Woods to Lapwing Hide

 29 Dec 11.15 1 hr litter pick to Lapwing Hide.  2 black necked grebes there.  Goosander pair on Mockbeggar and male on Clearwater.  Male goldeneyes displaying on Ibsley Water from Tern Hide.  Mistle and song thrush singing.

No issues.

Nicky

 28/12/2024  9.00  -  12.45  Blashford North   Usual bramble and nettle check but so much less with recent clearance...thanks guys. Lapwing hide ramp and boardwalk look great without the leaves.....the boardwalk is however very slippery.  Red jacket found on bench at west end of cross path  - now in the classroom. Fence panel at substation 'Con Ibsley', by the path at the east end of the Hanson Plant, appears to have been damaged. Broken mug also inside. Inappropriate item found at back of open area beside path from road to Tern Hide. Discarded into waste bin. More info from Catherine if needed!!

Woods and Ivy N

 23 Dec 11am 1 hr litter pick to Ivy N, woods and Tern Hide road crossing.  Wet tablecloth still there as too heavy for the bag. 

Merry Xmas!

Nicky

December 18th 2024, Northern circuit as far as Lapwing and returning via Merganser, then the Holly walk to Tern Hide. 14.10hrs to 15.45hrs

Rain interfered with my route but large numbers of wildfowl was a joy to see. Pintail appeared to be the majority species and after counting them in Merganser Hide 'bay' I would guess numbers on the east side of Ibsley Water probably topped 500 birds at least. From Merganser Hide I also noted 6 Mergansers – 5 males and 1 female. On the footpath at around W3W 'curated.ketchup.regaining' I was literally accosted by a young Fallow buck. He came very close and pulled the corner of my jacket towards him. With that I told him to 'sod off' while grabbing an antler and pushing him away. As I walked off he followed but lost interest as I speeded up. I would be concerned that this sort of behaviour could be intimidating to young children. Just a thought. Nothing to report from Tern Hide as visibility was getting worse.

 21/12/2024  9.00 - 13.00   Blashford North  Usual path trim and clear, and hide check. No obvious problems except for leaves on ramp to Lapwing hide and boardwalk. Strong winds tomorrow may change that!!  

Flock of siskin seen along eastern path to Lapwing. GWE on western shore, one goosander in front of Goosander hide and pair of Golden Eye in front of Tern hide. NW wind meant a lot of the birds were to the west and north west of Ibsley or sheltered by spit island in Goosander Bay. 8/9 fallow deer in Hanson Plant, led by the white doe.

 17/12/2024  9.00 - 13.00  Entrance to Reserve and Blashford North.  Drainage ditches cleared at main entrances to the reserve. North side paths and hides checked. Bramble trimming and twig/branch removal where necessary.. 

Circuit of Rockford Lake

 11.30 am 1 hr 16 Dec litter pick to road entrance then round Rockford Lake via Ivy Lane.  

Saw a muntjac deer close to Ed Centre car park.

Nicky

 14/12/2024  9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North   Usual vegetation trimming. No obvious problems apart from leaf litter on ramp to Lapwing hide and the boardwalk.  

Plenty of pintail, shoveler, widgeon etc on Ibsley. Great white Egret  moving around the spit between Lapwing and Goosander hide and Spit island. Fox active along the bank to the south-west of Goosander hide, disturbing the Egyptian geese etc in the bay.

Potholes in the main track to the Centre increasing ++. Robin recommended a repeat levelling before Christmas at his last visit. Is that booked?

 10/12/2024  9.15 - 13.00  Blashford North  Bramble trimmed plus twigs and small branches cleared from paths and path verges. Leaves could do with removing from ramp to Lapwing hide and boardwalk, when leaf blower back on site.  Balloon in the tree north of the bench at the west end of the cross path. 

Is a 'No Access' sign due to be replaced on the new gate by Goosander hide?

Northern circuit

 9 Dec 11.30 1 hr circuit to northern hides.  Removed litter especially near pull-in and fallen twigs and small branches from paths after storm.  WTE eating kill on far bank from Lapwing Hide.  Marsh tit seen by Pete and Kevin at Woodland Hide.

Nicky

Tern and Ivy N

 2 Dec 1hr 11.45 to Tern and Ivy N Hides some litter at road crossing and Tern C P removed. 

Nicky

 30/11/2024  9.00 - 12.45  Blashford North   Usual path and hide checks and bramble trimming. Paths that have been 'leaf blown' looking good!! Main car park is going to need a good clean!!!!! Is the 'no access' notice due to go back up on the new gate by Goosander hide? 

 ? Female Scaup in front of Lapwing hide. Great White Egret on northern side of spit between Lapwing and Goosander. First Goosander sightings of the year seen from Goosander hide. Good view of three Roe deer resting at the bottom of the bank behind the vegetation to the south-west of Goosander hide!

Conflicting notices regarding Tern hide and main car park status on Blashford Lakes website.

 26/11/2024  9.15 - 12.30  Blashford North  Paths cleared of small branches/bramble. Hides busy, Tern +++ and not just from In-Focus. White tailed eagle seen to the west of Ibsley until about 10am. 

All areas of the reserve were busy therefore car parks were full at times. Flooding on path from centre car park to top of drive. Visitors advised to use track but with care.

 23/11/2024  9.00 - 12.15 Blashford North   Trimmed bramble and removed small branches/twigs blown on to paths. Broken/hanging branch across western path to Lapwing - reported........ and sorted by Pete. From Tern hide a gull was seen on land in front of Lapwing, appeared to have some fishing line hanging from its beak. After about 10 minutes flew off  over the trees south of Ibsley!!! 

Task to add to maintenance list!!! - clear and create drainage channels from puddles on the paths. Particularly path to Goosander hide and on eastern path to Lapwing near the end of the cross path.

Ellingham Drove and Pound

 18 Nov 11am 1 hr

Litter pick to road entrance then west on N side of Ellingham Drove but had to give up on the layby as there was too much, mostly in the bushes.  Continued around Ellingham Pound and to Ivy North.  Took the glass home to recycle, put cans in Ed Ctr recycling.  

No other issues.

Nicky

South past Rockford Lake and right round Spinnaker Friday 15th November 1.40 to 3.30 pm

Cut back some overhanging foliage on Rockford path. Approached Spinnaker clockwise - path dry and fully passable apart from some overhanging thorny bits which I cut back. In through the gate. The summer house being built on the boundary fence is possibly nearing completion. I didn't linger as there were several workmen and I didn't want them wondering too much about what I was doing. I did think though that the trees that were planted nearby seemed fewer in number than I recall - maybe I'm wrong but may be worth checking. Bearing in mind Jack's advice to me of a few months ago I resisted the temptation to cut back a lot of growth on the way round. There is a discarded large empty black container on the path (close to the white thatched house which has a grey tarpaulin on part of the roof). I left it where it was as I wasn't sure what I'd find on the rest of my way round. Chatted to a friendly angler near the Snails Lane gate. Limited birdlife on the lake itself - mallard, coot, moorhen, Canada geese, a little egret. Path down the side of Spinnaker back to the clubhouse was in good shape, fully passable.

 16/11/2024  9.00 - 13.00   Blashford North. Continuation of existing issues : Leaf litter  ++, nettles on path verges, restricted sight lines from Viewing Platform. Otherwise seems OK.

Great White Egret taking advantage of the recent clearance on the north side of the spit between Lapwing and Goosander 😊. Green Sandpiper on spit to right of Tern Hide. Red crested Pochard and Moccoa still evident.

13th November 2024. North side circuit including hides, Holly Walk and Tern Hide

Walked to Lapwing clockwise (door jams a little), thence continuing clockwise. The view from the observation blinds are beginning to get restricted by vegetation but it's not too bad just yet. Nothing of note at Goosander. At Tern Hide the RC Pochard and Maccoa Duck were still together despite the former trying to discourage the latter. The new car park lining-out looking very smart.

Goosander and Lapwing Hudes

 11.45 1 hr 11th Nov circuit of the northern hides. Some litter at Goosander and pull-in.  Also checked Tern Hide earlier, some litter.

Otherwise no issues.

Nicky

 09/11/2024  9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North     Key points: Leaf litter ++ Hides seem OK apart from sticking lower edge on door at Goosander hide   Nettle trimming required on verges of paths to Lapwing hide.  Viewing platfrom: Sight lines need clearing particularly in view of increasing 'home to roosts' and potential murmurations. They include sight lines  1. to Spit Island.   2. to west and south-west areas of Ibsley Water.   3 from back of viewing platform to Goosander hide.

Is the northern side and western tip of the spit between Lapwing and Goosander to be cleared as per the southern side? Access from the water to the shore is prevented by current bramble etc growth in those areas.   

2 Great White Egrets seen. One on western shore and one on north side of spit, south of Lapwing Hide

6th November 2024. Centre to Willow Hut via boardwalk and, via Lime Walk, to Ivy Nth and Tern Hide. 10.45 to 12.50

The Boardwalk is leafing-up but not too bad. Willow Hut looking very smart after attention. Two Firecrests beside northern Lime Walk and the usual Red-crested Pochard at Tern Hide.

To Goosander, Tern and Rockford Screen

 1.5 hrs in total from 11.30 litter picked to Rockford screen, Goosander, Tern and Ivy Nth Hides.  Yes, very green water by Goosander Hide and Dockens Path hidden by leaves.

Otherwise ok but a wallet handed in, passed to Catherine.

Flock of b t godwit on Ibsley.

Nicky

 02/11/2024  9.00 - 13.00   Blashford North.  Leaf litter growing ++, particularly through the woods beside the Dockens Water. Path route difficult to see in places. Also beginning to build on the boardwalks leading to potential hazards. The need for leaf blowing is growing ++.

Hides generally OK although the door to Goosander hide is sticking more at the bottom as it swells in the cooler/damp weather. There is also a growing amount of green algae in front of Goosander.

Fungi looking good - Pete you must have had a great time with the Young Nats last week!!

Around Ellingham Drove

 28th Oct 11.15 30 mins litter pick to road entrance and along Ellingham Drove going west, then through pedestrian entrance near A338 and back round Ellingham Pound.  Also visited Tern and Ivy N hides during the day, no litter found.

Nicky

Ponies off-site

All 6 NF ponies have been collected by the grazier and are off site for winter. They’ve done a marvellous job keeping the vegetation in check around Ibsley Water’s shoreline, and along with mowing and brushcutting works, allow sensitive flowers such as bee orchids to flourish, whilst providing grazing habitat for geese and ducks. The ponies will be back again in May next year. Thanks again to Lynn for helping with the lookering! 

 26/10/2024  9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North     Section of oak tree cut up by gate to north side had been moved into the parking area. Managed to shift it back closer to the other sections but not back into it's original position. May need further adjustment. Otherwise hides and paths seem OK except for puddles still on path to Goosander. Hampshire gate open onto shore north of Goosander hide - ?intentional.  No ponies seen in sections 2 and 3 from the hides. But did see a car and trailer inside the gate at the end of Ellingham Drove when I left  just after 13.00. ?They might have had a long walk to the top end of section 2!!!!!!

Ellingham loop

 Mon 21st Oct 11am 1 hr round Ellingham Lake.  No litter. Cut nettle and bramble esp near southern bench and on eastern path.

Nicky

 19/10/2024  9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North. Recommendation: service leaf blower!!! New season imminent!  Drainage ditches needed for puddles on path to Goosander. Black plastic trim and two extra perches at Goosander Hide still to do. 

