We are currently experiencing a critical period in the evolution of the Somerley fishery. I say that based on my efforts to understand the reasons behind a section of our water meadows flooding at an increased rate when compared to times past.

At the weekend I waded out across the section of valley that has been puzzling me to look at the river from the flooded side. As I struggled through the knee high water I began to make sense of the pattern of flooding as the water spilled into the meadows from the main channel.

A plan of the changing river and area of floodplain giving rise to many questions.

The background to this section is that the main channel is a perched channel, created in the late 1600's and early 1700's by Dutch engineers creating the water meadow system. The actual lowest channel down the valley follows the course of the Harbridge stream across the opposite side of the flooding. Historically as water levels rise to overflow the channel in the main river the water breaks out into the field and flows across the meadows to the lowest channel in the Harbridge. This pattern is repeated in many sections of the braided channels the length of the Avon Valley. If the overflowing channel spilled into the floodplain evenly as the flood water progressed down the valley an ordered progression and recession was the result. Problems arise where dredged berms, surrounding flood prevention schemes and channel alterations, have been created in sections of the valley preventing an even distribution of water into the flood plain. Sections that have not been dredged or altered are forced to deal with the extra water unable to reach the floodplain upstream.

That all seems logical yet the section of meadows giving rise to my concerns seems to have more factors in play.

Just to the south of the flooded section there is a bend in the river that should have formed an oxbow many years ago if nature had followed its course. Twenty five years ago, after discussion with the EA Flood Defence, a decision was taken to slow the rate of breakthrough creating an oxbow, by means of soft engineering. The bend has remained intact, almost evolving into an isthmus running almost due north contrary to the natural flow of the valley. At the southern end of this narrow strip of land the river height varies by almost 200mm from the north side in a direct line to the lower southern side. A distance of some 20 meters. Via the channel the water travels around the end of the isthmus, over ten times the distance at 220m. Giving a gradient somewhere in the order of 1:1100, shallower than much of the Avon's natural gradient.

A photo illustrating the flow and the beginning of the breach. The willows were planted down the centre of the spit of land twenty five years ago. When planted we could drive two tractor and mower widths down either side of the trees that are now being lost at an increasing rate with each flood.

The effect of the sudden change of direction, stalling and slowing the flow appears to be raising the water level in the channel immediately upstream for two or three hundred meters. The raised water level results in the loss of free board and the water spilling into the meadows.

A plan of the changes in recent years.

The next development will be the oxbow being created as the channel breaks through the narrow neck. At the present water height the flood water is finding its way across the narrow strip of land. If the water remains at this height for any prolonged period it will eventually break through completely. Further soft engineering projects to delay the inevitable seem of little value. It looks as if we are to see the loss of a couple of pools and the creation of one or two new ones. It won't happen overnight and possibly not this year but we will eventually see a dramatic change of channel direction and gradient.

An interesting report came my way the other day, sent by Bill Hayes a reader of the diary with serious concerns for his local river, the Axe, in East Devon. Unfortunately it seems to tell the all too familiar story of decades of neglect as regulators fail to regulate.

East Devon R. Axe Report

The situation arises as a result of conflicting legislation, potable water takes precedence over the watery environment, flood defence takes precedence over freshwater ecology, agriculture under the guise of food provision takes precedence over rivers, STW discharge taints every drop of water that flows down our rivers. The environment, freshwater ecology, water and rivers referred to above are of course bound together in all our rivers. No one piece of legislation acts directly on any single element within those rivers, they act together to create a symbiotic relationship, resulting in a stressed riverine environment. I could provide a list of all the relevant legislation and depress everyone, alternatively just believe me, it is out there should you wish to search for it through Google,

It just goes to show what a load of bollocks the precautionary principle that is supposed to enshrine our environmental legislation really is. I'm sure the claims of underfunding and lack of staff will be trotted out by the regulators but whatever the reason the river has paid the price of their failure. The fact is under funding is the reality our rivers face, just why this should be is a political issue.

Politicians, directing faceless civil servants, instructing advisory groups such as UKTAG, who in turn set the parameters and tolerances that our regulators work to. It may be stating the obvious but our regulators, whilst not fit for purpose, are not the cause of our problem. They are unfit for purpose because that is the deliberate policy of government. It is about this point one has to decide the reason behind the blatant government under funding of our agencies in the shape of NE and the EA. Is it just the easy target for the treasury at this time of austerity, knowing the outcry from concerned environmentalists and anglers can be dealt with far easier than a disgruntled general public. Or should I say potential voters. There is always the conspiracy theorist that says it is a deliberate policy of a corrupt government. Deliberately appointing ineffectual or complicit ministers ensuring the funding is withheld, effectively emasculating regulators to allow a clear field for the competing industries. Personally I don't think many of our politicians would be capable of seeing such a policy through to the bitter end. On the other hand some of our civil service mandarins are perhaps a different kettle of fish.

Where agriculture is concerned the voluntary approach simply doesn't work. As such what scant funding is available needs to be used effectively. Every farm or business visit needs to send out a message, you just need to be taken seriously and not seen as a body that is easily out manoeuvred or sidelined. Farming is in crisis but for farm payments under the CAP's, environmental stewardship, catchment sensitive farming, keep the heads of many above water. Narrow or even negative margins for a high percentage of smaller farms creates the push for economy of scale, with ever larger more efficient units, more intensive farm businesses. All to often corner cutting and treading a very narrow path between what is legal and what is illegal to widen the margins. Is it cheaper to dump waste and face a fine or treat it according to the waste legislation? This is where penalties not only have to be almost draconian but have to be imposed.

Talking shops with the regulators and water companies don't work, when the chips are down they will walk rough shod straight over anyone and anything attempting to defend the rivers. Drought orders will suck your rivers dry as the regulators stand and watch from the side lines. Governments will never step in to put rivers above the voter, that's what OFWAT's role in life is, carefully chosen to minimise what the consumer has to pay and bugger the price the river has to eventually pick up

The Avon has never been an easy river to fish and at the moment it is certainly living up to its reputation. The ground water levels, higher in the catchment in the chalk aquifer, are currently well above normal making current conditions likely to endure for some time. The water flowing across the meadow in the photo is gin clear as it flows from the perched main channel toward the natural coarse of the river in the Harbridge Stream.

There is a bright side to all this highwater in that it will hopefully clean the gravel in readiness for the salmon to cut in a week or two's time. Always assuming it gets it out of its system and doesn't wash the redds out in the early part of the New Year. Fingers crossed the seatrout that have already cut high in the forest streams will be safe as the forest streams don't have the groundwater aquifers to keep the flow scouring the bed and over the banks.

A couple more shots of the pale Buzzard I included the other day. Still not the definitive photo I'd like to achieve but clearly illustrating how odd he looks. I say he as it's a relatively small bird likely to be a male.

Upstream and downstream of perhaps one of the most iconic bridges in angling and still looking as magnificent as it ever did. Colin Morgan landed a roach of 2.01 from a shoal we have been keeping an eye on for the last few years lower down in the estate, fingers crossed it won't be long before we see the roach once more back in the swims down below the bridge.

Starlings leaving the roost with the backdrop of this morning's sunrise and the view over Coomer Pool.

Goosander on the stillwaters.

The good weather has allowed the fitting of the larch cladding to progress well, just a couple of bays to go. A December butterfly in the shape of a Red Admiral enjoying the sunny aspect the cladding provides.

I bumped into Dom and Luke this afternoon as they were roaming the river with their fly and light lure gear in search of our pike. They had already managed several good Jacks and more were hoped for as it was such a perfect day, a clearing river and great weather, what more could you ask. As luck would have it as we chatted Luke chanced a further cast alongside the reedbed where a nice fish took the fly, presenting me with a lovely photo opportunity. Great sport and well fished both of you.

Some of the tens of thousands of Starlings crossing the river at Ibsley as they leave the roost in the nearby reed beds at first light.

With the onset of winter fishing "proper" the link to the Knappmill water temperature data will be of use to anybody braving the elements in the next month or two. The link to the site home page is in the headers above.

Where do they find these people?

That's a question aimed at the main stream media giving column space and air time to some pretty naïve individuals and ideas. I recently heard a radio four presenter stating pasture fed beef was worse than lot fed animals for the environment! The argument was that the stocking density of naturally grass fed beef was very low, requiring more land to be given over to its production. Whilst that may well be a fact regarding density, the land required to grow animal feed and the problems of ridding the pens of their waste make such density issues pale into insignificance. Just how such sweeping generalisations can be reached by anyone, other than someone completely ignorant of the practicalities of land management, still comes as a surprise. It does little to instil a sense of confidence that the directions we will need to follow in the future have been thought through. Even more worrying is how the Beeb can give such views air time. Do they not have editors? Or is their experience of the land based on the writings of such scribes and hobby farmers?

I'm not trying to defend the actions of the south American beef barons currently destroying the Amazon. Similarly the antibiotic dependent cattle, existing on chemically saturated monoculture produced feed. I'm not even promoting the eating of animal products but if it is your choice to do so just try and decide for yourself if an animal that has spent its entire life eating grass that has not been soaked in fertilizer or pesticides compares with an animal completely dependent on intensive agriculture, which in itself is dependent on the mass use of fertilizers and chemical control.

I just wish to point out the obvious, that I hitherto believed was understood by any thinking person, grassland within river valleys and steep sided catchments should not be cultivated as it will undoubtedly result in erosion and soil loss.

If we can't grow beef just what should we do with all the water meadows and floated meadows that make up the valley from source to sea? We can't turn them over to arable so I suppose we could stick a deer fence around it, create a “rewilding zoo”, which is the current zeitgeist and turn our hand to eco-tourism. Stock the land with, European bison, wild boar, deer and cloned auroch, which I presume don't belch or fart! When the valley floods as it is at present, collect all the stock, sorry “wild” animals and house them in sheds until the water decides to retreat. All alongside the entire Avon valley, plus every other river valley in the country, being returned to willow car. Let the Great British Public have free access to enjoy the countryside and count the days before it is FUBAR, just as in the case of the New Forest. Changing the entire ecosystem, dramatically reducing biodiversity, preventing the natural movement and migration of wild animals, completely halting food production and totally destroying any capital asset. Seems like a plan!

Alternatively, divide it up into small paddocks and give it over to keeping ponies and horses on it. Compared to the agricultural rents the horsey world pay a fortune for grazing dear Dobbin these days. When it floods we can hump up some islands for them to stand about on for a week or two. Its all very well recognising that we face enormous problems. Undoing the damage we, as a society, have inflicted on our planet is going to take a little more thought than our media driven experts would have us believe. What ever route we adopt we must be very careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Having got that out of my system back to the latest our politicians are promising to do for us, or more likely to us, gi'me strength!

There's a great deal more to their role in our valley than producing beef.

With today's heavy rain it seemed a good time to walk the next block of timber we are intending to thin. Despite the recent frosts and high winds the trees still retained their autumn colour and the carpet of leaves already fallen gave the beech woods a warming glow. Forestry these days is facing several issues many lay at the door of climate change. New disease and fungal attacks are making future planting regimes very difficult. With the dramatic spread of ash die back it looks as if they are about to follow our wonderful elms as trees no longer viable in our woodlands. Add the threat of deer damage, grey squirrels stripping hundreds of young beech of their bark and any ash that do manage to survive being ring-barked by our large hornet population and disease threats to horse chestnut, alder and larch the woodland of the future will look very different to those of today.
My task today was to get an idea of the extent of the thinning we are to undertake and the volume and quality of timber we might expect to harvest. The woodland in the photos above is a mix of beech and larch that has suffered a great deal of damage in its early years from rabbits and squirrels. As such the beech has little timber value other than chip and fire wood and will be left as ammenity woodland and over story for the next crop. The larch will be the main crop with disease free vigourous specimens being left the remainder being harvested. Hopefully their will be sawlogs of the quality of the larch we had delivered the other day for our barn, the majority of the remainder going as fire wood or chip to feed the power stations. One advantage of walking the woodalnd with the partial leaf cover clinging on the beech it gives a good idea of the density of woodland that will remain after the thinning has taken place. A look at the photos shows there will be little immediately noticable change in outward appearance. Where there are gaps that have to be restocked or regenerated, species such as hornbeam, sweet chestnut, oak and more beech will take precedence. The future will hopefully provide a deciduous woodland of native tree species, with islands of douglas fir that grows well on our valley sides, all rich in food and cover for the indigenous woodland birds and mammals.

Its an absolutely terrible shot but worth putting up to save misidentification of this bird that has been in the Ibsley area for years. Possibly not the same pale Buzzard but he, or one of his ancestors, has been around for decades in the Ibsley and Harbridge area.

Very satisfying to see our larch cladding arrive back from the sawmill today. This is larch for the Yorkshire board cladding on the side of one of our pole barns that has been produced from our own home grown trees. The sawlogs involved were 4.2 meters in length and almost knot free and after it had been so beautifully converted, over at the Soffe family mill in Cadnam, almost too good to be used as cladding. It would have made wonderful timbers for a clinker built boat, you never know perhaps a project for future years! The other reason I am so delighted to see the return of this timber is that it is the completion of the cycle of planting and harvesting the mature trees before it all starts over once more. With the new chip burning power stations such as the one over in Kent that have been deemed the way ahead, hundreds of tons of wonderful timber such as this is being chipped and fed into the giant burners. Hundreds of tons a day drawn from across the country to sait the appetite of these monsters. They will outstrip the ability of the forestry industry to meet the demand and take any timber they can get, hence the loss of such saw logs. Who ever thought up the idea of burning trees as a sustainable means to provide our power needs to have a second look at the potential adverse consequences.

Always good to see these little gems about the lakes and this lot seemed preoccupied in trying to impress the single duck, lots of dipping, grunting, whistling and head tossing.

Our hairy winter grazers doing their thing and looking good on it. If you look closely there's a Great White Egret in the first shot, one of increasing numbers now using the valley.

A nice way to spend a bright autumn day, clearing the margins on King's-Vincent's.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I have the unhooking mat of the member who was fishing just downstream of Ellingham Bridge either Friday or Saturday last week. Give me a call when you're next down and I'll drop it off.

WeBS count day.

First stop the local fish farm where the Cormorant gather for their breakfast before the staff arrive for the day. The photo shows about half of the one hundred and thirty four that were feeding there this morning. There were also over sixty Heron making for quite a sight. I wouldn't mind them eating the rainbows if they stayed there all day, unfortunately as soon as the staff arrive they spread out onto the valley to feed on the local fish stocks. Certainly a change of regime since the notification of the SSSI, not the fact they feed on the fish farm but the fact they are afforded sanctuary on the local 'nature reserve'. Historically the four hunded plus Cormorants in the valley would have had to travel in from the coast, which would not have given them sufficient time to feed before being disturbed. This would have brought about the more natural pattern of birds spreading upstream in lower numbers. The same argument about change of regime applies to the Black-headed Gulls that devastate our Mayfly hatch every summer. The encouragement of these birds to nest in large colonies around the lakes potentially changes the food regime for the designated fish species within the River Avon SSSI. What do the regulators in the form of NE say, "Its not a problem, other factors could be impacting on the Mayfly population". Not that they have any evidence to back that stance up, its just because they're fish that are at risk and as such out of sight and out of mind! As for evidence of the potential impact, just stand on Ibsley Bridge on a day when the hatch is in full swing and see how many of these beautiful insects make it under the bridge as thousands are dipped from the water upstream. It may not be the sole contributing factor but it certainly ain't helping!
Next stop for me this morning was the marsh, covered by a hazy mist but visibility sufficiently good to achieve a count. Whilst everything else on the marsh was watching me count them, Reynard was absorbed in watching his breakfast out on the meadow.
This animal may well be one of the foxes that had a GPS tracking collar fitted last summer. This was a research project carried out by GCWT in an effort to establish the extent of fox predaion on nesting waders. It produced some really interesting results with regard to fox movement about the valley. One aspect I wll be interested to see, if we get any further information, is the effect of all the recent otter fencing on fox teritories when the lakes become inaccessible to them. It may be that fox territories cover a larger area and the density drops. Alternatively it may change the feeding patterns to increase predation on areas such as the water meadows.

To keep those of you that maybe considering visiting the river, the shot above is the Avon Valley Path across to Ibsley. Definitely not for the faint hearted, waders and a stout wading stick are necessities. The banks around Ellingham are a little more accessible but none of it is easy.

Not everything has been a grey wash out, every cloud has a silver lining, or in this case golden. A little sunshine would have helped show off the autumn colour to its best effect but it still looked well across the sheep paddocks and beside the forestry rides.

An update on the state of the river in that it remains bank high and out in the fields in many places. With the frosts of recent nights the water temperature is also dropping, making fishing extremely difficult at the moment.

The water remains out in the meadows with the North Marsh being nicely flooded from the point of view of the ducks and geese. Along with several hundred geese there were at least three Great Egrets on the Estate today. There also seems to be an increase in Crossbill numbers in the woodland with several dozen seen at various points about the Estate. Oddly, or at least to me, many of them were feeding on the sallow buds.

Just a couple of shots of the valley at Harbridge and Blashford, please be careful if you intend to fish.

Sunshine and showers best desribes the weather of recent days the first two photos catching a couple of the highlights. The first is the view from "No Carp Corner" with the pot of gold somewhere up in the car park lagoon. The sunshine through the weeping willows beside Kings-Vincents and a closer look at the rootplate of one of our fallen oaks. As can be quite clearly seen there was only a small central clump of living roots the majority being completely dead. Why are they dying at such a rate these days is probably due to a combination of factors. The recent warm decades and drought periods have stressed these old oaks and the fact they are "old" oaks makes the decline a fact of life and death. Once stressed they become suseptible to fungal attack with species such as Ganoderma resinaceum that destroys the structure of heart wood and roots. Sadly once infected it becomes a one way ticket and it will eventually kill the tree.

"A Small copper and friend, Our first Wall Brown and perfect butterfly habitat"

Mockbeggar Butterfly Transect Report 2019

Certainly one of the highlights of my year when the New Forest Butterfly Transect Group, Mockbeggar Report arrives. We are starting to see the results of our efforts to manage the land surrounding the fishery in the interests of our local wildlife with an emphasis on our pollenators. The transect group provide the expertise and the back-up we need to get the management practices correct. Bob and Jean Annell are the guiding lights and I can't thank them enough for keeping us on the right track.

A dozen of the suckler herd and their calves that were at Ellingham summer grazing the water meadows have now moved to the lake for the winter.

