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Joe Harris (RSPB Langford Lowfields Site Manager)

Following on from the October WeBS (which counted the highest total number of birds on a WeBS since they started at Langford back in 2012), November provided another record breaking month. With barnacle goose (probably a feral one) and purple sandpiper being counted for the first time on a Wetland Bird Survey and in fact this is the first time a purple sandpiper has ever been recorded at Langford, making it the 222nd bird species found on site! Still massive numbers of greylag geese on the reserve and loads of great white egrets. It's nice to see pintail and goldeneye numbers starting to build and having whooper swans and pink-footed goose at Langford is always a sporadic wintery treat.

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Total

Black-headed Gull

1

30

31

Canada Goose

6

52

10

68

Coot

2

97

99

Cormorant

2

1

37

40

Gadwall

4

83

87

Goldeneye

5

5

Great Crested Grebe

1

10

11

Great White Egret

5

21

26

Grey Heron

2

6

17

25

Greylag Goose

475

690

1165

Kingfisher

2

2

Little Egret

4

7

11

Little Grebe

1

4

5

Mallard

23

67

16

106

Mute Swan

1

5

6

Pochard

6

8

14

Shelduck

7

7

Teal

11

185

196

Tufted Duck

15

31

60

106

Water Rail

2

3

5

Great Black-backed Gull

2

2

Curlew

9

9

Lapwing

40

40

Wigeon

106

106

Pintail

10

10

Shoveler

80

80

Pink Footed Goose

1

1

Whooper Swan

8

8

Purple Sandpiper

1

1

Snipe

1

1

Barnacle Goose

1

1

Moorhen

2

2

Other recent sightings of note have included 6 fly-over hawfinches, a heard-only snow bunting, shelduck, bittern, green sandpiper, dunlin, stonechats, 4 marsh harriers and last night we had a substantial murmuration of c.20000 starlings, which started to build from about 15.30.

Photos below. Wintery sunlight on the reedbed [Stuart Carlton] and a record shot of the fairly elusive purple sandpiper [James Wilkinson].