Blashford Lakes

There was a frost last night which meant my bike ride was a chilly one this morning. I managed 7 miles on the mountain bike and stopped to take this photo of the two donkeys that live in a field near the crossroads in Woodlands.

I drove over to Blashford later in the morning and parked near the enormous puddle of water that requires you to wear wellies to get to the bird hide. It was empty in the hide itself and not much busier on the water where I saw a couple of Egyptian Geese and plenty of tufted ducks. It was busier at the Ivy Hide North where teal, wigeon, shoveller and pochard were all evident. A couple of cormorants were also sunning themselves in the distance.

I took myself to the woodland hide next and got great views of great spotted woodpecker, jay, goldfinch, great tits, blue tits, greenfinch, chaffinch, dunnock, blackbird and robin, as well as siskin and nuthatch. A squirrel was helping itself to bits of feed which had fallen to the floor.