August WeBS count

Summer is over, Autumn is here and so we're getting a good range of migrating, long-legged, mud-loving, wading birds dropping into the reserve. So far we've had black-tailed godwit (lots!), dunlin, ringed plover, green sandpiper, golden plover, greenshank, turnstone, curlew, common sandpiper, Temminck's stint, ruff, whimbrel, curlew sandpiper, little stint and sanderling... Not bad... Most of the waders drop into Phase 3, the southern-most part of the reserve, which can be reached via a 20 minute walk along the Sustrans Route 64 track, which passes the car park, just keep following this track around the southern boundary of the site and then switch onto the footpath when you get to the point where the Sustran Route veers off. A scope is recommended for looking at Phase 3! 

As for the August WeBS count, a number of wading birds were picked up as well as a few other species of note including great white egrets and red crested pochards. 

[P1 = Phase 1      P2 = Phase 2     P3 = Phase 3]

As well as birds, Langford is brilliant for insects too, not only because of the abundance of wildflowers growing here, but because we still have lots of fairly bare, sandy areas which are great for things like burrowing wasps to dig down into. Autumn is a great time to see dragonflies at Langford and hobbies are being seen semi-regularly at the moment (May is the peak time for them though) as they head back down south and stop off to tuck into the dragonfly buffett.

Couple of beautiful insect photos taken by Stuart Carlton, common blue butterfly (top) and spotted longhorn beetle (below)