After yesterday's horrendous blow and heavy rain, today dawned in a much gentler fashion. I dropped in to check the weirs where everything looked in order, with no branches or trees blocking gates despite the rise in water. In fact it all looked very well indeed in the early sunshine. The trot above the first weir looked spot on and I really must try and get out to run the float through that section before the dace shoals disappear, as they do every winter.
Those cracked off willows at the back of the weir pool are rather precariously balanced and best avoided. The meadows are currently far too wet to get the machines out to clear them. As soon as I am able I will get over and fell them by hand and clear them up but in the meantime please stay clear.

Just what will it take to get the government to act against the agri-chemical industry and introduce a ring fenced, environmental levy on their use.

It really is astonishing that despite studies such as the flylife project and goodness only knows what other studies pointing to dramatic wildlife collapse associated with intensive agriculture we are still being ignored by the government as they seek to placate the NFU.

There was an unhooking mat left beside the gate in the Vincents, river car park. Could I ask that who ever rescued it give me a call please.

Another massive oak succumbs to the natural elements and a swan that has succumbed to the unnatural elements in the shape of the overhead powerline. Strangely, we lose about the same number of each every year with up to a dozen of the ancient oaks failing and swans colliding with the powerlines.

I cleared the footbridge down at Ashley this morning, making access to the Break Through a great deal easier. The Break through is one of the Estate's most magical pools and probably, along with Penmeade and Sydney Pool one of the least fished areas on the fishery. In recent years it has given up chub to eight, barbel to fifteen and salmon and pike to thirty plus, yet there wasn't a foot print on the bank. That's not because the bridge was blocked, as that has only happened in recent days. The big 'Mr Crabtree' type eddy, the sunken tree at the head of the pool and the smooth glides at the tail all add up to a classic Hampshire Avon pool. I also cut back the willow that had uprooted just upstream, blocking the path. The water was too deep in the margins to finish the clearing work but once the water levels drop I'll get back down there and finish the job.

The river is bank high but was looking particularly well in the sunshine today.

Not only the river was looking well, the donkeys enjoyed the change in weather and Dave found a carp to join in when he visited for a couple of hours this afternoon.

An unexpected splash of colour in the Park as the massive Cedars of Lebanon came into flower.

Dave Winter with a real lump of a 40+ common, add a 38+ mirror and that made for a pretty good brace. Congratulations Dave, well fished and thanks for the photo.

A couple of other shots from the day that caught my eye. Firstly a cock stonechat, looking pleased with the fat caterpillar he's found. Second is a slime mould, several of which can be found growing in the meadows around the lakes at the moment. Not a fungi but a seperate organism that acts in a similar way to the fungi in helping to break down the organic matter dying back as winter approaches.

What wildfowl there are out in the valley at the moment are enjoying the flood. This shot was taken Thursday evening when the water was probably at its height, since then the levels have been steadily dropping and with little rain forecast for the week ahead the banks should soon be considerably drier. The rise in water levels should have seen off much of the remaining weed, making the river a great deal more accessible with the float and the start of the winter chub fishing.

Today's view, over the Harbridge Stream across to the salmon seat at Middle Cabbage, taken out of the truck window from Fools Corner.

Two sorts of webs captured above. The weather at the weekend did its best to mess up the WeBS count requiring a further visit to make any sense of the floods that now spread across the valley. One bird that I did manage to spot was the Black swan that currently resides on the estate. For several years there were a pair of them up at Bickton that have disappeared. I wonder if this solitary bird is one of them having lost its mate. The second shot is a view across the marsh in an attempt to photograph the millions of cobwebs that covered every tuft of grass. Almost an eerie quality to the scene as the duck that were on the flooded meadow beneath the webs could be heard calling but could not be seen.

Its a mad, mad world, its been pouring down for the last 48 hours and yet this lot above have been living it up in the birdbath. The link below gives me some perverse form of comfort when I see we are not alone in the New Forest in having a National Park Authority that is a joke. I also have a word of warning for those of Extinction Rebellion, currently involved in waking up society to the outcome of our current mis-use of our Planet, judging by past experience a high percentage of you are probably under cover Met Officers!

"We are not alone"

I had a couple of pints of maggots that have been sat in my garage for a fortnight that definitely needed using up. In the hope of finding a dace shoal I popped down to the weir this evening just to run a float through to get rid of them and you never know, perhaps the chance of a roach as the light began to fade. Lots of dace, chublets and minnows but I fear no roach but that wasn't the most memorable feature of this evening that came in a most unexpected form. As I ran the float through the swim on every cast as I lay the pin over to control the line the swallow logo on the centre boss caught my eye. Each time it brought back memories of Dave Swallow the maker of my reel who sadly passed away a month or two back. Each cast a different memory or tale came to mind, his generosity that probably ensured virtually every young angler in Bournemouth and Ringwood always had some bait and enough tackle to get through the day. Lost pole sections and the sight of Dave stripped off diving in the lake in an attempt to recover them. Filming with Jack Hargreaves 'Out of Town' as Dave showed just how skilful and innovative an angler he was. Feeding carp in his swimming pool to discover how they dealt with various baits. Bags of tench in Meadow Lake and roach from the Avon, each trot for the entire evening had a warm recollection of Dave's antics. During all his years in the tackle trade he was more than ably supported by his wife Thelma who did her best to keep Dave on the straight and narrow who we also sadly lost a year or two ago. A strange hour or two fishing, spent for the most part remembering a couple who played a large part in much of the recent angling history of our valley. A great loss but very fondly remembered.

I spent the day down at Meadow Lake cleaning up 'Lazy Man's' doing my best to scare the fish down the other end of the lake. Andy decided to sit it out fifty meters down the bank and was rewarded with the nice common in the photo that weighed 26.8. To that he added fish of 23, 27 and 30, whilst his guest for the day, Izaak, managed a 27 that has to be a pretty good days fishing, despite my best efforts to mess it up! The photo makes a good match for a 29 that Dave sent me at the weekend. well done to all involved and thanks for the reports they are very much appreciated.

The first photo is a lovely pic of a firecrest sent to me by Brenda, who many of you know through her warbler work. They set the mist nets in the week to monitor the migration movement and this fabulous little bird was one of the seventy odd birds they manage to catch and ring. These days we see more Firecrests than we did a few years back, usually as they bob about in the lower branches of a holly bush but it is a rare sight to see this beautiful little bird in close up held safely in the hands of an expert ringer. Thanks for sending it through Brenda and thanks for getting Samuel Levy to take the photo. I'm sure many who follow my ramblings will enjoy seeing this lovely little bird.
I have put up the shot of the Fly Agarics as they are the achetypal toadstool as depicted in numerous illustrations and the pages of countless publications. The reason being they are so photogenic, yet not to be treated lightly they have the potential to make you seriously ill if you dabble in their toxic and hallucinogenic qualities.

There are plenty of these tasty parasol mushrooms about at the moment, providing an added bonus for a walk around the fisheries. Sliced and fried in butter with lots of garlic and black pepper, they make excellent eating. The beauty of parasols is that the flesh is white and the spores and gills do not turn sauces grey or brown. As an accompaniment of chicken with pasta or in pies does well, tonights menu will include risotto ai funghi with lashings of parmesan. Perhaps a word of caution to ensure you get the open meadow variety and not its shaggy look-a-like. It won't kill you but it may give you an upset tummy.

Nice one Paul! One for the carp guys in the shape of a good looking 30 plus that topped a nine fish haul for Paul last weekend at Mockbeggar.

Steve and Mark came down for few days last week and despite enduring pouring rain, floods and gales they found some great fish. I did spot them on various beats as their roving tactics took them to all parts of the estate fishing likely looking runs and glides. Both achieved personal bests with barbel, as the shots above show, Steve with a 12.08 and Mark with a 15.09 add several more barbel and chub to almost seven pounds a fantastic result under such difficult conditions. I have hidden the background in the shots as these fish are not from the more popular areas of the estate making the captures even more admirable. Congratulations to both Steve and Mark on their PB's and thanks for the great report Mark.

A couple of other shots from today as Darren has been cleaning out the village pond, which has become completely overgrown and silted up. The risings are left on the bank for twenty four hours before we remove them, this is in an effort to allow any stranded pondlife to regain the sanctuary of the pond. We will do half the pond this year and the other half next, also to protect the ponds inhabitants. The otters are a bitch and her well grown pup, or kit, that I regularly see on my early morning visits to the river. I'm not sure what they are feeding on, I watched this pair for a good ten minutes as they stirred up the mud on a shallow gravel shoal. You can see the mud rising just behind the bitch. They would swim in tight circles on the top of the shaol occasionally surfacing to eat something very quickly before diving once more. Bullheads, crayfish, gudgeon, I've seen them preoccupied on all three but today's behaviour didn't seem to fit with any of the usual feeding patterns.

The sun came out right on cue and this morning was the perfect time to pick the grapes. I wasn't the only one that felt that way as dozens of wasps and even more intimidating, hornets decided to join me for the day. You take a great deal more care about where you hold the bunches as you cut them if the prospect of grabbing a couple of hornets is a very real possibility. Thankfully they were for the most part too rat-arsed to take much notice of me and I made it through the day unscathed. I have to say that despite their potential to deliver a seriously painful sting they are beautiful creatures and their company didn't detract from the day at all.

A day memorable mainly for the number of showers I managed to get caught out in. A couple of shots of the approaching showers and the damp woodland and a really poor shot of a Barn Owl, which I only put up because of its very bright orange plummage.

Last week I forgot to put up the bad news that a fisherman's car was broken into yet again at Ibsley Bridge. In this instance the angler was not fishing on the estate waters and as such did not have the option of parking at Fool's Corner. The break in occurred at 02:30 Sunday afternoon, showing just how much brass neck these thieves have. The vehicle involved was a black Vauxhall Astra estate with tinted windows, with two males on board. One keeps watch whilst the other one breaks into the vehicle, which makes parking there very much a lottery. Should you see that vehicle or anyone acting suspiciously try and get a registration number or better still if you have a dashcam a shot of those you have concerns about. Its definitely not Pete's car that is parked there on occasions and doesn't have the tinted glass!

Be careful with the gate over the next couple of days at Mockbeggar, the place is crawling with hogs trying to break in!

I should have put this piece up last week when the Wessex Chalk Streams and Rivers Trust were actually down on the estate working on the carriers. Unfortunately I was unable to get down to get any action shots. The work is part of a larger project that will hopefully be completed next autumn but this week the trust have been busy adding brushwood deflectors to the over dredged and over straightened carriers. The brushwood came from some early pollarding, killing two birds with one stone, in that the pollards required lowering to encourage the waders onto the more open meadows. The work came to an end with the rise in water level at the end of the week but at least the extra water provided a chance to see the deflector in action as the flood water was able to pass unhindered over the top.

The oxbow has matured beautifully and has an extra foot of water providing almost an acre of wonderful shelter from the rise in water height and flow.

It continues to rain as the season of mellow fruitfulness and blocked hatches arrives in force.

I've managed to avoid bombarding the diary with butterfly pix over the summer but with the recording season now at an end perhaps just a couple to finish with. The first is a Brimstone from back in August whilst the second shows Commas and a Red Admiral making the most of the brief spells of sunshine today to take on board some blackberry juice fuel.

A proper autumn flush through and its still raining. We certainly needed it as the river was beginning to look extremely tired and jaded. Not that it hadn't continued to produce some simply amazing fish in recent weeks but it is now beginning to look like the Hampshire Avon I grew up on, bank high with a tinge of colour. Much of the water height is the result of the remaining weed in the channel coffering the water where the weed is thickest. The narrow weedy run at the tail of the weir pool has raised the water level to the extent there is no headloss over the spillway.

The end of the extraction is in sight and the blade is now creating the batters that will determine the extent of the new lake. Its odd to be able to say exactly where and in what form the lake should be created as opposed to the historic restoration in the valley that usually consisted of an abandoned pit full of snags and debris. I look forward to seeing the finished product in a week or two.

I must have in the order of a couple of dozen massive oaks that have given up the ghost and await our attention to make them safe. I'm not sure if we are seeing the beginning of a new disease in the oaks or if its simply a small percentage of our hundreds of oaks finding the hot summers of the last decade or two too much to bare. Where ever possible we leave them to support the multitude of wildlife that makes use of the decaying giants unfortunately where the public have access to them during events we have to ensure they are safe.

Standing under these massive trees its not hard to look upon them as the English equivalent of the African elephant. The massive grey, wrinkled hide covering an all seeing giant, always an element of danger having the potential to shed a huge bough without warning with catastrophic results.

Just a couple of pix that have taken my fancy to finish. I was worried it was too late for the chillies to ripen this year, thankfully they are now changing colour and it looks as if we have an ample supply for the foreseeable future, from Paper Lantern and Habanero orange, through Chenzo, Little Wonder and Zimbabwe Black to Jalapeno. The turkey stag is looking smarter now he has regrown his finery after the moult, not that it has made him any more cheerful, stamping about the yard, all puffed up looking as miserable as sin.

The sad sight of our ash trees as they succumb to ash die-back. The future of our ash trees looks extremely grim as the fungal infection devastates the trees across the countryside.

A cold, misty start to another beautiful sunny day, a real Indian Summer.

I spent four or five hours topping out the paddocks surrounding one of the fisheries this morning. It is with invertebrates and pollinators in mind that we manage the paddocks that surround the fishery and after five or six years of careful tending we are seeing the reward for our effort. With over thirty species of butterfly, dragonflies and a burgeoning bumblebee population it is a delight to walk, or more importantly fish, the lakes in such wonderful surroundings. This years cut is a little more severe than usual as the brambles had started to strangle out the grass and wild flowers. Despite the more complete cut, the high setting on the topper and a good percentage of clean grass and marginal reeds left for the overwintering species ensures they remain safe and well fed. What regrowth we get before the cold weather sets in will determine the extent of any grazing we underatke this winter. If we fail to see a late flush of grass it may be just the donks and a pony or two, if we get a drop of rain and continued warmth we may have to add cattle to the equation. There's more to growing these bugs than meets the eye!

I believe our flows are officially notably low. According to the hydrology report its because the groundwater has failed to support the flow. You don't say! I bet they're still sucking the life blood of the river up on the chalk as I write this.

I was thinking about the state of the river and other bits and bobs this morning as I was bouncing around the paddocks in the old bone shaker of a tractor. My thoughts were mostly around the frustration of seeing the river down to its bones and the total lack of concern shown by our regulators.

There is obviously a parallel work-time vortex that exists between the private sector and that of the government agencies. If I get a request related to an element of my work requiring an answer I would do my best to respond within twenty four hours or forty eight at the very worst. Ask anything of a government agency, EA, NE or the New Forest National Park Authority and you might well be waiting months and then never receive a satisfactory answer. Somewhere along the line there should be a 'straight answer campaign', similar to that of the Plain English Campaign.

Obviously my main concerns relate to the well being of our rivers and river valleys. To that end I have written to the various bodies to inquire how planning consent for a livestock farm, in a previously pristine woodland, within the floodplain of and abutting a riverine SSSI can be granted. Not only the obvious potential phosphate and farm leachate issues but the site contains hundreds of tons of chalk, within the floodplain immediately next to the acidic stream with its source in the lowland mires of the New Forest. That supports an EU designated salmon population with a distinct genotype, plus a unique ranunculus fluitantis plain to montane community. I was curious just how such a planning decision could come about. I don't suppose I will ever get an answer, it just further illustrates the total crass ignorance of those supposedly protecting our environment. Another nail in the coffin and click on the ratchet!

On a slightly different subject, although still related to the welfare and well being of our rivers, I have asked the EA to enlighten me how, when the rest of the world is proudly removing or by-passing dams and weirs we on the Hampshire Avon still have a barrier at the tidal limit? How in this day and age can a private company stick a barrier across a river with multiple conservation designates, purely for private gain? Not only adversely impacting on the remnant population of the designated Atlantic salmon but the entire upstream cyprinid spawning migration.

There are many other means to abstract water from a river without the need for a weir, why have these not been installed, or are the EA complicit for their own ends in minimising the required capital investment of a private company? The entire regulatory system stinks, aquifer abstraction to supply cheap water at the expense of the river for private gain. STW, farming and highways discharge pumping god only knows what symbiotic goo of chemicals, drugs and plastics into our river and if they manage to survive that lot, we'll just stop the buggers accessing their spawning grounds. A banana republic would be proud of us!

Just to cheer me up, a Red Admiral enjoying the sugary juice of a blackberry in the late sunshine.

A little distraction that I inherited at work was the care of a couple of dozen vines. Now I don't make any claims to be a viticulturalist but I have to say there is some deep sense of satisfaction to be found in tending vines. I now have all my digits firmly crossed in the hope of a couple of decent weeks weather to get the harvest safely in the press.

That's handy, having risen from the comfort of my bed well before six I reached the valley to begin today's WEBS count to discover last nights mist was still well and truly still in place. Its clear as a bell out of the valley so hopefully the sun will burn it off allowing a count by mid morning.

A shepherds delight tonight as the mist rose from the watermeadows and the western sky turned a palette of yellows and reds. Certainly one passing motorist thought it worthy of stopping and hopping up on the parapet of the bridge to get a better angle. Earlier I had mixed my own palette of yellows and reds as I used up the surplus of tomatoes Anne had grown, plus a couple of long red slims, in making my chilli sauce base.

Jonathan came over this afternoon and we headed for the river to wet a line and solve the current political dilemma facing the country. The fishing was not earth shattering but we did manage a nice fish or two. I was particularly pleased with the effect of the circle hooks I was using in an attempt to prevent deeply hooked fish. With a ledger set-up, that risks deep hooking greedy perch, the No 10, barbless circle produced the perfect lip hooked results. Still considerable work to be done but a great start to any trial. As for the politics, still also a little work to be done on that front I fear.

The alders are still covered in the dark blue Alder Beetles and the mint below is covered in the irridescent, bottle green Mint Beetles.

My pet hate.

I recently asked the EA several questions related to their official policy with regard to the Avon. One request was to provide the reasoning behind allowing a water company to operate barriers to passage and perhaps more critically, divide the water flow through multiple channels at the tidal limit of the Avon. I have requested several other bits and bobs such as the counts of coarse fish ascending the fish pass through the critical upstream migration period of spawning. Hopefully the article above will point them in the right direction.

Don't hold your breath.

