28th December - Breamore and Blashford Lakes, Hampshire

The weather from Christmas Day has been quite depressing with low mist creating water in the air and a dull light. The hope was that today maybe brighter and it seemed that way as I headed west on the motorway.  But as I crossed the northern part of the New Forest, the mist closed in once more and the light became worse.

With the conditions and it being the end of the year, Ian and I decided to check out a report of a good sized flock around the village of Breamore just north of Fordingbridge.  We decided to park on the outskirts of the Breamore estate and then walk around the footpaths towards the old fort at Whitsbury.  

First stop though was to be the church yard of St Mary's, an old Saxon church.  Walking along the lanes Ian picked out a raptor at the top of some trees on the other side of a field.  It turned out to be an immature Red Kite.

We walked around the church yard with nothing to be seen, then set off towards Whitsbury, making our way around the estate and the small thatched cottages, I made a note that this might be a nice place to visit in the summer.

As we headed away from the Breamore Estate a Buzzard was sat on a telegraph pole.

At this time of year and in these weather conditions, Buzzards will look for an easy vantage spot to look for food.

The walk took us alongside fields and in one I found a pair of Brown Hare looking like they were as fed up with the weather as we were.

A little further along another with very much the same expression, roll on spring.

We walked up hill and past a huge stud farm with some amazing facilities.  With the fort in sight we decided to leave visiting.  With the mist and dampness there would not be much of a view from the fort.

We walked back down hill through a farm.  We hadn't found nay Hawfinch but we did see a few Bullfinch, here a smart male at the top of the trees.

Heading back towards Breamore we followed a footpath that skirted the edge of Breamore Wood.  Me came across this different plant, dark green waxy leaves and red berries.  It turns out it is called Butcher's Broom.

Small greenish flowers appear in spring and are borne singly in the centre of the cladodes. The female flowers are followed by a red berry, and the seeds are bird-distributed, but the plant also spreads vegetatively by means of rhizomes. It is native to Eurasia and some northern parts of Africa. It occurs in woodlands and hedgerows, where it is tolerant of deep shade, and also on coastal cliffs. Likely due to its attractive winter/spring colour, it has become a fairly common landscape plant.

Making our way back to the car we came across a flock of Redwing.

And another Buzzard, this time in the same tree as the one the Red Kite had been in earlier.

Condition were not going to improve so we decided on dropping into Blashford Lakes on the way back and a look from the Tern Hide.  A Great Egret on the right hand side was the first bird I saw.

The mist hung over the water which was dead calm.  Most of the duck were in the middle of th lake, of interest was the huge flock of Pintail and the fact that we could not find any Great Crested Grebes.  The larger gulls were returning from the surrounding pig farms and gathering on the water.

The diving duck included Tufted Duck, Pochard and four Goldeneye, two males and two females.  We could just see into the bay in front of the Goosander Hide and appropriately there were two male Goosander.  Here the closest male Pochard to the hide.

I have mentioned the Pintail, but other dabbling ducks present were Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard and Wigeon.  I couldn't find any Teal.

We decided it wasn't worth trailing around the reserve in the dull conditions so it was off home.  An interesting day, and a very nice walk is probably the best I can say of it.