Check out the following blog from our Conservation Officer, Carl Cornish detailing his guided walk from this weekend - our first of 2012....

On Sunday, I stepped in to help lead a guided walk at Langford Lowfields because Paul Bennett, the warden, was ill. It was a gloriously sunny afternoon and as I stood by the entrance gate to meet the cars a brimstone butterfly was flying up and down the grass verge. Forty-one people…

Is everyone enjoying this beautiful weather that we have been experiencing in the last couple of days? We certainly are here at Langford and it has been a productive period for wildlife sightings on the reserve.

Bird wise, it’s been a mix of winter and spring with 39 whooper swans flying north east over the reserve on Wednesday morning at the same time as I was listening to singing chiffchaffs, skylarks and ye…

It’s been a real mix of weather recently, with everything from blazing hot sunshine and 19C last Sunday, to gale force winds last Tuesday to heavy rain and sleet two weekends ago! However, spring must be on it’s way as we have been treated to the first of the spring migrants this week making an appearance back at Langford.

It all started last Monday when myself and volunteer Sarah Bird picked up the first…

Botany can be a challenging affair in early spring, before many of our familiar plants start flowering. Can anyone tell me what species this distinctively shaped leaf is from? By the time the answer is revealed next week, they will probably be in flower!

Seven apparently! Plus two rotavators, two compactors and a mini-digger!

After the successful construction of our prototype sand martin bank earlier this year, the sandinyoureye team are back.

This time they're working in collaboration with contractors Paul and Mark Afford to create the real thing.

Sand martins have already been seen back in the UK this month after spending the winter in Africa.  So, let's hope that…

What are these structures on the underside of this pedunculate oak, Quercus robur, leaf? They occur in groups, regularly with several on the underside of each leaf and are about 3-4mm in diameter. Answer next week.... 

It’s been a busy morning of bird surveying for me as I was up bright and early for my first Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) of 2012, followed by the monthly Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS). Like WeBS, the BBS is a national survey coordinated by the BTO and incorporates a minimum of 3 visits to a site to survey bird activity throughout the breeding season. At Langford, we do up to 8 visits covering the whole site over the course…

What has done this on these holly, Ilex aquifolium, leaves? The photos are of the large holly tree growing in the woodland corner near the end of Cottage Lane. Answer to follow next week....

Last weekend was volunteer Sunday and after last month’s work party was cancelled due to heavy snow, everyone was keen to get out on site and get stuck in despite the pouring rain!

The group started in the woodland, clearing up felled sycamore brash and logs. We fell a small number of sycamore trees every winter as part of our ongoing woodland management. This helps to increase the light levels penetrating to the…

With the nights drawing out and temperatures increasing (some days at least!), it is really beginning to feel like spring. And one of the best things about spring is looking out for the first appearance of all sorts of wildlife from migrating birds, to the first butterflies, to the first flowers.

There has been some evidence of bird movements recently, with species such as oystercatcher and redshank returning to Langford…

For the latest Langford ID challange....can anyone tell me what made this hole in the base of a goat willow tree, Salix caprea? The hole is about 10cm above ground level and is about 8mm in diameter. They can appear singly, but often there will be a few in the base of each tree trunk.

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…

Can anyone identify this? Found on crack willow, Salix fragilis, growing on the public footpath. Answer to follow next week....

Last week I introduced some of the common larger trees that you would be likely to see around Langford. So this week, in the second part of the winter tree and shrub ID blog, we will look at the smaller trees and shrubs that grow on site.

So what is the difference between a tree and a shrub I hear you ask? Generally, a tree has usually only one leading trunk from which all other smaller branches originate (of course…

Langford has produced some excellent birds lately, including some good quality ‘reserve ticks’ for myself and the other staff and volunteers. We have been delighted by the presence of scarcities such as goosander, smew, jack snipe and marsh tit, the ever elusive bittern and stunning birds of prey and owls, such as peregrine, merlin, marsh harrier and short eared owl. It can’t get much better than this….or…

Our model plane pilot, Alan Lee has been flying high again at Langford with his Skywalker plane and has produced a fantastic ‘before and after’ video of the new landscaping that was completed at the end of 2011. Follow the link below to check it out.

http://vimeo.com/36310515

Following part 1 of the winter tree ID blog - can anyone tell me what these brown balls are? It's a young pedunculate oak tree and you can find them on the public footpath by the silt lagoons. Answer to follow next week....

Identifying deciduous trees and shrubs can be easy - provided it is spring, summer or autumn and the trees are in leaf. However in winter, their ID can be a more challenging affair. But there are ways of recognising them and often the best features to look for are the buds, the bark and the general size and shape of the tree or shrub.

A stroll through the woodland and down the public footpath will reveal many of our common…

Myself and warden Paul completed the monthly WeBS (Wetland Bird Survey) yesterday morning and were certainly grateful that the weather has improved from last week! The site is thawing nicely now, after being under 4-5 inches of snow on Friday. During the count we recorded –

5 mute swan

2 shelduck

63 pochard

4 goldeneye

79 tufted duck

94 mallard

33 gadwall

53 wigeon

192 teal

60 coot

5 moorhen

2 water…

OK folks, what's this then? (and I know the big bit in the middle is a stone!)

It’s amazing how a covering of snow can reveal usually unseen movements of our wildlife and a walk around the public footpath surrounding the reserve is well worth it during the freezing weather. Mammal tracks are prominent and provide an opportunity to see where our creatures are moving to and from.

Some of the most common tracks you will see are those of rabbits and hares. The tracks of both species are similar…

It seems that winter has finally arrived here at Langford as we were greeted on Monday morning with a covering of 3-4 inches of snow. And with much of the site’s water bodies frozen, it provides great opportunities to see what’s around.

Much of the reserve’s wildfowl was concentrated on silt lagoons 4 and 5 and Phase 2, with around 300 teal, 100 pochard, 100 tufted duck, 50 mallard, 30 gadwall, 30

One of the things I love most about watching wildlife is that you never quite know what you are going to see - often there is a nice surprise waiting for you when you get out there and start looking. And Langford is certainly no exception to this, as in the last week we have caught up with an elusive wader, glimpsed a secretive scrub dweller and welcomed back an old friend….

The first surprise of the week came…

It’s been a busy start to the new year here at Langford, as our contractors have now finished the re-development works on site and we have had our reserve volunteers back in getting stuck into some great jobs.

The first on the list was to get all our reed seedlings planted out on the newly landscaped areas. The volunteer Sunday work party made a great start on this on the 8^th, getting around 3000 reeds planted…

Overjoyed with the success of the recent engineering works at Langford, Site Manager Michael Copleston felt compelled to perform a ceremonial dance to celebrate.

He can be seen below with sand shamen Jamie Wardley and Andy Moss atop his sandy plinth of power.