6 ponies seen in section 1. Birders and photographers increasing - travelling from some distance. Female Ruddy duck and Red Crested Pochard x3 reported on Ibsley.

October 9th 2024 Centre to Ivy South, boardwalk, Ellingham west path, Pound, north side, Goosander. then Ivy North and Tern Hides.

Willow Hut inundated with everything except willow! Not sure what the policy is with the structure. Quite happy to spend a shift clearing bramble and nettles from it. Nothing else to report apart from a pair of Green Sandpipers at Goosander and a singleton at Tern Hide. Strongly suspect 3 birds. The windows in Goosander need easing. Opening them causes some bird disturbance.

 12/10/2024  9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North  Usual bramble and nettle trim. Much less growth at last. However nettle encroachment on paths to Lapwing hide need extra attention. Obvious signs of inappropriate use of hides. Probably Goosander. 10+ beer cans plus food /smoking waste?  left just before gate onto the road. Early visitors to the hide during the week reported 3 lads leaving and smoking/drug/vaping aromas in hide.

6 ponies seen moving between sections 2 and 1 on western shore. Gt Crested Grebe eating a large fish in front of Goosander, eventually managed it!! Bird numbers on Ibsley increasing.

 05/10/2024  9.30 - 13.15  Blashford North.  Usual trimming. Nettles on east and west paths to Lapwing will need a cut back fairly soon. Hides appear OK. 6 ponies seen in section 1 on western shore.           Great clearance in front of Lapwing Hide. ? On the eastern shore just the spit between Goosander and Lapwing to do now.  

Goosander Hide busy. Several regulars there who 'bombarded' me with requests!! I said I would pass them on.

1. Please could the black plastic along the top of the sand martin wall on the left side be trimmed. When it flaps in the wind it disturbs the perching kingfishers.

2. Please could we replace the two extra perches that have now gone. One on the right-hand side, 2-3 metres left of the new one that was replaced on Tuesday. And one on the left-hand side at the end of the wall.

Sightings of note: Several Fly Agaric along the verges on the eastern path to Lapwing hide. Two good sized flocks of Lapwing - one on Spit Island and one on the shore to the south of the island.

October 4th 2024 From Centre to Ivy South, thence via boardwalk to circle Ellingham Lake and Pound. Finishing at Tern Hide

All litter free and paths open. Plenty of fungi to be seen (including the pathogen fungus Chondrostereum purpureum. See pic) and a few Dragonflies around Ellingham. Willow Hut getting unindated with nettles and brambles. Off site at 12.30.

3rd of October To Tern, round Ellingham Lake and back via Ivy South and Woodland hides

 A visitor reported seeing a man and woman acting "suspiciously" near the main entrance so I went for a look which turned into a litter pick and a bit of cutting back. Good news first: nobody dodgy as far as I could tell and very little litter, bad news: none. Pleasant autumn afternoon.

To Lapwing and Goosander Hides

 30 Sept 11-1 clearing fallen wood and cutting back especially on and near boardwalk. Litter removed from both hides.

4 redhead goosanders Lapwing Hide. Saw 2 black terns on gravel island on west of Ibsley Water earlier from Tern Hide.

Nicky

 28/09/2024  9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North  Caught up with the bramble and nettle trimming after two weeks gap. Fortunately growth rate is slowing down!! All paths and Hides seem OK. Clearing of spit between Lapwing and Goosander and shoreline from there to Lapwing hide should make a major difference to observations in those areas and reduce the vantage points for foxes. Saw the 6 ponies in section 2 on Ibsley. Good to see some butterflies around - mainly Speckled Wood and Red Admiral. Great White Egret on the western shore. 

26th September Just walking in the rain....

To Lapwing and Goosander litter picking in torrential rain. Reported overhanging bush over Lapwing boardwalk approach. Footbridge over the river on the boundary path that leads to the Alice Lisle is VERY slippery but isn't actually ours. Litter pick round Wild Walk and all three hides. Excited people viewing the kingfisher in the rain at the Silt Pond. I saw my first water rail at Ivy North.

Short walk S side

 23 Sept 11 1 hr in rain to Ivy N, Woodland Hide and woods and drive. Litter removed at road entrance and layby.

3 black necked grebes Ibsley Water.

Nicky

11 Sept 2024 north circuit

All tidy and a nice crop of invertibrates. The observation blinds beside Ibsley silt pond (W3W juggled.impact.showdown/advancing.football.probably) need clearance for visibility. Just a thought: the very useful illustrated site plan on the Lapwing Hide wall could be used very effectively for visitor information because it shows clearly the physical nature of the Reserve.

Ellingham Lake Walk

 9 Sept 11--12 litter pick and cutting overhangs around Ellingham Lake and to A338 exit.  No issues.

At the Centre, the Welcome Hut door wouldn't open fully.  Tried clearing runners no joy.  Worth trying a vacuum cleaner as lots of stuff in there i.e. leaves, dirt, stones etc.

Nicky

 07/09/2024  9.00 - 13.30  Blashford North  Usual nettle and bramble trimming. Quantity reducing but more bramble hanging from overhead branches. Reeds knocked down by rain, trimmed where necessary along the boardwalk. Some overhead branches, particularly north of the cross path on the eastern path, could do with trimming. Otherwise paths and hides seem OK. 

Visitor numbers in hides increasing, particularly birders and photographers, increasing the need for clearance in front of all the north hides.

Ivy North and Tern Hide

 2nd Sept 1 hr from 11am litter pick to Ivy N and round to 1st screen.  Also to Tern Hide inc layby and drive.  Not much litter except at layby.

Ibsley viewpoint has less view than before due to sallow growth especially near the lake east of the hide.

