NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Birds of Blashford Lakes Date: 3rd December 2019 Weather: Sunny, light cloud, 4 increasing to 11 degrees Walk Leader: Jayne O’Reilly Attendees: 11

Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve covers 490 acres (200) ha). It is situated 3 miles north of Ringwood just off the A338 in Ellingham Drove. Managed by the and Wildlife Trust in partnership with District Council and landowners Wessex Water and Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water. It is an internationally important site for thousands of wildfowl, as such it has SSSI, Ramsar, SPA and SINC protection status. The reserve consists of a series of flooded former gravel pits, which are now used for drinking water storage and nature conservation. The lakes are surrounded by willow, birch and alder woodland, as well as grassland. The reserve attracts thousands of wildfowl in winter as well as bittern and good numbers of woodland birds. The site has six bird hides and 8km of rolled gravel paths. It has recently had some improvements made after receiving grants from Leader and Veolia Environmental Trust along with contributions from supporters including NATS. We started at the recently replaced Tern Hide, the highlight was the Long-tailed duck just in front of the hide. Crossing Ellingham Drove we arrived at Ivy North Hide. Work was being done outside the hide, they reported two Cetti’s Warblers were seen and Water Rail were heard. We saw Great White Egret asleep in a tree on the opposite side of the lake. On to Woodland Hide where we saw the usual woodland birds, Gerry captured a photo of a rat. We finished at Ivy South Hide where Kingfisher and Goosander along with a Pike fish swimming in front of the hide were seen.

Birds Birds cont. Fungi Long -tailed Duck Great White Egret Bleeding Bracket Tufted Duck Wren Candlesnuff Wigeon Blue Tit Peeling Oystering Cormorant Dunnock Puffball Canada Goose Goldfinch Shoveller Greenfinch Others Coot Nuthatch Rat Egyptian Goose Chaffinch Pike (fish) Magpie Siskin Grey Squirrel Little Grebe Great Tit Spindle (fruits) Teal Coal Tit Pintail Blackbird Mallard Jay Goldeneye Kingfisher Great Crested Grebe Goosander Redwing Mute Swa n Great Black -backed Gull Black -headed Gull Herring Gull Long -tailed Tit Gadwall Song Thrush

Great Tit by Gerry Traves

Cormorant by Gerry Traves