It’s all change here at Langford as the re-development work on Phase 1 continues. With the weather still on our side, our contractors have now started work on silt lagoon 7. This is the first of the reedbed areas to be newly created and incorporated into the existing Phase 1.
But despite all the heavy machinery on site, there are still plenty of good birds around, as I discovered yesterday whilst doing the monthly Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS). Throughout the morning I counted –
74 tufted duck
54 mallard
51 teal
11 mute swan
11 coot
4 moorhen
3 gadwall
1 great crested grebe
2 green sandpiper
2 snipe
2 kingfisher
5 grey heron
2 little egret
15 black headed gull
6 wigeon – the first of the year to arrive back at Langford
and….
1 bittern!
It’s been 4 months since I’ve seen at bittern on site, so this was a well overdue glimpse of our star species. It is great to know that a bird is still present on site, despite the work on Phase 1.
Also on site this week we have a regular hunting kestrel along the central track, jays on the public footpath and in the woodland, the first of the winter thrushes have arrived with a flock of fieldfare seen by Michael on Sunday and the last of the year’s butterflies are still hanging on with several red admirals battling the windy conditions out on Phase 2 yesterday.