Don't hold your breath waiting for the EA/government to take any serious action to safeguard the future of our rivers. The article throws light on a cosy deal between a polluter and the EA as they take decisions, supposedly on our behalf. If its on my behalf I would like to see at least a further nought on the end of that pay-off and the directors facing a few months inside to concentrate their thinking. I fished the Teifi in the mid 70's, mostly in the middle and lower reaches, yet I did enjoy the occasional foray up the Cors Caron to fish for the brown trout and get eaten by the local midge population. It was and hopefully still is a wonderfully remote and wild place, real therupy for the soul. We also used to head up to Teifi Pools to enjoy the wild browns, before the introduction of rainbows and brook trout killed the magic stone dead. We did manage to spot one of the remnant population of Red Kites that survived in the hills above Pontrhydfendigaid. Its hard to believe, I think there were about eight pairs in the area and that was the total population for the UK at the time, at least their tale has a happy ending.

A couple of birdie tales, in the first instance the pic captures just a few of the 120 plus Egyptian Geese that were sat on the marsh today. The rate at which these birds have established and expanded their population is quite dramatic. They are extremely good parents which makes the survival rate of their broods very high. Within a decade or two I can see them being the most numerous of all the geese in teh valley. One of the downsides to their expansion is that they nest in tree holes and are very aggressive in the defence of them. Many of the owls and tree nesting ducks have already been evicted and it will only get worse. We have enjoyed the presence of two broods of Barn Owls this summer and they can still be seen quartering the meadows of an evening. Just how long they will retain their nest sites remains to be seen.
A further tale of a ringed Buzzard that was picked up dead at St Leonards recently. It turns out that the bird was ringed by John 'Acker' Arnold, on the Estate at Lifelands back in June 2000. In actual fact I climbed the tree to lower down the juveniles to Acker below, or more accurately Acker shoved me up the tree! It looks as if the bird has spent its entire nineteen year life on, or close to the estate, which is extremely pleasing to think we have provided a safe haven for that bird for such a considerable time.

Depressingly busy at the moment yet this river never fails to act as a therapeutic influence to ease the fevered brow! Jees, where's this leading? In reality I am tied up with various distractions that keep me from getting the river ready for the winter campaign. As the autumn creeps up on us we are seeing the river weed turning with its soft coating of algal brown winning the day. Holes are appearing in the previously dense, impenetrable layers of potamogeton, sagittaria and ranunculus. In those holes we are seeing the dace, chub and this year several year classes of roach beginning to shoal up. Once we get rainfall to introduce a little colour and begin the flushing process, combined with a drop in temperature to provide the colour change to Avon winter green the best of the Avon lays before us. In the meantime I have to make do with a couple of hours on the bank with the strimmer!
I appreciate the clear water summer fish spotting and targeted angling will be behind us but it will signal a return to traditional Avon fishing at its best. Reading the water, keeping on the move and testing your accumulated wisdom against the finest river in the country. With the bonus of the fish being in their optimum, tip-top condition, I can't wait. The winter species, dace, grayling, chub, pike, perch and pleasingly a realistic chance this winter of a bag of roach. Into this romanticised trip down memory lane we now must add barbel that seem to feed at water temperatures deemed untenable just a couple of decades ago. Perhaps the current all consuming pursuit of these new faces in our river, with all the trappings of the carp world, has advantages in taking the pressure of the more traditional species and approach. What it does mean is that whatever species or method floats your boat the Avon in its current wonderful condition has plenty to offer the thinking angler.
One of the current raft of distractions is trying to make some sense of the salmon season that has now closed with us. It has been our worst ever season yet no one in the fishery world is able to give me even the slightest pointer as to the reason why. I am trying to get my head around the disfunctional layers of regulators that see the Avon as their reason for being. Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Local Authorities, none of which has a clue as to the delemmma the Avon or the fisheries face and never think to ask those at the coal face. Each doing its own thing, funded by the public purse, conveniently forgetting they regulate a private assett who just might like some feedback and justification of their lofty position. 'Nough said', at this point in time but rest assured I will be raising the subject again and looking for answers and justification for the total lack of coordinated effort on the part of these regulatory layers.

An illustration of relaxed and natural harmony, regulators take note!

Oh look, an Eagle! Obviously one of the IoW transplants decided the sanctuary of the Avon valley more to its liking. Yesterday it was eyeing up dinner in the form of six hundred wretched geese, today looking bored up a willow. Should these magnificent birds eat geese we'll order a couple of dozen! Just what the law with regard to me feeding it six or seven a day might be I'll have to ask.

Its a long time since the left bank of Mackenzies Pool has been clear enough to fish. Too late for the salmon season but with the weed dying back the river is coming into shape for some great trotting over the coming autumn and winter months. The Long-horned beetles were in some of the fallen willow that we cleared, pleasingly I was able to transfer them to the nearby pile of dead wood.

Just a pic of a Jersey Tiger as an eye-catcher to bring your attention to the link below. I have several ongoing issues with our regulators at present and one that I have asked for a written answers to is, 'to whom do we complain if we feel the British Governement is failing in its duty of care towards our environment'? By the regulators I mean the EA, Natural England and the National Parks Authority, all seemingly unable to grasp the implications of their actions or in some cases total inaction. I'm not going to mention the issues I have raised at this point just the frustration of having nowhere to go to get an independent review of the UK governments abandonment of its statutory responsibilities. I see our leaders are all up in arms at the deplorable state of affairs in the Amazon, as it is cleared to make way for farming. Perhaps a look closer to home at the distruction of the chalk downland upon which our chalkstreams are dependent, or the use of those chalkstreams as open sewers, might be more appropriate! Very apt that they should illustrate the piece with a shot of the New Forest!

Guardian, UK 'is failing to Protect Wildlife Habitats'.

You could be forgiven for thinking the pix below relate to butterflies, in reality they illustrate a very much wider story than the individual creatures. The photos were taken up on Hucklesbrook South Marsh, which at the moment is covered in watermint, fleabane and numerous other assorted wild flowers. They are there simply because we have not mowed or topped the meadows, as is the norm these days where intensified grass management is practised. If you look in the background of the second shot you can see a meadow that we have topped to tidy it up. The percentage of the marsh we have topped doesn't amount to ten percent. The remainder will be left until the flowers are over and the pollinators retired to their winter quarters.
This area is an SSSI with the designated species being nesting waders and wintering wildfowl. Our Lapwing and Redshank numbers have shown a pleasing upturn in recent years and as we flood the meadows in the winter the wildfowl pour in to make the most of the habitat provided, the notified, designated species are doing well. What of our pollinators and species that don't enjoy the protection of the conservation designation in either valley or river? In here you can add upwing flies, roach, grayling, swans, perch, dace etc. Unfortunately our regulators couldn't give a toss! Despite being statutory consultants we still see new farms being built right alongside our designated rivers, in the flood plain, with all the associated pollution and disturbance. Barriers to passage that completely disrupt the natural regime of the river. Management policies aimed at encouraging non-indigenous Middle Avon species that predate our indigenous species all too frequently foist on us without a finger raised in objection from the EA, Natural England or the local authorities. What the period these regulators have over seen teaches us, without any fear of contradiction, is that they are not to be trusted with anything of any value. It has been on their watch that the desecration of our countryside has taken place, with the loss of forty percent of our farmland birds, ninety percent of our lowland meadows and an entire catalogue of other disasters yet they ask us to have faith in their future abilities to protect us from Water Companies, greedy farmers and the National Park Authorities!

Not the usual photos of the Hucklesbrook Marsh as the summer flowers do not warrant either protection or apparent concern from the regulators who are fixated on a very narrow band of designated species. In twenty minutes walking through the acres of water mint today I counted over sixty Painted Ladies - butterflies, in excess of one hundred and fifty Small Whites and perhaps most pleasing, ten Small Tortoiseshells. None of which would have existed if we had topped, mown or over grazed the area.

I have spent the last couple of days selectively clearing access paths, which confronts me with the same problem I raised above. I can leave the obvious loosestrife, willow herb and angelica and keep the width to a minimum so bear with me if it looks a little tight in places, there was probably some thinking behind it. The real dilemma tidying up around the bridge creates is that it makes it even more attractive to the direspectful herberts who believe they are doing 'no harm' a price worth paying I suppose.

The joy of fishing. That smile on Harry's face says it all, I just love photos that capture the magic of our chosen pursuit. Great photo Nigel, thanks for sharing it.

An all too rare section of Avon margins that provides wonderful habitat for both fish and birdlife. The emergent reeds and rushes provide vital shelter for juveniles throughout the year, places to hide from predators in the clear water of summer and shelter from the floods of winter. I don't know why the inside of these bends has developed in this fashion over the past decade. It may well be just a interim phase on the way to silting completely as the river meanders across the valley floor. What ever the reason it is definitely a welcome habitat enhancement on what has long been a relatively open featureless section of river.

Good call! The prospect of being anywhere near all those stakes, pins and poles when it took off doesn't bear thinking about.

One for the river lads for which thanks to Kenny Parsons for this great shot of his guest for the day, Simon Skelton, with an amazing summer chub of 7.13. Congratulations to Simon, as can be seen a simply stunning fish. There is a bit of a sting in the tail for Kenny as this is the fourth seven plus fish he has been involved in putting on the bank this season and he is yet to get his seven pounder! Not to worry Kenny, your day will undoubtedly come; at least you know where they all live!

After all the hard work and effort of the show committee and volunteers, due to the horrendous weather forecast, the show has had to be cancelled.

A sad day in that we removed the dead ash tree that overhung the river down at Mackenzie's pool. That tree had housed various owls, the first recorded breeding Goosander in Hampshire, many Stock Dove nests and in recent years the nest site of Eygptian Geese. The tree had to be removed as it was a very real threat to anglers and members of the public attending events in the park. It was so rotten and fragile I considered it too dangerous to risk the vibrations of the chainsaws bringing the top down on the operator. To get around this we attached our 120 foot steel cable and gave it a tug. It didn't need much persuation and it shattered twenty feet up the trunk, raining down in a shower of rotten timber. We'll leave the old stump for the wildlife that may find a suitable home in its hollow core and it is now considerably safer should any syndicate members wish to fish the pool.

On Saturday afternoon at around four thirty the last of the Focus marquees finally left the park in a convoy of artic's. At about four thirty five, the first of the Ellingham Show set-up crew arrived. I had already spent the better part of the day harrowing in readiness for the show's arrival and a further day cutting grass about rounded off my weekend.

Not having got near the lakes over the weekend I decided a walk at lunchtime to do the butterfly transect was in order. As it turned out it was quite an extraordinary walk with some wonderful butterflies making the most of the lush marginal nectar growth. These days I usually put my butterfly photos up on Flickr and they do not appear here as frequently as they used to. In light of Flickr once more shutting me out of my account, yet again, I have posted a few of today's sightings on the diary. The highlights were the appearance of four Chalk Hill Blues, just where they have arrived from is anyones guess. We did record one last year and I put that down to being just a wind blown fluke. The appearance of four needs a little more thought to discover just where they are originating from. A further bright spot was the emergence of the Painted Ladies laid by the huge influx of migrant adults we enjoyed back on the 24th June. I found the caterpillars on the thistles and now we are seeing the hatch gathering on the surrounding fleabane clumps. Not as numerous as when the migrants arrived but certainly several dozen dotted about the lakes today making a wonderful sight in the bright sunshine.

Here's a good shot taken by Donna, one of the security team who have been about this week. She managed to capture one of our rarer residents in the form of a smoothsnake that decided to cross the road in front of her. I have only ever seen them on two occasions further out on the estate but this is a first report I have heard of away from the heathland.

A Wasp Spider eating a wasp, an absolutely magnificent creature.

Last week I spent an afternoon clearing fallen willows across the path on one of the pools at Ellingham. As you do of course, being down there, I had a look in the pool, just to see what was in residence. Hmmm and there they were, perhaps a dozen perch, with several two pounders in their midst. Its great to see the recovery of the Avon perch population with most pools having its resident shoal of stripy inhabitants tucked up in the slacker margins these days. The problem was that this lot were accompanied by a shoal of large bream and simply dozens of chub with two or three looking comfortably six plus. If in attempting to extract my desired perch if I were to catch a six plus chub or a bream that looking at this lot may be into double figures it wouldn't be a complete disaster. Anyway, Saturday morning and armed with a couple of pints or reds and twenty five lobs, nobly supplied by Rich and Ash down at the tackle shop, I was on the bank looking to tempt a stripy from the depths. The perch could be seen drifting slowly in and out of the flow alongside the upstream end of a weed raft right under my feet. Piece of cake. Setting up the new trotting rod with an eight inch lob suspended under a bright red 'chubber' I set it to sail down the edge of the weed raft. It hadn't gone two feet before it disappeared in a smooth curve against the flow and a firm lift resulted in the frantic acrobatics of an eight inch chub. I quickly steered the fish to the tail of the weed raft away from the shoal and netted it in the slack water. How can an eight inch fish engulf an eight inch lobworm in one gulp? Perhaps it was a fluke and the next one will be a perch. I should have known better, six or seven chub later none of which would have made two pounds, a rethink was necessary if I wasn't to run out of lobs.

The devious plan was to feed the chub into mid water by firing pouch fulls of maggots into the weed ten meters or so upstream of the pool. All was looking well, the chub were soon in a feeding frenzy along the drop-off at the head of the pool several feet from my perch. A change to the tip and a lob anchored on the bottom with two swan where I could see the perch dsappearing under the floating weed seemed fool proof. Perfect, down it went spot on target. I didn't bother with a rest, I simply sat on the high bank with the rod resting on my boot to await developments. Less than a minute, bang, the tip bounced and set in a smooth curve. A solid resistance and a heavy bumping fish ran out into the pool only to surface in a flapping, golden boil. Not quite to plan but the same procedure, down to the tail of the pool and quietly dip the net under a five pound bream. Perhaps that was a fluke, most fish aren't suppose to take lobs in clear water so I'll give it another go. Yep, you guessed it, another followed within minutes almost a carbon copy of the first. Not perhaps double figure but river bream are not particularly slimy and look really well so not an unmitigated disaster and this year they are showing the length of the fishery as they did a few years ago. Its odd how fish populations appear to disappear only to return a year or two later. This year I have seen barbel in swims I haven't seen them in for ten years, something must have changed in the flow or weed growth or food supply, something beyond our comprehension and long may it remain so. Back to our bream and they definitely didn't have the desired stripes. More maggots with a dropper out in the pool along with a good helping of hemp and pellets, that should distract most of them. Same tactic with a lob anchored on the edge of the weed and a satisfying knock as the bait settled.

Success in the shape of a cracking Avon perch, job done. Whilst not perhaps the target species of many, river bream are good looking fish and with specimens in excess of eleven pounds last year certainly worth fishing for. The shot doesn't do that particular bream justice as he's curled toward the camera and looking dumpy yet still a cracking fish. I can't claim that in my case, I just look dumpy full stop!

The late grebe nest I posted a month ago as they were building, has successfully hatched and the parents can be seen ferrying the beautiful zebra striped juveniles about Park Pool. The middle shot is slightly more complicated in that it shows a bank of Buddlia davidii that was absolutely smothered in butterflies. Classed as an invasive alien due to it being an introduction originally from Sichuan, where I didn't see a scrap of it when we were out there, it is now a naturalised species across the UK. Where it appears on the Valley SSSI we are duty bound to remove it. Interesting topic in that without doubt naturalised as opposed, to adventive, just how far does something have to travel to be classed as invasive? Despite the best efforts of Boris, Rees-mogg and those in the brexiteer camp to raise the drawbridge, our communications and future population make us a global community. You can't put the clock back to the good old days of empire and rule Britannia despite the rhetoric of many in that camp. If you take a look closer to home at the Avon Valley we have equally devisive and nonsensical messages being sent out. The Valley with its various protective SSSI, ESA, Ramsar conservation designations has been declared fixed in the 1950's and very early 60's if we look at the notification determining that deemed desirable. The nesting waders and wintering wildfowl were probably at their peak at that time, as were the dairy herds, keepered beats and coverts and the reliability of UK weather patterns. Conditions change and Nature will adapt and evolve. If we as a society in pursuit of cheap food wish to plough and poison our downland and destroy our farmland habitat perhaps a little assistance from afar has some merit? A hugely complicated subject, especially in light of the current rewilding zeitgeist! The current direction the government protection of the environment and climate concerns are taking I see this becoming a much debated subject. That's a non political 'government' by the way, I can't see any camp with a clear, FUNDED, environmental direction in its manifesto. The righthand shot is back to the river and one of our non-breeding swan flocks of some forty birds that has taken up residence in one of our wooded sections of river. Thay look completely out of place in amongst the trees, you could almost say 'alien'. Under the current fishery regime these areas remain undisturbed and the birds have been able to adapt to the new found area of sanctuary.

PS. As we now safely have our tickets I can now add for the readers I know follow her that Beth Hart is in the O2 Southampton in February.

Its just too hot! Just leave me alone down by the river.

A couple of images from the day with the first showing Brenda searching for her warbler nests, as the nesting season almost reaches the end. This evenings view across the oats field up at Harbridge, as the Corn Marigolds catch the evening sun turning a glorious mellow yellow.

I have to admit to not having read a book for at least a couple of months and feel suitably guilty at my lack of resolve. What little reading my precious time permits tends to veer away from the life of the river into more varied subjects. In light of my reluctance to embark on a further busman’s holiday the title below held little appeal. The further anecdotes of some equally dull old river keeper, or expert angler relating the route of his success was not the escapism I sought. Having said all this I felt I was duty bound to investigate just what a past resident of my home city thought of our river. The final push came from the review in the Financial Times which simply classed it as remarkable. Not the sort of description usually applied to angling literature. Fate had conspired to provide me with a bonus day, in that my charter boat out of Poole had been cancelled due to today's weather, so what better opportunity to settle down and read a book.

There you go, one of those out of left field moments that come as a true surprise. It may just be through my familiarity with the locations that made it so enjoyable but I think it is more likely to be the superb writing of a very talented author. I'll not add any spoilers but for those of you that enjoy a good read I can thoroughly recommend it. I should perhaps add that if it is fishy tales you seek this is not for you.

Entries are a little eratic, or in reality absent, at the moment as our summer activities are in full swing. We are setting up for one of the main events with marquees and big tops springing out of the Park like monstrous, psychedelic toadstools. The silage cutting is flat out requiring access roads to be rebuilt and made safe, as our old trees suffering from the heat are still scattering limbs at regular intervals. The entire fishery is due for a summer strim and the livestock insist on being fed and watered. Several of you have emailed me with various bits and pieces and I will get to answer them as soon as I can, when that illusive lull in activity arrives!

Two of the thirty or so big tops and marquees that are springing up in the Park.

