Walk Report: Woodside/Normandy - 29 April 2021

Brian was joined by Chris and Diane for a walk that lasted all of three hours. There was a light northerly breeze taking the edge off the temperature on an otherwise bright, sunny morning that became increasingly overcast as we set off from the car park in Ridgeway Lane. The route taken was a rough figure-of-eight, starting in the formality of Woodside Gardens, into Woodside Park, onto Normandy Marsh via Woodside Lane and Maiden Lane, then Normandy Lane via The Pinckney Path, Maiden Lane, Poles Lane and back into Woodside Park and our starting point.

In Woodside Gardens we noticed that two "Monkey Puzzle" trees have been planted to replace the one that had to be felled last year.  

Green-winged orchids

We re-visited the Green-winged Orchids in Woodside Lane that were now putting on a spectacular show with c100 flower spikes. 

In Maiden Lane Diane glimpsed the only butterfly that we saw all morning - a Speckled Wood - but various bumblebees and other flying insects were active.

The water level in Normandy Lagoon was very low but there was plenty of activity amongst the Avocets, Little Terns and Common Terns which will all, hopefully, breed successfully this year. An Oystercatcher may also have been on eggs and the Redshanks were actively "courting".  

Bar-tailed Godwit

There were two Bar-tailed Godwits (still in pale winter plumage) in company with a Black-tailed Godwit (in full summer plumage) for comparison. 

Also in their summer plumage were Dunlin and a solitary Grey Plover. The arrival of a Raven caused much agitation amongst the Lapwings.

 

Eiders

Probably the highlight of the morning came when two male and one female Eider appeared close offshore in the vicinity of Aden Bank with much diving and posturing. 

Spotted Redshank

We were joined there by a group led by Graham Giddens and Chris was able to alert them to the Spotted Redshank that was transitioning into its breeding plumage which we had just been watching in the nearby channel.

Whitethroat

Reed Warbler

Near the yacht haven we could hear Reed Warblers and had an excellent view of a singing Whitethroat. 

 

Blackcap

Returning along Normandy Lane we saw four Roe Deer,  a male Bullfinch and a Green Woodpecker and then saw a male and female Blackcap and Chiffchaff in Maiden Lane..  

Birds weren't the only things of interest: Bulbous Buttercup, Red Campion, Common Fumitory, Cuckooflower, Garlic Mustard, Spotted Medick, Red Clover, Herb Robert, Cow Parsley, Green Alkanet, Lords-and-Ladies, Bluebell, Red Dead-nettle, Groundsel and Greater Stitchwort were all seen. 

Oak Gall

One oak sapling was plagued with at least two galls  courtesy of the larvae of gall wasps.

There were birds, flowers and foliage aplenty and the weather forecast for the Bank Holiday weekend is "Oak before Ash, we're in for a splash" if you want to see these sights for yourself.

BM

Photos CR

Walk Report : Pig Bush - 16th April 2021

Pig Bush

I met up with Richard in the Pig Bush carpark from where we walked through a copse of mainly oak. Coming out, Richard caught sight of a redstart.  Shortly afterwards, he had a hunch that a bird perched on the top of a lone birch was a woodlark. It helped that it stayed perched for a long time and via a magic app, the hunch was confirmed. A buzzard was loitering in the distance.

Woodlark

We then crossed a stream and followed a track skirting a semi open area of birch on one side and an area of bog enclosed by wood, on the other. At the end of the bog area, we passed through a small area of oak and holly, where we heard a nuthatch and saw our first song thrush.  

Nuthatch

We then came out onto an extensive enclosed grassy area populated with a few scattered oaks and a single scots pine from where we turned to walk down the wooded edge and then into the spacious feeling wood.  Since none of the leaves were in leaf, mainly oak, a scattering of holly and beech, the sun was able to pour in.  This made it easier to see blue tits, nuthatches, robins and chaffinches and hear the distinctive sound of a stock dove. Once again we arrived at the edge of the wood and while coming back from looking at two ancient oaks saw a song thrush go to and then sit on its nest in a low bush. A marsh tit then put in its appearance. 

We followed a short track through heathland heather in order to get to a small bridge over the train line.  This was in order to see if some rare narrow leaved vetch, found almost exclusively in the New Forest, was alive and well.  It was.

