Signs of spring sprung

Yet another fine day, I arrived to open up the Tern hide to a fine sunny scene, the water calm and birds scattered about. Right in front of the hide ten pairs of Gadwall were feeding along the shore, the female below shows the white speculum and the yellow bill with dark centre which immediately separate it from a duck Mallard.
As has been the case for a few days now there were numbers of Pied Wagtails around the shore, still mostly males and with them a few Grey Wagtails, Meadow Pipits and a single Water Pipit. The Grey Wagtail has the most intensely acid yellow undertail coverts, I suspect these are also migrants, although we do have a pair that nest along the Dockens Water in some years.

At the Woodland hide the Wild Daffodils had opened since the weekend, it is great what a couple of days of sunshine can do. In fact it felt really spring-like today and this feeling was enhanced at the end of the day when I saw a male Little Ringed Plover as I closed Tern hide, at last a summer migrant!

Perhaps just in time the Sand Martin bank was completed today, it took three volunteers and myself a couple of hours and there are now just over three hundred holes for them to choose from.

Other birds on the reserve today included the 4 Black-necked Grebe still on Ibsley Water, also there 2 Oystercatchers, a Redshank and still a good few Goosander and Goldeneye. At the Woodland hide there are still twenty or so Brambling, a few Siskin, but no Redpoll.

Spring really is coming

It might be snowing in the Midlands but at Blashford signs of spring continue to appear. Yesterday I found Common Frog spawn in the small pond outside the Ivy north hide, although when I mentioned it to Jim he told me he had first seen it the previous evening. There are more and more birds singing now, with Chaffinches now getting very noticeable.

This morning when I opened up the Tern hide there were noisily displaying Goldeneye, an Oystercatcher checking out potential nest sites, although this first turned up at the weekend, a couple of Lapwings also occupying potential nesting sites and several Black-headed Gulls on the island. The gulls visit the island and display often for six or eight weeks before they settle, although the ones that nest at Blashford usually settle to nest well before those nesting in Langstone Harbour, I have no idea why.

The numbers of Brambling continue to be impressive at the Woodland hide and there are also good numbers of other finches as well. The Mute Swans on Ivy Lake have finally driven off both of their youngsters from last year. There seem to be at least three pairs of Little Grebe on Ivy lake at present, with lots of calling.

The Blashford volunteers work all over the reserve and the results of their work is there for visitors to see, however sometimes they work in areas that are not so obvious. One such is a corner of Ivy Lake that has real potential to become shallow fen and reedbed. It was this once but the area was invaded by willows about thirty years ago. Work started last year to remove these and now the area is covered in shallow water giving some hint of the potential there. In time it should develop into a valuable area of habitat and who knows perhaps even a location for another hide.
Tomorrow I think the volunteers will be working out on the shore of Ibsley Water trying to maximise the nesting habitat for Lapwing and Little Ringed Plover. As noted the Lapwing are already looking about for nest sites and the plovers could be back within a fortnight.

Icy blue with a hint of Spring

Another really very cold day with frost staying on the ground all day despite the almost unbroken sunshine. Still there are more and more signs of approaching spring, in a sheltered spot along the Dockens Water the Hazel catkins are elongating and there is more birdsong as each day passes.
Beside the Education Centre a Mistle Thrush sang from the top of an oak tree more a good time in the morning, a well as the bird, picture shows the remarkably blue sky that was a feature of the day.

On Ivy Lake the number of wildfowl remains very high with hundreds of Gadwall and Wigeon. The resident pair of Mute Swans are sticking close together and the male, an especially aggressive one that we have nicknamed "Asbo" has been chasing the Canada Geese and seems less willing to put up with the two cygnets from last year, although he has not yet forced them to leave the lake.

The wildfowl on Ivy Lake periodically gather in tight groups to feed, each group with a few Coot dragging up weed and accompanied by Tufted Ducks, Gadwall and Wigeon and often also a gang of Black-headed Gulls and in the case of the picture below a Common Gull. The Coots do the work and provide weed scraps for the Gadwall and Wigeon, the gulls are no doubt cashing in on the aquatic invertebrate the weed pulling disturbs and brings to the surface.

Some of the Coot prefer to feed alone or in pairs, the one below is one of a pair that are already taking up territory in front of the Ivy South hide.

The Woodland hide feeders continue to attract increasing numbers of Siskin, Lesser Redpoll and Brambling. Meanwhile on Rockford Lake the redhead Smew continues to bring in the birders, although it remains distant and typically very close into the shore, today favouring the eastern shore.

My most unusual sight of the day was not a rare bird but a nice passage of behaviour. A group of Blackbirds, Jays and other smaller birds had discovered a Tawny Owl in bushes on the western side of Ellingham Lake. Eventually the owl broke cover and for a while was sitting in the open in a poplar tree surrounded by scolding birds.