I did get the opportunity to call in at the North Marsh this week. It still remains one of my favourite areas of the estate with flocks of Heron and Lapwing still enjoying the watery environment. I was particularly pleased to see the number of Lapwing, hopefully an indication of a good breeding season. The breeding wader study is now winding up so I will hopefully get some indication of the success or otherwise of the meadows this season before too long.

I did spend a very enjoyable sunny, three hours this morning showing off Mockbeggar to some of the New Forest Butterfly Transect Group. In the central shot some of the members are watching a White-letter Hairstreak that coincidentally was spotted next to the Lutece disease resistent elms that have been planted for the benefit of the WLH's. I couldn't have wished for the site to have put on a better show with nineteen different species of butterfly being identified. Add four or five daytime flying moths and one particularly rare dragonfly, in the form of a Lesser Emperor, the place certainly laid on the goods.

Some odds and ends to finish. Firstly in the shape of a Nursery Web Spider one of dozens currently building their webs in the scrub and long grass around the lakes. Three of the swiftlets on the back of our house peeking out at the flock of screaming adults that spend hours circling the house. Finally one of Brenda's warblers chattering away at me as I walked past the reedbed where his late nest is located.

The first shows some of the seventeen Swifts currently screaming around the house. As well as our eight resident birds I believe the others are next years breeding pairs seeking their future nest sites. I have yet to see any actually enter the cabinet yet they fly within inches of the entrances. Fingers crossed they spot the boxes before they leave for Africa in teh coming weeks. The second shot shows Ron News memorial seat at Ellingham that Pam has kindly replaced. A beautiful spot to spend ten minutes letting the river wash away the distractions of modern living. Thank you Pam I know many of the syndicate look forward to enjoying the peace and quiet Ron's seat provides.

I despair, ignorance personified. One of three lots trespassing over the weekend.

The role of fishery managers and river keepers up and down the Avon might seem to many an idyllic occupation. All is unfortunately not all it might seem. As well as the sunny days and opportunities to fish, there is a not inconsiderable downside. There is the winter rain, the blocked hatches and the wind blown trees, miles of strimming, the drones and the floods, poachers, canoeists, thieves, travellers and trespassers. All out there just waiting to wreck your day. To deal with the human element there is a considerable weight of legislation in its multitude of forms. There are numerous bodies to regulate and enforce this legislation, the police, Natural England, The Environment Agency, local authorities, Defra and the CAA. There are others but I suffer word blindness after more than half a dozen, in reality they are the officials and there is a stipendiary magistrates summing up to support that. I appreciate they have been emasculated by deliberate government policy to draw the teeth of the environmental legislation threatening industry and construction. As a result of the appalling underfunding and staffing levels the officials are unable to effectively enforce the legislation. As a result they are for the most part a hindrance rather than an asset. They control and absorb the meagre central government funding, reluctantly drip fed out of Defra, absorbing it into their own coffers to support the remains of their empires. In doing so that destined for the protection of the environment is for the most part spent before it reaches the river banks.

Where are the local authority handouts and signs informing those they actively encourage to walk the valley paths explaining the private nature of the adjoining river? Where is the literature from Natural England and the EA informing the general public of the reason for and importance of the riverine and valley SSSI/Ramsar/ESA ? Where is the literature explaining the criminal offence of disturbing an SSSI/SAC? Where is the NE literature explaining the offence of undertaking an unconsented activity? Don't hold your breath. You can let a bramble grow over a footpath and HCC will be on your case threatening the wrath of the gods. Yet one of their encouraged walkers can picnic, allow their pooch to rake about all over the place and paddle in the river without so much as a murmur from the 'officials'.

I guess its our fault for putting up with this situation. We tolerate a completely ineffectual regulatory system because we can't see an alternative, or is it that an alternative is denied us? If the funding wasted on EA fisheries, HCC rights of way and NE conservation management was directed into the catchment partnerships there might just be some hope.

The total disregard and lack of respect for this legislation involving English Common, English criminal and civil law is bewildering. A similar total lack of respect or care for the rights of individuals and that of wildlife, also seems to be a trait amongst these individuals. They ignore signs and polite advice, threaten violence and even resort to it. They destroy an asset, that is dependent on exclusivity, which provides the only means of funding the maintenance and construction the River Avon requires. In their bovine ignorance they have not even considered who repairs the weirs and hatches, who revets and repairs the banks. Just who finds the hundreds of thousands of pounds the maintenance of a river, classed as heavily modified, requires doesn't even enter their sapless minds.

There is a postscript to this cautionary tale in that a man of far greater persuasive powers than myself convinced today's transgressors, shown above, the errors of their ways. Not wishing to embarrass our retiring hero I'll refer to him under the pseudonym of Paul. It seems that Paul bumped into our group and through his unparalleled powers of persuasion convinced them to come ashore and call a taxi to take them back to their cars. Well done Paul, I see you on a liaison panel advising the official approach to our problems. You have achieved more in one afternoon than all the police and regulators have done in thirty years.

A few shots over recent days starting with my first Six-spot Burnet of the summer. The middle shot is of a brood of Red-legged partridge, quite a rare sight on the estate despite numerous pairs attempting to breed each year. They appear to be notoriously bad parents and the chicks usually disappear within a day or two of hatching. These chicks appear to be feathering up, which gives them a far better chance of survival if they can fly from danger. The shot on the right shows the weight of beech mast that cover the beech trees this year. Every few years we get a beech mast year when the woods are bursting with food for the birds and this looks as if this year is going to be a classic example.

For what it was the high water temperatures have put and end to the salmon season for the foreseeable future. Not to be deterred David Redfearn put his many years of coarse fishing experience to good use with a simply stunning summer chub catch. A brace of sevens at 7.07 and 7.05 with a back up specimen of 6.06. I was fortunate enough to witness the 7.05, it was a stunning fish and from the photo David kindly sent through the larger fish was equally magnificent. They look as if they have certainly had one attempt at spawning but I imagine there will be a second go if this hot weather continues. Congratulations David superb catch and thanks fot the call I wouldn't have missed them for the world.

On a slightly different subject many of you will be aware we have been experiencing some problems with Canada and Greylag Geese, both the moulting adults and the dozens of juveniles that frequent the lakes. They have been over grazing areas of the meadows leaving them soured and covered in crap. I have been accusing our fox population of not being up to the job as the flightless flocks are easily cut off from escape onto the lakes when they are out grazing on the banks. Todays foxes just didn't measure up. Having said that it would now seem I have to withdraw my condemnation of our local Reynards as they have learnt a new trick. It seems once the geese are out grazing one of our foxes enters the water some way from the area being grazed and swims around the margins to come ashore immediately between the lakes and the geese. Judging by the piles of down and feathers everywhere and the nervous manner of our rapidly decreasing goose population he seems to have the technique perfected.

I was away again at the weekend and am now playing catch-up once more at work. Strangely enough I was staying at Somerley, not this one but one over in West Sussex, just north of Wittering in Bracklesham Bay. It was purely coincidental that I was staying at another Somerley as I wasn't even aware of its existence until last week. Not the only coincidence as the gravel we extract in the Avon valley forms part of the Bracklesham and Bagshot beds. Small world and having tried to get on to West Wittering beach I believe most of the world population has a similar idea. I certainly know which Somerley I prefer.

I've returned to high summer as the soaring temperatures of the weekend bring high summer to the meadows. Phil took the photo of the Buzzard, that was following the tractor as he cut the grass, seeking voles and in this case a grass snake as they looked for new premises. Our buzzards seem to have a taste for snake as we often see them carrying them back to their nests. Its difficult to say if its only grass snakes but from the lack of adders over the lakes in recent years I think they may also be on the menu. On the right is Gary Summers with a great looking 20+ common from the river. The river carp are so different from their stillwater cousins they almost act as a different species. Totally at home in the river and feeding in a similar fashion to barbel often in the fastest flows. They are also extremely shy where the slightest shadow or heavy footfall will send them for cover unlikely to return for many hours.

The high meadows with their hundreds of Meadow Browns, Skippers and Marbled Whites are surrounded by banks of brambles now coming into full bloom. The nectar flow is in full swing with bees and butterflies making every second count.

Rounding off with a shot of orchid number four this year in the shape of a Pyramidal Orchid.

A couple of today's sights worthy of recording, with the first being a pair of Great Crested Grebe that are either on their second brood or late in getting undderway. The Painted Lady is one of thousands that were about today. There has been a massive influx of Painted Ladies and Red Admirals arriving from the continent. In the case of the Painted Ladies they started their flight in Morocco, on the African continent, before flying the Med and crossing Europe. Hence the tattered appearance of many of them, which is quite understandable.

I've been away for a couple of days chasing sharks and will catch up with events in the valley as soon as I'm back in circulation over the next day or two.

Party Time on the boat as Tim plays a shark whilst the skipper and crew, Mick, look on. Also a brief shot of Paul's recent 28 being released. Great photo Paul, congratulations on the fish and thanks for the photo.

Mark sent this through whilst I was away, which I believe was 29 or 28? In recent days he's had either, two 28's and a 29 or two 29's and a 28, least ways something along those lines. Thanks Mark good fish great result and thanks for the report and pic.

A day when trees took up most of my time as the weight of leaves, combined with the recent wet and wind, has seen the oaks dropping limbs at an unprecedent rate and the sallow blocking the roads as they split and twist. Many of the ancient oaks remain in a precarious state and will have to be drastically reduced or felled. Today we looked at a dozen or more that need urgent attention and very few of them looked as if they would be easy to deal with, certainly some interesting days ahead when we come to sort them out.

Here's some lucky lads! The first is a bull calf that owes its continued existence on this earth to Nick Papps, who was fishing just upstream of Park Pool today. Nick spotted the calf and its desperate swimming to keep its head above water. The cow insisted on bawling at it from upstream where the water was deep and the bank too steep to get out. Had the stupid thing bothered to look twenty meters downstream the water is just inches deep and it could have walked out. With the cow calling upstream and refusing to move to the shallows the calf was making no headway and the outcome would have been inevitable. Luckily Nick was onhand to give me a call, where upon five minutes, with the aid of a strong rope, our young swimmer was safely ashore and reunited with his dopey mother. Good call Nick, very much appreciated. Nick tells me the fish didn't oblige but he had a Kingfisher came and sat on his rod, four Hobbies were feeding over the river and a Marsh Harrier passed overhead. As he said when he sent through the pic of the calf, "its not all about fish"
I expect regular readers have been wonder just where Paul has got to this season. Well, I'm delighted to post this shot of his first of the year, well done Paul, Lady Luck had to smile eventually and one just had to stick. The river has produced more great chub and I heard of the first double figure barbel of the season gracing the bank today. Well done Kenny, that's quite some start to the current campaign you're enjoying.
The final lucky lad is a fallow fawn I happened on as I walked the lakes today. Despite a great deal of complaining as I freed his trapped leg I couldn't see any damage and he went off down the path in the neighbouring nature reserve at quite a pace, so hopefully no lasting damage.

You just never know! The first day of the river coarse season and the little feedback I have suggests some nice chub and reasonable bags of dace. As far as I'm aware the barbel didn't show, which would point to a start very much as we might have expected. Meadow opened in a similar fashion with one or two good fish to 30+ but without doubt the highlight of the day was a leash of salmon by Peter Littleworth. I was delighted to get a call to tell me of the first, as it constituted a third of our entire salmon rod catch for the season. To get a second call an hour later was incredible and before I had cleared the estate Peter was on the phone again to report a third. Simply staggering considering our season to date. All three between twelve and fifteen pounds were fresh fish that had been in the river for less than a week. Congratulations Peter, superb effort.

When the sun finally broke through, just after lunchtime today, I think the entire insect population of the lakes came out to celebrate. I have never seen so many beetles and bumblebees as emerged from their shelters to make the most of the brief respite. The bumblebees looked to be almost torpid when they first appeared yet within minutes they were on the wing covering the water dropwort and the freshly opened bramble flower.

I spent the greater part of the day strimming and enjoyed the company of a newly hatched swan family as they investgated their new world. It was pleasing to see the peacock caterpillars which had to be given a wide berth with the strimmer to ensure they make it to maturity and finally a brood of Mandarin over on the lakes. Its simply amazing how much better a spot of sunshine can make you feel after a week of rain.

Despite the overcast and rainy weather I have been out giving the salmon pools their final clean-up of the year. I still have several miles of river bank and the lake left to strim, which I am unlikely to complete before the end of the month. Keeping me company today were a group of our non breeders that have been grazing on the ranunculus that has now reached the surface in many places. The last shot shows the ewes getting their trim-up, which again despite the current rain and cloud, I'm sure they'll be glad to get rid of as they were beginning to suffer on the recent hot days.

A shot to capture the dark skies that have been with us for the last few days and even as I write this at twenty past midnight its pouring down outside. These few days of rain have been the saving grace of our summer, had it not arrived we were on the cusp of entering a drought as the water level in the river dropped and the ground had become as hard as iron. The river is filling nicely and has a distinctly muddy colour to it, the ground has absorbed sufficient to hopefully see us through the remainder of the year.

Despite what were probably the best river conditions of the season and reasonable numbers of rods out on the banks our tally of salmon steadfastly refuses to budge. I have to admit that I was pretty sure we would see a fish or two on the bank this weekend but not even a fish lost as far as I am aware. There is no solace to be gained from the fact we are not alone in our plight and the rivers across the country are in similar dire straights, which from the sound of things also includes Scottish rivers. Not so much as a bleep from the experts to whom we pay many millions of pounds a year to maintain, improve and develop our fisheries, the silence is deafening. No ongoing investigations, no new thinking. The smolt run of 2017 was, I am informed, a disaster and these fish should have been the result of our record seasons of 2015 and 2016. I've not heard any explanation as to why our rivers failed to support the juveniles, lots of hunches but no hard facts. Still not to worry the water companies continue to pump all forms of antibiotics and medical waste into our systems along with the micro plastics we hear so much about in recent years. It was over a decade ago I first asked for information related to antibiotics in the Avon and there's still no action being taken - they continue to study the problem! At that rate, along with the salmon, I will be long dead and gone before we see any serious action from our regulators or anything other than lipservice from the water companies. I don't suppose they'll bother then, as the river won't be worth saving anyway!

There you go, something on a much brighter note. Tom Young sent me a pic of last weeks capture, a 36+ beaut, she may have one or two spawning marks but in Tom's own words, she didn't look as if she had ever seen a hook before an absolutely awesome fish. Congratulations Tom and thanks for the photo, just the pick up I needed.

A busy week one way and another as Phil has been away and I have been looking after the poultry and sheep. Through my efforts I have reached the conclusion turkeys are the most stupid birds in the world. The hens refuse to take their minuscule chicks under cover and the stag continually shouts about how grand and brave he is. Its astonishing that turkey chicks come into this world smaller than a pheasant chick and can run through the wire netting of their pen, only adding to my low opinion of the species! On a more pleasing topic I dropped in on the oxbow at Ellinghm and was delighted to see one of the Hobby cacthing dragonflies over our newly created sanctuary. It looking remarkably productive with the marginal growth thriving and the channel itself full of fry of unknown variety. Kevin brought the swipe down and cleared the path to the new bridge in an effort to keep the salmon rods on the bank. I have a weeks strimming ahead to prepare the banks for the start of the coarse season.

Thanks to James Channell for sending through his latest conquest from Mockbeggar in the form of this cracking 30+ common. A great shaped fish, which has obviously been giving herself quite a bashing with all the recent exersions of spawning on the gravel margins, hopefully she will soon patch herself up and be looking mint within a week or two.

Other odds and ends starting with Darren digging out the massive stump and roots of the recently felled, diseased Monterey Pine. The huge root mass was too heavy for the machine to lift but fortunately the tree had a rotten centre which allowed it to be split into five or six more manageable sections. Another of the beautiful creatures that share our valley plus a Barnacle Goose out with the Canadas on the meadows during this weeks BBS count just to round off the week.

The ox eye daisies now in full bloom on the approach to the lawn swim.

Some of the inhabitants in the shape of a Brown Argus, the first Meadow Brown of the summer and a freshly minted Common Blue.

Three of the orchids that also share the meadows at the moment, a Common Spotted, a Bee and a Southern Marsh.

The salmon fishing may be a disaster this year but there are most definitely benefits from being in the valley at this time of year. Matthew Parsler emailed to let me know of his efforts and told me he had enjoyed the site of a Hobby taking dragonflies below Park Pool. As I was passing Park and Coomber today I stopped for five minutes to see if I could spot the Hobby as it has been several years since I have seen them over the river. Luck must have been on my side as almost immediately not one but a pair appeared and spent ten minutes feeding quite openly within twenty or thirty meters of me. A lovely site and hopefully they will chose to nest a little further away from the Goshawks as I fear it may well have been the Gos who have reduced the number of Hobby that nest on the estate. In the first classic Avon shot, Comber Pool, the home of massive pike, barbel and chub, if you look closely you can just make out the bird mid shot. In the second one of the pair was making use of the dead willow to watch for its next meal.

I promise I will try and find something a little cheerier to add later in the day, if only to assure Chris B that I'm not about to end it all! In the meantime take a look at the latest gloom and doom findings about our river water quality. As many regular readers will know I have had a bee in my bonnet for years about this subject with communications with the water companies going back years. In light of this report I have again asked Wessex Water what information they can provide about the Hampshire Avon re antibiotics entering the system through their treatment plants. I'll keep you up to date with the response.
The crux is the final paragraph before the Guardian funding appeal, which by the way is worth considering if you are a regular reader.

Guardian, antibiotics in rivers

A walk around Meadow is a far cheerier event and today was no exception, there's always something new to see and observe. Starting at Canada Bay it was immediately obvious the weed is already established with growth already at the surface in Joey's Corner. One advantage of weed is that it attracts fish and these weed beds were full of fry and several decent carp. Out on the Point where the yellow flags and lilies are putting on a great show. The lilies have established so quickly it looks as if I may have to cut channels through one or two beds to ensure fish can be landed. Finally the Lagoon where there were plenty of fish, as there always are at this time of year.

Mockbeggar was also a treat, despite the breeze and overcast. The ox-eye daisies are looking wonderful out on section two of the butterfly transect and the extra shelter they provide was being enjoyed by several Common Blues and Small coppers. Up on the road there were several young rabbits, pleasingly numbers are building again after the devastation of last years wipe out through disease. Their grazing really does make a positive contribution to the sward quality so fingers crossed they survive and numbers return to more useful numbers. Finally the first Black-tailed Skimmer I've spotted this season putting in a welcome appearance.

I'm sure you'll love this. Its John Slader's latest video of the carp spawning over at Mockbeggar last week, all action and the setting is perfect. Just click on the link below.

