31st August
The Black Tern seems to have gone from Longham, and there weren’t any Redstarts there either this morning. Highlight, though, was a juvenile Marsh Harrier over at about 9.50am, gorgeous in the bright light. A few oddities, too: Juvenile Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe over, a Water Rail calling, first Shoveler back, flock of Greylag Geese over in early morning (Dominic Couzens.)

30th August
Pleased to find a Redstart today near the Scarlet Darter pond (patch tick for me!) and then incredibly I found two more in the general area of the Thicket! Takes me up to 100 year birds for patch. The Black Tern was still showing really well. And the Yellow Wagtail flock has increased to at least 15 birds (Matt Bell.) Also 16 Little Grebes, 2 Pochard, 1 Wigeon and 1 Common Sandpiper (Ian Lewis.)

29th August
I had good, but distant, views of the Black Tern for a short while before it took off and flew back & forth, up and down, skimming frequently for about 5 mins and I was able to follow it almost the whole time. Wonderful display of aerobatics! Good number of Hirundines, mostly Swallows and Sand Martins again but appeared not as many as last week. Also a single Lapwing flew over calling (Roger Peart, also Terry White.)

28th August
The Black Tern appeared again today (Matt Bell, Ron Poulter.) It spent some time on both of the floating panels on the North lake and the small orange buoy between the two. Meanwhile, ringing produced 27 new birds, amassing the following totals: Blackcap 11, Chiffchaff 5, Bullfinch 3, Sedge Warbler 2, Blue Tit 2, one each of Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird and Song Thrush. There was also one re-trap adult Robin ringed 11 days ago (Roger Peart.)

27th August

The appearance of a smart juvenile Black Tern early this morning was the undoubted highlight of the day. The bird stayed around and was much admired mainly on Longham Reservoir North. The supporting cast included the 4 Yellow Wagtails on Hampreston Fields, distantly viewable as they fed at the feet of cattle. Migrant warblers, including Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Reed Warblers were reasonably plentiful, while on the lakes were 2 Common Sandpipers and 8 Black-tailed Godwits flew over. Once again Sand Martins were very numerous, and a few (2-3) Swifts passed over. The only other oddity was a Coal Tit singing near Samuel’s Wood (Dominic Couzens, George Green, Martin Wood et al.)

26th August
There were 4 Yellow Wagtails around the cattle on Hampreston Fields this afternoon (Martin Wood.)

25th August
It was a gorgeous morning to be out, still and sunny, and for once Longham was alive with migrant Passerines. Warblers featured well, and at least eight species were on-site, the resident Cetti’s Warbler joined by good numbers of Reed and Sedge Warblers in the reed beds, many Willow Warblers and some Chiffchaffs (some singing) in the trees, and Blackcaps (at least 20) in scrub. There were also at least 5 Common Whitethroats and a single Lesser Whitethroat, the latter in the bushes along the east side of the large lake, near the life-raft. The other major highlight was having Spotted Flycatchers on-site, with at least 4. Intriguingly, two of these were recently-fledged juveniles, and were still being fed by an adult in the south-west corner, by Samuel’s Wood, so they must have bred locally. Another feature was the number of aerial birds, with Sand Martins featuring heavily, and at least 5 Swifts were around. Other bits and bobs included Coal Tit and Nuthatch in Samuel’s Wood, Common Sandpiper, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing and 6 Gadwall around the lakes, and a Hobby over (Dominic Couzens.)

23rd August
Only birds of note were a Hobby and a Common Sandpiper (George Green.)

22nd August
Ringing was very quiet this morning, with just 10 new birds and a recent re-trap Dunnock. The new ones were 5 Blackcaps, 4 Blue Tits and 1 Song Thrush, an adult in moult (Roger Peart.)

20th August
At last I caught up with a Migrant Hawker which is the 21st species of Odonata I have seen here this year. Also seen a Brown Hawker and a probable Southern Hawker. Little to report on the bird front, best sightings were a Peregrine, 2 Common Sandpipers and 2 Swifts (George Green.)

18th August
It was very quiet on the bird front, with no sign of the juvenile Garganey or the Mandarin. There were 10 Lapwings and a Grey Heron on the large island in south lake. There were also 50 Herring Gulls, including an apparent leucistic bird (Martin Wood.)

17th August
A slightly better ringing morning than of late with 19 new birds and 3 re-traps, the latter being fairly recent ones so nothing of note. The new ones were 7 Blackcap, 6 Blue Tits (all juveniles) and one each of Wren, Robin, Long-tailed Tit, Blackbird, Reed Warbler and Willow Warbler (Roger Peart.)

16th August
The Garganey was hidden in the reeds on the west side of the small (North) lake. In the overcast, blustery conditions aerial birds were everywhere, including at least 20 Swifts. Also a Kestrel (Dominic Couzens.)

