April 2015

28th April
“My personal highlight today was a Longham Lakes tick in the form of a long overdue Treecreeper in Samuel’s Copse. Otherwise female Scaup still present on South Lake along with a Shelduck and a very distant Hobby somewhere over Canford Heath” (George Green).

April 26th
This morning around 1030 the Garganey was still present [for its last day], Scaup not looked for but seen yesterday (Sat). Swallows feeding over the south lake with the odd sand martin. Reed Warblers singing from the larger reed clumps. Best, Grasshopper Warbler reeling from the west bank scrub close to the Causeway with a Cetti’s nearby (Alan Pearce). [This is an overdue Longham first! Sadly, it wasn’t there in the evening].

Martin Wood walked round 14.15-15.15 and reported: “A good number of Sand Martins, Swallows, a couple of House Martins low over the Causeway and 4 Swifts over high up; 3 Reed Warbler out on the edge of one of the reed beds having a dispute; Common Sandpiper on the north island of South Lake.”

24th April
Scaup & Tuftie hanging around North Island on south lake this morning & Scaup looked like she wanted to go into the vegetation (to nest?). Also Cuckoo was calling, Willow warbler singing, Fox asleep in field (Lorne Bissell).

Sad chap that I am, counted 177 Black-headed Gulls on the Lakes today, the majority of which were 1st Summer birds. Also Garganey and 3 Gadwall, 1 Sedge and 1 Willow Warbler, 20 Swifts, 1 Linnet and 40 Carrion Crows (Dominic Couzens).

23rd April
Highlights today included the Scaup, Garganey, 1 Little Gull, 3 Common Sandpipers, 8 Canada Geese, 1 Greylag Goose, 2 singing Song Thrushes and 20 Swifts (Trevor Wilkinson).

22nd April
Lorne Bissell caught the female Scaup actually mating with its Tufted Duck associate this morning. Also the Garganey male on North Island with a brief visit of a Greenshank, Mediterranean Gull 13 (flying east), Cuckoo 1, Black Swan ( Hampreston fields with Mutes), Little Gull 3 – Ad 1, 2nd summer 1, 1st summer 1. With the first Cuckoo and Greenshank today, the site total for the year is now 103 bird species.

21st April
A nice summer plumaged Little Gull on the South Lake was reward for my efforts this morning. Also on the South Lake the male Garganey was still present along with the female Scaup now closely paired with a male Tuftie. Best of the rest was a single Common Sandpiper (George Green). In the evening there were 2 Little Gulls between 6.30 and 7.30pm (Gary White)

20th April
Guess what? The Scaup and Garganey were still around today. There was a also a decent passage of Swallows northward, and at least one Willow Warbler was singing on site. A Treecreeper and a pair of Stock Doves was in Emily’s Wood. It was also a cracking day for butterflies, with Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Speckled Wood, Green-veined White, Brimstone and Orange-tip seen at various times.

For the botanically inclined, I invited Malcolm Storey to take a look at the trees and some other plants this morning. Putting it very briefly, Emily’s Wood (on the south-east side) is composed largely of Ash, Alders, Willows and Poplars. The Poplars are not yet in leaf to be identified properly, but at least one tree looks very much like a Grey Poplar. The Willows include Crack Willow Salix fragilis, several large Weeping Willows S. x sepulcharis and some Goat Willow Salix capraea. There is a single Horse Chestnut and a very large Cherry Laurel. Between the waterworks entrance and the wood are Pedunculate Oaks and a hedge of Common Elm, with a few extras such as Garden Privet, Hawthorn, Spindle, Elder and Blackthorn.

The recently planted woods between Emily’s Wood and the West Fields, along the River Stour, consist mainly of Alders and Dwarf Cherries, and there are some Hawthorns and Blackthorns.

Samuel’s Wood (the one along the south-western tip of the big lake) includes some large Pedunculate Oaks and Beech, with significant amounts of Field Maple, Holly, Ash and Alder. There are a couple of Downy Birch trees and plenty of Hawthorn and Blackthorn on the south edge. At the north end of Samuel’s Wood we found our only Hazel in this part of the site; there is also, incidentally, quite a significant amount of Lesser Celandine and Dog’s Mercury on the woodland floor here. Interestingly, the wood holds quite a few plants of Red Currant and, especially, Wild Gooseberry.

We found a Grey Willow Salix cinerea near the small lakes at the southern tip of Longham Reservoir South, and the small lake on the eastern side is fringed with Osier.