Carp Spawning

A Treecreeper at its nest and the exposed position of its nest site. The nest was pointed out by the forestry guys who are clearing the windblow and doing the thinning, that track beside the stump has been made by the forwarder removing the timber and the birds haven't batted so much as an eyelid. Four of the Fifteen Mandarin at the lakes today, only one duck amongst them. It begs the question why she isn't sitting on a clutch of eggs at this time of year. If previous years are any indication several of the drakes are awaiting the ducks to return with their broods. I can't imagine the lot have partners on eggs, or we will be over run with them come the autumn!

A first for me today in the shape of this beautiful creature. It's a Wall, or more correctly a Wall Brown and whilst they are relatively common in some parts of the country they are very few and far between down here in the south.

There were all sorts of other creatures out and about enjoying the lunchtime sunshine. As well as plenty of butterflies, day flying moths in the shape of a Muslin and several Cinnabar's. A cracking Cardinal Beetle and a wonderfully bright newly emerged Broad Bodied Chaser.

A spring tide and fish in the system, was our fortune about to change? Well apart from Mike's fish its been extremely quiet, particularly where my Willie Gunn has been concerned! After three uneventful short evening sessions I decided a change of direction might be required. A look at the bird population in one or two areas I hadn't visited for a while might be more fruitful. I could also have a look at the ongoing forestry operations ensuring even if the birds failed to show it wouldn't be a total waste of time. We had recently moved the area of felling to avoid a Kites nest, which pleasingly was now occupied by fast growing juveniles. When they have fledged and gone we will be able to move back to finish the thinning operation of the Douglas firs. The tree containing the nest will obviously be retained as the Kites are faithfull to the site. The area immediately above the woodland opens out into restored grassland and occasional scrub, that surrounds an active sand and gravel pit. There is also a pond of several acres that has been created in the last couple of years. This site is interesting in that it provides the opportunity to watch a restored site being repopulated by the creatures come across the area in their travels. The speed at which birds and insects establish has been quite impressive. Last summer saw huge numbers of Darter dragonflies beside the pond. Lapwing, Skylark and Redshank have established in the surrounding meadows, although fledged juveniles seem thin on the ground due in most part I fear to the large corvid population. At least six pairs of Little grebe have nested this year with Mallard, Gadwall, Shovelor, Teal, Garganey and Tufted all on site. Egyptian Geese have a fast growing brood, competing with the several pairs of Coot as the noisiest inhabitants. With Stonechat, yellow Hammer and White Throat, add the fifty odd pairs of Sand Martin and three pairs of Little Ringed Plover that are on the active pit decks its certainly buzzing at present.
A further quick visit to the marsh, down in the river valley rounded off what can only be described as a great mornings birding. Its a shame we aren't allowed to manage our fisheries in a similar fashion, without the continual interference of the EA!

Tern, Teal and Redshank up on the marsh, swans and grebe on the river with and sound track of warblers and Lapwing.

Gadwall and Garganey on the pond, passerines in the paddocks with Little Ringed Plover and Sand Martin in the pit. The Sand Martins have moved into the active face of the pit despite the rubber hawk! They moved from the sandface where the local fox has been digging them out to the working face that has caused a bit of a problem. Hopefully nothing that can't be overcome by taking the sand from the other side of the pile. There were also a couple of Greenshank and one or two pairs of Lapwing and Redshank sat about but I couldn't get them to fit into the opening sentence.

Thankfully there are now one or two salmon in the system, with two or three being bumped off it was left to Mike Hornsby to put our second of the year on the bank in the shape of a bright sixteen pounder. Unfortunately I was not able to get down to assist in the landing but thankfully I wasn't required. Great result Mike, many congratulations, delighted to see it came to the fly and a just reward for your efforts. Thanks also to Paul Greenacre who sent through the shots above, taken from the far bank showing the full process of landing, releasing and the effect!

The quiet slacks and ditches are full of fry, most of which looks like minnow as it is a little early to see this years coarse fish juveniles showing up in the sanctuaries. The yellow background silhouetting the fry in the first shot is a large koi that has been present with the resident group of carp in this section for at least tens years. Along with this fish there was a yellow mirror carp the two of which always makes finding this shoal a great deal easier. The carp in the lake that have been spawning for three days seem to be nearing the end of their current efforts. I expect they will lay up and become a great deal harder to catch as they get over their exertions. The barbel have also been up on the shallows starting their spawning season. With the water temperature nearing 14 degrees if the warm weather continues the barbel and chub should have finished their spawning long before the start of the season.
Paul Shutler rang today to say he had landed a fish down at the Royalty and another fish had been landed the day before. Jon Bass was out installing his temperature loggers and also spotted a salmon in the weir pool at Ringwood. Fingers crossed they are the start of a run of 2SW Summer fish that are arriving on the building tides we are currently experiencing.

The yellow flags are looking fine in the margins as the carp get on with their spawning oblivious to the overhead beauty.

The carp were in full spawning mode in the bright sunshine this morning.

All the resident birds are now well into their breeding season with one of the Blackbirds in our back garden now with its second brood close to fledging. The Lapwing in the valley have several broods that are hatched and feeding in the water meadows. Tonight as I drove home across the park a Great White Egret was feeding beside Park Pool. Despite the disruptive late flood things look well in the valley at the moment.
Brenda of warbler fame has found several Reed Warblers already with eggs making a good start for their nesting season. At least three pairs of our established Swifts are back in the nest boxes and the first pair to inspect the Swift cabinet on the end of the house arrived this evening. As yet we have no Swifts in residence in the cabinet only a couple of Pipistrelle bats and a House Sparrow that can defy gravity and fly vertically. Tonight's inspecting pair also had to contend with one of our resident Starlings doing his best to intercept them when ever they attempted to gain access. Hopefully domestic issues will sort themselves out and they will all settle down to live alongside each other.

The first roe kid of the year that unusually the doe allowed to be seen in full view and not tucked away in the undergrowth. This doe is used to our coming and going about the estate and would appear to be relaxed about our presence.

Despite the over night frosts and cold wind that has blown for the last day or two the valley creeps toward summer. The first Brown Argus of the year that along with a couple Small Copper braved the elements to seek out the sheltered spots in the sunshine. The righthand pic is one of two Downy Emerald dragonfly that also appeared today settling just long enough for a poor record shot. More than can be said for the Hairy dragonflies that refused to land where I could find them. I guess its no accident that the earliest dragonflies are covered in hair and down, hence their names, evolutions definitely no mug with our current night time temperatures. The middle photo is a great shot of Chris Ball enjoying the results of his efforts with one of five fine commons in a recent short afternoon session. The lakes continue to produce some great fish if in a slightly more eratic fashion, which can probably be blamed on the sudden drop in temperature. Thanks for the report and photo Chris, good news always very much appreciated.

Long term readers will have seen this scene before as it constitutes what is probably my favourite pool, at my favourite time of year, in the Avon valley. If I could bottle the essence of this scene I would be a wealthy man beyond imagination. I didn't arrive this evening unto after eight o'clock and fished for little more than half an hour. I didn't even see a salmon let alone land one but the evening can only be described as wonderful. With the wind dropping and the emergence of myriads of hatching flies, standing with the sound of the bells of St Peter and St Paul's, travelling on the still air from the mile south, it was the perfect English summer evening in the water meadows. The Cuckoo calling over the warbler and Reed Bunting backing track just added to the magic.

One or two other goings-on worthy of recording, the first being a shot of some of the Mockbeggar commons lazing away the day. I always enjoy seeing the fish totally relaxed and stress free despite the season being well under way. The middle shot is one of several broods of Canada Geese that have appeared in recent days. Always a concern that they will over graze the wild flower meadows I will have to keep an eye on them to ensure they are not damaging the delicate balance that supports our butterfly population. The final shot of a beautiful, very pregnant Slow-worm that I moved out of harms way when the grass was being cut.

At last, for those of us that have almost forgotten what one looks like, this is the first salmon of the year at Somerley. If it were up to me I would have Stephen cannonized, I don't think I have ever been so pleased to see a salmon. Congratulations Stephen, without doubt the best news of the weekend.

A brave Green Veined White seeking shelter from Storm Hannah.

Despite the best efforts of the storm the lakes continue to fish well and the river continues its refusal to give up any of its salmon. As part of today's bird count I visited the marsh that is looking well now it has recovered from its unseasonal flood. The Lapwing have moved back in and appear to have re-established their territories whilst a pair of Little Ringed Plover are looking as if they are staking a claim to one of the exposed areas of drying mud. The cock bird alarm calling whilst the hen continued sitting tight as I walked within five meters of her. The lefthand photo shows the southern section of the northern marsh currently a blaze of colour with the Kingcups in full bloom. Whilst on the right, the middle section where we have several splashes continuing to provide rich feeding for the waders.

Not rare but unusual in this area is the Bogbean that can be found in profusion in the north marsh. A tea made from its leaves supposedly good for headaches, which has to be worth a try if it saves on my consumption of Anadin Extra!

Several of these shots are duplicates of earlier entries. I do this as I use this blog as a record of events and a week between photos at this time of year can record important differences to the subject. The Saxifrage is now at its peak and the photo better records the numbers without the confusion of daisies the earlier shot included. The Kingcups provide a closer view of the current growth.

A couple of odd shots, the first being a definitely dead, dehydrated frog. Frozen, or more accurately dried in time, not the most interesting you might think, unless of course it is a sign of things to come! The second is a shot of an invasive water fern, Azolla filiculoides that can be found about the Avon valley. Interesting plant with all sorts of claims made about it, fastest growing plant on the planet that derives all its nitrogen requirement directly from the atmosphere. Shades out light from large areas of water and draws down CO2 from the atmosphere thus helping prevent global warming. You never know, when the human population of the planet ends up looking like our frog this plant may thrive and clean up the planet for the era of the next species to dominate the earth!!

Our current lack of salmon has been giving me obvious cause for concern and I thought I might just have a peak at the records to see if this frustrating lack of fish has occurred before on the Avon. I didn't have to look that far to find we are yet to set any new records for latest date for the first fish of the year. I believe it was 2001 when the first fish came on the 3rd of May. I personally took our first fish on the 13th of April back in the mid 90's so late starts have been seen before. On both the mentioned years the final totals were pretty depressing in the region of a couple of dozen fish. I certainly have everything I can firmly crossed at the moment, in the hope of seeing a fish in the coming week to avoid entering new territory.

The sad fact about these late starts is that we are no wiser as to why they should occur, despite twenty five years to find answers. I have looked at the conditions that have brought about our current dearth of fish and can see little to provide firm answers but plenty of further questions. Up until this point in the season we would normally have expected to see the 3SW fish being caught. Just why they have failed to show may be linked to conditions at the time they were cut into the redds. Three sea winter fish that should be with us now would have been spawned in late 2014 early 2015, smolt in April 2016, grilse July 2017, 2SW summer fish May 2018, arriving as 3SW with us at the current time. The 2014 season wasn't one to write home about with just a couple of dozen fish being caught. Did this indicate a low adult return, insufficient to provide enough eggs to meet the conservation target and a support a sustainable population? January 2015, immediately on the completion of spawning saw floods spreading across the width of the valley. Did this sudden rise in water scour the loose gravel in the redds, that hadn't sufficient time to consolidate, sending the eggs swirling out into the flow? Did that rise in water bring with it the redd clogging accumulation of summer's silt and detritus? Depriving ova and alevin of sufficient flow and oxygen? The slightly concerning element of this is that the following winter also brought high water that might have effected the 2SW summer fish that should be with us any time soon. More crossing of digits in the hope of a change in our fortunes.

Spring in the birch woods is always a favourite time of year. That is of particular relevance this year as we thinned this wood a couple of years ago and its pleasing to see how well it has settled down since our activities. The extra light that has filtered down through the canopy has seen an explosion of honeysuckle understory to the extent that some areas are completely covered. It would be an added bonus should the White Admirals discover this abundant food source. The young rabbit is one of several dozen that can be seen about the place, hopefully indicating a recovering population after the devastation caused by the haemorrhagic disease and mxyi. The final shot is an interesting subject in that there is great debate about the burning of heather on the northern Grouse moors with the anti shooting lobby claiming huge ecological damage. That said we have the Forestry Commission and the National Trust adopting a similar scorched earth policy across the entire New Forest, I must have missed the public outcry down here!

The carp have been on form this weekend with some great catches and fine fish being landed. Thanks to Dave Watkins for the photo of the lovely mirror, good to see one or two on the bank at last. The Cuckoo Pint, or Lords and ladies, is one of the more bizarre plants to be found throughout the woodland at the moment. The Mandarin Drake is one of six that were sat about the lakes today. Many of the ducks are sitting on eggs at present leaving the drakes to gather in small flocks to await the arrival of the broods.

Bits and bobs from about the place as I spent a great deal of the day throwing people off both the river and the lakes. Its certainly a full blown, sunny, bank holiday weekend, the idiots are abroad in force. The first photo is another shot of what I now know to be the Alder Leaf Beetles, Tony was quite correct. I was a little unsure of the identification due to it being deemed extremely rare and only ten years ago considered extinct in the UK. As well as Tony, I would like to thank Bob Chapman of the Blashford reserve who confirmed the ID for me, also Mark Knight of the Surrey Wildlife Trust who emailed to point out its history. All I can say is that its made an extraordinary recovery, there are literally tens of thousands of them about the lakes. They are defoliating many of the alders and are flying by in such numbers you risk swallowing them if you open your mouth. The middle shot is the first Goosander brood of the year, out enjoying another huge Grannom hatch this evening. Finally a solitary bee with what must be one of the finest names in the animal world, its a female, Hairy-footed Flower Bee. Basically it looked like a jet propelled bumblebee as it zoomed about the cowslip flower heads.

My first Common Carder Bumblebee of the year was also on the wing today enjoying the sunshine.

Finally thanks to Kevin Styles for this lovely shot of this evenings grannom. It is one of Nature's wonders to stand amid the millions of insects as they head upstream in a constant stream to lay their eggs.

I'm always pleased to see the Wheatears as they return from the wintering migration. They always look well turned out, not a feather out of place a real smarty. The ploughing is Kevin preparing for the cover crops that always provide such vital winter feed for many of the finches that over winter with us. The final shot is a poor attempt at trying to capture the millions of Grannom that were pouring upstream this evening. The hatch has been building over recent days with vast numbers providing a fine spectacle this evening.

The Meadow Saxifrage is now in full bloom and looking well. The Valley meadows are starting to look their best with the kingcups out on mass, combined with the dead nettles and dandelions are providing a better nectar flow than the lakes at the moment.

Common Storksbill in bright patches around the lakes, a beautiful and often overlooked little flower. As for yesterday's beetle it would seem the clue was in the photo in that they are Alder Leaf Beetles and they are sat on an alder leaf in the shot. Thanks to Tony Crisp for enlightening me, having looked them up last year when they were out in force around Kings-Vincents.

Worthy of a further picture in that the cowslips are always a delight to see in the early spring and they are looking particularly well this year. The second photo is of a neighbouring piece of woodland that last week was a sea of bluebells about to flower. That was before the cattle broke in through the tatty Commission fence and stripped the wood of anything resembling grass. Recent weeks have seen hundreds of animals turned out on the forest for the grazing, unfortunately there's nothing out there for them to eat so they are pushing the boundaries in an effort to find food. The cattle involved in stripping the wood eventually pushed their way through to the adjoining school playing fields where the inch of mown grass looked like a banquet compared to the pickings available to them on the forest. Some of the ponies the knacker wouldn't buy, they look so rough, still they're all eligible for the subsidy! The beetles because they are! just what they are I wouldn't like to say for certain, Blue mint perhaps but whatever they are there are lots of them about at present. First Cuckoo and singing Reed Warbler today, if this wretched wind would get out of the north and back to a southerly direction it would almost seem like spring.

The first Egyptian Goose brood of the year and it looks as if she has ten to care for. If the dozen or so pairs we have currently nesting all have such large broods we will be over-run at the end of the summer. This particular pool is just a couple of acres and it has five pairs of Little Grebe, a couple of pairs of Coot plus Mallard, Gadwall and we still have six or seven Shoveler enjoying its isolation. The second shot shows some of the Little Ringed Plover that are also using the area and if you look in the background a Lapwing on her nest. Its little wonder they are having such a hard time of it at present, this bird is completely out in the open with not a stick of cover for twenty or thirty meters in any direction.

A couple of lovely shots of Mark Collins with a thirty plus and a great looking mid twenty. I have to admit to something of a paucity of fishy shots on here of late that hopefully these will go some way to make up for. Its not through lack of fish or photos as the end of the river coarse season and the opening of Mockbeggar couldn't have gone better. Quite the opposite in that I have some wonderful fish shots that one day I will put together as a measure of this amazing valley. Thanks to Mark for the pix of his latest captures, that's a great way to open your account on a difficult water, congratulations, well deserved.

The misty start on Tuesday and I called at the marsh first thing to check on the water levels. Whilst the water levels are fallling nicely it was the Great White Egret that proved the most notable. Getting late in the year for the egrets to still be with us, perhaps pointing to the day when they stay and breed.

We seem to have a healthy Grass Snake population about the lakes at the moment yet the adders seem to have disappeared. I didn't see a single adder last year, which is of concern as they are struggling in some parts of their range. I don't know why they might have declined, perhaps our Buzzards, who we see regularly carrying snakes although I can't say they were adders. Our badgers enjoy digging up the eco-piles where our reptiles may well spend their winter, or it may simply be climate or habitat. I would be disappointed if it were habitat as the areas of south facing clearings, with suitable cover has been increased quite dramatically. Whatever the reason should any of the syndicate spot one during their visits please let me know. Don't be concerned about their presence from a safety perspective they will hide as soon as they hear your approach. Even if bitten, for an adult, it's not overly dangerous if somewhat dramatic as the technicolour bruising is quite spectacular. Having said that I don't recommend sharing a bivvy with one, Geoff W will know the background to that!

The cold light of dawn, a beautiful time of day if a degree or two below what we might wish to see.

