Every month, long-term Langford Lowfields volunteer Stuart Carlton carries out our Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) count. It provides an excellent record of the species we have on the reserve and gives us a good indication of how bird numbers change from year to year, as well as how they change with the seasons. The latest survey carried out on 23/07/2017 produced the following counts:
Mallard
73
Teal
5
Lesser Black-backed gull
1
Black-headed gull
100
Common tern
15
Lapwing
120
Oyster catcher
6
Avocet
2
Grey heron
7
Mute swan
20
Tufted duck
30
Little egret
14
Coot
61
Common sandpiper
Green sandpiper
Herring gull
Great crested grebe
8
Cormorant
Kingfisher
Greylag goose
33
Black tailed godwit
10
Canada goose
24
Ringed plover
4
Moorhen
A good variety of species were seen, with the range of wading birds being of particular interest. One of the two avocets recorded was a juvenile, this is the 13th young avocet to have fledged at Langford Lowfields this year. A record number for the site! Combined with the other major success stories this year; The highest number of water rails (22) ever recorded during the annual survey, a nightingale singing in the woodland for three weeks in May, a bittern booming from the middle of Phase 2 for almost five weeks (May-June) and the recent sightings of two newly-fledged bearded tits (from the boardwalk 22/07/17 and in front of the Beach Hut 18/07/17) its clear that Langford is going from strength to strength. With the reserve only getting bigger and better over the next few decades, so these amazing wildlife success stories will keep on coming.
Photo below taken by Stuart Carlton at Langford in June 2017 of an adult avocet with its chicks.