Here’s a quick update of what’s been around in the last few weeks:
13th February: Birds seen included Meadow Pipit, Redwing, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Mediterranean Gulls, Shovelers, Pochards, Goldeneye, Smew (F) and Lapwing (Dave and Pat Harris and OWLS).
12th February: Pm: rather quiet, no Smew or Goosander, best birds Shelduck 1 on Hampreston Floods (also Black Swan) and 1 ad Mediterranean Gull (George Green).
10th February: The WEBS count revealed: Heron-3 Mute Swan-19 Tufted Duck-54 Cormorant-5 Mallard-22 Little Egret-2 G.C.Grebe-4 Little Grebe-6 Pochard-33
B.H.Gull- 29 Canada Goose-2 Coot-8 Goldeneye-1(female) Wigeon-15
Herring Gull-10 Med Gull-1 Teal-44 Moorhen-1 L.B.B. Gull-1 Song
Thrush-5 (all singing) (Trevor Thorpe)
9th February: One Smew and one Goldeneye. No sign of Goosanders but good numbers of Teal and Wigeon. Also two Reed Bunting, my first of year at site but that might just be me missing them until now (Chris Parnell) [Reed Buntings are effectively absent from Longham in the winter – Dominic]
7th February: No sign of any Smew at Longham this morning (around 1030) in much calmer conditions than of late. Also, 1x Goldeneye (f) fewer Wigeon than recently and, on the large island, 4x Goosander (3m) small number of Lapwing (Alan Pearce)
6th February: 4 Goosander (3 males, 1 female) and 2 redhead Smew (Richard Dyer).
4th February: 2 Goosander (1 male, 1 female) on the river, 2 redhead Smew, 1 Chiffchaff. This morning, something unseen seriously spooked a flock, c 100, of gulls from the Hampreston fields. After a panicky flight they settled on the small lake. A sad sight on the fields were 6 Black-headed Gulls struggling with broken wings after apparently flying into the power cables (Alan Pearce).
3rd February: One Smew still at Longham Lakes, also Bullfinch and Treecreeper new for the year. 118 Wigeon and good numbers of Teal too. (Chris Parnell)
2nd February: 2 x redhead Smew, 1 x fem Goldeneye, 1 x Chiffchaff, 1 x large pipit flushed from west side of south lake (near little platform) – landed on island, presumably Water Pipit from earlier in year (James Lowther). Also Wigeon-188 Kestrel-1 Cetti’s Warbler-1(heard only) Chiffchaff-2(1 on edge of wood and one heard singing further in wood) Bullfinch-5(3 male 2 female on hedge near style leading to Green Lane). (Trevor Thorpe).
30th January: At least one Bewick’s Swan still present but very distant; also 2 redhead Smew (Chris Parnell). Good numbers of commoner wildfowl incl 116 Wigeon and 5 Shoveler. Also Cetti’s Warbler singing along west side of LR North (George Green).
27th January: 2 redhead Smew and 2 distant Bewick’s Swans on the Floods (Chris Parnell). Little Egret-5 Kestrel-1 Grey Wagtail-1 (Trevor Thorpe)
26th January: The Tundra Bean Geese seen in flight at 9.05 a.m., circling twice to the west from my viewpoint on the end of the Longham causeway, then flew off strongly to the
north-east (“Carl1Poole”). They were at Harbridge, Hampshire, in the evening (Shayne Ford). Also 2 Bewick’s Swans and 2 Cetti’s Warblers, 40 Pochard on the small lake. (“Carl1Poole”). Female Smew was a pleasant surprise and some compensation for the departed Bean Geese. (Nick Urch). Later, redhead Smew still present on south lake along with 2 imm/female Goldeneye, but no sign of Bewick’s Swans (George Green).
25th January: 3 Tundra Bean Geese and the 2 Bewick’s Swan mid-morning (Nick and Jackie Hull, Richard Webb).
24th January
Apart from the geese, 2 Ravens were around.
16th January
Very quiet, with 5 Lapwings, 4 Little Egrets, 4 Little Grebes, 5 Redwings and 2 Fieldfares the highlights.
11th January 2013
Very few wildfowl around, just 20-30 ducks on each lake. Just 1 Great Crested Grebe. (George Green)
9th January 2013
Chris Parnell counted 89 Wigeon.
5th January 2013
Now 2 Goldeneyes, plus 1 Shelduck, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and 1 Chiffchaff. (George Green)
2nd January 2013
The best bird on my first visit of the year was an imm/fem Goldeneye (George Green).
1st January 2013
A smattering of birds included 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 20 Fieldfares and 2 Little Grebes among 48 species overall. (Dominic Couzens).