On Friday I had a closer look at some ash trees that I had been waiting to come in to leaf to see what condition they were in. In short, they haven’t come in to leaf much at all, therefore I am now in the process of arranging to have them felled. They have advanced signs of dieback and are close to a path so unfortunately need to go. Ash trees on the reserve that aren’t near the paths, even if they have signs of dieback, will be left to die where they stand. If you would like to know more about ash dieback and the impact it’s having, there is a lot of information here; https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/ash-dieback.
Ash tree with ash dieback
Cuckoos have been singing away for a few weeks now, I managed to get a good view of one on Friday, including getting a photo. The light meant it’s more of a silhouette shot, but you can clearly see the droopy wings which give it away.
Cuckoo with wings drooping below branch
As well as lots of flowers coming in to bloom, the grasses and sedges are following suit. The greater pond sedge either side of the permissive path is particularly striking at the moment.
Greater pond sedge
Many birds will be nesting already, indeed some greylag geese and mallards already have goslings and ducklings. It’s lovely to see them preparing for and looking after new arrivals, a pair of coot are nest building fairly close to the screens. It is important for all of us to tread lightly and be considerate of this, keep to the paths and move on if a bird seems agitated near you.
Coot with nesting material
Damselflies are emerging more and more at the moment, and now the demoiselle’s are following, a week or so ago I saw my first banded demoiselle, and on Friday I saw my first female beautiful demoiselle. It shouldn’t be too long until I spot my first dragonfly, indeed others may have already seen one.
Female beautiful demoiselle
Fishlake Meadows now has it’s own standalone blog, so if you would like to continue to see what’s happening there please follow the link and subscribe here. I will continue to posts my blogs on to the Blashford blog for a short while to give people a chance to get signed up.
Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve 