We have seen the first signs of spring in the last few days at Langford, with temperatures hitting 16C on Thursday! There are now plenty of birds singing and an early morning walk around the site on Thursday last week almost sounded like a spring dawn chorus, with song thrush, blackbird, robin, dunnock, blue tit, great tit, skylark, Cetti's warbler, yellowhammer, chaffinch, greenfinch and reed bunting all singing away. Lapwings were also display calling over Phase 2, little grebes were trilling and I heard the first oystercatcher of the year back over Phase 2.
This was followed up later on in the day with the first butterfly sightings of the year by volunteer Graham Gamage, who spotted two brimstones on site.
Other recent sightings include –
female marsh harrier over silt lagoon 6 on Tuesday
kingfisher on silt lagoon 4
green sandpiper on Phase 1
the large flock of finches/buntings/tits and tree sparrows still by the phase 1 feeders
and just to remind us that it is still winter….the female smew was still present on silt lagoon 6 last Thursday and 4 whooper swans were on silt lagoon 5 on Tuesday.