I had a productive walk around the reserve this morning conducting my monthly perimeter check on what can only be described as a beautiful day! So I set off with the sun shining, blue skies, a gentle breeze and temperatures in double figures and I was hopeful for some good birds – I wasn’t disappointed….
First sighting of the day was a large tit and finch flock moving it’s way through the woodland, no doubt feeding on plentiful insects in the mild weather. Blue, great and long tailed tits were joined by chaffinches, a treecreeper and a great spotted woodpecker.
A male goldeneye on silt lagoon 3 was accompanied by numerous tufted ducks and a group of 10 pochard were on silt lagoon 5. However it was a stunning shelduck on silt lagoon 6 that really caught my attention, the first I have seen back at Langford since their autumn disappearance.
The scrub by the Phase 1 viewing screen was alive with birds as I counted upwards of 200 fieldfare and redwing, along with approximately 100 finches, tits and buntings including greenfinch, chaffinch, bullfinch, blue tit, great tit, reed bunting and a minimum of 14 tree sparrows.
A green sandpiper was on Phase 3 and a small flock of 5 linnet and 4 grey partridge were on Phase 2, as well as up to 50 wigeon, 50 teal and a pair of shoveler.
Birds of prey were showing well today with a kestrel hunting over Phase 2, a buzzard over the woodland and not one, but two stunning looking peregrines perched up on the bank between Phase 3 and the excavation area.
Not bad for a days work!