Blashford 28th Feb

The weather was sunny and fairly mild. Highlights were Bittern (excellent views), Sparrowhawk, Goosander, Ruddy Duck and Black-necked Grebe.

The feeders in the car park were quite busy. There were several Siskin and Redpoll on one and Great Tit, Blue Tit, Chaffinch and Nuthatch at the other with Dunnock underneath it.
Luck was on our side today. As soon as we entered the North Hide the people inside said “We’ve got the Bittern” and they had. It took a while to spot among the reeds and seemed to remain hidden for a while. A couple of people got brief views, but most of us could only see a Moorhen walking in the reeds. Then it started to walk around a little and eventually walked across the channel giving everyone superb views. There was not a lot actually on Ivy Lake – Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Canada Goose, Cormorant and Coot.
We then went to the Tern Hide overlooking Ibsley Water for a quick look. There were quite a lot of ducks out on the lake. We had decent views of Ruddy Duck, Tufted Duck and Goldeneye. There were also a lot of Black-tailed Godwit and Lapwing. Looking further out over the lake we saw Great Crested Grebe and some people saw a Black-necked Grebe over by the far side. There were also some Pochard and Wigeon on the lake.
We then walked round to the Goosander Hide seeing a Mistle Thrush and a Kingfisher on the way. There were Little Grebe, Goosander, Shoveler, Gadwall, Ruddy Duck, Goldeneye and Pintail in view. A Sparrowhawk whizzed across the lake in front of the hide. We also saw a few Lesser Black-backed Gull. We walked back through the woods seeing Wild Daffodils in flower and Moshatel, which was not yet in flower.
Next, the Woodland Hide. This was pretty busy with birds. Lots of Siskin and Redpoll on, but mostly under, the feeders. There were a few Chaffinch and Greenfinch. We also saw Collared Dove, Nuthatch, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit and Blue Tit here. A Bank Vole was busy collecting food from under one of the feeders and taking it back to its hole!
A great morning’s bird watching and fantastic luck for us – it took me 10 years to see my first Bittern!
Simon Curson