If you want a depressing day try looking after a private length of the Avon Valley. Out comes the sun and out come those that are above English Common Law and having to respect the rights of others, joggers, birdwatchers, cyclists are obviously covered by that description as they go where they wish 'cause, "They are doing no harm" It doesn't help the moral that despite the river being in perfect condition for salmon fishing with plenty of water, good viz, decent water temperature and a spring tide, we are not seeing any salmon. Why is that? What are the reasons why no fish? You might well ask, the questions to ask are exactly the same questions we were asking the regulators almost thirty years ago in the late eighties and early nineties. During the intervening thirty years there has been absolutely no conclusive evidence provided to point to the cause, as there has been no sound science undertaken to establish the facts. Lots of hypothesis and guess work, mostly aimed at fence sitting and protection of empires. Millions of public money and fishing licence fees expended and not one jot closer to understanding our problems. Its high seas mortality from food sources moving further north with the North Atlantic Thermocline, interbreeding with farmed fish, high seas exploitation, pick any three from ten. They'll tell us they know how many fish enter our river and spend hundreds of thousands collating that information to meet their own self set targets. Whilst they're busy working out the 'conservation target' the fisheries they have a statutory obligation to maintain, improve and develop are going down the pan. Despite public money and licence incoming funding the fish counter, stuck in the bloody weir at the bottom of the Avon, the EA will not release any information to the fisheries in case we over exploit the stock. Jesus Christ, what fucking one watt thought that idea up. The chance would be a fine thing, if we suddenly start catching dozens of fish as a result of EA fisheries actually trying to be helpful I'm sure we would act to control such massive exploitation. Its seems to be beyond the capabilities of the EA to provide live information despite counters around the world managing it. Its not validated I hear them cry. Well deary me, we'll just have to group together to amass sufficient intelligence to work that out for ourselves! I told you, its not been a good day!

My sea trip having been cancelled, due to bad weather off Portland, it provided me with the opportunity to take a closer look at the impact this week's rain has had on the breeding waders up on the north marsh. Despite the distraction of the blaze of yellow provided by the kingcups it didn't take long to realise the flood has been a total disaster for the early nesting Lapwing and Redshank. Where those kingcups are now in a foot of water had been dry with over twenty Lapwing establishing territories just four days ago. This morning, just four Lapwing looking less than impressed, sat out on the edge of the flood, it really is a case of fingers crossed the water level drops quickly enough for the birds to rear a second brood. On a brighter note the meadow saxifrage that covers one of the banks close to the marsh is beginning to flower, a few days of warmer weather and the bank will have a white cloak. The white death, in the form of the gulls, just send me back into the depths of despair when it comes to the protection of our rivers. The wretched things are breeding over on the nearby nature reserve, where they have been encouraged to establish a colony. Today they were destroying the up-wing fly hatch that was struggling to lift off the surface of the river. The same up-wing and invertebrates our EU designated species depend on for their food and survival. The press and the conservation world have just woken up to the fact our pollinators are in serious decline all getting themselves worked up about the latest science and seeking funds on the back of it to support their empires. If they had bothered to listen a decade ago they might have realised the decline of the riverine up-wings and invertebrate life was an early warning to the fate of the pollinators. The poisonous broth pumped into our rivers by the water companies and farming world proving too much for the delicate riverine life cycles. Add hugely increased levels of predation of the emerging adults just about signals the death knell for the few remaining upwings. What are our illustrious regulators doing about this change of regime on an SSSI? In the words of one internationally reknown fisheries expert, "Sitting with their thumbs up their arses"

After yesterday's downpour we awoke this morning with the north marsh flooded once more. After having drained the water off the marsh and drying it out a fortnight ago the waders had started their nesting and I'm afraid very few will have survived this unexpected flood. The water was already dropping by lunchtime and they will all try again when they are once more able to get back onto the fields.

Despite our Romney ewes being hardy and preferring to lamb outside, expecting them to deal with yesterday's weather was asking a little too much. Phil fitted the new arrivals with coats to fend off the worst of the rain and keep up their body warmth. I have to say that this was as good a use for plastic macs as I could imagine, they felt as warm as toast when you picked them up. The one use plastic will obviously be properly disposed of when no longer required, always assuming we can catch the little beggars that is! Just where this little beauty arrived from we don't know, she certainly fits the description of being the blacksheep of the family!

Whilst the weather of the last couple of days has been an absolute shocker April arrived in a far more civilised fashion. Lunchtime on the first saw warm sunshine and clear skies to welcome the start of the butterfly counting season. The Orange-tip was one of half a dozen flying about the lakes along with at least seven other species.

A few more shots from the more welcoming start of the week. The common dog violets are the food source of the beautiful fritillary butterflies and pleasingly their numbers are increasing around the lakes. The Long-tailed Tit is one of probably half a dozen pairs nesting in the brambles we so carefully cultivate at Mockbeggar and the ever popular primrose that along with the Cowslips are also doing well.

Pile Pool left bank, all we need now is for the fish to turn up!

Phil sent me the photo of our first lambs of the year this evening, making for a lovely end for the day. Earlier I had spotted this chap in the nettles, which I believe is the caterpillar of the Scarlet Tiger moth that we see in the river valley in June and July.

Below is the lower half of the Ibsley to Harbridge section I promised the other day. Fished steadily it will provide you with three and a half to four hours of fishing without having to cover the same piece of water twice.

We finished at Lower Cabbage in the entry on the 19th, from the tail of which you walk back to the point of the bend to fish down Harbridge Bend. A unique section of water running both north and south either side of the narrow peninsula that runs out to the head of the pool. Very close to breaking throughjust downstream of Lower Cabbage to form an oxbow and completely change the course of the river. Once around the tight bend at the head you will find a seat, which is the point to begin fishing down the pool. The first 50m is deep and turblent beneath your feet with a smooth glide on the far bank on the inside of the bend. The fish lie from mid stream to the far bank, in the smooth, shallower water. As the glide finishes you are still upstream of the fence that bisects the pool. Fish on down to the fence where fish have come from random spots with nothing proving very reliable. There is a lie mid river, fifteen to twenty meters downstream the fence. Presentation is difficult due to the fence, which is best described as inventive, incorporating a large pallet that proves awkward to pass. Take your time and cover this lie well before fishing on down the pool, where a fish may come from any point, particularly the deep water below your feet.

Walk on downstream from the tail of Harbridge Bend a couple of hundred meters until opposite the high bank, which is about halfway down Woodside Pool. The head of the pool is unfishable due to tree cover and woody debris that has slipped from the bank opposite. The middle section of the pool is difficult due to overhanging trees making accurate casting a must. The final ash tree overhanging just upstream of the hatch gates on the far bank is a home to a good lie. It requires considerable care to cover this lie without disaster in the form snagging the tree. Carefully under the tree and cover the water as it seperates and glides through the gates. On to the short tail which is probably the best chance of a fish with the fly.

The glide at the tail of Woodside is replaced by broken shallow water that runs down to Harbridge Corner. Not actually the head of the pool but fish do lie in the water and it is worth fishing. Unfortunately our tenant has a further example of his inventive fencing with a pallet and barbed wire making access and fishing a little tricky under the conditions we are experiencing at the moment. If you are feeling brave and have the time you can wade much of this run making presentation easier than the dealing with the fence stakes. Care must be taken if a fish is hooked and runs downstream to the corner as you will be unable to follow due to the trees on the bank. Once you have either fished or by-passed this run head on around the trees and over the stile, ignoring the first thirty or forty meters of eddying pool. Once the flow has settled and returned to its downstream passage begin fishing the short fifty meter tail. Difficult to get down to the fish deep on the inside but the tail, alongside the inception of the small stream regularly holds fish. Thats it tens pools all worth fishing for that elusive fish of a lifetime, good luck.

One other point of note today was the presence of a White Stork down at the bottom end of the estate at Lifelands. Unfortunately I failed to see it and should any reader be out and about and spot it in the next day or two please give me a call as I would like to catch up with it.

I make no apology for putting up more shots of the birdlife currently using the marsh. The marsh habitat is the result of twenty years of trial and error as we, filled, dug, drained and blocked ditches, along with scrapes and bunds we have at last something the bird world seems to appreciate. NE have been very much onside as we have played with stocking density, to eliminate sedge grass and try and get away from monoculture silage. It may look untidy when compared with a mown hay field but it has also remained a very productive livestock grazing area. Nature is naturally untidy in an effort to introduce diversity of cover and food for its creatures to survive. As a wildfowl and wader habitat I think you will have to go a long way to find better.

Starting top left with two of at least five Water Pipit that were finding plenty to keep them occupied in the shallows. A few of the thirty plus Black-tailed Godwit present and two of the three Little Ringed Plover. The swimming Snipe was part of a larger number, presumably passing through on their way north to their nest sites. There are six in that shot with well over fifty within twenty meters of that group. Fingers crossed some will stay with us to attempt nesting as they did last year. A general view north up the marsh, Wigeon, Teal, Shelduck, GWE, BTG, Green Sandpiper, Curlew, Lapwing, Redshank, Gadwall, Shoveler and at least one Garganey drake, a wildfowl wonderland. Trying to work out just what is up there is remarkably difficult as I don't flush them and the largest area of splashes is hidden behind the standing vegetation. Just how successful they will be in getting their young to fledge remains to be seen. They exist in a far more hostile environment than in the valley's heyday when Crows, Jackdaws, foxes etc were controlled by the half dozen keepers that the estate employed. I put up the next shot of the Redshank as it is a ringed bird. Unfortunately too distant to read but I will make inquiries to see if anyone is ringing Redshank locally. Along the bottom and it looks as if we will be seeing more Oystercatchers juveniles about once again this year, they have been successful for several years over on the lakes. A Green Sandpiper, a pair of Gadwall and one of at least five pairs of Redshank that were present. A simply stunning show.

One other area where the habitat that has been created on the estate is proving highly successful is that which surrounds the lakes. This has been managed with the needs of pollinators and insects as the primary objective and after my trip up to the marsh I had a walk around one of the lakes, where I photographed the Red-tailed bumblebee queen above. In today's sunshine it was a delight to be out and I was obviously not alone judging by the number of butterflies and bumblebees out seeking the early pollen. Five species and over thirty individual butterflies with seventeen bumblebee queens also out seeking nests and nutrition. The Brambling are obviously moving back north to their nesting sites with several high in the trees being quite vocal. Definitely a good day to be outdoors enjoying the arrival of Spring. With the floated meadow marsh habitat and the surrounds of the lakes both are designed to meet the requirements of our wildlife and vitally importantly, they are both economically independent. Neither rely on charity or handouts to succeed, one is supported by the fishery the other by the hundred plus head of beef that graze the fields. They form a natural part of the everyday rural working environment.

A reminder to the salmon rods in that the weirpool at Ringwood is fishable again this year. I dropped in today and trimmed the reeds that had sprung back up now the flow has dropped and taken the pressure off them. The pool is only a shadow of its former glory due to the continued bungled management of the weir hatches but that said it is still worth fishing when the fish are running. The first twenty meter section from the gates is turbulent and dificult to fish on the inside. The middle has a reduced flow due to the fish counter, that never worked, drawing less water and worth fishing despite the difficulties. Once you get halfway to the small sycamore the water begins to sort itself out, smooths and presents well. Unfortunately the section between the sycamore and the croy is now very shallow and only with a floating line, or in the highest water is it fishable. The most promising section is mid river, out from the croy. It is important to start fishing at least twenty meters upstream of the croy to fish the drop off immediately inline with the leading edge. No longer a holding pool in conditions such as we are enjoying at present are probably your best chance of a fish. A 20+ fish was landed at Bisterne yesterday and a good fish lost with us, so there are fish in the system, good luck.

I have been draining the North Marsh over the last couple of days to enable a flush of grass to establish for the summer grazing. Plenty of water remains on the meadows keeping the wildfowl and waders happy, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Snipe, Lapwing with many more than I shall list here. The Lapwing are already nesting and hopefully the Redshank will soon join them, the Godwit will soon move back to the coast or fly north and the Curlew will also head for their nest sites that may well be close by in the New Forest. Unfortunately the Crow population will probably deal with the majority of the juveniles so fingers crossed the thicker soft rush on the east side of the marsh will provide them sufficient cover for one or two to hide away and survive.

I said I would put up another one of the beat descriptions and with the weather looking a little more user friendly I spent and hour looking at the top half of the walk from Ibsley down to Harbridge Corner. In actual fact I only made it half way down the beat before having to head off elsewhere but I will get the lower pools recorded in the near future. It totals over a thousand meters of fishing and about a dozen pools that take between three and a half and four hours to fish through.

To fish this section I strongly recommend you park within the estate in the Fool's Corner car park. Not only is the parking more secure it makes the walk back to the car at the end of the day less daunting. Over the Harbridge Stream and follow the path diagonally across the field to the head of Ibsley pool. For new members it is the first pool downstream of the main weir pool. Not as you may think the weir pool itself, remembering of course that the weir pool is out of bounds and not to be fished. Only a short pool of barely fifty meters but good running water when the water height is high. From the head of Ibsley Pool the first twenty or thirty meters are turbulent and deep on the inside. Fish do hold here but presenting a fly is extremely difficult off the right bank. Once the water begins to shallow up the glides toward the tail are where the fish are normally to be found. As the water height drops fish often drop back over the broken shallows at the tail, into the head of Tizard's pool, just upstream of the ninety degree bend.

Tizard's is a difficult pool, if the fish aren't in the shallow head water getting around the sharp bend and through the deep hole on the inside makes presentation tricky. Fish have historically come from the far bank run that is fast water, making it difficult to get down to the fish. The tail is short and fast where once the water clears summer fish can often be seen laying mid stream. For reasons best known to themselves they seem reluctant to take the fly in the fast water. I have seen fish taken on the Mepp and prawn but only follows and come short to the fly. It may just be the luck of the day and I always fish through this water in the hope that fish are there and today will prove the exception. Out of the tail and you will need to by-pass the fry bay before reaching the next pool just beyound the hedge. It doesn't have a name so for want of anything better we'll call it the 'Gate' as there is a rusting field gate stuck in the brambles at the head of the pool.

Deep on the inside, being continually eroded on the outside of the bend, before coming up into a long shallow tail. The most likely taking spot just downstream of where the trees end on the opposite bank but this long shallow run all the way down to Provost's Hole always looks good in high water. I did take a summer fish probably forty meters down the tail making a favourite spot always worth a cast if weed and flow permit. Once past the stile the run down to Provost, which is just beside the seat, is deep and boilie on the inside but the fly does lay naturally in the crease of the flow, some third of the way across the river. This water was traditionally fished with an ounce of lead with a paternostered wooden Devon Minnow. It ws deemed one of the most prolific pools on the Avon in its hey day but has struggled to live up to that reputation in recent years. Whether down to the fact the water is difficult with the fly or the fish no longer lay there remains to be proven but always fish it a deep and slowly as you can in the hope of finding the key to cracking this section.

Provost's Hole and the run down to Cabbage Garden on teh opposite bank. It all looks great at the moment but always tricky but worth covering as it does turn up good fish.

Middle and Lower Cabbage. The lower section and further text to follow.

The river coarse season is now behind us and the weather forecast for the day has said the wind is going to drop and the sun come out. Sounds perfect, I'll dig out the salmon rod and get the casting refreshed for an hour or two. The river looks well, in that it has plenty of water and a reasonable colour making it perfect for running fish. Hopefully the season will now get under way and we can find a fish or two and start to go through the pools with a little more confidence. That said, as I reached the river and reached for the rod bag the skies clouded over and a hail squall arrived of sufficient severity to force me back into the truck. With more dark clouds on the horizon my enthusiasm took a distinct downturn and fishing was suspended. As I was up at the top end of the estate I took the opportunity to visit the marsh, just to see what was about, having at the back of my mind the car park is within easy reach.

There were still plenty of birds about, Pintail, Great White Egret and fifty Coot. The Lapwing are now in full display mode busy protecting their claim.

It was pleasing to see the Curlew were still with us nine calling as they drifted about the marsh. For such a large bird their camouflage is remarkably effective with the dead grass a as a backdrop. The emerging Kingcups make for a glimpse of Spring ahead but do little to provide more cover.

A Marsh Harrier was quartering the marsh and reduced the Coot numbers by one as she drop onto one attempting to hide in the soft rush. I say she as I believe it was a female with quite prominent yellow plumage on the leading edge coverts on the wings. There have been two and possible a third here over the winter but today's single put on fine show.

I headed down to the bottom end of the estate at Lifelands at lunchtime in a last ditch effort to finish the river coarse season in style. Unfortunately I was blown off the bank, not even lasting an hour. Calling in at Ibsley this evening I was hoping to find a little shelter nowhere near any trees. I found the ideal spot, fishing in the shelter of the reeds in a perfect Mr Crabtree, Avon eddy. I did manage to finish the season with one of our magnificent chub and I couldn't be more delighted with the way the season has gone. I put the fact I look tired, battered and knackered down to trying to fish in a gale, I just hope I don't look that rough all the time!

Even when we lose such wonderful old trees all is not lost. We had several dozen trees down and amongst them were this ash and oak. The oak is a brown oak with considerable burring that gives it plenty of character. The chainsaw bar is 36" that gives an idea of the size of the ash stick. We now have a couple of sawmills on the estate that specialise in live edge table slabs so these two may find good homes yet.

Just one day to go with the river coarse season with the river high and coloured but producing some remarkable fish in recent days. Make sure you don't miss the last opportunity for three months to get the rods out. I wont reel of a great list of fish suffice to say I could not have dreamed it would have fished so well this season, simply amazing. There can be no other river in the country that can hold a candle to the Hampshire Avon and its purely magical valley.
The shots above just give a flavour of the last week amidst the torrential rain and gales. Despite the rubbish weather 'you can never hold back Spring', there's a song title there! I think Mr Waits came up with it first. The Bumblebee queens are out in force in any bit of shelter they can find. I counted over two dozen in a lunchtime walk yesterday, most were Buff tailed but there were one or two Tree queens seeking nest sites amongst the leaf litter. The Gorse in the middle shot is well out in bloom hopefully supplying sufficient nectar to keep these early emergers fed and fit. The shot of the first young rabbit of the year hopefully signals the start of the recovery.

How about this for a blast from the past. Thanks to Kelly Brocklehurst for the shot of his presentation with a junior trophy from the days when I used to run that section of the local club. Having gone off and made their way in the world both Kelly and Julian, standing immediately behind, have returned to become members of the syndicate. I obviously haven't changed a bit! Kelly believes I still have the same shirt, but they now have juniors of their own as old as they appear in the photo. Lovely memories, if more than a little stressful on occasions, 'happy days'. Thanks for sending it through Kelly.

