Firstly, please be aware that there may well be delays accessing our car park up until 10th August, due to the on-going, essential works on the pylon.

Secondly, your sleepless nights of waiting and wondering can now end, as the results from June's Wetland Bird Survey are finally here! 

Here we go... very cold off the press!? ... The belated May WeBS count. With 3 black-winged stilts and 3 bittern record, it was a count to remember, one that will go down in the annals of Langford WeBS history. A smattering of other waders also added to the quality of the count.

Record shot of the stilts - Mark Dawson 

On-going, essential work on the pylon next to our car park, unfortunately means that access is currently unpredictable and can't be guaranteed. The powerlines are being replaced, with the old ones needing to be dropped to the ground. In recent days visitors have been turned away by the traffic management team. There is limited parking nearby and so as sad as it is, the recommendation is to avoid the reserve this weekend…

Regular blog readers will have just recovered from the excitement of reading the March WeBS summary only to be overwhelmed with this April one. We seem to have an exotic menagerie forming with the Egyptian geese being joined by a couple of Cape shelduck...

Only a month overdue!!?? Here's the WeBS count from March:

The WeBS count for February was postponed by a week, due to various storms and the fact the reserve almost flooded again. The river was literally starting to poke its soggy fingers over the top of the floodbank, sneaking through the grass. Another cm and we'd have suffered the same fate as we did during 2021 and 2020. As it is, we had a very lucky escape and I imagine the wildlife in the reedbed breathed a collective…

The weather forecasters will tell us that it's the 1st of March and that it is the first day of spring.  Hoorah!  So what's happening at Langford Lowfields.

We are on the lookout for summer migrants coming in and we have heard our first chiffchaff singing on the reserve.  The first avocet of the year called in and although we have seen bitterns we await the first boom of the season.  Exciting times.

Avocet by Stuart…

You may have noticed that it has been raining recently, as it always does at this time of year, and the River Trent is starting to creep up the floodbank and getting close to peeping over the top into the reserve.

We're alright at the moment but that river is a fearsome sight.

The River Trent on the right is approaching the top of flood bank (25cm from the top at time of writing), Langford Lowfields is on the left.…

We all love electricity but those power lines which carry the electricity need maintenance and the big pylon near our car park is next on the list.

The line turns at ‘our’ pylon (Number 55) and this makes it a special one so National Grid contractors will be setting up a large compound around it.

  Pylon 55 at sunrise, by courtesy of the nocturnal Roger Bennett

Work starts on 15 Feb and continues until 6 May. They…

After the December WeBS count was cancelled, when the team got lost in the thick mist lying over the Trent Valley, it was a relief that the January count was accompanied by beautiful weather. Most of the team had been found again by this point and with a spring in their step they set forth to record an impressive array of species.

(P1, P2 and P3 refer to Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 map of reserve available here https…

After 11 years in the job, our Warden, Jenny, moved into another role with the RSPB last November. We're now on the lookout for a new Warden, full of enthusiasm and who likes bitterns. The Warden role is a 'large' role, with a range of skills required and number of key responsibilities placed upon it. Maybe you're interested?? If so the full advert is here...

https://app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Careers…

The old year slips away, leaving some stunning wildlife memories at Langford Lowfields.

Record numbers of people have been flocking in to enjoy the spectacle and to see a very varied range of birds, mammals and even some insects, as the year draws to a close.

The usual winter birds are here in good numbers and among the big birds were 10 whooper swans and 3 pink-footed geese.  You cannot miss those and the smaller bearded…

Winter is setting in at Langford but this is the season to be jolly because Langford has its own very special beauty and tranquillity at this time of year.

Roe deer in winter, photo Roger Bennett

So join us for a Midwinter Wander, get a breath of fresh air, and wander off a few mince pies and a bit of that turkey.

Midwinter Wander at Langford Lowfields RSPB Reserve

Saturday 8 January 2022

1.30pm - 4.00pm

One of our…

We love frogs (and toads and newts) at Langford Lowfields but we love fish as well, and the fish are blossoming in our main lakes. Unfortunately, the fish like to eat the spawn and young amphibians, so we had this great idea to give the frogs a home of their own.

We have had some serious machinery on site to dig out nine ponds for the amphibians to breed in. The ponds are isolated from the main reedbeds to keep the…

Star of the show this month was/is the great northern diver, found during the WeBS count floating around on the crystal clear waters of the Main Lake. This can be viewed from the perimeter footpath as it cuts round the southern part of the site. The bird is moving between the southern and northern halves of the lake and is living up to its name, spending long periods underwater, meaning that it can take time to spot it…

This warm Autumn is producing some memorable sights at Langford Lowfields reserve and our visitors and volunteers are really enjoying the displays.

The leaves are turning beautifully, making the place very colourful after the drab summer months and the wildlife is flocking in to enjoy it too. It’s been quiet since the end of the breeding season but it’s all happening now.

Lots of unusual stuff has been turning…

We have set a new bird record for Langford, with the most ever greylag geese being recorded, 1004 of the noisy honkers were on site during the October Wetland Bird Survey, they were accompanied by 14 Egyptian geese (also a new high count for the site) and excitingly by 3 pink-footed geese, an uncommon, on-the-deck visitor to the reserve. The garganey and great white egret also stand out as exciting Langford WeBS birds…

It’s been a very hectic breeding season for all the birds at Langford Lowfields, but now it’s over and the birds have had a rest, they are starting to stretch their wings and go travelling.

We have had lots of interesting birds dropping in over the past month and here is just a glimpse of what has been seen

18 black tailed godwits

13 yellow legged gulls

9 little egrets

4 curlew sandpipers

3 little stint

Slightly delayed, due to me being on holiday, but here are the much anticipated (!?) results from September's Wetland Bird Survey. 27 species were recorded, with a garganey being the standout bird. We also set a new WeBS record for the number of greylag geese on site, amazing news for those who love the relaxing sound of their angry honking call. Greylag numbers always seem to peak in September or October as they try and…

Summer is over, Autumn is here and so we're getting a good range of migrating, long-legged, mud-loving, wading birds dropping into the reserve. So far we've had black-tailed godwit (lots!), dunlin, ringed plover, green sandpiper, golden plover, greenshank, turnstone, curlew, common sandpiper, Temminck's stint, ruff, whimbrel, curlew sandpiper, little stint and sanderling... Not bad... Most of the waders drop into Phase…

The bitterns have done it again with another successful nest at Langford Lowfields. They first bred here in 2019 showing that our newly created reedbeds are just what they are looking for. Last year was a bit of a mystery as the reserve was closed for most of the year due to the Covid lockdown so who knows what was going on!

Bitterns went extinct in the UK in the late 1800s and following a recovery in the mid-1900’s,…

If you stand at the 360⁰ viewing platform at Langford Lowfields reserve, you can look out over the southern part of the reserve which is normally kept for the wildlife only. This huge area is a favourite place for wild things and so they appreciate the peace and quiet during the breeding season.

However now, most birds and other animals have had their families, and so we have opened up our seasonal trail. This is a …

Many visitors to Langford Lowfields reserve arrive by car and so our lovely car park is an important part of the visit. However, the car park and drive take a lot of maintenance. You would not believe how much roadstone we get through every year, and it all costs money.

Your car park charges are a very valuable contribution to keeping the reserve accessible and looking good. RSPB members and Blue Badge holders park for…

In what is probably the fastest ever turn around in Langford WeBS history, here we have the results from the count last Sunday. As we enter the summer doldrums, butterflies and dragonflies start muscling birds out the way to take centre stage, but there is still a fair amount of avian activity around to keep people interested. With the potential of something more exciting never far away (yesterdays spoonbill for example…

As a bit of advance warning, at some point in July we’ll be starting to use the PaybyPhone system in our car park. We currently rely on a payment post, which has worked well, but the fact it keeps getting broken into, means that using the phone system will be a big improvement. It will also take cash handling out of the equation and will allow us to see who has paid. As before RSPB members, volunteers and Blue Badge holders…