On the last Sunday of each month I’ve been going to Blashford Lakes nature reserve in the New Forest to join a group of young Wildlife Rangers aged 13-18. It’s run by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and it’s great fun. We’ve done lots of things like pond dipping, moth trapping, clearing paths, rivers and other important areas around the reserve. We’ve also had great access to the hides and the unlimited knowledge of the education officer Tracy and the volunteer rangers there Geoff and Nigel. Yesterday we had great views of kingfisher from the Ivy North hide.

Here are some photos that were taken for a magazine article at the August gathering where we did some pond dipping, moth trapping and vegetation clearing. To find out more about the group see the Blashford Lakes blog.