We awoke to the forecast blow at its height and it wasn't long before news of its impact began to come in. This seems to have been an extremely variable and gusty front with almost continual changes of direction and intensity. We have have several roads blocked and where we can have been cutting up the resulting debris. The big polar will have to wait until the wind drops as there are several hangers waiting to fall caught up in the neighbouring trees. We have at least half a dozen breaks in the powerlines that also mean we can't go near them until they have been isolated. If you look at the first pic you will see a beehive sticking out of the top of another fallen tree. On the right the view from under that tree showing at least two more beehives that were directly under it when it fell. They will certainly add an element of excitement when it comes to clearing that up next week. Still it all keeps me occupied, I would only have been fishing, having bought a couple of pints of reds from Richard and two of Tesco's finest in readiness for a morning with the trotting rod!

Another little test. How do you bend a electricity pole like a bow? That'll do it! Certainly one to treat with care when you take the tree off.

A nice shot of the North Marsh where the Wigeon are still enjoying the high water. Great White Egret, Shoveler, Pintail, Black-tailed Godwit and Curlew just to name a few others also out there finding it to there liking.

The second shot is a new one for me. As all syndicate members are aware I carry access to every vehicle registration that is permitted on the estate. One or two of you will also be aware yesterday I was looking for the owners of a Ford Fucus right down at the bottom of the lakes complex that I did not have the number for. An hours fruitless search and I was heading off elsewhere when Mike P. phoned to say there were two metal detectorists scratching about in the woods south of the lakes. Back I came and walked the two or three hundred meters over to where they were digging to ask if the car was theirs and had they spoken to the land owner. In broken pigeon eastern European I was told they had spoken to the owner and the car wasn't theirs as they had come via the bus. "That's okay then, I'll load this car we have found on a trailer and take it up the yard to lock in a building". Amazing! it turns out it was their car. "Okay, I suppose I'll just phone the farm to see when you spoke to them. Oh you hadn't done that either", shock, horror, even more surprise! At this point I explained to the lying Serbs/Turds whatever nationality they were, should trot along and leave the estate via what ever means and by which ever route they had come in. Thanks for the call Mike, saved me hours of fruitless searching.
I was particularly keen that they exit by the way they had arrived as I was confused how they had got past the locked gates. Well, off they set, up to the top car park and down the track behind the gravel plant and out onto the water meadows. I was surprised at this as I wouldn't even drive out there in my 4 x 4 and hope to make it across. I stopped at the gate and watched as they slowed to a crawl before realising they had made a wrong turn. Bit of Karma here, in trying to turn around and get back sure enough down they went. They were going to need more than a couple of detectorists spades to dig that out! Being of a soft hearted nature and feeling Bon Ami toward my fellow man, I sat and watched for ten minutes as they scrabbled about in the mud. Try as I would I couldn't just drive off and leave them, although sorely tempted, I drove out and snatched a cable on to them and dragged them out and set them on their way again.
Out through the wood, down the drive and over the main river bridge, across the park below the house and down toward Ashley where they had found and open gate. Despite several private signs they thought they'd have a drive about. Thrice joy, it just goes to prove its not only a British trait to show absolutely no respect for the property and rights of others.

A poor record shot of seven of the fourteen Curlew that were up on the marsh today. These will be the birds heading back to their nesting grounds that visit us every spring as they move back north.

Below is the lower half of the Penmeade to Dockens walk that I promised yesterday. As I write this the river is currently high, coloured and rising, to the extent it is currently over the trigger level for spinning. keep an eye on the East Mills flume levels as the levels will normally drop back fairly quickly at this time of year. Not that anything can be considered normal any longer where the weather is concerned.

Around Ashley Corner from the electric pole and at the tail of the pool Ashley straight begins. This run has produced fish at fairly regular intervals over the last seventy years yet it has never been kind to me. Its another of the shallow runs that succumb to the weed fairly early in the season so make the best of it in the early months. At the bottom of the straight two trees have collapsed into the water creating a great holding area for the coarse fish and adding to the depth of the scoured pool below them. The tail of this first of the Ashley Bends holds fish yet once again they have avoided me over the years.

Below the first of the bends a high voltage power line crosses the river. I have not strimmed beneath it and I would advise you avoid the wretched thing with the fly rods, believe me 15' of carbon shoved up amongst 11000 volts will make your eyeballs rotate. Spinning or bait rods are safer if you can't resist the urge to fish that bit. It used to have an intermediate pole between those that currently exist that held it well clear of those below. When the bank eroded and the pole was left hanging on the wires the SSE came along and removed the pole and just let the cable sag that much lower, under the well practiced SSE principle of not giving a bugger about anything other than their lines. I notice it now has several trees making contact, which might also be worth avoiding.

Once under the power line by the double pole you have the short length of the Middle Bend before you. Its a deep under cut bank beneath your feet that is difficult to get down to with the fly. From half way down the pool the tail is reachable and this historically held the fish available to the fly. There is a submerged tree three quarters the way across that requires caution with the cast but well worth making the effort. I will have another go at getting the thing out when the water drops back. Our first attempt met with disaster when the 1" diameter reinforcing bar grapnel straightened out under the load the tractor applied! Once the spinning and the shrimp are allowed this pool is always worth close inspection as fish like to hold up in the deep shaded water. Out of the tail and immediately into the bottom bend, which is simliar to the pool above in being a short length of fishable water. well worth fishing thoroughly as once again fish will hold under the protection of the undercut banks. A quiet, careful approach is recommended on these pools as the fish spook out very easily making them virtually uncatchable.

Out of the tail and around the bend to a shallow run that has no name but is worth attention whilst it remains clear of weed. The run on the far bank behind the submerged trees often conceals some massive seatrout. I did see a 24 pound salmon taken from this run many years ago which always encourages me to give it just one more cast. This run tails out on the shallows above the willow that I have taken the top off to enable rods to lift their rod over it in the event a fish takes off downstream. The shallows above the tree is a popular redd site for both salmon and sea trout, particularly in low flow years when they can't gain access to the upper catchment. Once below the tree you are in the riun down to Dockens Pool with the deep water on the inside under your feet. Opposite where the Dockens Water enters on the opposite bank the flow moves back into the centre of the river a favourite place for sea trout waiting to run the Dockens later in the year.

That's about it, twelve pools and well over 1000 meters of actual fishing, any bit of which is capable of producing the fish of a lifetime. I'll put this together in the correct order and add it to the members section asap. I'll also write up one or two of the other beats such as from Ibsley to Harbridge Corner another long length containing over ten pools.

February is now behind us and we rush toward the end of the river coarse season with the river rushing out into the fields to meet us. A week to go and we do need a quite spell of weather to get this lot bank into the channel if we are to enjoy a good end to the season. The last week or two has seen the astonishing Avon chub fishing continue with some wonderful fish and catches. One or two barbel have graced the bank but I'm sure if we get reasonable temperatures for the last week we will see more after this lift of coloured water.
I have the river in as good a state as I could ask for the salmon fishing with almost all the pools clipped out and ready for action. I appreciate that we have been underway on the salmon front for a month but in reality February has never been a prolific month and its zero return this year comes as no real surprise. I have had a dig through the last sixty or seventy years of catch returns and we have averaged at best two fish in February with a record catch of eight back in the sixties. That was at a time when we could through all sorts of junk and bait at them with worm, prawn, golden sprat and plugs being the weapons of choice. Two fish from lower fisheries and at least one good fish lost with us seems about parr for the course. Now we are entering the traditionally more productive months we will soon see if we are to enjoy a reasonable season as I expect fish to be with us in the near future, especially after this lift of water levels that will encourage anything out in the bay to run in and head upstream.
As an introduction to our new members I will put together some of the pools that provide linked fishing for a beat to enjoy if you have a full morning or afternoon. The first section I will look at is from Penmeade to the tail of Dockens on the right bank. There are twelve pools that provide over 1200m of fishing with a walk of about two and a half miles there and back, as it were.

Penmeade car park in the Lower Park under the House. Across the field to the log ring style with Penmeade Pool beyond.

Penmeade is a dificult, fast and turbulent pool, which is also narrow requiring accurate casting. It becomes weeded quite early in the season and is best fished from now until mid May with a sinking line and heavy fly. Historically the fish came from the head of the pool starting right back at the rail fence. The last twenty meters is yet to be strimmed out but I will get there in the next day or two enabling the entire pool to be covered. Out of Penmeade, around the clump of willow and reeds to the head of Swan Island, which is no longer an island having silted in to the left bank a decade or more ago. Its a good looking pool that along with Penmeade has not been productive or particularly fashionable in recent years. It deserves more attention as fish can always be seen under the bank when the water clears with good redds at the tail come spawning time that must attract fish to hold in the pool. From the tail of Swan Island it runs over shallows at the head of Blashford Island that if you are keen can be fished through to the tail of the island where the new pool has produced several fish in recent years. This pool shares fish with the left bank Island Run that can be seen moving between the two when the water clears or at spawning time. Both Swan Island and The tail of the island are relatively shallow making them easier to fish with more conventional early season tackle. Its worth remembering that when the left bank fields are flooded, as they are at the moment, this entire right bank beat remains dry and easy going.

After the tail of Blashford Island the walk downstream is beside the main Blashford Pool. The section fishes better from the left bank and the path has not been cleared along the riverbank but the side of the field. If you're feeling brave and have waders you can fish down this bank of Blashford but its not a pleasant section and in my view left until you are on the other side. Once you round the sharp right hand bend at the tail of Blashford you come to the head of Above the Breakthrough. This is a lovely pool that fished well until the weed drives us from the bank. Don't be tempted to start below the shallow, broken water at the head of the pool, it may look unattractive but has produced several fish in recent years including some extremely large ones. Around the deep boiie bend of Ashley Pool with its wonderful coarse fish population and on to Below the Break Through. Always a great holding area and has produced some very large fish in recent years. The first twenty meters is difficult with the fly but worth persevering as many fish are taken later in the year here on the Mepp. Once out of the difficult head the fishing is then comfortable right through to the electricity poles, through water that has always proven attractive to early fish.
At this point with the rain chucking it down I retreated to the car but I will add the remainder of the pools in this section asap. Once I have it all together I will also include it in the members only section to make finding it easier for those wishing to explore this intriguing water.

Taken yesterday when I was strimming higher up the fishery showing Mark Tutton praying/playing a good chub as Richard waits patiently to do the honours with the net. Mark with his reward in the shape of a classic Avon chub taken on trotted bread.

Some food for thought, on this wet and windy Sunday. I'm sure most of you will have already seen or read about this courageous and eloquent young lady but for those of you that have yet to hear what she has to say just take six minutes out and take a look at the link below.

Greta Thunberg at Davos

We still have both the marshes flooded, making for an interesting place to visit mid morning today. The recent unseasonal warm weather wouldn't appear to have fooled the wildfowl with roughly the same number of Wigeon, Teal and Pintail enjoying the flood. There were several other bits and bobs in the form of, two Oyster catchers, a Great White Egret and several Little Egret, Shoveler, Green Sandpiper, Coot and the usual flocks of geese and swans. Perhaps of greatest interest the number of Lapwing that are calling in an attempt to establish their territories. It would seem the mild winter has also been good for the Kingfisher population as they were hurtling about in two's and three's similarly attempting to drive off interlopers.

One of the pluses of this odd February weather is that we are able to get on the watermeadows a month ahead of what we might expect. Many of you will be pleased to see the result of Kevin and Phil's efforts yesterday morning in the form of a fine new oak style on the approach to Harbridge Corner. The second shot is the tail of the bottom pool at Ashley Bends, a favourite spot for a fish. In the background the long run down to Dockens Pool, which before the weed gets up is great fly water.

I was down the bottom end of the estate today on the rightbank of Lifelands, above the weir. Below the Cut Through is now polished and looking spot on for when the fish arrive. The otter was there when I arrived at nine oclock and spent the best part of the morning in and out of the reed beds enjoying the sun on its back. It seemd to be preoccupied with something very small that I couldn't identify but the speed at which it ate them they seem very popular. The run above the weir has changed dramatically since the EA buggered up the weir settings and the holding water would appear to be further upstream by the pipe. Just a word of warning if you are going to fish that run, BEWARE OF THE OVERHEAD POWER LINES. The electric company don't seem to concerned about them as we have raised the issue of risk on several occasions. One lot of engineers telling us they are insulated and won't fry you. I'm no expert but they don't appear that well covered to me so don't stick fifteen feet of carbon fibre up amongst them. If you do hook a fish that takes off upstream remember to apply sidestrain and don't get over excited and hold the rod above your head.

Just why do they do that? I suppose its all to do with their strategy on life, which is looking for ways to die!

What an amazing February day, I can't ever remember such a day and just what the implications of such unseasonal weather will be remains to be seen. At least fifteen male Brimstones, they seemed to be everywhere you looked. Three Peacocks one seen to emerge from the old control tower where it had no doubt over wintered. As I mentioned yesterday I had been out looking at the state of the sward now we had removed the cattle and it looks as if we have the balance very nearly spot on. The rough sedge and course grass we were concerned about seems to have been hit back hard and the embryonic new growth seems to be well established. Its important to remember that whilst the mix of wild flowers is important the balance of the grasses that form their background also provide a vital food source for many of our meadow butterflies, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Marbled whites, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, the Skippers and Small Heath. Now we have the base for our larval food supply and the summer nectar its a case of fingers crossed that the weather is a little kinder to us this year than the prolonged drought we suffered last season.

The Common Dog Violet, almost invisible at this time of year yet but vital for some of our most beautiful and scarce woodland butterflies. The plant photos were taken today but butterfly shots are from the archive, except for the Peacock, which was one of three on the wing at Mockbeggar today.

Last season the White Admiral numbers were higher than for many years and we enjoyed their presence on the western side of the estate. As the woodlnds mature and Honeysuckle becomes established within outr newly planted woods we will hopefully see numbers spread across the entire estate. Common Sorrel is the food plant for Small Coppers that are present at Mockbeggar in good numbers. It is almost invisible at the moment but can be seen hidden beneath the more advanced growth.

Not only butterflies and plants our amphibeans and reptiles were also on show. The Toads are usually to be found under our herpetological tins but the Common Lizard are quite a rare occurance at Mockbeggar. What was so pleasing was this specimen was making use of one of our dry eco-piles. It looks as if it has lost its tail in some past adventure but looked well in today's sunshine, hopefully the foundation of a resident population..

Our mammal residents also do their bit for the overall picture of the Mockbeggar complex, some are more desirable than others. The worming of our resident badgers looks destructive but in actual fact aid the diversity of our floral patchwork. as they seek the worms and turn the turf over none of the grass is lost yet the seed bank that exists in the soil has an opportunity to germinate. The fallow deer are a different problem as they strip the understory and vegetation from around the lake. As they come in from the forest to graze every evening their tracks are becoming bare and well worn. We do our best to control their numbers but such an uncontrolled population surrounding us does not bode well for the future. The rabbit scrape is a more restrained exposure of the dormant seed store. Rabbit numbers are well down on recent years due to the Myxomatosis and haemorrhagic disease yet there were several out enjoying the sun, which will hopefully live up to their reputation and breed like rabbits to restore their numbers. The importance of the rabbit to the food chain is the mammalian equivalent of the stinging nettle being the basic food source for many of our local predators such as the fox and buzzard. If there's a healthy rabbit population breeding waders, your chicken and the keepers pheasants will get an easier time of things. I wouldn't put that to the test as no predator worth its salt is going to pass up a free meal if you leave the hens out!

A close look at the shots above will show, yarrow, ox eye daisy, hawk bit, dandelion, thistle, and ribbed plantain, if not larval food source nectar providers for the later adults. There are other food sources that are not fully exploited, cowslips, thistles and birds foot trefoil, possible plants that such species as the Duke of Burgundy and second brood Painted Ladies might utilise, fingers crossed they find us.

Perhaps the most under appreciated plant that we are all only too familiar with is the Stinging Nettle. It is such an important larval food plant for many of the species we all take for granted. The Peacock. Small tortoiseshell, Comma, Red Admiral, all are dependent on this plant for their young to feed.

Its that time of year when we have removed the winter grazing stock from around the lakes and await to see if we have maintained the delicate wild flower balance we require. We had deliberately allowed the cattle to graze the sward harder this year in an effort to prevent some of the rougher, less desirable grass and sedge from taking over. This has meant greater risk of the sward being damaged through poaching had the stock been left on a week or two longer than required to eat down this rough material but thankfully first inspection looks favourable. It will be some weeks before we know for certain but the number of different meadow flowers beginning to start their growth for the new season looks encouraging.

One area that did catch my eye today was out on the islands where we had removed the birch and willow regrowth a year or two ago to encourage the over wintering wildfowl. Dotted amongst the birch and scrub had been a few small patches of lichen that were loosing out to the more vigourous shady woodland. I was delighted to see that the patches of lichen had expanded and we once more had areas of lichen lawn appearing on the nutrient poor ground. Lichen lawn is quite a rare habitat with several species that require this delicate ecosystem to survive and hopefully will in years to come once more find our lichens to their liking.

We still have the marsh up on the north of the estate flooded for the benefit of the wildfowl and waders. It will probably remain that way for a further five or six weeks before we lower the water level to allow the Lapwing, Redshanks and hopefully the Snipe that returned last year to select their territories and get on with nesting. Today there were the regular Mute Swans, Canada and Greylag Geese plus over 300 Lapwing, 150 Wigeon, 100 Teal, a couple of Green Sandpiper and pleasingly 20 Pintail and four Black-tailed Godwit. Out on the river there were Goosander, Coot and plenty of Tufted Duck, more geese and even more swans. All adding up to a well used, ideal habitat that we take great pleasure and pride in maintaining and improving.

Not perhaps the fish I was looking for but a nice double that was ample reward for a couple of hours on such a wonderful February morning.

I could get used to February days such as we have enjoyed over the last week. As someone who is beginning to feel the cold more and more each year I always feel growing apprehension as February arrives. Time yet for a freeze that could last until the end of March but I have my fingers firmly crossed we make it through without a return of the ice. My day started removing a tree from one of the surrounding lanes that required removing quickly, to avoid too long a road closure upsetting the morning comuters. All went well and we soon were on our way to less stressful tasks, myself heading for the right bank of Park pool to finish its spring clean in the welcome warm sunshine. Park clipped up and three quarters of a tank of fuel left in the chainsaw time to visit the lakes and coppice a stand of alder that is over grown and cutting light from the surrounding meadows. Three refilled fuel tanks later and a coppiced area that permitted the sunlit to once more progress across the adjoining grassland. The coppiced area looked a complete tangle of felled alder and willow, deliberately dropped in a random fashion to create a barrier to the forty odd fallow deer that strip every vestage of cover from under the trees.

I was not the only one enjoying the sunshine, the young cockerels were gleaming as the sunshine showed off their first capes. Whilst the heritage turkey Tom was strutting his stuff as he gathered his harem about him. He is usually out and about in the orchard but is in disgrace for going walk about with his wives and being punished by a couple of days in the pen.

