It’s been rather quiet here at Langford recently, with very modest numbers of wildfowl and winter thrushes being recorded across the site. The monthly WeBS count last week revealed around 200 each of tufted duck and teal, with smaller numbers of mallard and gadwall and pochard, wigeon and shoveler numbers around the 20 mark. This hasn’t changed this week, with similar numbers of all species. The three goldeneye are nice to see – currently two females and an immature male are around, associating with tufted duck flocks.
Most of the wildfowl are coming out of eclipse now and are looking smashing in their renewed plumages. Take a moment to have a good look at these birds, particularly the males, at this time of year – one of the joys of winter!
The whooper swan remained on Phase 3 for most of last week and one briefly dropped into Phase 1 on Tuesday morning – we don’t often see whoopers at this end of the site.
And as the winter progresses, look out for scarcer species too, with the possibility of goosander and smew on site and if you are being really adventurous, perhaps even a scaup!
Winter thrushes are also slow arriving, with small numbers of redwings and fieldfares flying overhead and feeding in the hedgerows on the western boundary of the site.
We wonder if mild weather on the continent hasn’t pushed many birds west yet – what happens when it does turn cold remains to be seen!
Listen out for Cetti's warblers and water rails too, both have been heard on silt lagoon 6 in the last week.
Also on site this week look out for tit flocks in the woodland – all the common species are present including blue, great and long-tailed tit, but there is also the chance of scarcer species such as coal tit and even maybe marsh or willow tit, both of which have been recorded on site in recent years. Other species often move with tit flocks too, so look out for treecreepers and goldcrests in the vicinity.
It is also a good time of year to see jays, with birds busy collecting acorns to store for the winter. There are at least two birds frequenting the woodland area, often to be seen flying between our woodland and nearby woodland blocks a carrying acorns for storage.
Green woodpeckers have been vocal in the woodland too recently and there is always great spotted woodpeckers in the area, sometimes even up in the Phase 1 scrub area.