Paul, Stuart and I completed the monthly Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) this morning, on a beautiful clear and calm winter’s day – it was even warm in the sun from mid-morning, after a frosty start! Overall numbers of wildfowl are still low, but selected species seem to be more numerous than previous winters. Here are this morning’s results….
202 tufted duck
118 wigeon – good number for Langford
108 teal
83 mallard
48 shoveler – the most I’ve ever known here
42 gadwall
40 pochard – good number
5 goldeneye
2 shelduck
8 mute swan
2 whooper swan
2 greylag goose
1 canada goose
155 coot
9 moorhen
4 great crested grebe
4 little grebe
55 lapwing
16 snipe
2 green sandpiper
7 grey heron
5 little egret
10 cormorant
1 water rail
899 black-headed gull
2 great black-backed gull
1 common gull
Also this morning there were several skylark on Phase 3 – I’m expecting them to start singing on warm days any time now, grey wagtail over Phase 3 and a Langford rarity, seen by Paul over Phase 1 – a pair of collared doves.