Nicky

 31/08/2024  9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North.   Bramble and nettle trimming where necessary, trip hazards on verges ++ Hides seemed OK. Spit in front of Lapwing hide almost visible! Sightings: flock of approx 20 Lapwing on spit south of Lapwing hide; 2 ospreys reported flying over Ibsley Water; 2 kingfisher seen in front of Goosander hide between 6.00 - 9.00am. Buzzard sitting on the Osprey platform. Adder.

Visitors requests: Removal of vegetation at waters edge in front of Lapwing hide, by the 'appearing' spit, and on the area in front of Goosander hide above the sand martin wall.

North side

 26th Aug 11-12.30 litter pick and cutting overhangs to all north hides and north side of Ellingham Drove. 

Black necked grebe Tern Hide.

Nicky

 24/08/2024  9.00 - 13.00 Blashford North. Wet!!!  Bramble and nettle trimming along paths plus cutting back reeds that had fallen over the boardwalk in the rain. Boardwalk very slippery. Hides seemed OK. No ponies seen. On the footpath from the road to Tern Hide a branch needs cutting back at the northern end of the wooded section.

Very amusing sightings on the spit between Lapwing and Goosander hides. From Lapwing hide I could see two young foxes playing plus 'chasing' some very intelligent lapwings!!!

Wild Walk and Ellingham Lake 22nd August 2.15 to 3.30pm

Pretty miserable afternoon with few visitors and even less wildlife. Good news is that there was almost no litter. Cut back a lot of overhangs. New path holding up well. That's it!

To Tern Hide

 19th Aug 11.30 45 mins litter walk to Tern Hide. Saw black tern after being alerted by a visitor.  Same time of year as when I saw 2 here a couple of years ago.  In fact I had been talking to him in the hide about it earlier!

Brought feeders in after discussion with Chloe due to poorly siskin and greenfinch seen.

Nicky

 17/08/24  9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North  Caught up on bramble and nettle trimming from last week. All paths and hides appeared OK. Met 3 lads cycling around the north side. 

Saw 6 ponies. One on the spit, all the others up near Lapwing Hide. Excellent view of Ruddy Shelduck from Lapwing Hide.

Wild Walk

 11 Aug 11.45 half hour circuit of Ivy N and Wild Walk, some litter and stray brambles dealt with. No issues to report. Saw an osprey heading towards Ibsley Water while I ate lunch in the hut! Fairly high but losing altitude.

Nicky

07/08/2024 North Circuit, Lichen Heath, Ivy North, Ivy South, Boardwalk and Lime Walk to Tern Hide. 10.40 to 13.00

Nothing to report. Everything tidy. Once again, the Water Mint beside the Boardwalk attracting loads of invertebrates, and huge numbers of Mottled Grasshoppers on the Lichen Heath.

10/08/2024  9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North   Only partial bramble and nettle trimming due to broken shears!!  6 ponies seen on spit south of Lapwing Hide. Sightings - adders, male and female. Lapwings in Silt pond by Lapwing Hide and on shore in front of Tern Hide. Footpath from top of drive to Centre car park is wet and muddy. Needs attention as visitors are being directed to use it instead of the drive.

Concerns about 2 gentlemen who arrived on site early, walked a short distance, down drive and then back to their car via footpath. Were elusive about their intentions although had a tent in their car and random other belongings. Said that they were from Hayling Island, had been camping in the Forest and just looking around. Advised them that there was no wild camping on the Reserve. Did not appear to have stayed very long. 

 03/08/2024   9.00 - 13.00   Blashford North   Usual bramble and nettle trimming of paths, and hide checks. Windows left open in Goosander and Lapwing hides. Piece of wood broken off from inside of the Goosander door - left on desk in office.  Only 4 ponies seen on the spit north of Goosander hide, but very likely the other 2 were hidden behind the bramble bushes. Plenty of birds out on the lake but best views from Lapwing Hide including large groups of Great Crested Grebes. Ruddy Duck seen by visitor from Tern Hide. Lapwing flew onto the shore there also. Footpath from upper car park to Centre car park could do with a resurface to reduce wet/muddy areas after rain.

31st July 2024 Ivy North to Ivy South, Lime Walk to Willow hut and Ellingham west path to Ellingham Pound

Very quiet, all tidy. Twelve Brimstones feeding on Water Mint along the boardwalk and Winnowing Little Grebe around W3W expect.apes.gourmet. Brown Hawker was seen near Willow Hut, and ovi-positing Azure, Red-eyed and Common Blue Damselflies on the Pound. Also 2 ovi-pos Emperors there. Golden-tabbed Robberfly with damselfly prey noted in same locality.

Woods on south side

 July 29th 11.15 1 hour litter picking and snipping brambles on paths to Main car park (Tern) and along by Dockens and down to screen on  Ivy Lake. Hot! No issues to report.

 27/07/2024  9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North.   Usual bramble and nettle trimming - not too bad. 5 ponies seen, all on the spit south of Lapwing Hide. Lapwing and Goosander hides both had windows left open. Otherwise all seemed OK.

Met Brenda and Kevin at the end of their ringing session. Kevin surprised us all by showing us a young kingfisher that had been caught in one of the nets - a very rare occurrence even for them I gather. Was judged to be a female as it had a small area of red beginning to show on its lower mandible. Also saw what Nigel advised me was probably a Godwit that flew down in front of Tern Hide as I entered - very long legs and beak. Numbers of butterflies increasing - particularly newly emerged Peacocks, Red Admirals and Commas.

24/07/2024 North Circuit walk

checked out the north circuit and Goosander path. All good. Nothing to report with everything tidy.

Nicky - 22nd July - Ellingham Lake walk

22nd July 11am 1 hour around Ellingham Lake and to Ellingham Drove gate.  Not much litter. Some cutting but not too much needed. Saw a mink. Ran in front of me across the path towards Ellingham lake.