Returning back to the car park over open heathland, we saw a single canada goose, some tadpoles and heard the song of a skylark.

Cuckoo Flower / Lady's Smock Cardamine pratensis

The nerdy bit:

The first plantation act of 1698 took over 2000 acres and then 200 a year for 20 years totalling 6000 acres.  The fences were to be removed after 20 years and new plantations allowed to take their place, effectively giving an additional 6000 acres, confirmed in the 1808 act.  A sort of creeping expansion

JE

©Crown copyright 2021 Ordnance Survey. Media 008/21

GPX

Bombylius Bee-flies

Many of us will be spotting Bee-flies in the garden and in the Forest at the moment. The commonest of the four native species is  Bombylus major, the Dark-edged or Large Bee-fly, with dark patches on the edge of each wing. It is worth looking closely at the wings as the less common Spotted Bee-fly,  B.discolor, is also found in the Forest. It is very slightly smaller and has spots on its wings.

These odd-looking furry flies are parasites on Andrena mining bees. They adults deposit their eggs by flicking their abdomen, to propel the eggs towards the mouth of the bee’s nest. According to research done in both Russia and Japan they are not particularly accurate! They also have another strategy where they simply lay their eggs on plants visited by the bees which stick to them and are then transferred to the nest.

They are typical flies in as much as they have two wings (bees have four, two pairs) and small, blunt antennae. They have large compound eyes and legs more reminiscent of crane flies.

Bombylius flies have a long, rigid proboscis. which is used for feeding on nectar and pollen. The females eat more pollen than the males as, probably, they need more protein for egg production. They do not pollinate the flowers, they are just ‘nectar thieves.’  It is said that they prefer blue flowers!

Bombylius flies only superficially resemble bees, unlike some of the Hover flies, so are they mimics or just hairy? It has been proposed that they get a measure of protection from predators by being bee-ish, but also that it allows them to approach the host’s nest without being attacked.

CR

Walk Report - Great Newbridge Copse 1st April 2021

We met up with Richard Smith on the entrance to the footpath on the Milford Road . With the cooler morning there were few birds about on the track up to the Copse . However during the walk through the woods we could hear pheasant. It was a couple of weeks too early for the usual display of bluebells there, but just a couple of early flowers were showing. 

Going through the Copse there were few birds to be seen, apart from crows and great tits. We noticed the rust coloured stream , so coloured as there is iron dissolved , and oxygen in the stream, enabling bacteria, such as Thiobacillus feroxydans to produce this effect.

King Alfred's cake (Daldrina concentrica)

We heard a buzzard, and spotted a possible bullfinch at a distance. However when we emerged onto Agarton Lane there were several birds to be seen - long tailed tits, chiffchaff, wren, robin, blue tit, chaffinch, goldfinch and dunnock . We also saw roe deer in the field alongside and several bee hives on the edge of the field.

Roe Buck

Crossing the maize fields on the way back we saw two buzzards, and Richard could make out peregrines in the distance. We heard spotted woodpeckers and saw starling on the telephone wires. Richard also spotted a bee fly, which was very docile.

Dark Edged Bee Fly (Bombylius major)

Plants seen - winter heliotrope , arrowhead, celandine, Marsh marigolds, water iris , periwinkle , dandelions, daisies , dead nettles, campion , primroses.

Returning to the end we did notice a peacock butterfly.  A really enjoyable morning.

©Crown copyright 2021 Ordnance Survey. Media 008/21

 GPX

Cherry Plum or Blackthorn?

Cherry Plum and Blackthorn are both flowering at the moment, but the white bushes/shrubs we see around us are often dismissed as being merely Blackthorn.

Cherry Plum is the first to flower and the leaves appear at the beginning of flowering or soon after.  Its flowers are slightly larger than those of Blackthorn and the stamens are shorter than the petals. It does not have spines.

Blackthorn starts flowering 2-3 weeks later and its twigs are more densely packed with its smaller white flowers.  The stamens are longer than the petals giving a flowering spray a slightly fuzzy appearance.  The branches also have spines, hence the name.

