Sun, Soil and Teal

The warmest day of the year, it reached 16.5 degrees at Blashford, so I was in a meeting more or less all day. I did open up the hides, a pair of teal at the Tern hide were good value, the drakes are fabulous up close and in the sunshine.
I then headed off to the Wildlife Trust main office in Curdridge, unfortunately the A31 was closed, but I was already on it and there is very little opportunity to get off so I was stuck. Nothing to do but sit with the engine off watching the buzzards flying over and listening to Sigur Ros. Eventually things got going and I arrived about half an hour late. The meeting was an occasional gathering of all the Reserve Officers and the highlights were a run through budgeting, soil management plans and nitrate vulnerable zone paperwork, who says a Reserve Officer's job is not packed with excitement.

I did just make it back to Blashford in time to lock up. The lesser spotted woodpecker was seen in the trees beside the Centre today, so it is still around. Still no sign of a bittern, but it seems the smew was seen yesterday.

I am planning to work on the small rafts out on Ivy Lake tomorrow, they are all in pretty bad shape but hopefully if we can get them together they will be used by nesting great crested grebe and coot again. There are usually two pairs of great crested grebe on the lake, but recently four pairs have been present, perhaps there are more small fish than usual.

There will be news tomorrow........................