Swans at Southmill Lock on the River Stort at dusk on Xmas Eve by Mariko Ward, of Bishop’s Stortford

We’ve picked out the best to appear as a double-website page distribute in this week’s (Dec thirty) version of the Bishop’s Stortford Unbiased – and in this article they are, far too, with a handful of additional that failed to very make it into print.

Whilst most of the photos were being taken out and about at spots which include the River Stort, Grange Paddocks, Thorley Clean Mother nature Reserve, Hatfield Forest and Pishiobury Park in Sawbridgeworth, a couple of the photographers were being capable to venture no further than their individual again gardens to connect with nature.

Most of the photos are of birds ­– and what a diverse selection they are, featuring a kingfisher, buzzard, tiny egret, stonechat, herons, swans, goldfinches and robins, which include a vintage shot of a spherical robin on a snow-topped fence on Xmas Working day. The ages of the 10 photographers highlighted in our photograph gallery vary from 14 to 81.