Longham Patch 14th April

Had a wonderful morning at Longham Lakes today from 09.00 -11.40hrs, on getting out of the car and setting up the scope I was greeted to the sounds of goldfinches flying across the car park. A Cetti’s Warbler blasting out its short song just south of the study centre, going south towards the causeway I heard the wonderful song of a Willow Warbler which was quickly located by the bench opposite the causeway. Stopping off at the slipway to look across to the large island I noticed the Common Sandpiper on the little jetty, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls a Lapwing and Tufted ducks on the east side of the island. I made my way up the causeway past the carp fishers that were bivied out along the shore of North Lake, and stopping at the gap in the willows to scan the island from this point where I found two Redshanks a sleep on the exposed shore line of the island. With Reed Warbler and Reed Buntings call/singing and another Cetti’s Warbler shouting at me as I made my way up to look over Hampreston Meadows. While standing here I heard my second migrant of the morning and was located singing on top of some hawthorn it was a lovely Whitethroat, and a gain another Cetti’s shouting out its song north from my position.

As I scanned the island from the west bank of South Lake I thought I saw two Common Sandpipers fly from the causeway and land on the island but could only see one. Though a sighting of two sandpipers were confirmed later on in the morning. I carried on up the west bank listening to Blackcaps singing the hearts out. I stopped and scanned up and down the oak trees with binoculars like I have done on every visit for the past four years with the hope of seeing a Treecreeper or the holy grail of Samuel’s Wood a Nuthatch, with only finding my 1^st Treecreeper last year working an Oak. I was very surprised to find working a large limb of an Oak at the back of the wood a wonderful Nuthatch!

Eventually I arrived at the small ponds at the south end of the lake were I found the Great White Egret working the edge of the reeds, before flying up in to the large Oak at the back of the ponds. Working along the reeds looking for hiding snipe or anything else that could be in them I was surprised to find a fresh water terrapin out up on the bank warming up in the sun, not sure what type of turtle it was but it was pretty large, obviously released by someone when it got too large for their terrapin tank.

Great White Egret

Whitethroat

Terrapin

 This time last year I was on 70 species and ended the year with 96 species seen.
This year I am on 81 species so far, can / will I get to a hundred this year with a bit more effort I hope so.