Nicky

Jacki - 20/07/2024

 20/07/2024  9.00 - 13.30  Blashford North  5 ponies seen either side of Lapwing Hide rather than in section 3. Hampshire gate on south side of section 4 checked; closed correctly but may need strengthening. Bramble and nettle trimmed as usual - growing fast ++.  All hides seem OK. Adder & juvenile grass snake seen, as were an increasing number of gatekeepers in spite of the weather. A group of great crested grebes - 12 or more- still swimming and diving in front of Tern hide.

Nicky - Tour of all hides

 15th July 2 hrs in total went around all hides dodging rain as very few visitors.

Litter and cutting as usual. 2 mandarins female or immature on Ivy Silt.

1 tufted female with 2 tiny ducklings from Goosander Hide.  They tried to ride on her back but kept sliding off.  Very entertaining.

Nicky

Jacki - 13/07/24

 09.00 - 13.00 Blashford North.  Usual bramble and nettle trimmed where necessary. All paths and hides seem OK. 5 ponies seen. A Great White Egret seen on western shore plus 3 little egrets - 2 on Ibsley and 1 in silt pond by Lapwing hide.  Adders seen. Sand Martins still active at Goosander. Paint brush found outside Tern hide - probably left there on Thursday - put on Pete's desk. Collected my fleece from the kitchen that I left on Thursday.

Issue of note: poles still in the Dockens Water, short distance before Memorial bench. Possible attempt at a dam made a few weeks ago - could do with removing.

Nicky - 8th July

12  noon 1 hr around the Wild Walk, very little litter, some cutting back of brambles. No issues to report.  Visitors all happy.

Nicky

Jacki - 06/07/24

9.00 - 13.30  Blashford North.  Usual bramble and nettle trimming where necessary. Reeds alongside boardwalk nearing time for cutting. Otherwise paths and hides seem OK. 5 ponies seen - by the ragwort near Gull Island!!  As well as Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Marbled White and Ringlet saw my first Painted Lady of the year in the Hanson Plant. Still several Fleabane Tortoise beetle larvae on the Inula near the Centre.

03/07/2024 North circuit 13.25 to 15.10

Nothing to report. Noted Common Tern chick with parents on the nearest Goosander raft.

JULY 4th 1320 to 1510 Centre to Ivy Lane and back

Litter picked from Centre along Dockens Water and down the side of Rockford lake to Ivy Lane. Lots of growth sticking out across the path for about 100 metres up to the first screen - especially nettles and brambles. Did what I could with the secateurs but it needs a proper job to be done. Cut back what I could and went all the way to the gate on Ivy Lane. The approach to the first screen could do with being cut back as could the area around the first bench after that screen on the way down to Ivy Lane. No visitors en route and very little birdlife too.

JULY 2nd - 1140 to 1320 Circular walk from Centre around Ellingham Lake via Ellingham Drove and back

Cut back lots of overhangs and growth sticking out throughout the circuit. Benches 2, 3 and 4 up from Ellingham Drove are surrounded by a lot of growth which could prevent some people from sitting on them so I would recommend they need attention. The only wildlife of interest to me were a couple of adult terns trying to show the ropes to half a dozen juveniles on the small lake backing onto Ellingham Drove. I'm pleased to say I saw no litter, less pleased to say that I saw no visitors during my time on site.

 29/06/2024 9.00 - 13.30  Blashford North. + access to. Routine trimming of brambles and nettles as usual. All paths OK except for bracken that still needs cutting on the South side; on the verges from entrance to Rockford Lake along path between Dockens Water and Rockford Lake to the kissing gate leading to Moyles Court and continuing until reaching the left turn onto the footbridge over the Dockens Water to go out to the road and north. All hides seem OK. 5 ponies seen - happily grazing. Early warning: it will not be long before the reeds alongside the boardwalk need trimming.

27/06/2024 Spinnaker Lake. 11.36 to 13.50

Starting from the Ivy Lane east wntrance I did a circuit of the lake, returning on the public footpath on the west side. The footpath on the east side was almost impassable -- and I have the scratches and stings to prove it! Bramble and Nettles are inundating the track beside the wire fence from w3w thread.framework.delay through to gilding.chestnuts.scuba. At one point I came across an angler with shears trying to make a difference. Along the south side the path was passable - just. The little island was deserted apart from a BH Gull and a juvenile. The west public footpath was passable. Bird wise, there were a pair of Common Terns above the lake but no sign of Oystercatchers.

To Goosander hide

 11.40 1 hr on 24 June. Litter pick and cutting back to Goosander Hide including around layby and kissing gates.

Nicky

Jacki 22/06/2024

 22/06/2024 9.00 -13.30  Blashford North [+access to]. Bracken needs trimming beside the path from exit gate to Moyles Court around the corner to the footbridge. Usual trimming of bramble and nettles along northern paths, otherwise all seemed OK. 6 Ponies seen. 

Sightings of note - 2 Lapwing seen on the Scrape, Little Ringed Plover resting on shore to right of Tern Hide plus four Lapwing chicks seen in the area with adults on guard.  Swan numbers increasing - ?coming in to moult. Meadow Browns, Marbled White and a Small Skipper seen in the Hanson Plant., Dragonflies on the pond behind the Centre - female Southern Hawker ovipositing, plus female Black-tailed Skimmer [I think]

Nigel - Ellingham circuit/Pound and half of north side circuit.

19/06/2024, 10.00 to 12.00. 

Ellingham Pound produced a Marble White, but it was the only one of just 2 butterflies seen. The second was a Gatekeeper on the Goosander link path. Nothing to report on Ellinham circuit except that the Willow Hut was beginning to get unindated by brambles and nettles around the base. Will take some shears to it next week. Some nice invertibrates around including 3 firsts for me - Semaphore Fly (poecilobrothus nobilitatus), Stripe-faced Drone Fly (Eristalis nemorum) and Grey-spotted Sedgesitter (Platycheirus albimanus).