I'm sure most of you will be aware of the latest findings with regard to the state of the planet's insects. If we needed any more depressing news about what we are doing to this planet this certainly fits the bill. Just what it will take before we wake to the damage our misuse of the land is causing. Just when will we make the polluter pay and put a tax on the chemical soup we spray on our land everyday? Food may cost more but suck it up, its got to happen. On a brighter note today's sunshine brought out several early Buff-tailed bumblebee queens seeking nest sites, the honeybees were working the gorse and Peacock butterflies woke from the winter slumbers. Its our responsibility to ensure future generations can enjoy such a February day.

The river, whilst high, is dropping back and remains below the spinning trigger level.

If you fancy a shot at the river in its current high flow, coloured condition keep an eye on the East Mills Flume where the setting for the spinning cut off level for this season is at 1.18m. As I write the missive below it has not reached that point but it is still raining outside so you may get to use your Devon's once more.

Whilst on the subject of regulation we currently have the EA reviewing the future of the River Coarse Closed season, in all its outdated glorious isolation. I of course refer to the closed season legislation, not the EA!

I come to this as someone who manages both river and stillwater fisheries that are fished 365 days of the year. We also have the benefit of being large enough to impose our own management requirements in many instances. Fisheries that encompass salmon, trout, seatrout and the full coarse species list of the Hampshire Avon. Both riverine and stillwaters that retain a closed season yet provide all year round fishing. Added to this the demands of ESA, SPA, SSSI and Ramsar conservation designation and our very own conservation management requirements. Such requirements taking the form of up to 50% of voluntarily closed banks with no fishing or access, to avoid disturbance, Fishing from defined swims only, to prevent trampling and disturbance of vital habitat. All intrusive fishery maintenance work planned to consider the associated wildlife requirements related to cover and food. Large areas left undisturbed whilst other work is finished before growth and nesting commences. Deliberate management of many hundreds of acres of land surrounding fisheries to maximise feeding and breeding habitat of birds, mammals and invertebrates, as well as our fish.

It is the online response facility that provides the first clues as to the ill conceived methodology involved in this review. The restrictive response windows appear skewed toward preferred objectives, preventing consideration of localised issues. In fact it is the usual one size fits all EA approach to the management of our fisheries that will ensure we end up with an unsatisfactory outcome. Is the process to be considered on each individual topic or question, one fore, one against? She loves me, she loves me not, she loves me, the closed season wins by one vote and will remain in place! Will the submission of Joe Bloggs, be given equal weight and consideration as that of Natural England? Just who determines the weight to be attributed to each submission. The demands of a mixed discipline river such as the Hants Avon or the Wye as compared to that of a coarse fishery such as the Lower Thames or Trent are worlds apart. Rivers under private ownership as opposed to public or commercial bodies have completely different requirements. Rivers in rural locations as opposed to urban or industrial environs require different consideration and management. The latitudes at which your river flows will have chronological implications for many natural functions triggered by temperature such as spawning, migration, feeding, all of which having triggers unique to your river. The water source and quality impacting differently, warm alkaline groundwater and acidic moorland run off making different demands. Barriers to spawning migrations creating unnatural barriers giving rise to enormously increased angling exploitation as opposed to a natural unmodified rivers allowing free passage of both salmonids and perhaps more importantly cyprinids that don't receive the protection of designated species conservation status.

Failure to enforce stillwater close season has seen the degradation of stillwater fisheries across the country, combined with their otter fences they are considered by many as barren wildlife deserts, environmental write-offs. to the extent angling is seen in many quarters as being totally at odds to conservation management. To further increase the perception of angling as a self absorbed, insular pastime needs to be seriously questioned. Anglers are all too frequently viewed as out dated pariahs in much of the conservation world. Disturbance and habitat destruction at critical times in the ecological calendar need to be rectified not added to, as the removal of the coarse river closed season will most certainly achieve.

Under the S&FWF Act 75 angling for gravid/unclean fish is illegal, yet this has been permitted by the EA through a dereliction of their statutory obligations on stillwaters across the entire country. When spawning shoals are located it is now down to individual fisheries and owners to close access to bays and lagoons where the fish wish to spawn. This puts such owners and fisheries at a distinct financial disadvantage, where other less scrupulous, ignorant or less caring organisations and individuals allow the continued exploitation of their stock. One very successful commercial fishery wrote off 50% of his pike to bad handling every year, replacing them with fresh stock annually. Financially brilliant, environmentally and in the view of some ethically disastrous.

The same can be witnessed on the rivers almost every season as spawning shoals gather outside the protection of the closed season, be it roach in early March or barbel and chub in late June. It then reflects the moral compass of the individual angler. Some will walk past the gathered shoals whilst others will ruthlessly exploit them freely writing and posting photos of their 'Red Letter Day'. The sight of female chub, barbel, roach, carp and tench bloated with spawn with extended ovipositor, heading national record lists and personal best shots, cock fish oozing milt, rudely dragged from the act of procreation, does little to portray caring angling. Should the protection of our wildlife and fish be left to a choice between ignorance and ethics as our regulators wash their hands of the situation?

On pristine or in undeveloped areas, disturbance and destruction of bankside vegetation, housing nests, food and cover, have seen bird populations on many stillwater fisheries crash. The scant consideration of the riverine habitat, as examined under this review, is ill conceived to the point of ignorance. Reference to seeking the views of wildlife trusts, Natural England etc will not meet the demands of modern fishery requirements. Whilst in most cases well meaning I have yet to meet very many members or staff within the conservation organisations that are equipped to look at the situation impartially. A great many in the conservation world first and foremost view fish as a diet item for fish eating birds. If we do have a duty of care towards our fish it is hardly enforced by weakening the scant protection they have at the moment. If anglers are to be allowed to access critically important habitats at crucial periods of the nesting calendar, I personally believe the vast majority of rivers are critically important habitats, obligations with regard to bankside maintenance need to be incorporated into any byelaw arising from this exercise. For instance; no clearing or cutting of mature bankside, or associated vegetation, to be undertaken after the end of February. Not as at present in all too many instances, with an unplanned, mass assault, on banks and swims a week before the season reopens.

I note the direction toward a mid April start to the closed season on rivers that would see the gathered spawning shoals of species such as roach deliberately targeted by anglers, as they are with the stillwater situation, risking loss of critical spawning windows and additional stress related damaged through retention of spawn. Our unpredictable weather may only provide one opportunity in any particular year to spawn successfully, permitting sufficient time for ova and fry to develop before the winter floods and cold weather. Once the trigger to absorb fluid into the ova is reached, stress and injury will inevitably result from disturbance and handling. Additional handling with the risk of infection due to the increased levels of pathogens currently found in our waterways would risk significant population damage at time of such close spawning shoals when the risk of transmission is increased. Such infections as saprolegnia can be witnessed by the frequency of diseased salmon, trout and coarse fish in areas of high angling pressure downstream of STWs and fish farms. The downstream incidences may be coincidental in the case of STWs and trout farms however under the Defra interpretation of the WFD the EA are obliged to adopt the precautionary principle until the cause of such high mortality and population collapse can be identified and eliminated.

Sea trout smolt shoal and leave the river earlier than those of salmon, in March and early April, as such adding any additional stress or injury through deep hooking or scale loss should be minimised. The potential risk of deep hooking and scale damage adding to existing pressure on the salmon smolt of our critically endangered salmon populations found in many of our rivers is incompatible with ethical or even best fishery management practices. The precautionary principle must apply.

At a time when our riverine environments have never faced such problems; micro plastics, barriers to passage, phosphorous, heavy metals, abstraction, an endless list, to even consider this exercise shows a complete lack of understanding of our rivers and angling. Any consideration of directing funds into this exercise is irresponsible, bordering on shameful.

Consultation risks being an easy management option to spread blame and responsibility. If it is to justify future funding to put sound science behind much of the conjecture it is a waste of valuable public funding That is always assuming funding will be made available from the public purse. As things are looking cash might be something of a scarce commodity in the coming years. Instead of creating 'jobs for the boys' to provide answers to hide behind why not get on and invest in issues that are known to be detrimental to the well being of our rivers. See above for a few pointers. If it is a cynical exercise in financial expediency on the part of the EA, as the cost of regulating the closed season would be reduced should it no longer exist. As many believe the removal of the stillwater closed season was just such an exercise. Hopefully it will be the final nail in the coffin for the EA fisheries departments ties to the over bearing bureaucracy that is the agency. Staff and regulation of our fisheries then might pass to the catchment partnerships and local representation.

Its been an extremely busy couple of days that has seen the river take on the rise in water level and tinge of colour we had hoped for. If there are salmon in the system, with the river conditions as they are at the moment they have the perfect conditions to run upstream to us. Even in the hey day of the Avon Salmon fishing we never expected to see many fish in February but what did arrive tended to be good fish. I don't wish to raise false hopes but if a February fish is on your wish list now is as good an opportunity as you are likely to get. The rise in water level and the tinge of colour, combined with the rise in water temperature as it creeps back toward 8 degrees 'C' over the last 48 hours, will also see the barbel come back on the feed. There are several fish that could well be over 17 pounds so the fish of a lifetime is very much on the cards, make the most of the current conditions.

The finished pollard, significantly safer and hopefully fit for many more decades.

Just so members are aware we will be pollarding the huge, dangerous willow beside Hoodies Pool on Monday or Tuesday next week. If you see the team over there working please give them a wide berth and please do not attempt to fish Hoodies.

There were three or four rods out but our paths failed to cross on my travels about the estate today. Tizard's in the snow and the Lodge without a rod in sight, very picturesque but leaving me a little short on news. On the right the marsh up at Hucklesbrook remains frozen over with very few waders or wildfowl able to make use of it. Apart from the usual geese, couple of Green Sandpiper, fifty Lapwing and a dozen or so Snipe were all that was to be seen. The Swans, including the Bewicks that remains with us, had left for better grazing across the other side of the valley in the meadow behind the church at Harbridge. I believe there were a pair of whooper Swans lower in the valley but I also failed to cross their path in my travels.

The difference a day makes as we wake on the opening day of the salmon season to a covering of snow more like a Scottish start, which at least made Largue feel at home. Its worth noting that the flow is still over the spillway, which would indicate plenty of flow to allow fish to make their way upstream to us. The vis is perfect so fingers crossed we find an early fish. I found half a dozen rods who had arrived to welcome the start of the season enjoying the fire in the Lodge at lunchtime, where the undoubted highlight of the day for me was the appearance of Ronnie with a supply of Val's most excellent sausage rolls that went down a treat. Very much appreciated Val, certainly hit the spot. There was a fish briefly hooked and lost, after three minutes of deep down head shaking, so we will never know if it was our opening day Springer, at least it gives us encouragement in the thought it just might have been!

The last "One to watch" before the off, in the shape of Provosts Hole down down to the top of Cabbage Garden, on the right bank. The erosion of the previous year or two has smoothed the flow through this section of river. It is deep and narrow giving ample pace yet much of the flow has settled into smooth glides looking ideal for early fish to rest before their next push upstream. It is an early pool as the flow encourages weed growth to make fishing difficult after mid May and oddly the current low water may suit this pool as fish slow on their upstream passage. Whether I'm right, or raising false hopes, as of tomorrow we will begin to discover as we will be once more casting a fly on our hallowed waters. We could undoubtedly do with a flush of fresh water to raise the level six inches and a little colour wouldn't go amiss. Having said that there has been sufficient flow in recent weeks for the odd fish to creep into the system, so you just never know unless you have a fly in the water. Looking forward to seeing everyone on their return and especially looking forward to hearing of our first fish.

At this time of year, weather permitting, I am usually to be found out and about preparing for the start of the salmon season. As I visit the pools I do my best to envisage where the fish are likely to be laying and making sure, as best I can, they are accessible. With over sixty salmon pools on the estate obviously many do not produce a fish from one year to the next. With that number of pools deciding which will provide the sport in the coming season becomes a bit of a guessing game. Trying to double guess the flow and size of the run makes such decisions even more difficult before the season even gets underway. I always like to pick a pool that has been under producing in recent years that I think is looking particularly well and that is likely to enjoy an upturn in its fortunes. I base my choice of pools likely to succeed on several factors, the flow I like to see is a strong but steady linear flow gently rising towards the tail of a pool. It doesn't have to be overly deep, perhaps between three and six feet, over clean gravel with some nearby cover in the form of either deep water or bankside vegetation. My choice of pool deserving of more attention this year would be Pile Pool, off the right bank. In reality its not strictly Pile Pool, its the section between the seat on the left bank and the tail of Pile sixty or seventy meters below the gate but fished from the true right bank. It looks just spot on and I can feel it in my water, there just has to be good fish using such a pool. The river could currently do with a flush of rain to give us a six inch lift and enciourage any early fish to venture upstream, even without that extra water it remains my favourite to throw up a surprise.

Cabbage Garden and Lake Run looking the part and ready for the off.

Quite a dramatic start in the frost and warning sky, having said that its not too bad an office!

That one certainly came out of left field, I think the forecast was cloud all day. It was also a WeBS day, which required an early start to be on site before first light. The valley remains quiet on the bird front with the mild weather failing to bring us the birds out of the east, its just as well we have an interesting local population. The walk in to the start of my area was accompanied by the waking flight of over 750 Jackdaws making a terrific din to welcome the day. The Magpie roost ejected 33 chattering birds, cross at my arrival getting them up five minutes early. The herons were heading for the trout stews as were over 150 Cormorants. The shattering explosion of the crow scarer came as the fuse slowly burnt away scattering the birds for a few minutes before they quickly resettled before a repeat performance on the next report. More reluctant to rise, it was a further five minutes before 31 Little Egret and one Great Egret headed out from the roost immediately dispersing up and down the valley. My move a mile south was timed to see the Mute swans, plus our one Bewicks, leaving the river where they roost and heading out into the meadows to feed. If its one thing we are not short of its Mute Swans, today's count was the first of the winter to reach over 200 with a total of 217. Lots of various geese plus odds and ends of ducks and waders but nothing that will set the twitcher world alight. The redd is in the usual place just short of the trout farm screens, blocking any further upstream migration, the cock fish was still in residence guarding his patch. The final shot just captures the finer points of being a cow on such a sunny winter day with a belly full of hay.

A nice shot of Richie who was a guest on the estate today and had just a Jack to show for his efforts and a good soaking when I bumped into them this morning. Its been an okay week, considering the change in water temperature, which has produced a barbel a couple of ounces short of 14 for Darrel and a chub an ounce short of the magical seven for Tony. Well fished all, proving what ever the weather you just never know what is going to turn up.

I spent a couple of hours today looking for a particular pike I would like to see on the bank this year, simply to see what size she is these days. I was looking in some of the less frequently visited slacks where I managed to find three nice doubles to about fifteen pounds yet, alas, the lady I was seeking managed to avoid me. Never mind always next time!

The Bewicks Swan that has been about with the Mutes for several weeks.

Talking of eagles, as I was recently, this isn't one! This is one of our many Buzzards that has found a decidedly dead goose, every cloud etc. The eagle is still close by so if you see it when out and about please text or call as I would love to get a closer look at our dramatic visitor. Talking of wildlife, as I was yesterday with our dead salmon, that most learned of members Tony Crisp has come to the aid of my speculative bear. Being also a compassionate man Tony was quick to point out that killing our salmon "must have been a point of 'last resort'. What else was a bear supposed to do, when someone has eaten all the porridge?"

A clear, frosty morning a perfect morning for cleaning up the salmon pools. 'Below the Break Through' one of sixty pools now cleaned and ready for the off in less than a month. All 'Gold' 'Salmon and Coarse River' and 'Salmon' syndicate members should have received their renewal notices. If you haven't please give the office a ring and they will sort it out.

Above the Break Through cleaned and ready, the tail of the pool is where the strimming finishes, please do not fish into the reedbeds. The reedbeds will be the nesting sites for many of our native bird population so please keep clear. Whilst fishing down such a pool, step, cast, step, cast, lost in a world of flies and huge 'Springers' make sure there is a piece of bank under your feet. Look down, step, cast, look down, step, cast, much of the bank will be soft and crumbling after the erosion of the recent high water. A dip this early in the season is not too be recommended.

The heron have returned to their nests to proclaim the start of the nesting season with their raucous calls echoing about the valley. The otter kill is a little odd in that the hen should have spawned by now and usually the first thing the otter devours is the spawn. The usually bitten out throat has been replaced by a large section of bone and flesh ripped out of the back. Looks a little like a bear kill to me so keep your wits about you if your down the bottom end of the estate near the forestry!

The single dark bellied Brent Goose is still out with the Canada's and there was also a single White-front flying about with the Greylag plus a single Bewick up at Ibsley. I imagine the Harbridge Ibsley area will sound like a grandfather clock for the next few days with the sound of twitchers getting their year tick!

Hopefully, if my html is up to it, a click on the link below should open Brenda Cook's 2018 Report on her ongoing ringing study on Mockbeggar. It's a really interesting paper and already showing some intriguing findings about our warbler populations. In this day and age with so much negative news on the environmental front its pleasing to see such positive trends resulting from Brenda's hard work.

Mockbeggar 2018 Warblers

To get the New Year under way I plucked up the courage and spent three hours trotting bread through the roach swims at Ibsley. In actual fact I trotted Botney pool as one or two members were up for the challenge and were having a go around the bridge. I have yet to hear if they met with any success but I have to say I didn't cover myself in glory by landing a huge roach, or any roach come to that. I did however see one or two encouraging fish move and as on the last visit a single chub saved the blank. Despite the lack of fish I enjoyed the time trotting immensely, a downstream wind and bright sunlight reflecting off the water made life tricky but failed to dampen the spirits. I fished the entire session without a tangle, quite an achievement for me and fished over a dozen glides to learn the lay of the land, or river in this case. Discovering where the weed remains and the flow plays tricks, the whereabouts of the shallows and holes, all vital if I'm to get to grips with this difficult section once more.

Wishing all Avon Diary readers a healthy and prosperous 2019.

A great shot of a great fish to round off the year. Thanks to Bob Edwards for this photo of his simply stunning 15.14. Not a fish I recognise and certainly not one of the five recent 15's I have photos of. I have given up speculating on how many 15+ barbel and 7+ chub we have about the place, I just think its about time I had one or two on my rods.

Luke and Dom enjoyed a pleasant day with the lure and fly rods. Nothing huge but fun with fish to low doubles on such a roving day is great fun. Thanks for the report and photos Dom.