…well quite a lot actually!
“Walking Picnics” are back with the Pop-up Cafe tomorrow (Sunday 18th December), although Christine will probably be manning the cakes and refreshments by herself as Nigel is more likely to be involved with the Young Naturalists group who are meeting tomorrow a week earlier than their usual meeting date of the last Sunday of the month. Rightly or wrongly we weren’t convinced that there would be a big turn out on 25th December!
That will be the last activity until Wildlife Tots on January 2nd, although the reserve and centre will be open as usual everyday except Christmas Day itself.
Thanks to a combination of birders restarting their year lists and families out for the traditional New Years Day walk, the 1st January is typically the reserves busiest day of the year – if the weather is fair. This year there will be an added incentive to visit the reserve, even if the weather is less than perfect, because it is the first Sunday of the month and therefore the Pop-up Cafe will be open again! A combination of a lovely walk on a lovely nature reserve combined with a generous slice of one of Christine’s cakes all washed down with a mug of hot coffee or tea could be the perfect hangover cure!
In the New Year there is a busy program of walks, courses and activities planned. The next “What’s On?” covering January-March was emailed to the printers yesterday but for a sneak preview you can download or print your own copy here: 161207-blashford-whats-on-jan-mar-ts
Currently the reserve is relatively quiet, as it tends to be in the run up immediately before Christmas, although there is still a steady flow of visitors dropping in for a brief visit throughout the day as they escape the hustle and bustle of shopping and other preparations.
There’s certainly always something to see; yesterday opening up I saw water rail and bittern from Ivy North Hide and heard a very otter like splash from Ivy Silt Pond. In keeping with tradition I didn’t actually see an otter of course, but I’m 90% sure that is what it would have been!
This morning Ibsley Water was largely obscured by mist, but 5 handsome drake goldeneye were all close to the shore in front of Tern Hide and easy to see and enjoy. Didn’t see a bittern this morning (although one was reported again later on, so still there!), but had a lovely view of a roe buck silhouetted against a misty skyline among the tree’s on top of the bank from Woodland Hide.
The unexpected highlight today however was that of a tawny owl flying in the alder carr at the back of the centre when I went round the back to open up the shutters. Although not an uncommon bird at Blashford the linear nature of the woodland on the reserve is such that even at night you don’t always hear them if you are at the “wrong end” of their territory and I certainly haven’t seen one by day on site before.
Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve 