In the heart of the New Forest, just north of Ringwood lies Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve. Maintained by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust this 150 hectare reserve is a popular location for bird watchers.
With this in mind I visited in the hope of photographing kingfishers. However after speaking to the guide on arrival it became clear there was little chance of seeing any. I visited in early May which is when the kingfishers disperse for breeding. If I was lucky there might be one breeding pair at the reserve although none had been seen recently. I made a note to return later in the year. And also to research better next time.
Kingfishers aside there is still plenty to see especially from the hides so I set off to the Ivy South hide overlooking Ivy Lake. Apart from a distant swan and a Great Crested Grebe this was the demain of the Black Headed gull. Some had built their nests and were possibly sitting on eggs. Others were still building and had discovered the easiest way to get sticks and twigs was to steal them from an already built nest much to the annoyance of the occupant.
