An update on the Franklin’s gull from our Senior Planning Ecologist:
I just wanted to add a bit of context to your record, which was the second time ever it has been recorded in the county, although it is a near annual visitor to British shores. The first record was recorded at Farlington Marshes in 1970, by none other than the late Dave Billet and the late Peter Grant (an esteemed gull ID expert). In 1970 it was the first time ever that the species had been recorded in the Western Palearctic, so it was an extremely significant find. It is nice to see the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust have the monopoly on Franklin’s Gulls in Hampshire, that is of course assuming that this one gets accepted by British Bird Rarities Committee.
An update on access:
The pile of wood has now been removed so all paths are currently accessible (unless Hurricane Gonzalo decides otherwise!). The wood is being used by Hampshire County Council to build a very smart new footbridge across the Dockens Water to replace the rather old concrete bridge that has taken quite a battering over the years from all the debris that flows down the river when it’s in spate. The bridge should be finished in a couple of weeks time.
Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve 