Blashford Lakes

Today I took a trip out to Blashfords again as I have not been for a while to see what was about, a look in the Tern hide first found it to be busy so I took a walk over to Ivy North Hide with the hope of seeing the Bittern and Water Rail but no luck with these two. Though I did get a lifer with a good sighting of a Green Sandpiper.
After this I made my way over to the Wood Land Hide were the bird were very busy taking advantage of the free seed in the feeders I sat a while watching Blue Tits,Great Tits, Nuthatch, Goldfinch , Chaffinch and many more birds making the most of this free food with bank voles scurrying about under the feeders for fallen seed.
I must of been here for aleast half an hour before I made a move over to Ivy South Hide

Looking out across Ivy Lake

I found this hide empty on arriving so I sat a while and had a cuppa while I watched Little Grebe a few Pochard, Wigeon and Gadwall out on the lake

Wigeon

Looking left from Ivy South Hide

Along with Coots and Great-Crested Grebes and a Grey Heron perched in a tree over to the left in the trees as there was not much going on expect  some Wigeon coming in a bit closer I decided to make a move to Gooseander Hide.

So I back tracked up past the Wood Land Hide and along the path I stopped to watch a Wren searching for insects among the moss laden stumps of old trees when something caught my eye in one of the trees. Scan the tree with my binocluars I found a Tree Creeper working its way up the trunk looking for insects in the bark of the tree . I carried on up along the path and along the Docken water ( a small stream) were I came across a wonderful little bird in the Holly I watched for a while and this Little bird came down and I had a good view of a Firecrest taking a small drink from the stream.

Finally made my way to the Gooseander hide at first there did not seem much about but a scan over to my right were a mass of duck and in among the Tufted duck, Gadwall I spotted my second lifer a stunning Great-Crested Pochard, in the late afternoon sun is head a features were lovely.

With lots more Coots and Swans about on the water the other interseting birds were the 7 Gooseanders that came swimming across the lake and hualed them self out on the grass bank.

Look right from the Gooseander hide

One of the many Coots seen today

Birds seen today were as follows

Mute Swans, Coots, Gadwalls, Wigeon, Pochard, Green Sandpiper=lifer, Canada Geese, Grey Heron,Cormorants, Tufted Duck, Gooseander, Great -Crested Grebes,Little Grebes and Red-Crested Pochard=lifer

In the wood and and long the paths.

Blue Tits, Great Tits, Cole Tit, Nuthatch, Goldfinch,Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Collard Doves, Blackbird,

Wrens, Robins,Tree Creeper and a Fire Crest.