Lemsford Springs

Lemsford Springs is a wee gem of a nature reserve, a former watercress farm now owned by Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust and wardened by Barry Trevis.

Green Sandpiper is definitely the flagship bird of the reserve feeding on the shrimps which are abundant in the freshwater lagoons. They breed in forests in northern Scandinavia but spend the rest of the year further south. Late summer through early spring you can normally count on finding at least one at Lemsford. Barry and Ken Smith of the RSPB have been undertaking a long term study of these birds since 1982 and one bird in particular that they ringed as a juvenile on 9 August 2008 at the Reserve has returned in each successive year. The code ring is blue on the left tibia and the metal ring is on the left tarsus. The combination rings are white-over-red on the right tibia that's it in today's photo and a closer view in RCB's Blip.

Lemsford Springs has been good to RCB in his species a day in 2014 project - 10 birds so far, but that's all the usual suspects now ticked except Moorhen!

24th January - Wren.
27th January - Sparrowhawk.
7th February - Water Rail.
28th February - Little Egret.
6th March - Mealy Redpoll.
7th March - Lesser Redpoll.
14th March - Red Kite.
18th March - Grey Wagtail.
21st March - Stock Dove.
24th March - Green Sandpiper.