On a fine day in May, eight members gathered at Blashford Lakes Wildlife Reserve near Ringwood, for our first ‘open air’ meeting. We enjoyed a very sociable picnic, followed by a talk about the Reserve by Bob Chapman, Senior Reserves Officer for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT).  

Bob told us how the Reserve was started, and how important the lakes are for migrating water birds over the winter months. The lakes are formed from old quarry pits and are owned by two local water companies.  He introduced us to some of the bird songs that we could hear all around us.

After that we went for a gentle stroll around a small part of the Reserve.  We passed an enormous badger sett, and visited 3 hides, each of them having something interesting to see and enjoy.  The highlight was watching a Great Crested Grebe fishing near our hide and taking his catch over to his partner who had 2-3 small chicks on her back.

Blashford Lakes is an excellent venue for wheeled access with good compacted gravel paths and few slopes.   All the kissing gates can be opened with a radar key to allow scooters and wheelchairs to pass through.  

An outdoor meeting was a new venture for NFAFA and we hope to be able to hold another ‘open air’ meeting in 2012.