Well not quite, but it has been occasionally known for seals to swim up the Trent reaching Cromwell Weir, which lies adjacent to the reserve. This is also the tidal extent of the river, therefore we do get some sea water infiltrating as far as Langford.
However, this morning I had another taste of the coast on site with a first reserve record – a species I usually encounter whilst seawatching off the Lincolnshire coast. I was scanning the lesser black-backed gulls on the old silt lagoon 7, when something flashed past in the bins….a juvenile gannet. The bird was flying north over the silt lagoon when I picked it up, continuing on over Phase 1, before turning north-east and disappearing off into the distance. It was a great few minutes watching this bird drift past and a nice addition to my site list!
It isn’t unusual for seabirds to be blown inland given the right weather conditions and the gale force north-easterlies we have been experiencing in the last week have certainly contributed to several inland records of gannet, great skua, arctic skua and kittiwake in the last few days, including some here in Nottinghamshire.
So, if these weather conditions continue, do keep a look out for any other seabirds that may drop in and do let us know of any sightings.
Juvenile gannet. Mike Langman (rspb-images.com)