Is everyone enjoying this taste of summer today? With temperatures hitting 22C, a warm breeze and not a cloud in the sky, lets hope it continues. However, despite the glorious weather today, it’s been a very slow spring this year so far. The cold temperatures, torrential rain and high winds have delayed bird migration, insect emergence and plants flowering. Last week though, I finally got out to record some insects and…

What are these structures on this fence post out in Phase 1. The post is in the water, about 1m out from the edge of the bank and there are up to 15 groups of them on the post. The length of the top group is about 3cm and the width is 0.5cm. Answer to follow next week....

Waders have featured highly on the list of Langford highlights recently, with both black and bar-tailed godwits, common sandpiper, dunlin, whimbrel and the regulars including little ringed plover, ringed plover, redshank, oystercatcher and lapwing.

So yesterday accompanied by some of our regional staff, we made our way around site, expecting to pick up some good birds. The sand martins put on an excellent show as always…

Can anyone tell me what these red marks are on this sycamore leaf, Acer pseudoplatanus? The marks are about 2mm in height and can cover much of the leaf. They are abundant in the woodland and some can be seen from the public footpath.

It's been a pretty poor spring so far for insects, with cold temperatures, heavy rain and strong winds. However, today has been a little warmer and sunnier and I got out onto site to do some long overdue recording. Here some of the day's finds....

Pyrochroa serraticornis, or the red-headed cardinal beetle. A common member of the Order Coleoptera (beetles) and Family Pyrochroidae (the cardinal beetles).

Sialis…

After two weeks of hard work preparing for the RSPB Council visit, an update of recent sightings is well overdue! Bird wise, we have picked up some nice species in the last couple of weeks, with regular waders including little ringed plover, ringed plover, redshank, oystercatcher and lapwing and more scarce visitors such as three beautiful breeding plumaged dunlin on silt lagoon 7, a common sandpiper on the balancing…

It’s been a busy two weeks here at Langford, with our monthly volunteer Sunday work party held on the 7^th and a visit by the RSPB Council on the following Sunday, the 13^th.

Volunteer Sunday saw our highest attendance ever, with 19 people arriving for a morning’s work in the polytunnel and the annual bird race in the afternoon. The group soon got to work weeding out the reed trays, an important job that gives the…

Can anyone tell me what this swelling is on the stem of creeping thistle, Cirsium arvense. This is last year's plant and the swelling is around 30mm long and 15mm wide at it's widest point. Answer next week....

After what seems like weeks of rain and grey skies, the sun finally managed to shine yesterday and what a glorious day it was, reaching 18C! So, what better way to spend an hour than conducting a butterfly transect, the first proper one I have been able to do this year.

Starting on the Phase 1 grassland at 12.20, I made my way northwards to the bottom end of the balancing pond, recording peacock, brimstone and orange…

It’s amazing what half an hour out on site at Langford can produce! Today volunteers Dave Watt, Sarah Bird and myself had spent all day working in the polytunnel finishing off the reed propagation bays and building and fitting new doors, when we decided - late afternoon - that it was time for a quick look out on site.

Making our way around Phase 2, we noticed a small, slim and very fast falcon hunting over the…

What are these structures on the lateral and terminal leaf buds of pedunculate oak, Quercus robur? This is a young tree by the edge of silt lagoon 6. The structures are around 10mm in diameter, but beware - they are not usually this size! Look out for the answer next week....

Myself and volunteer Sarah Bird were out on site bright and early this morning for the weekly breeding bird survey. And what a lovely morning it was, with the sun shining, clear skies and not a breath of wind – somewhat of a nice change from the torrential rain we have been experiencing in the last couple of weeks!

April and May are my favourite months of the year, I love listening and looking out for new migrants…

Chesterfield RSPB Local Members Group made their annual spring field trip this morning and were rewarded with a bumper crop of spring migrants!

A trail had already been blazed by regulars Julie Straw, John Ellis and Graham Gamage, who informed me of sightings of lesser whitethroat, sedge warbler, reed warbler and garganey.  Just as she was leaving site, Julie also picked up a cuckoo too.

The group managed to see or hear…

What has made these marks in the wood of this tree found in our woodland this morning? You are looking at the marks in the centre of the picture, with the long horizontal one measuring about 5cm in length and the total width from top to bottom being around 6cm. I'm not going to say the species of tree, as that would give it away! Look out for the answer next week....

This morning the weather was horrendous! Heavy rain, strengthening wind and cold temperatures (not what was forecast!) made the Breeding Bird Survey rather miserable. However, whilst sat next to silt lagoon 6 I couldn’t help but take in the beautiful dawn chorus that was unfolding around me, despite the poor weather conditions.

Reed buntings, yellowhammers, willow warblers, blackcaps, Cetti’s warblers, sedge…

Another busy week has gone by and as we move yet further into spring, more and more wildlife is making it’s first appearance of 2012. It has admittedly been rather cool lately, with daytime temperatures only reaching a chilly 10C and dropping to below 0C at night.

However, this doesn’t seem to have stopped the insects too much, as I was delighted to see my first orange-tip butterfly (or Anthocharis carda…

Can anyone tell me what this slimy, jelly-like substance is that was found on grassland around the silt lagoons? There were several pieces of this in the vicinity and each patch is about 5cm in diameter. Answer next week....

I conducted the monthly Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) yesterday morning in glorious sunshine, but almost gale force winds! WeBS starts to get somewhat quieter from April onwards as the vast majority of our winter wildfowl has moved off site and returned to their more northerly breeding grounds. However, all is not lost as it can be an exciting time with migrants stopping off to feed on site and our own breeding populations…

What has caused these black thread-like structures under the bark of this old felled sycamore, Acer pseudoplatanus, log? The black sheet-like growth attached to the threads is also part of it and the whole structure extends throughout much of the log which is around 1 metre long. Look out for the answer next week....

After the beautiful weather we have been experiencing recently, it seems that winter is back today with gale force winds, near freezing temperatures and heavy rain and sleet - not so much April showers, but April downpours! However, despite the poor weather, the birds weren’t deterred yesterday morning as volunteer Sarah Bird and myself made our way around the reserve early morning conducting a breeding bird survey…

As predicted, Langford's new landscaping is proving attractive for both passage and potential breeding waders.

This afternoon we saw the following on site:

• Six golden plovers, including two in beatiful summer plumage
• Two ringed plovers
• Two little ringed plovers
• Two oystercatchers
• Two redshanks
• A green sandpiper

Also on site were around 50 sand martins, a willow warbler, two little egrets and 5 shelduc…

Maybe it was the glorious weather, or maybe it was the opportunity to help improve the conditions on site for our wildlife, but we had another very well attended volunteer work party yesterday.

The day started very early for a select few hardy souls (namely John Ellis, Julie Straw and Graham Gamage) who carried out the annual water rail survey.  The rest of us mere mortals rolled up at about 09.30, prior to getting stuck…

As there is no facility for posting pictures in the 'comments' box on my quizzes, for those of you who would like to see some lesser celandine in all it's flowering glory - here it is....

Yet another beautiful week has gone by and temperatures have hit 20C in the last couple of days. Hawthorn, willow and birch trees seem to have suddenly sprung into leaf and there are now plenty of insects around – a brilliant sight after the long invertebrate-less winter months!

I have now seen brimstone, peacock, small tortoiseshell and comma butterflies, my first Bombus pascuorum, (sometimes known as the common…

What has made these small holes in this rotting sycamore, Acer pseudoplatanus, stump? The holes range from 1-3mm in diameter and are numerous throughout the wood. Answer to follow next week....