18/04/2026  9.00 - 13.00  Dockens Water path and North side. Usual hide and path check. Minimal trimming required as yet. Ed accompanied me for half the morning and may have noted some additional issues. 

Issues of note:

• Small tree blown down across the northern path from the south side tree line - pushed back onto the hedge but still attached, could do with cutting, especially as the CES is due to start soon.
• Two visitors with dogs seen on the South side. One coming down the path alongside the Track - ?labrador type on a long lead [seen by Nigel]. One on the heathland area behind the car parking site at the top of the drive - Husky cross on a short lead - [seen by me, latter's owner reminded of  Reserve restrictions].

Sightings:

• Mallard and Tufted Duck pairings seen on northern Silt Pond, plus a female Mallard with 5 ducklings.
• Sand Martins very active at Goosander Hide.
• Mistle Thrush seen on the scrape.

 11/04/2026  9.00 - 13.00  Dockens Water path and North side. Some branches in the Dockens Water. Some bramble trimming started, hides checked - appear to be OK, although pump a bit noisy in Tern Hide!!

Issues of note:

• Attempts have been made to enter the main building in the Hanson plant. Nuts removed from some bolts and left on the ground below, bolts still in place but the grid has been bent back to some extent to attempt entry. Photos taken by Catherine.
• Runner with dog attached seen on path near turn to Goosander, running towards the road. No attempt to stop when spoken to. ?A regular. Similiar incident reported by Jeremy McClements a couple of weeks ago.

Sightings:

• Female Goshawk seen sitting in a tree on the bank opposite the base of Spit Island. Remained there most of the morning. ? watching for Sand Martins. None were at the wall but were flying overheard across the lake near Lapwing Hide. Brenda reported that goshawks are nesting on Mockbeggar.
• Male adder at the base of the bank near Goosander, recently 'sloughed'.

 04/04/2026  9.00 - 13.00  Dockens Water Path and North side. Some branches in the Dockens Water in the section before the Rockford Path. Paths and hides seemed OK, although a door and some windows left open. Left hand door of Tern Hide could do with 'oiling'! Minimal bramble trimming required so far!! 

A strand of barbed wire was broken in the eastern fence at the end of the bramble hedge section after the Goosander Hide turn, and left across the verge. ?result of deer crossing from Mockbeggar. Wound the wire back into the fence for safety purposes and to keep away from further deer movement.

Sightings:

• Goshawk reported flying south during the early morning.
• Approx. 50 Sand Martins flying/feeding over the lake, mainly in front and to the west of Tern Hide - ? for better protection from the wind. None seen going into the wall, as seen on Thursday.
• 6 Lapwings seen on the scrape with another 2 flying around along the northern bank.
• A few Violets seen growing on the eastern verge of the western path, north of the cross path.

 28/03/2026  9.00 - 13.00  Dockens Water path and North side.  Usual path and hide checks. Branch in the Dockens water near the entrance to the overflow 'bay' at the Western end.

Report from Jeremy McClements re. early morning visit to Lapwing Hide. 

• Person in a red jacket seen near the Osprey Platform who then retreated back into the north eastern bay of Ibsley Water - ? fisherman.

• Kittiwake feeding in front of Lapwing Hide
• Osprey flying south over Ibsley and across into the Avon Valley  

Other sightings:

• 2/3 Lapwings seen on the spit between Lapwing and Goosander, 'playing hide and seek with a couple of crows!!
• 2 Lapwings seen in the scrape from the Hanson screen
• ?1/2 Little Gulls seen on the western shore line of Spit Island from Tern Hide

Issue reported: 

• A Brambling seen by the feeder at Woodland Hide appeared to have a problem/swelling at and around it's beak. ?cause.

 21/03/2026  9.00 - 13.00  Dockens Water Path and North side. Usual path and hide check. Paths and hides OK; far fewer small branches and twigs on the paths than last week!!!

Issues needing attention:

• at the west end of Dockens path, on the way sign at the access point to the footbridge, the tape is falling off that covers the currently false direction sign to Lapwing hide.
• brambles immediately outside the northern side window in the Lapwing hide, require trimming to clear the view north.

Issue of note:

Dog walker seen by a visitor on the north side in the early part of the morning. 

Sightings:

• Birds well spread out across the lake. Usual mix except for...........
• Large flock of Black-tailed Godwit on Spit Island. 
• Sightings of Ruffs ?x2 and Little Gulls ?x4/5 reported on the west side of the island

 14/03/2026  9.00 - 13.00  Dockens Water path and North side.  Twigs and small branches ++ 'deposited' by recent winds, cleared from the Dockens Water path and the north side paths. Bike tyre marks seen on northern paths - ?yours Pete when checking the north side, or inappropriate visitors? 

Ibsley Water level dropping gradually. Rail in front of Goosander can now be seen at the lake surface.

Sightings:

Brimstone and peacock butterflies seen.      2 adders seen [off piste]. 

Birds well spread about the lake and on Gull island, along the western shore and on Spit island.  Nothing out of the usual reported.

07/03/2026  9.00 - 13.00  Dockens Water Path and North Side.  Usual path and hide check.

Issues of note:

A couple of broken branches in or balanced on other branches over the Dockens before the Rockford path.

Pete - The tree mentioned last week with 'fragile' branches is the one, beyond the Rockford path, immediately before the straining wire with a yellow covering, attached to the new pole/pylon on the right/south side of the path. There are 2, possibly 3, branches that with the lightest tap drop sections over the path. Will require a pole saw to cut.

A visitor, whilst visiting Goosander hide late afternoon/early evening, reported that on occasions he has seen people wandering around in the scrape. Hopefully the electric fence will be a deterrent.

Interesting sightings:

• Would it be possible to trim the brambles immediately outside the side window on the north side of Lapwing hide to improve the visibility of the shore going north. There were a number of different small birds on the grass on that side this morning, ?stonechat etc.
• Numbers of Lapwings increasing
• Two Oystercatchers seen on Spit Island