On Sunday 29 January, Martin Sell led a joint field trip with the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) to the Avon Valley near Ringwood and the New Forest. The initial meeting point was the bridge over the River Avon at Ibsley. In a nearby field were several hundred Mute Swans, plus one Bewick’s Swan and one Whooper Swan. Next stop was Blashford Lakes, a nature reserve of the Hants and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. A hide in a wood of birch and alder looked out over feeders which were being used by Redpolls, Siskins and a selection of other finches and tits. Lunch was eaten in another hide, looking out over a lake with Goosanders, displaying Goldeneyes, distant Black-tailed Godwits and a bankside Fox. The final destination was Blackwater Arboretum in the New Forest. In late afternoon, Hawfinches fly in and perch on the tops of the trees before going to roost. Their bulky bodies and short tails give them a distinctive torpedo-shaped outline. Crossbill was another good find here.
Pictures by Ray Reedman and Jan Haseler
Species list for Avon Valley and Blackwater Arboretum
Ibsley
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus
Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus
Mute Swan Cygnus olor
Greylag Goose Anser anser
Canada Goose Branta canadensis
Stonechat Saxicola torquata
Blashford Lakes
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
Dabchick Tachybaptus ruficollis
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Wigeon Anas penelope
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Gadwall Anas strepera
Pintail Anas acuta
Shoveler Anas clypeata
Teal Anas crecca
Pochard Aytha ferina
Goldeneye Bucephela clangula
Goosander Mergus merganser
Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
Blue Tit Parus caeruleus
Great Tit Parus major
Coal Tit Parus ater
Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus
Nuthatch Sitta europaea
Treecreeper Certhia familiaris
Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
Siskin Carduelis spinus
Greenfinch Carduelis chloris
Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
Redpoll Carduelis flammea
Blackwater Arboretum
Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes
Crossbill Loxia curvirostra