Hertfordshire Hedge Layer

I was on the road towards Dagnall, and parked up because I spotted that some hedge-laying was being carried out, and I thought I would simply capture a few shots of the work, but, having parked in front of a gate, I spotted a red kite very low above some bushes across the road. So, my subject for the camera was in that moment no longer the hedge!

I then concentrated on trying to capture the red kite, but although I persevered, it and later its five colleagues, never came anywhere near so close. It was during this time that I heard the sound of a motor ticking over nearby, and I soon realised that my parking of the car obstructed a pickup hoping to leave the field. I rushed over and apologised to the driver and duly moved it out of his way. I returned to trying to capture shots of the kites. By now it was getting ever colder and also the sun was spending more of its time obscured by cloud, so I gave in and returned to the car.

I then noticed that the man to whom I had been talking was now parked up along the road I was about to return on, and he was the hedge layer! I parked against the verge beyond his vehicle and turned on the hazard warning lights and asked whether he minded my taking photos of him, he had no objections, so I tried to get a few shots as he worked the wood that was on the back of his pickup into the hedge. We chatted as I did so, and I learnt that he claimed to be no expert but that the style of his laying was known as Hertfordshire hedge-laying, and that the farm for which he worked had been doing a new section of the boundaries each year, and maintaining past years’ work; all in the aid of providing habitat for wildlife and keeping the fields secure.

I hope to return later on a finer day in the hope of capturing some decent shots of the kites and buzzards that seem to be local to that location.