Lists, Records and Dips

I have not been at Blashford for a few days and I have spent some of this time going over the wildlife records and especially the bird records for the BTO Challenge. At the end of the third quarter we were lying second in our category. The categories are according to site size, thankfully we are not in the same section as the unbeatable Rutland Water. We have advantages though, the habitats on the reserve are varied and we lie close to the Avon valley and New Forest.

At the start I guessed that about 160 species would be a winning total, quite a tall order but probably achievable. I don't know where we are just now, but we might have made up some species on our rivals as the last quarter has been pretty good. Species added for the year have been: goshawk, waxwing, great grey shrike, jack snipe, hawfinch, avocet, Iceland gull, brent goose, water pipit, black redstart, red-breasted merganser, scaup, garganey, ruff, red-legged partridge, curlew sandpiper, stonechat and mandarin a good mix of species. I am still trying to track down reports of a few species that either have or have been suggested as being recorded earlier in the year, these are ring-billed gull, firecrest and common (or mealy) redpoll.

I have also been unable to find any record of a few species that I would usually have expected to have been recorded at some point, these include knot and golden plover. Slightly longer shots, but still species that are recorded from time to time include wood warbler, grasshopper warbler, rock pipit and sandwich tern.

Overall it has been a good year and I think it will prove to be the best year yet for the total number of bird species recorded. If anyone can add any species or shed any light on any of those so far uncertain I would be delighted to hear.

On a related note, I am hoping to add some species lists for the reserve as links. These will include birds, butterflies and dragon and damselflies. Each list will include notes on status and where they might be seen. In time I will add others, with moths perhaps the next most likely in the short(ish) term.

BTO Challenge Update

As you may well know Blashford is entered into the BTO business challenge competition this year. One of the main parts of this competition is the recording of as many bird species as possible during the year. Luckily the competition is divided into size classes and Blashford is in the second level, so we are not in direct head to head competition with Rutland Water, which would be an impossible hill to climb. After two quarters Blashford is just in front in our category, ahead of Top Hill Low nature reserve, a Yorkshire Water site.


The list of species recorded so far in 2010 below. If you have any species to add I would be delighted to hear from you. There are a couple of species that I know have been recorded but I do not have the details to hand, they are knot and grey plover, I have a suspicion I even saw the plover but cannot find it in my notes. I also suspect there may have been a golden plover but I have not got any record of one.


There are also one or two species that I have heard have been seen but I have been unable to obtain any details, so if you can shed any light on any of these I would be very keen to hear, amongst these are turtle dove and firecrest.


Then there are the species that might be out there but that we still have not recorded this year, like rock and water pipit, kittiwake, firecrest (if we cannot track down a record), yellowhammer and jack snipe.


There are some species that are on the "wish list", like goshawk, red-necked grebe, slavonian grebe, hawfinch and perhaps this year only lapland bunting. The last is a bit of a wildcard but with an invasion going on there is probably as good a chance this winter than there will ever be, I fancy one of on the bare ground near the Tern hide. It would also be good to get a record of another owl species, I have always thought a barn owl or short-eared owl would look good hunting along the eastern side of Iblsey Water.



The BTO Challenge List:


mute swan
Bewick's swan
white-fronted goose
pink-footed goose
greylag goose
Canada goose
barnacle goose
Egyptian goose
shelduck
mandarin
wigeon
gadwall
teal
mallard
pintail
garganey
shoveler
red-crested pochard
pochard
tufted duck
scaup
goldeneye
smew
goosander
ruddy duck
red-legged partridge
pheasant
little grebe
great crested grebe
black-necked grebe
gannet
cormorant
bittern
little egret
great white egret
grey heron
glossy ibis
honey buzzard
red kite
marsh harrier
hen harrier
sparrowhawk
buzzard
osprey
kestrel
merlin
hobby
peregrine
water rail
moorhen
coot
oystercatcher
little ringed plover
ringed plover
lapwing
sanderling
little stint
curlew sandpiper
dunlin
ruff
snipe
woodcock
black-tailed godwit
bar-tailed godwit
whimbrel
curlew
redshank
greenshank
green sandpiper
common sandpiper
turnstone
long-tailed skua
Mediterranean gull
little gull
black-tailed gull
common gull
lesser black-backed gull
herring gull
great black-backed gull
yellow-legged gull
Caspian gull
common tern
arctic tern
black tern
feral pigeon
stock dove
woodpigeon
collared dove
cuckoo
tawny owl
swift
kingfisher
green woodpecker
great spotted woodpecker
lesser spotted woodpecker
woodlark
skylark
sand martin
swallow
house martin
tree pipit
meadow pipit
yellow wagtail
grey wagtail
pied wagtail
wren
dunnock
robin
redstart
stonechat
wheatear
ring ouzel
blackbird
fieldfare
song thrush
redwing
mistle thrush
Cetti's warbler
sedge warbler
reed warbler
lesser whitethroat
whitethroat
garden warbler
blackcap
chiffchaff
willow warbler
goldcrest
spotted flycatcher
pied flycatcher
bearded tit
long-tailed tit
marsh tit
coal tit
blue tit
great tit
nuthatch
treecreeper
jay
magpie
jackdaw
rook
carrion crow
raven
starling
house sparrow
chaffinch
brambling
greenfinch
goldfinch
siskin
linnet
lesser redpoll
common crossbill
bullfinch
reed bunting


ESCAPEES: (these do not count against the total)

ringed teal
bar-headed goose
black swan

The long-tailed skua and gannet may not be allowed on the total, as "fly-overs" are not included, although both did drop down over the water so these are a question of interpretation, we await the judges decision.

Reports Received

I have not been at work for a few days, but I have been trying to keep up with reports from Blashford and there have been a few very notable sightings and one local "Mega".

At the weekend a pink-footed goose was reported, the bird was thought to have been a juvenile, if so it is not the bird seen about three weeks or so before as I think that was an adult. If it was a juvenile it is probably more likely to stay around having found the greylag flock. Unlike an adult which will be trying to go to a place it knows, a juvenile would have been relying on parental knowledge to get it to the wintering grounds. Thus a displaced adult will be able to reorientate, a juvenile will not have so many resources and may stay lost all winter.

Yesterday confirmation came of the starling roost on Ivy Lake once again. They make a great sight, especially from the northern screen on the east side of the lake beside the Rockford path. From there the wheeling flock can be seen against the setting sun. The flock was being attacked by both sparrowhawk and peregrine, adding to the drama. In addition there seem to be more water rail this winter and they call particularly at dusk, adding to the experience.

However none of these constitute a "Mega", that came in the form of a bearded tit, heard and briefly seen at dusk over the reeds near the Ivy North hide. This is certainly the first record for many years and a great addition to our BTO Birds in Business Challenge total.

I am putting together the species lists for the challenge by month at the moment, I will post them soon. If anyone can add any species or records for any months I would be delighted to hear. Hopefully they will also act as a guide to the species that can be seen month by month at Balshford.