Monday 9th April
Robin Trundle braved the conditions and was rewarded with an early Garden Warbler, still a good bird for here. Also 2 Blackcaps and 60+ Sand Martin over the Lakes.

March 2012 was an excellent month at the Lakes, with one new species for the site recorded and several remarkable counts of Mediterranean Gulls. Here, in reverse order, are the highlights:

March 27th
A new species for the site, a WATER PIPIT, was found today beside a small puddle on Hampreston Fields (Mike, surname unknown). It was in smart spring plumage. There have been one or two reports before but this is the first reliable one. Also today on the

Coots fighting, Longham Lakes, March 27th 2012 (Alan Pearce)

Lakes, 209 Tufted Ducks, 12 Great Crested Grebes, a few pairs of Gadwall, a single remaining female Wigeon and some aggressive Coots. Migrants arriving today included 1 Little Ringed Plover (1st of the year), 5 Chiffchaffs and 2 Swallows (Alan Pearce).

March 24th
A rarity for Longham, not unknown in March, is Egyptian Goose. There were 3 this morning, which constitutes a modest record count! Also, no less than 40 Mediterranean Gulls, which would have been a record, but see below.

March 17th
In many ways, an extraordinary day here at Longham. Choose for yourself the most remarkable record:
Was in an amazingly early Common Tern (Chris Parnell), beating the previous earliest by over a month (21st April 2006)?
Or was it a new record count of Mediterranean Gulls, an incredible 70+ (George Green), beating the previous record of 30 on 30th March 2010?
Either way, there was something unusual in the air today. Also seen/heard, the first Blackcap and Sand Martins (10+) of the year (Alan Pearce).

March 16th
On this date a Reed Bunting was trapped on Canford Heath, but of relevance to this website is that it was originally ringed as a first-year female at Longham on 30th September 2011.

March 11th
Robin Trundle had 1 Green Sandpiper today, a bird that is gradually getting scarcer here at Longham. Also 1 Cetti’s Warbler heard.

Mediterranean Gulls, Longham Lakes, March 3rd 2012 (Chris Parnell)

March 10th
20 Mediterranean Gulls today (Chris Parnell).

March 3rd
A count of 15 began the Mediterranean Gull bonanza that was March 2012.

Here’s a summary of highlights for February 2012, in reverse order of appearance:

25th February

Greater Scaup, Longham Lakes, 25 February 2012 (Alan Pearce)

Alan Pearce was there to witness the last appearance of the winter of the much appreciated Greater Scaup, and took this fetching photo of the bird now almost completely in breeding plumage.

23rd February
Chris Parnell had a good day for quality ducks, with the Scaup, 2 redhead Smew and 1 Goosander.

17th February
3 redhead Smew were still on Longham Reservoir South, and 1 Mediterranean Gull appeared (Chris Parnell).

14th February
The Scaup was still present, while on the passerine front, there were 3 Bullfinches (always scarce here) and the wintering Chiffchaff (Alan Pearce).

11th February
Still 3 Smew around, along with a couple of marshy specialities in the form of 4 Common Snipe and 1 Water Rail (Chris Parnell).

8th February
George Green had a drake Pintail flying in, plus the Scaup, 3 Smew and 1 Goosander.

5th February
The best Goosander count of the year, with three redheads and 1 drake (Chris Parnell).

3rd February
A good day for Derek and Kay, with a number of Fieldfares and Meadow Pipits around, Reed Buntings and a Stonechat by the lakeside, a Treecreeper in the woods, a wintering Chiffchaff and the first Snipe of the year.

1st February
Scaup, Smew and Goosander were around at the start of the month.

Smew, male and female, Longham Lakes, January 2012 (Aidan Brown)

…for some observers anyway. I have spent most of the year stuck in the office, as others have enjoyed the Longham Blue-winged Teal, Smews and Scaup, plus Raven and other goodies. Anyway, here is a summary of the year so far, going backwards…

31 January 2012
The immature drake Scaup still present (Alan Pearce). Its visit to Longham Lakes has obviously done it good, and it has now moulted almost into adult plumage. There was also a pair of Ravens feeding on the carcass of a recently deceased swan.

25 January 2012
Female Smew still around, and other odds and ends included Stonechat, Sparrowhawk and Mediterranean Gull (Pat and Dave Harris).

15 January 2012
The Blue-winged Teal was reported for the last time (Dorset Bird Club website).

14 January 2012
Female Smew, Goosander and the immature male Scaup present (Ian Lewis).

10 January 2012
A complete count at the Lakes produced the following numbers: Mute Swan 4, Mallard 39, Gadwall 23, Teal 34, Wigeon 175, Shoveler 3, Tufted Duck 122, Pochard 33, Greater Scaup 1, Smew 1, Little Grebe 5, Great Crested Grebe 32, Cormorant 65, Little Egret 3, Grey Heron 1, Coot 158, Black-headed Gull 255, Common Gull 32, Herring Gull 24, Lesser Black-back 2, Great Black-back 2. Also 7 Meadow Pipits.

The Common Gull count equals the all-time record.

7 January 2012
James Phillips had a superb visit, nailing every one of the quality ducks: male and female Smew, the female Blue-winged Teal and the Scaup. Also 1 Chiffchaff and Cetti’s Warbler singing.

4 January 2012
Ian Lewis is searching for the Blue-winged Teal when he manages to spot the first drake Smew on Longham Lakes since January 31st 2004.

3 January 2012
Alan Pearce saw a Raven feeding on a carcass left behind by a Buzzard.

2 January 2012
A clean sweep of quality waterfowl for David Taylor, namely: the female Blue-winged Teal, a Smew, the Scaup and a Goosander. Also Bullfinch (never common here) and Grey Wagtail.

The year began with interesting news of a local ringing recovery. A Reed Bunting ringed by Roger Peart at Longham Lakes on 27th June 2011 was caught again at Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, on 14th December 2011 (per Shaun Robson).

The year 2011 has been spectacular for Longham Lakes.

132 species were recorded in all, including several new for the site: Bittern, Grey Plover, Ortolan Bunting, Wood Warbler, Arctic Tern, Marsh Harrier and Blue-winged Teal, bringing the total number recorded to 159. There was also a fine Blue-headed Wagtail. Good birds previously recorded but also turning up this year included Brent Goose, Red Kite, Bewick’s Swan, Woodcock, Jack Snipe, Hawfinch, Garganey, Little Gull, Merlin, Osprey and Redpoll. On the down side, there were no records at all of Spotted Flycatcher, which has been regular in previous years.

Several species reached record numbers, perhaps the most eye-catching being 6 Smew on Longham Reservoir South together. But both Little and Great Crested Grebes, as well as Shoveler and Coot, also did well.

All this proves what excellent potential this site has. It needs more watching, especially by somebody with time on their hands to be a little obsessive and be prepared to visit at all hours of the day.

Sunday 25th December-Tuesday 27th December

The Blue-winged Teal returned on Christmas Day, and was seen again on 26th and 27th December. A good bird for the Festive Season.