27th November 2012
It’s always a red letter day when something drops in that is new to Longham. Today Lorne Bissell found this

Kittiwake (Lorne Bissell)

Kittiwake, Longham Lakes, Dorset, 27/11/12 (Lorne Bissell)

splendid adult Kittiwake in mid-morning, on Longham Reservoir South. It didn’t stay around long enough for the other regulars to see,  sadly. Still, an excellent bird, and one that could have been anticipated on a reservoir not too far from the sea. Take a glance at the photo below and appreciate how much bigger a Herring Gull is than

Kittiwake (Lorne Bissell)

Kittiwake and Herring Gull, Longham Lakes, Dorset, 27/11/12 (Lorne Bissell)

a Kittiwake. Also at Longham today there were 16 Little Egrets, most of them on the main island on LR South – a typical November buildup – and a noticeable increase in the numbers of wildfowl. The latter included a nervous flock of about 80 Teal. Lorne also reports that he saw an Otter last week.