November and December 2014

29th December A circuit of both lakes produced 45 Cormorants (23 on the large island and 22 on the pylons and wires), 45 Teal, 15 Wigeon, 6 Shovelers, 4 Pochard, 5 Little Grebe, 4 Great Crested Grebe and 11 House Sparrows (Trevor Wilkinson). 24th December Owing to the...

October 2014 at Longham Lakes

There is not a rarity in the world that would have made October 2014 a happy month for Longham Lakes birding. For on 15th one of the site’s most avid watchers, Chris Parnell, passed away after a long illness; he was only 46 and leaves behind a wife and two young...

Longham Lakes, September 2014

  30th September Ringing this morning produced 36 new birds and 3 re-traps. I had 10 Blackcaps today, including a re-trap of an adult female first ringed in early May. New totals were Chiffchaff 17, Robin 5 and one each of Blue Tit, Great Tit, Reed Bunting and...

Longham Lakes Summer 2014

28th August Ringing this morning: 15 new birds and 3 re-traps. Blackcaps responded well with 5 caught. I re-trapped Chiffchaff was first ringed on 5 May, re-trapped twice more up to 9th June but not again until today. He is still hanging around then. 27th August...

A Second for Longham

23rd June 2014 Strange record of a Turnstone at Longham Lakes today, in full summer plumage. Presumably it’s a failed breeder that has gone all the way up to the Arctic, tried its best and returned again. Its loss is our gain, a true rarity here. A rubbish...

Spring Update

20th June Trevor Wilkinson today recorded some breeding wildfowl: 4 adult and 8 young Canada Geese, 29 Coot (with 1 chick), and adult Mallard with 4 ducklings and a pair of Mute Swans with 4 cygnets on the small pools to the south of the main lakes. In all there were...