14th August
The Garganey was seen briefly in the morning (LB), while a Mandarin was amongst the Mallards on the Causeway later on (George Green.) Otherwise, a good morning saw the following counts: Black-tailed Godwit 2, Common Sandpipers 2, Little Grebes 14, Great Crested Grebes 17+, Sand Martin 4, Swallow 6+, House Martin 6+, Swift 13+, Blackcap 1, Willow Warbler 4, Chiffchaff 3, Reed Warbler 4, Sparrowhawk 1 pair (we heard what we presume were young calling out of sight), Little Egret 2 and Great Black-backed Gull 2. Dragonflies included Brown, Southern and Migrant Hawker, as well as Emperor. Butterflies included three outstanding species: a Painted Lady, a Clouded Yellow and, best of all, a GRAYLING, which is the first record for the site, and brings the total up to 25 species (Nick and Jackie Hull/Two Owls Birding.)

12th August
Juvenile Garganey still present a round the south west corner of North Lake. There was a good aerial display of mostly Sand Martins and House Martins with some Swallows and Swifts over the causeway and North Lake. On South Lake 12 Little Grebes, 15 Great Crested Grebes, a Great Black-backed Gull and 2 Lesser Black backed Gulls, the juvenile bird begging (Martin Wood.)

11th August
I had a very pleasant stroll around the North lake this morning. There was a good selection of warblers: 3 Whitethroats (1 still feeding young), 2 Cetti’s Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers, 8 Reed Warblers, 4 Willow Warblers and 5 Chiffchaffs. Other bits of interest were 5 Swifts, 1 Kingfisher, 40+ Swallows and 4 Sand Martins. There was a running combat between 6 Magpies and a Sparrowhawk, which went on for some time. On the water there was 1 Mandarin Duck (Robin Trundle.)

8th August
It was a quiet day with little happening on the bird front, although there was a small movement of Swifts southwards in the morning. The juvenile Garganey was still present. There are plenty of Reed Warblers on the edge of the lakes, and at least 1 Sedge Warbler was seen, with no doubt many others present. A Nuthatch was a good record in Emily’s Wood, which also held a Treecreeper, 2 Goldcrests and a number of Blackcaps. A Kingfisher also flew along the east side of the south lake. 9 Little Grebes huddled around the main island (Dominic Couzens.)

6th August
Ringing this morning was enlivened by the capture of a Treecreeper. Other, more routine newly-trapped fare included 4 Robins, 1 Wren, 1 Blackbird, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Bullfinch, 2 Blackcaps and 2 Blue Tits. There was also a re-trapped Chiffchaff that was first ringed at Longham on 10th May this year (Roger Peart.) Other birds round and about included the juvenile Garganey, a singing Coal Tit, 4 Black-tailed Godwits on the main island, 1 Gadwall, 1 Lapwing, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Whitethroat, quite a few Reed Warblers, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps, and lots of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The Mallards have had a decent season, perhaps, with 10 juveniles on the River Stour and quite a young brood nearby with 8 youngsters. The Mute Swans near Longham Bridge have 5 cygnets, but there was little sign of Tufted Duck productivity, with just 3 on the settling ponds by the Water Works (Dominic Couzens.) On the invertebrate front, Brown Hawker dragonflies seemed to be everywhere, with at least 20 on-site; other species seen included Southern Hawker, Emperor, Black-tailed Skimmer, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies. Butterflies were abundant, with Red Admiral, Comma, Gatekeeper, Small White, Common Blue and Speckled Wood recorded.

4th August
Juvenile Garganey still present and showing well on the small pond in the SW corner of the site (otherwise known as the Scarlet Darter pond). Also saw a partial albino Sand Martin with pure white primaries over the Causeway. Otherwise a pair of Great Crested Grebes have produced 3 young – the first I’ve seen this year. A few Odonata still around including my first Southern Hawker for this year (my species total is now 20). (George Green.)

3rd August
Juvenile Garganey showing well on ‘Scarlet Darter’ pond this morning (George Green.)

1st August
A single Long-tailed Tit was the only bird caught a ringing session today (Roger Peart.) [Maybe it will be controlled in Nigeria or somewhere, Roger!]

31st July
Ringing today produced the year’s first record of Garden Warbler, together with 2 Reed Warblers and 3 Chiffchaffs, 1 Robin and 1 Dunnock. There were also 2 re-traps, a Reed Warbler and a Chiffchaff (Roger Peart.)

21st July
At least 1 male Lesser Emperor still present showing occasionally along the south shore of the South Lake and on the ‘Scarlet Darter’ pond. Also added Common Darter to this year’s site list making 19 species of Odonata in total. Birdwise very quiet (George Green.)

19th July
A pair of Lesser Emperors were observed copulating at Longham today, providing proof that they are breeding on-site. (per Andrew Merrick, Dorset Dragonflies Facebook page).

14th July
Butterflies today included Painted Lady (first of year) and damselflies included Red-eyed (Martin Wood.)

10th July
News of a ringing recovery has come through. A Bullfinch ringed at Longham as an adult male on 10th June 2016 was found dead, caught by a cat in Kinson on 7th July (2 years, 27 days later.) (Roger Peart.)

9th July
A Lesser Emperor still present early afternoon holding territory in the SE corner of the South Lake. It constantly fought off attacks by a male Emperor Dragonfly (George Green.)

8th July
2 Wrens were ringed this morning (Roger Peart.)

