Just a very brief update to follow on from Bob’s roundup last night with a few pictures and the latest news – bird wise nothing new to report from yesterday other than a second ring-billed gull was sighted again yesterday and all the other birds he reported on were also seen. The colder weather has now frozen all of the smaller water bodies over on the reserve and this morning there was even ice around the margins of Ivy Lake and a relatively large sheet extending out from the south-east corner of the lake from the screen at the Ivy Lane end of the Ivy/Rockford path that is sufficiently well formed for black headed and lesser black backed gulls to be perched on it.
A frosty start again this morning
For all it is a bit colder (at last!) longer days are slowly bringing more signs of Spring – not least of which is the drumming of greater spotted woodpecker that greets everyone as they arrive of a morning at the moment. Up to three drumming at the same time from different points of the reserve when I opened up yesterday!
The scarlet elf cups are also continuing to develop in their damp, rotting dead wood habitats in all the usual places adding a welcome splash of colour and seasonal wildlife interest:
Scarlet elf cup
And of course snowdrops are also always nice to see!
Lots of visitors have enjoyed some great wildlife photography opportunities over the last couple of weeks – thanks to Alan, Lyn, Patricia and Sue for sharing these with us:
Snipe, Ibsley Water, by Patricia Giles Brown
Buzzard by Sue Marshall
Bittern by Lyn Miller
Water rail by Alan Brown
Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve 
Alan, Lyn and Sue took some amazing photos at the Blashford Lakes. Cannot wait to get there to see them for myself. Well done.
Great photos 😉
Bob,
You might like to know there was a white fronted goose at harbridge yesterday amongst the swans and greylag.
On Thursday saw a ring ouzel along Gorley road. I know it’s the wrong time of year, but there are current sightings in Dorset
Rgds
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