Saturday December 3rd
Blue-winged-Teal, Longham Lakes, December 2011 (Nick Hull)
All hell broke loose today at Longham Lakes when George Green, Dorset birder of long standing, managed to pick out a female
Blue-winged Teal on Longham Reservoir South. The bird was associating with a couple of
Shovelers and proving pretty confiding. This quickly caused the site’s biggest ever twitch, and the paths and causeways were thick with lines of optics and cold weather gear. It is so far much the rarest bird to have been found on site – a truly special find and a new county bird for many who saw it.
Also reported today were Water Rail, at least 11 Little Egrets, 2 Ravens, Stonechat and female Goosander. Some extra excitement was generated by a bird looking remarkably like a Ferruginous Duck, but with the wrong sort of bill. Presumably a hybrid.
