Wednesday 20 March 2013

Testwood Lakes Bird Hides

Wednesday 20th March 2013

This afternoon we visited Testwood Lakes  Nature Reserve www.hwt.org.uk on the edge of Totton.  This is a very peaceful place but it can get busy at weekends and in school holidays.  We took advantage of it being neither and headed for the bird hides at the far end of the reserve.  The Heron Hide overlooks Meadow Lake, and we saw a fair few birds.  There is also a bird feeding station on the edge of the lake for small birds and animals!  There is a diary in the hide to record sightings so as no-one had written in anything for today  I filled in our spots.
  • Mallards
  • Cormorants
  • Great Crested Grebes
  • Coots
  • Canada Geese
  • Black Headed Gulls (masses and masses)
  • Herring Gulls
  • Young swans
  • Tufted ducks
  • Oyster catchers
  • Wigeons
  • Moorhens 
  • Wren
  • Woodpigeons
  • Crows
  • Chaffinches (lots)
  • Great Tits
  • Blue Tits (lots)
  • Greenfinches
  • Dunnock
  • Swallow?
  • Rabbit
  • Grey Squirrel
Young swans


The view across the lake from the hide



Cormorants with a Great Crested Grebe in  the foreground

Now then, one of my favourite birds after the Robin is a Swallow, and I am almost certain that I saw two of them fly over the lake.  Swallows are due back in this country from Africa in the next few weeks so maybe it was a pair back a bit early?  We know of a place locally where many Swallows nest so the plan is to go there tomorrow and see if they are back at all.  Watch this space......... we'll see.

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