Rockford Lake Path

 17 June 2pm 45 mins litter pick to Rockford Lake/Ivy Lake path also cutting bramble and nettle. Nice view of swans with 8 cygnets on Rockford, Great crested grebe pair with 4 young on Ivy, kingfisher flying down the path.

Nicky

Ellingham Loop and links

 17th June 10.30 for 1.5 hrs.  Loop of Ellingham Lake including paths to road exits.  No litter except at A338 gate.  Cut back nettles and brambles.  Link to E. Drove needs more work but passable.

Nicky

12/06/2024, 10.45 to 12.50. Ivy east path, north side and Tern Hide area

Trimmed encroaching bramble and nettles along the Ivy East path. Walked the north side circuit. No issues. Checked Tern Hide area and found 4 Bee Orchid spikes on the platform footpath. Joined company with a couple of botanists who had just found Hairy Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus subbiflorus. Photo attached) on the lichen field, a national rarity. On further searching I found it over much of the area centred on W3W DELUDED.COMMITTEE.PENCIL.

 15/06/2024  9.00 - 13.30  Blashford North.  Issue of note: First section of post & rail fence, leading to gate into Hanson Plant, had collapsed. All rails dislodged. ? Cause. I reconstructed the section but the first/end post is very loose, reinforcement needed ++ otherwise it will easily be dislodged again.

All six ponies seen. For a time 3 were in the water walking along the shore line, while the other 3 were walking along the shore, ?dissuading the others from coming out. Eventually they did came out when the others held back. ?a bit of tension between the two groups.

Trimmed brambles and nettles as necessary - growth rate increasing ++. All hides appeared OK.

Male adder, 2/3 yr juvenile, seen at base of bank by Goosander hide.

Jack M. 12/06/2024. Ponies on-site!

 It’s that time of year again already! Three lovely New Forest ponies were dropped off by our new graziers Karen and Simon Crouch this afternoon. Three more (plus foal) are expected to arrive later in the week (date tbc) and will remain confined to the western shoreline for the time being.

I have circulate information amongst the lookers, team and graziers who will be carrying out the checks, however if you have any concerns over the ponies welfare or fencing, please call either myself or Pete.

We have a rota in place with Lynn kindly covering Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the grazier covering Saturdays (and occasional Wednesdays), Pete covering Sundays and myself covering Mondays.

Thanks

Jack

Ellingham loop gate

 10th June 

Both today and last week  separate visitors have reported that they thought the gate on Ellingham loop was locked because they saw a padlock.  One couple turned back, the other climbed the fence.  They suggested a sign saying the gate is not locked. Otherwise they were all happy with their visit.

Didn't go far today due to saving my legs for cycling home (!) just Tern Hide to change board and update sightings and pick some litter say 30 mins.

Nicky

 08/06/2024  9.00 - 13.30 Blashford North   Usual trimming of bramble and nettle growth where necessary to keep paths clear. No obvious problems and hides all looked OK. Cloudy all morning until about midday. No butterflies seen at all but did see a female adder in one of the usual places. The lack of sunshine and cool temperature may have contributed to a later start for her. Lots of geese on Ibsley. Canada, Greylag and Egyptian. Numbers have definitely gone up. As have the numbers of larger gulls. 

Spinnaker and Ivy east path 05/06/2024, 15.45 to 17.00hrs

The Oystercatcher pair were present but their behaviour indicated an absence of young. They flighted a couple of times and seemed unconcerned with the oresence of gulls. being able to observe the site from a boat would be a great help because of the high vegetation obscuring the nest area. Ivy east path. No issues except for encroaching brambles and nettles north of the blind. Will take some shears next time.

Spinnaker Oystercatchers 01/06/2024. 14.15 to 15.00

Went to see what the Oystercatchers were doing and if any young were visible. The female was present but no sign of young. However she was very protective of something and any gulls coming close would be chased off. I've attached photos showing her concentration on one particular spot. No feeding behaviour was observed.

 01/06/24   9.00 - 13.00 Blashford North  A few brambles and nettles trimmed that had fallen after the verges were cut on Thursday. No obvious problems seen. 

Relatively few birds on Ibsley and those there were mainly on Gull Island or near the north shore because of the wind direction. A small number of sand martins were flying in and out of the wall and a bit later in the morning a flock of about 100 arrived/returned and flew around the lake. A very vocal cuckoo heard on Mockbeggar. A photo was taken by Doug and Hilary. A wagtail on the shore in front of Tern Hide. A Hobby seen flying over from the Welcome Hut. 

Wednesday 29th May 2024, 14.20 to 16.20. North side circuit and Tern hide/car park

Goosander hide: pairs of Terns seem to be happy enough on both rafts, in company with BH Gulls. In the reedbed a Water Rail, Reed Warblers, Sedge Warbler, Cetti's Warbler and Reed Bunting were heard, but no sign of Little Grebes on the Ibsley silt pond, which is now 75% covered in floating vegetation. Tern Hide area: nothing to report other than a White-tail Eagle vectoring SSW then WSW at medium height harried by a Herring Gull.

Thursday 30th May - 2pm to 3.45pm: Lapwing, Goosander, Tern

Did a litter pick and cut overhangs from the Centre to Lapwing, Goosander and then on to Tern. Concentrated on anything I thought could get into a child's face as there had clearly been some work done on clearing the sides of paths. Lapwing and Tern hides were fine but Goosander had a fair bit of rubbish in it. There was an interesting battle of wills between the lapwings and crows to the side of Tern and several terns were very unsettled near Tern hide - plenty of screeching and diving going on. Not sure why as, apart from some swallows and sand martins there was nothing near them. Maybe they were sympathising with the plight of the lapwings. Reserve was very quiet today - especially as it's half-term but the weather didn't help by being so mixed.