19th April
“Good Number of Swift in the bottom South Corner of the South Lake, Female Scaup and a nice surprise Red Kite near the car park,” (Gary White).
“One new patch tick for me with my favourite warbler with a lovely singing male Blackcap on the edge of Samuel’s Wood at the south west corner.  Cetti’s Warbler heard a burst of song from the scrub on the west side of the lake just above the dried up pools. Garganey still about in the north west corner.  Swallows 4, Reed Warbler 3″. (Martin Wood). Also Common Sandpiper and 10+ Swifts + a few Meds (George Green).

18th April
It was a question of more of the same today, with the Scaup and Garganey still present. And, amazingly, the Otter briefly reappeared this evening along the River Stour. Foxes have been quite prominent recently, with one this evening and several in the last couple of weeks. There was also a Roe Deer around tonight, which could have been the first of the year. The burgeoning mammal year-list is now 8 species.

17th April
The long-staying female Scaup is still about, plus the Garganey, 1 Common Sandpiper (north island), 1 Whitethroat (west end of causeway), 3 Swallow, 12 Sand Martins and 1 Swift. Meanwhile 4 Lapwing flew over, a Raven terrorised the north island and there were 2 Grey Wagtails (Lorne Bissell).

16th April
3 Common Swifts, the first of the year, appeared overhead early this morning, along with Swallows and a House Martin. There was a pair of Grey Wagtails on the waterworks buildings near Longham Bridge.

In the evening, Roger Peart and I (Dominic Couzens) tried our luck at catching waders with a mist-net at the southern end of Longham Reservoir South. It was always a bit of a shot in the dark and yielded no results. However, there was ample compensation (for me at least) when, on a quick check by the River Stour, I happened upon an Otter at point-blank range. Rather than swimming swiftly away it snorted and lifted up its head, even venturing slightly closer. Amazing! Also on a beautiful, still evening a Tawny Owl hooting and several Common Pipistrelle bats (confirmed by bat detector).

15th April
Surely there’s nowhere else in Britain where you can get point-blank-range views of both Greater Scaup and Garganey at the moment. The female Scaup has finally acquired a beautiful white face and is a credit to its species. However, it is still besotted with a handsome male Tufted Duck, blotting its copybook. Meanwhile, the male Garganey is simply glorious – perhaps the reason why I saw at least 10 birders on the Lakes this morning. You can easily see it to within a few metres (today in the company of an equally confiding male Gadwall). Apart from the large number of Tufted Ducks (see

below), there were also 2 Shelduck around today (Dominic Couzens). Various others noted included a Common Sandpiper (Lorne Bissell) and Sedge Warbler (George Green), the first of the year, and a male Bullfinch. It seems as though the Green Sandpiper has gone. A Sparrowhawk went over, but not a hoped-for Osprey. Several Reed Warblers are now in.

Among breeding birds, there was a Treecreeper in Samuel’s Wood today, and one Stock Dove was singing from each of the two woodland areas on site (Emily’s Wood is the other).

14th April

There was a very light westward passage at the southern end of Longham Reservoir South in mid-morning, involving 8 Meadow Pipits, 10 Sand Martins and a Linnet, the latter new for the year. For Longham this is more than adequately interesting. The double-duck-delight is still possible with drake Garganey and female Scaup still present. Perhaps the best sighting of the day, however, was of 2 Whimbrels flying over mid-morning and disappearing off north (these are also the first of the year) (Dominic Couzens, Ray Gleason).  There was a Wheatear at 5.30pm (Darran Jones).

Some other stuff today: at least 6 Chiffchaffs , 3 Cetti’s, 2 Reed Warblers and 1 Whitethroat all singing, 10 Canada Geese and 3 Greylags (with Swan flock to west of lakes). Only 2 pairs of Little Grebes; have these declined compared to before the S lake was used for “other activities”? Lots of Gulls mostly Black-headed but also 6+ Mediterranean, 2 LBB and 5 Herring (Ray Gleason).

13th April
Present today: Garganey male 1, Scaup fem.1 ( with boyfriend) & Green Sandpiper 2 south lake (on North Island) Swallow 2, Reed Warbler 3 (causeway), Wheatear 1 (Hampreston field) & Mediterranean Gull 31 (Lorne Bissell).

12th April
Just the long staying goodies with female Scaup still on South Lake ‘making-out’ with a male Tuftie and the Green Sandpiper still on Hampreston Meadows. Not much else – only 2 Meds and a single Swallow (George Green).

