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Page 8 |
Newsletter 113, Summer 2016 © Hampshire Mills Group |
Birds
at Ashlett Tide Mill
Ruth Andrews
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On a rather cold day in late
March, Eleanor Yates and I visited Ashlett Tide Mill
to find out what types of birds feed in the mill
pond. We arrived as the silt in the pond was just
beginning to be covered by the inrushing tide
(photo), and were amazed at the number of waders
present. We stayed for a couple of hours before
deciding that it really was too cold to continue.
In that time we counted 15
redshank and 2 greenshank, with a bunch of about 20
black-tailed godwits, and a solitary little egret.
The godwits, having longer legs than the redshanks,
stayed in a group in the middle of the pond until
they were almost afloat. |
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We also counted 5 Canada geese, up to 20 mixed teal
and widgeon, 2 shelduck, 2 mallards, 2 moorhens, and
5 black-headed gulls. On land there were house
sparrows in the brambles, pied wagtails on the roof
of the mill, and the usual magpies, collared doves,
and blue tits in the bushes, plus an unexpected roe
deer which stood completely still for the whole time
we were there. Two oyster catchers flew in after
the pond had filled and a kingfisher perched on an
upstanding branch, just long enough for a (rather
poor) photograph.
None of this has much to do with the mill, of
course, except to demonstrate how birds are
attracted to the undisturbed and sheltered mill
pond. In contrast the open water on the seaward
side of the mill was completely devoid of visible
wildlife, apart from 15 Brent geese on a far off mud
bank. |
Ashlett
Mill Pond |
Black-tailed godwit |
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