Langford Lakes nature reserve

TODAY I ventured out to somewhere new - the rather wonderful Wiltshire Wildlife Trust's Langford Lakes Nature Reserve.  This site is made up of three former gravel pits (later fisheries) and a stretch of the Wylye River, bought by the Trust and turned into a wildlife haven.

I particularly wanted to capture a photo of a singing chiff-chaff in willow - I managed half of my aim.  With the sun beating down brightly, the butterflies of early spring were pretty abundant and very active.  The overwintering peacocks and small tortoiseshells fed on the nectar of the willow catkins, whereas the brimstones sought out the flowering primroses - never stopping for long at any one spot.

Chiff-chaff

Brimstone

Small tortoiseshell

Peacock

Coot

Gadwall

Great-crested grebes

The adjacent former water meadows are being developed into habitats for other wildlife.  It attracts waders, but on the day there were 30 little egrets.  Something spooked them and the sight of these ghostly forms circling in the sky was amazing and felt like a continental nature reserve.

Little egrets