11th April
Garganey drake still present. Green Sandpiper one on muddy pool in field just down the western bank of the southern lake, where the causeway joins the western bank. Tufted Duck about 150 – surprised by large numbers. Also about 7 Shoveler. Lots of Chiffchaffs around everywhere (Steve Smith).

A few extras for the day: 60 Mute Swans (mainly Hampreston Fields), 12 Canada Geese, 5 Greylag Geese, a Mallard with 5 ducklings, Reed Bunting carrying nest material, Cetti’s Warbler singing, Jackdaws at their nest holes in Samuel’s Wood, plus

Grey Squirrel, Longham Lakes, 11/4/15 (Trevor Wilkinson).

 

butterflies Red Admiral and Comma (Trevor Wilkinson). And there was also a mammal, illustrated right.

 

 

 

 

10th April
Oooh, err. The female Scaup has been seen this morning in intimate association with one of the local Tufties (Lorne Bissell – that’s the observer, not the name of a Tufted Duck!). What might the offspring be – Scufted Ducks, maybe?

9th April
Had an interesting couple of hours today at Longham. On South Lake were 2 drake Garganey (saw them together on one occasion) in the NW corner, two Wheatear and a singing Reed Warbler (first of the year) on the causeway, a Green Sandpiper on a pool in the fields behind the lake and a Willow Warbler singing from the hedgerow (John Pitman).

In mammal news, Roger Peart found a dead (and somewhat squashed) Common Shrew on an access road. This is the first record for several years, and brings the year’s mammal total to 5 species (including Rabbit, Grey Squirrel, Red Fox and Wood Mouse).

8th April

Finally managed to spot the Green Sandpiper this morning (it moved) in one of the Hampreston field pools (Alan Pearce). Also Garganey 1, Scaup 1, Mediterranean Gull 40, Swallow 1 (Lorne Bissell).  A modest 114 Med Gulls + a few Swallows trickling north (George Green). Also 1 Fox (3rd mammal species of the year), Brimstones, Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshell butterflies (OWLs).

5th April
Spotted the the Scaup this afternoon between the sticks and Solar Panels at the top end of south lake and had good views of the Garganey until it flew over towards the island (Martin Wood). Max count of 201 Mediterranean Gulls (George Green).

4th April
Relocated yesterday’s male Garganey on the South Lake. It was very close and eventually swam towards the small band of admirers to feed in the bankside vegetation at a few feet range. The female Scaup was still on the South Lake along with 170+ Meds. The Green Sandpiper was still present on the furthest of the 2 pools on Hampreston Meadows. Finally a few Swallows and Sand Martins were trickling though. (George Green). Cetti’s Warbler called from the scrub on the west bank of the S lake about 40m from
the causeway (Alan Pearce).

3rd April
Martin Wood: “Had a great afternoon on South lake. Spotted a Swallow flying over the north lake, a new patch tick for me was a Green Sandpiper on Hampreston fields and a very impressive sight of a large number of Mediterranean Gulls flying about would these be displaying or hawking for the many insects that were about today? Then up in the south west corner was a very smart drake Garganey; at one point it was making a sound that reminded me like the sound when you run a finger down a comb gently. Then over west fields near the pump house another Swallow came in and went over the lake.” Several other Swallows were seen during the rest of the day (Liz Woodford).

2nd April
George Green says: “I was at Longham Lakes this morning. For the first 30 minutes or so I counted just over 40 Mediterranean Gulls on the South Lake. Then at around 10am a large flock of c300-400 gulls incl c150 Meds suddenly appeared from the south. The flock circled overhead calling constantly and then gradually settled on the lake. Subsequent counts revealed there were at least 209 Meds present. I’ve assumed that recent spring influxes of Meds to Longham Lakes involve Poole Harbour birds, but why should so many arrive in a single large flock? Once settled the Meds spent most of their time washing which suggests they had been recently feeding somewhere. Once washed many of the Meds started displaying and as I left birds were gradually drifting back south towards Poole Harbour.”

Meanwhile 66, then 100 Mediterranean Gulls were seen by Lorne Bissell today on his visit.

Best of the rest were the long staying female Scaup on the South Lake, 3 Shelduck also on the South Lake and the Green Sandpiper still present on Hampreston Meadow pools.

1st April
Female Scaup still on South Lake. Little else of interest – only 3 Meds today!! (George Green).