Blashford Lakes and Blackwater Arboretum (15 February 2025)
Fifteen people enjoyed a visit to this beautiful New Forest reserve with tranquil lakes surrounded by woodland, reedbed and grassland. For a moment, watery sun even threatened to appear! I arrived in flimsy driving shoes to find that I had forgotten my boots but luckily the reserve lent me a pair from their Education Room equipment. A bad start, but nice to know that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust still offer school visits!
Our route followed the usual pattern: Woodland hide with views over the feeders, Ivy Lake South then North Hides, over the road to Ibsley Water then lunch in Tern Hide before crossing back over the road and looking for crests along a path bordered by ivy festooned trees and old holly trees (we searched hard both looking and listening for Firecrests but for the third time this year failed to find any) and finally visits to Goosander Hide then Lapwing Hide.
Our best birds of the day at Blashford Lakes were announced excitedly by Frankie and Diana. Frankie spotted a Kingfisher flying across Ivy Lake, which some had already seen fishing on the lake behind the hide. Diana’s sharp eyes found a Water Rail in front of Ivy North Hide which proceeded to potter about in the reedbed giving good, if brief, views. Siskin on the feeders including beautiful males were another highlight. On Ibsley Water the Black-necked Grebe seen from Term Hide and 2 female Goosanders in the bay in front of Goosander Hide were good finds although several pairs of Goldeneye and large quantities of Pintail, Wigeon, Tufted Ducks and Shoveler were equally good to watch. A weird female hybrid of possibly Ruddy Duck and Maccoa Duck was fun to locate, like a ‘Where’s Wally’ amongst the other ducks sheltering on the eastern side of Ibsley Water – interesting but not tickable! It became easier to spot as a Great Crested Grebe objected to its presence and it chased it around.
Following this the nine of us going on to Blackwater Arboretum hot footed it back to the car park for 2:45pm and made our way across the heathland to Rhinefield Ornamental Drive – a beautiful drive. Despite taking advice from Marcus Ward of Wild New Forest and staying late, we didn’t see any Hawfinch coming into the roost. I’d been with SDBWS the previous weekend and not seen any Hawfinch so spoke to Marcus. He’d seen birds leaving the roost early in the morning. However, we did have very close views of at least 5 Marsh Tits which we were able to compare to Coal Tits, several Goldcrests, Chaffinch, Siskins, Blue Tits, Great Tits, a Mistle Thrush and a mobile group of at least 10 Goldfinch which kept tricking us into thinking that they might be Hawfinch landing in the treetops. Despite not finding a couple of expected species we still had a good day’s birding in a beautiful area. Scarlet Elf Cup fungi and Eyelash Cup fungi were an added bonus!
by Rebecca Dunne
Species: Black-headed Gull, Black-necked Grebe, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Cetti’s Warbler, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Coot, Cormorant, Dunnock, Egyptian Goose, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great-crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Jay, Kingfisher, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Tit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Pintail, Pochard, Red Kite, Redwing, Robin, Shoveler, Siskin, Song Thrush, Stock Dove, Teal, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Water Rail, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Plus, female Ruddy Duck/Maccoa Duck type hybrid.