Waterside Natural History Society visit to Blashford Lakes
The green shoots of recovery or Spring as it used to be called are on their way. Rooks are nesting high in the trees, Song Thrushes are singing on top of the lower trees and catkins are appearing on the hazel bushes. All this was evident as we travelled to Blashford Lakes in search of birdlife.
Blashford Lakes, being a nature reserve, is different to walking in the countryside in that much of the time is spent in the six hides. The hides provide shelter and a good view of the lakes upon which many birds spend the winter but they also provide a meeting point for all the visitors. Some people go singly looking for peace and quiet and some go in groups, such as ourselves, to catch up on the latest news and gossip. In addition some people like to eat their lunch in the hides and some people don’t approve. On the whole it is best to be tolerant of other people and enjoy the sights for what they are.
The information board at the entrance to the hides gave an idea of what birds to expect and their numbers. One board indicated that 800 Wigeon were present on Ibsley Water. Although this may be a calculated estimate there was no indication that it was not the exact figure and a more truthful wording would probably be ‘a large flock’. Whatever the number none of our members were prepared to dispute the figure and there certainly were ‘a lot’.
Besides the Wigeon there were a large number of Goosanders which always tend to congregate around a shingle spit in front of the appropriately named Goosander hide. Tufted Duck were scattered about the lake but always dived under water whenever binoculars were focused on them. There were also several Goldeneye and a single Avocet on the same shingle spit as the Goosanders.
Water fowl were not the only birds present in large numbers. Near the visitor centre bird feeders attracted a seemingly endless parade of Siskin with several Redpolls and the occasional Nuthatch. These birds also visited the feeders in front of the Woodland hide together with Brambling, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and a single Greater Spotted Woodpecker.
On our way to the Ivy North hide we met two of our number who had already been there and they had seen a Bittern from the hide. When we arrived the hide was full of visitors all waiting for a sight of the bird. Such a large number of people in a closed space in wet weather meant that the windows were all steamed up and the air was rather rich. We left the hide and met the two who had seen the bird earlier and they noticed the Bittern from a gap in the fence alongside the hide. It took me several minutes to see the Bittern as it was difficult to spot even when I knew where to look. Bitterns are a master of disguise, in a manner similar to the Snipe, in that they have black, brown, yellow and white stripes but in their case in a vertical plane up their neck and head instead of the horizontal of the Snipe. This enables them to blend with the vertical reeds and they even sway in time with the wind blown reeds. It was not until I saw the bird move forwards against the vertical reeds that I was able to recognise the bird and once seen it seemed incredible that I had not spotted it before. Besides being difficult to see they are also quite rare but increasing at the moment due to intensive work by voluntary organisations. Their number is counted by noting the number of booming Bitterns in the spring although since males may have several mates in the same area their numbers may be underestimated.
We enjoyed our visit to Blashford Lakes. It has a good combination of lots of birds together with the occasional rare specimen. The hides are well established and the reserve appears to be settled. The weather was also in our favour being dry and mild for a winter’s day but the rain resumed in earnest as we left.