Tuesday 28th May 1015 - 1145

Walked to Tern and Goosander hides - the rain last night has weighed down quite a few branches and other plants which will need cutting back along the paths. Sand martins put on a great display at Goosander with a few swifts and swallows for good measure. Went along the Rockford path but given the miserable weather wasn't surprised to see even a single visitor. Again, there will need to be a bit of cutting back in places which I will try to do on Thursday. 

Ellingham Lake

 Today 27th May 11am 1 hr around Ellingham Lake. No litter, cut back nettles and brambles. Waterski boat went straight into 2 little grebes but they flew off at the last nanosecond!  Also removed litter at Tern car park.

Nicky

 25/05/2024 9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North.   Hides all OK. Verges need trimming now ++, including path from Tern Hide. Sightings - Roe buck on western shore, sand martins very active feeding young. Pair of Lapwing seen on scrape from Hanson screen. At the Centre beautiful Cinnabar Moth seen behind the bug hotel. Robin seen entering the bug hotel!!

23 May 2024 Spinnaker south bank and Ellingham Lake circuit. 08.45 to 10.30

A pair of Tufted Duck and a female Oystercatcher present on Spinnaker small island. No sign of Oystercatcher hatchlings, with 'mum' wandering around aimlessly. No sign of mate except that another OC flew in calling from the north as I was leaving the site. Nothing to report from Ellingham Lake. Plenty of teneral damselflies around but I fancy not as many as last year. No sign/sound of Little Grebes. I have attached a couple of shots of the willow hut.

16th May afternoon

Followed up last week's "discovery" of a door frame being built close to where we have planted saplings. Took some photographs and shared with Jack. Cut overhangs en route. Some new greylag goslings on Rockford lake. Spinnaker itself was very quiet with a few mallards and Canada geese being the only birds on the water. Said hello to a couple of anglers - one friendlier than the other. Maybe its's me!

 18/05/24  9.00 - 13.00 Blashford North   Usual bramble and nettle trimming as necessary. More enhanced nettle trimming will be required in the next couple of weeks. Worst spots are Western path to Lapwing from the divide to the cross path, and the northern end of the Eastern Path before the turn up to Lapwing. Interesting sightings -  an adult Lapwing vigorously driving off jackdaws from its 4 well grown young on the Scrape. Several Egyptian Geese squabbling on Spit Island. A group of 8 Great Crested Grebes out in front of Tern Hide. White van [camping conversion] below the viewing platform in the main car park with an active barbecue on the ground . Advised to remove asap and reported to Pete.

16th May, Snails Lane boundary fence 15.30hrs

The location of the trespass yesterday was 'because.awoke.dumplings'.

15th May, Spinnaker Lake east and south. 14.08 to 15.40

Traversed from Ivy Lane gate to Fishing Club gate. Timber clearance needed from path at several points (see pics). Walked the Snails Lane boundary and observed active trespass through fence noted around 'deployed.duet.surfer' on Snails Lane. I didn't approach the 'offender' who was carrying a rigid plastic container. Otherwise all as per John's stint on the 9th.

 11/05/24  9.00 - 12.45. Blashford North. Trimmed bramble and some nettles where necessary. No other obvious problems. Some interesting sightings. Several carp spawning in front of Lapwing Hide and one in front of Tern Hide. Lapwing and 2/3 well grown young seen in the Scrape from Goosander Hide. 4 Black Tern seen flying over Ibsley from Tern Hide.

9th of May - Spinnaker follow up

Took secateurs for a walk to the left side of Spinnaker. Cut overhangs on public path up to the locked gate and checked out the fenced-off area with the saplings. Pleased to report that the fence was up and, apart from a solo rabbit, nothing seemed to have got into the plot. However, passed on to Pete and Jack a concern that a neighbour appears to be erecting a door frame right onto the fence. Hopefully I have got this wrong. Followed the path along the fence beside the "donkey field" (as I call it) towards the edge of the lake where it's covered in green stuff. Cut back a fair few overhangs and other scratchy "sticky-out" bits - not so much that access is too easy so there is still an element of dissuasion for those who shouldn't really be there! Lots of Canada goslings on the lake and the donkey field. Mute swan cygnets on Rockford lake. Greylags and goslings nowhere in sight this week.

Circuit of Ellingham Lake/Pound and north side of reserve 08/05/2024, 10.15 to 12.32

Ellingham generally okay. Willow dome looks good. I suspect Little Grebe nesting in the whizzing.crafted.boat (not kidding!) area of the south eastern shore. Not visible because of brambles but lots of loud 'whinnying' in that immediate area. Also heard L Grebe calls in the extreme NW of the lake. The North side was generally okay. Noted a nice range of singing warblers – Reed, Sedge, Garden, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow and Cetti's. Also Reed Bunting, and heard Little Grebe whinnying on the lake north of the Lapwing Hide circuit (I don't know its name!).

 04/05/24  9.00 - 13.00 Blashford North  Usual activity of trimming bramble where necessary and checking paths and hides. Still 2 puddles on path to Goosander that are not draining very well, otherwise all seemed OK. Ibsley very quiet - relatively few birds on the lake. Several Lapwings flying over Spit Island and at least 2 on the scrape. Pair of Gadwall roosting on tree trunks to the left of Goosander hide. Crossing back to the south side via the footpath from Tern Hide, broken windscreen glass on the ground by the kissing gate in the layby. 

01/05/2024 Ivy Lake east path and Spinnaker Lake (partial) 13.50 to 15.30

Fence posts down southwards from turned.novelist.minimums on the Ivy east path. Mostly caused by the weight of bramble overgrowth and some fallen timber. This was my first visit to Spinnaker and I was unable to find a path which would take me around the southern and eastern shores. The north and west sides are covered by the Spinnaker private yards but I was told to report my presence in future. I assume the public footpaths are the maintenance respossibility of the NFDC. Can someone advise me on the south and east shoreline access please?

