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Joe Harris (RSPB Langford Lowfields Site Manager)

Regular blog readers will have just recovered from the excitement of reading the March WeBS summary only to be overwhelmed with this April one. We seem to have an exotic menagerie forming with the Egyptian geese being joined by a couple of Cape shelduck...

P1

P2

P3

Total

Gadwall

3

10

26

39

Mallard

10

13

17

40

Teal

5

21

26

Pochard

3

2

5

Tufted duck

28

27

73

128

Great crested grebe

6

8

11

25

Little egret

2

1

3

Cormorant

2

1

4

7

Moorhen

3

2

5

Coot

13

11

85

109

Kingfisher

1

1

Mute swan

1

5

58

64

Whooper swan

1

1

Black headed gull

3

2

32

37

Canada goose

19

14

18

51

Greylag goose

25

47

8

80

Bittern

1

1

Avocet

1

2

3

Grey Heron

1

1

Shoveler

22

22

Lapwing

3

3

Egyptian goose

3

3

Goldeneye

2

2

Wigeon

1

1

Shelduck

2

2

Cape Shelduck

2

2

Oystercatcher

1

1

Little ringed plover

2

2

Great black backed gull

1

1

The two common shelduck... apparently the name comes from the middle English word sheld meaning pied. Photo taken by Stuart Carlton

A good selection of wading birds have been moving through the site, making the most of the muddy margins on Phase 3. All 10 of our breeding warblers have now been heard singing, cuckoos have been cuckooing, swallows have been swallowing, despite the lack of cowpats - cowslips are everywhere and there are tadpoles in one of the new amphibian ponds!!