Nights are getting slightly longer, berries are appearing on hawthorn bushes and combine harvesters are busy at work….autumn really is in full swing now, especially if you are a wader. Here at Langford we get several different wader species passing through the reserve each autumn. So far this year we have recorded up to 5 green sandpipers, 4 common sandpipers, 3 greenshanks, 2 black-tailed godwits and 3 ruff.
Not a bad haul, however today I was pleased to add another two species to that list and indeed to my Langford site list as well! This morning I received a phone call from volunteer Graham Gamage with news of a summer plumaged grey plover on silt lagoon 7. A quick trip down there soon produced the bird, as it flew from behind an island into full view in the middle of the lagoon. And what a stunning looking specimen, with it’s jet black face, breast and belly area and mottled black and white upperparts, giving the impression of grey colouration from a distance.
As I made my way down onto Phase 2, I was delighted to see our two fledged avocet youngsters with one parent bird and several little egrets feeding, when something caught my eye. A quick look through the binoculars revealed a juvenile spotted redshank. A lovely looking bird, it differs from a common redshank by having longer legs and bill, darker plumage on the undersides and an obvious white patch between the bill base and eye.
Also on site this week – 2 marsh harriers yesterday seen by volunteer Jim Parsons, Wall butterfly on Tuesday seen by volunteer Graham Gamage and juvenile yellow wagtails on Phase 2.