7th July
Ringing produced just 7 new birds – 2 Dunnocks, 2 Robins, 2 Great Tits and a Wren. One Robin and one Dunnock were adults and the rest were juveniles. I also had 2 re-traps – a Wren from last year and a Reed Warbler first ringed on 8th June 2015 (Roger Peart.)

6th July
After 2 hours of searching manage to locate a male Lesser Emperor hawking along the shore in the NW corner of the South Lake early afternoon. It is my 3rd sighting this year all of which have been in different parts of the South Lake. Other Odonata of interest were Small Red-eyed Damsels on the ‘Scarlet Darter’ pond and still some Scarce Chasers around (George Green.)

3rd July
A Little Ringed Plover was seen early this morning around the island on the South Lake. The unseasonal Pochard was still on the North Lake, a Hobby appeared briefly over the South Lake and the first Tufted Duck broods of the season were present on both lakes. I still saw 12 species of damselfly and dragonfly, the best being a single White-legged Damselfly near the ‘Scarlet Darter’ pond, a few Small Red-eyed Damsels on the ‘Scarlet Darter’ pond and a Golden-ringed Dragonfly by the North Lake (George Green.) Had 2 separate sightings of Lesser Emperor today, 1 on SE corner of South Lake and one on SW corner on North Lake (Ian Ballam.)

30th June
Lesser Emperor present late morning around bushes down the slope left of the path about 150m south of the pumping station along the east side of the South Lake. It eventually perched for 5 minutes giving stunningly close views and photo opportunities. It is my 2nd sighting this month. A total of 13 damsels & dragons seen this morning, the total of the year so far remaining at 18 species. Birdwise, some evidence of autumn passage with 4 Lapwing and a Common Sandpiper (George Green.)

27th June
Plenty of birds around this morning, including a Red Kite over, a bird still rare here. Otherwise the usual stuff but it was good to see 2 Lapwings in Hampreston Fields (Dominic Couzens.)

25th June
I managed to catch up with a male Lesser Emperor at Longham Lakes today, on the North lake, at midday. It was patrolling a small area of reeds at the far end of the causeway (SW corner of the North Lake), but perching-up for long periods, so it could very easily be missed. A brief glimpse of an emperor type mid-way along the causeway makes me think we may have more than one Lesser Emperor on site. You heard it here first….As today was an in-between work visit, I only had an hour on site & paid most of my attention to ‘Emperor type’ dragonflies, but managed 1 Brown Hawker lurking over the ‘Scarlet Darter pond’, 1 Golden-ringed Dragonfly hawking insects along the western end of the causeway. At least one pair of Tufted Duck have fledged at least 3 young on South Lake. I expect many more will follow (Olly Frampton.) Also today 2 Sandwich Terns flying N/E over North Lake, 2 Redshanks and 4 Lapwings.

24th June
I had very good but brief flight views of a male Lesser Emperor near the bench along the west shore of the South Lake early afternoon. A total of 12 species of Odonata today including my first Small Red-eyed Damsels of the year. Best of the rest were White-legged Damselfly (1) and Scarce Chaser (9+). Otherwise loads of damsels (1000s+) and many dragons mainly Emperor Dragonflies and Black-tailed Skimmers. Also lots of Marbled Whites. Among 36 species of birds the most notable was Raven (George Green.)

22nd June
I had a probable Lesser Emperor along the south shore of the South Lake opposite the ‘Scarlet Pond’. I had brief flight views 3 times in quick succession before it disappeared. 95% certain of my ID. Otherwise I saw 11 species of Odonata including 2 new for this year – Brown Hawker and Golden-ringed Dragonfly, making 16 for the year. Best of rest were White-legged Damselfly and Scarce Chaser (George Green.)

18th June
I had 10 species of damsels and dragons early this afternoon including my first White-legged Damselfly for the year. Best of the rest were 3 Broad-bodied Chasers including a copulating pair, all on the ‘Scarlet Darter’ Pond, 4+ Scarce Chasers, 2 Four-spotted Chasers and at least 5 Emperor Dragonflies. My Odonata list for the year at Longham stands at 14 so 20 for the year is a distinct possibility (George Green.)

15th June
I had a Lesser Emperor today on the west side of south lake. Fresh migrant or did they breed successfully on patch last year?? (Matthew Bell).

13th June
I had my 24th species of Butterfly for the patch, a Small Heath (Matthew Bell.) Also a Golden-ringed Dragonfly, 2 Red-eyed Damsels and a White-legged Damselfly (Ian Ballam.)

10th June
Had a pleasant stroll round North Lake this evening. A large Grass Snake seen swimming on the edge of the slip way and going in to the reeds. Red Fox seen ambling across Hampreston Fields and finally a Peregrine Falcon on the pylon preening (Martin Wood).

6th June
A great afternoon for damsels & dragons at Longham Lakes with 11 species recorded. These included a Broad-bodied Chaser on the ‘Scarlet Darter’ pond (south of main lakes). At least 1 male Hairy Dragonfly still present there. Best of the rest were a single Scarce Chaser, 2 Four-spotted Chasers and several Emperor Dragonflies (George Green.) Also 1 White-legged Damselfly (Ian Ballam.)