To Goosander and Lapwing

 I hr 11.30am to Goosander and Lapwing Hides.  Removed some litter, not too bad, and dragged a fallen birch trunk off the path by the bench on the western path.

Little grebe on Ibsley Silt Pond. Singing reed bunting as well as multiple reed warblers, garden warblers and 1 willow warbler - at the junction to Goosander Hide.

Nicky

 27/04/24  9.00 - 13.00 Blashford North.  Bramble runners trimmed where necessary to keep paths clear. Cuckoo very vocal near the reed beds first part of the morning. Still a pair of golden eye in front of Lapwing hide. Sand Martins busy at the sand martin wall, both feeding and nest building. Lapwing seen in the NW quadrant of the Scrape. A plastic bag still seen to the west of the Hanson screen. Common Scoter seen from Tern hide. Some white foam seen in some of the small bays on the western shore of Ibsley.

Reserves update

Hi All,

Thanks for keeping this blog up to date. I thought you might find it useful if we send occasional updates of what we are up to on the reserve so you know what/ who to look out for when wardening.

One of the Ibsley Water tern rafts broke loose a fortnight ago during strong winds. Combined with the high water levels, waves crashed into the sand martin wall and washed out the bottom two rows of tunnels. It is unlikely the sand martins will have lost any eggs since they usually lay towards the end of May/ early June, and thankfully they have been seen back in the wall since, albeit mostly in the top two rows of tubes. Pete and I have been out and recovered the runaway tern raft, carried out repair works and re-deployed it. This means all 4 rafts are now out on Iblsey Water along with the 2 on Ellingham pound (which seems to be very popular with BHG this year). This leaves the 5 on Ivy Lake to do which we will hopefully start deploying next week after we finish stripping and rebuilding them (we are in the process of replacing the old rotten timbers). 

Various surveys are underway including weekly butterfly transects on both the north and south sides of the reserve until end Sept. Reptile surveys are now carried out monthly between March and Oct (again on both sides of the reserve) and our four breeding bird surveyors are covering their various areas until mid-June (please let us know if you come across any nests so we can make sure these are recorded). Brenda and Kevin have finished ringing in the education field for this season and are gearing up to start CES on the north side of the reserve soon.

The fencing around the education centre car park has finally been replaced with some smart looking post and rail, making this area look tidy again! The centre track isn't going to be repaired properly until June  as the contractor isn't available, however he will be breaking up the worst of the potholes with his tractor again on Monday 29th April.

A drone has been seen spotted flying low over Ibsley Water on several occasions this week. Flying drones is prohibited on the reserve as they cause disturbance to birds (everything was flushed off the south shore yesterday), so please feed back any information you may have to help us prevent this activity. 

Thanks again for all your help!

Jack

NK

24/04/2024 11.30 to 12.35 Circuit of Ellingham Lake and Pound. Broken fence posts at 'says.tomato.drew' otherwise all okay. Singing Blackcap and 2 singing Garden Warblers.

 20/04/24 9.00 - 13.00  Blashford North.  All seems OK. Sand Martins busy nest building.

 15 April 11am 1.25 hour circuit of Spinnaker Lake via Rockford path. Not much litter, temp deer fence on the lean on one side.

Birds on islands:

Large island

Canada goose 5, mallard 1 male

Small island

B H gull 2, Canada goose 2, mallard 1, right next to island banks- gadwall 2, tufted 2

Also saw grey heron, moorhen and gadwall

Nicky

To Lapwing Hide

 8th April 1 hr circuit 11.30 to 12.30 to Lapwing Hide. Very little litter.  Willow warbler near junction of path to Goosander Hide.  Goldcrests attacking a car at road gate!

Correction to my previous post: there is a sign about dogs as you drive in to Tern Hide car park.

Nicky

Litter patrol

 1st April visited Tern Hide all ok, snipe on view. 1 hr round to Rockford Path screen and back to Tern car park, very little litter.  Was trying to find a dog walker I had glimpsed so I noticed there are no signs re dogs if you approach Tern Hide by road.  I have found a dog in the hide once.  Fence in Ed Ctr car park is rotten in places. Busy day, met 103 people to speak to!

Nicky

Ivy Lane etc

 25th March 1.5 hours loop including litter pick along Ivy Lane while it is closed.  A lot of litter.  Also checked Goosander Hide earlier, some litter at the road gate, hide not bad.

Nicky

Ellingham Lake loop

 Today 18 March 1 hour loop of Ellingham Lake and South side hides.

Litter mainly near Ellingham Pound.  Also cleared a few bits from Tern Hide earlier.

Thanks for confirming about the blog.  Will keep reporting.

Nicky

 03/03/2024 9.00 - 13.00 Blashford North. Water levels very high yesterday and lots of puddles on the paths with the potential for icy patches this morning. I understand that is the same on the South side too. Checking and improving the drainage from puddles on the paths, on both sides of the reserve would be useful maintenance job to do.

Goosander Hide

 Today 1 hr 12 noon Litter pick to the hide. Dead b h gull in front of it.  Some metal flytipped in layby opposite Tern Hide road entrance.

Not sure if these posts are still being read?

Nicky

Woodland wander

 Today 11.30 1 hr litter pick to Ivy North, through woods to Goosander layby and then Rockford Path to 1st screen. Love the new hide windows at Ivy North!

Nicky

Goosander Hide and Ivy Lake

 I.5 hours 8th Jan. Checked Goosander at 9.  Lots of wildfowl inc goldeneye.  Small amount of litter removed near entrance. Circuit of Ivy Lake at 11.30. Except for Ivy Lane, hardly any litter. Need to go back to the lane with a big bag. Happy New Year!

Nicky