After strimming the rest of the paths on Monday, I walked down to the viewing screens. It was a fabulous day, lots of birds singing away and lots of birds hawking around overhead, including 4 hobby’s! They were feeding on the wing, picking off large flying insects. They were very high so didn’t manage a very good photo, but one that show’s their shape well.
Hobby
Part way to the screens were a few pairs of greylag geese, all with goslings. Most of the goslings were up and about feeding, but a few were still preferring protection over exploring.
Greylag goose and goslings
At the screens a Cetti’s warbler was making use of the dead hedge in front of the western screen, this is the second time I have seen one very close in this hedge. This one decided to give a quick burst of song which, as well as nearly deafening me, gave me a wonderful view and a chance to get a quick photo.
Cetti’s warbler
On my way back I went in to the western fen to make a start on fence line checks and to see what flowers and insects were around. There were quite a few more damselflies than last week, including a freshly emerged and therefore not fully coloured blue-tailed damselfly.
Blue-tailed damselfly
There are also a lot more flowers beginning to bloom, wintercress is coming in to flower across much of the reserve, particularly along the path edges, adding a splash of extra colour.
Common wintercress
Unfortunately a bit of lockdown fatigue seems to be creeping in for visitors at Fishlake Meadows and I’ve started coming across people doing things they wouldn’t normally. Such as finding people sunbathing on some tree trunks about 30 metres off the public footpath. I also came across 2 people magnet fishing in the barge canal, who begrudgingly moved on after I told them the canal is a SSSI and therefore they would need consent for that type of activity, and also need to seek permission from the landowner first. It’s very important that we all hang in there and only leave home for the reasons clearly stated by government.
Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve 
Never heard of “magnet fishing” and funnily enough, saw someone clearly doing that recently and wondered what it was about and then forgot to look it up!
Me neither Gail I’m off to look it up!