RC

Coltsfoot

Everywhere seems to be ablaze with yellow and gold at the moment.  We have gorse blooming on the heathland, primroses in the hedgerows, lesser celandine and marsh marigolds in damp areas and of course the ubiquitous cultivated daffodil. 

Another yellow flower to look out for at this time of year is Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), one of the fleabanes. It is a common plant throughout the British Isles and can be found on hard, bare places - waste ground, roadsides, gravel, dunes, low sea cliffs or river banks.  This particular, rather battered looking specimen was recently photographed on the exposed shingle of Hurst Spit.  Good clumps can be seen on the left hand verge of the road to Efford Recycling Tip.

Coltsfoot is a low-lying plant which flowers from February to April.  For the moment, only the flowers can be seen - the broadly heart shaped leaves, which are downy underneath, will appear much later.

The stems of Coltsfoot are stout and have many overlapping fleshy scales which can be purplish and woolly.  Like the dandelion it has both disc and ray florets.

Coltsfoot has a stout underground rhizome, so benefits from a store of food laid down the previous summer. This enables it to appear early and in harsh, inhospitable places.

Coltsfoot was valued in the past as a medicinal plant, useful for treating coughs and other chest complaints.  Its common name comes, perhaps, from the leaf shape.

DP

Walk report : Culverley 12th March 2021

We set out in the car in absolutely torrential rain, and right on cue, it cleared, and the sun came out when we arrived in the car park. We set off down the track which didn’t seem too muddy at first and immediately were accompanied by a lovely chorus of bird song. We spotted Redwing, Chaffinch, Marsh Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker. We also started to notice little bits of red on the ground, mixed among the leaf litter. On closer inspection we saw that they were acorns that had split open and started to germinate. 

Their flesh was turning a rich magenta red. (Having never noticed this before we researched on getting home but could find nothing to explain this except to report that acorns are rich in tannins which may account for the colour. We wonder if the germination process causes them to be released like this and they become oxidised on exposure to the air?) Then we started to find the going difficult with deep mud. Stopping to look with binoculars or to take photos resulted in being glued to the ground. We persisted and found Nuthatch, Treecreeper and more and more mud and eventually had to abandon the route we were intending, turn around and retrace our steps. On the way back we found even more mud. Or, to be more precise, Glynis found more mud. Just as I was about to say “I wouldn’t step there”, she stepped there and went down into the liquid mud up to her knees. 

I pulled her out, took the photo that had to be taken and made our way back. A final reward for our efforts was seeing a Firescrest flitting in the holly shortly before we got back to the car. Then we managed to bring a very muddy Lymnater back home to be hosed off in the garden! Just to confirm that this walk is not advised at present, not least because of the conditions but also because of newly fallen trees over the path in several places. Glynis and Robert Payne 

23 March Talk: The Knepp Wilding Project

Our next Zoom speaker will be JILL BUTLER whose subject will be ‘The Knepp Wilding Project.: Is it Good for Wildlife?’

The Knepp Estate in West Sussex has been wilding for about 15 years - the transition has been from intensive milk production to extensive pastoralist.  

Jill Butler is a specialist in ancient wood pasture and she will talk in particular about the wilding of trees and shrubs and the soil.  She will be showing how this has turned some aspects of ecology upside down, indicating a better way to regenerate biodiversity for the future. It promises to be a fascinating talk.

A Sunday Walk on the Marshes

To mark what should have been the last Sunday birding walk of the Lymnats' 2020/21 winter programme here is a "snapshot" of Lymington - Keyhaven seen on a frosty March morning by a solitary walker - a total of over 60 species:

Mute Swan; Canada Goose; Dark-bellied Brent Goose; Shelduck; Wigeon; Gadwall; Mallard; Pintail; Shoveler; Teal; Tufted Duck; Red-breasted Merganser; Pheasant; Little Grebe; Great Crested Grebe; Cormorant; Spoonbill; Little Egret (including JN, still on Normandy); Grey Heron; Marsh Harrier; Moorhen; Coot; Oystercatcher; Avocet; Ringed Plover; Grey Plover; Lapwing; Dunlin; Snipe; Black-tailed Godwit; Turnstone; Curlew; Common Redshank; Spotted Redshank; Greenshank; Black-headed Gull; Herring Gull; Great Black-backed Gull; Mediterranean Gull; Woodpigeon; Pied Wagtail; Meadow Pipit; Wren; Dunnock; Robin; Stonechat; Blackbird; Song Thrush; Dartford Warbler; Great Tit; Blue Tit; Magpie; Carrion Crow; Starling; House Sparrow; Goldfinch; Chaffinch; Greenfinch; Linnet; Bullfinch; Reed Bunting. Heard only: Cetti's Warbler.

Amongst the flowers seen were Colt's Foot, Red Deadnettle and Gorse. Those of the Willow were particularly attractive to the Bullfinches. The head of a Seal (presumably a Common Seal) broke surface twice very briefly). Three separate groups of Roe Deer nearly totalled double figures.

BM

9 March Talk: New Forest Rivers

The speaker at our next meeting will be Naomi Ewald, the National Co-ordinator of the Freshwater Trust. Naomi will be giving an illustrated talk showing the hidden gems of our local rivers. All our indoor meetings are currently being held online via Zoom. Talks start at 7.15 pm and are about an hour long, followed by the opportunity to ask questions.

Spring is coming

With the latest lockdown exceeding 50 days we can look forward to Spring and the awakening of the countryside and our gardens.  The Brent Geese on the coast will be leaving anytime soon for Arctic Russia and those overwintering Blackcaps will return to their breeding grounds in central Europe only to be replaced with our breeding Blackcaps returning from a winter in the sun.

Lesser Celandine

  

Already frog spawn has been seen in ponds and ditches. Spring flowers are starting to appear with the yellows of Lesser Celandines, Primroses, Marsh Marigolds and Coltsfoot to the fore.

Wood Anemone

These will be followed by the blues of Violets, Bluebells and Ground Ivy and the whites of Cow Parsley, Wood Anemone and Wood-Sorrel.  

Green-veined Orchid

Then there will be the early orchids – Early Purple and Green-veined before the floodgates of variety open and with it the urge to wander further afield. 

Brimstone

There will come that day when one sees the first Brimstone butterfly, the first Wheatear, the first Swallow or first hears the Cuckoo or perhaps see an Adder basking in the warmth of the morning sun.

Northern Wheatear

However dark the days of this last winter have been, Spring’s return lifts the spirits and is out there to experience and enjoy.

RC

Common Adder

All photos © Richard Comber

Ground Nesting Birds - Car Park Closures

The New Forest National Park is a Special Protection Area for birds and every year a small number of car parks are closed from 1 March – July 31, establishing quiet zones for the protection of ground-nesting birds.  The locations are chosen based on survey work from the previous breeding season, together with ongoing analysis of the prime locations for different species of bird.  

Ground nesting birds such as the lapwing, nightjar and curlew are at risk of completely disappearing from the UK as their numbers dwindle due to loss of habitat and disturbance. The New Forest is one of the last places in the UK where these birds can still be found and helping them to breed successfully is now critical to their survival in the UK.

                                            lapwing                             CR                                                            

                                                                                                  curlew                                  CR  

Ground nesting birds can be very difficult to spot when walking across the Forest and most of us would simply be unaware that they are here. In fact, the nests are so well camouflaged that to the untrained eye it is very hard to see them before you are so close that damage has already been done. Limiting activity helps reduce the likelihood of birds abandoning nests or else exposing them to predators – often other larger birds, such as crows. These often wait patiently nearby in the hope that a bird rising into the air when disturbed by a passing human or dog will reveal the site of a nest containing eggs or chicks which can then provide an easy meal.

The first national lockdown occurred at the start of the last breeding season. Birds took advantage of normally busy areas such as car parks to nest or feed and reduced footfall meant that birds were generally able to breed more successfully across the Forest. This success has meant that some new car parks have been added to the closure list this year.

The car parks closed from Monday 1 March will be - Crockford, Crockford Clump, Yewtree Heath, Clayhill, Hinchelsea, Shatterford, Hinchelsea Moor and Ocknell Pond.

The most sensitive breeding areas are signed and everyone out on the Forest can help our birds by avoiding these and other breeding sites and respecting all signed instructions.  Most importantly not to walk, cycle or ride across open heathland or mires, to stay on main tracks and to keep dogs on leads and not permit them to run across open land, even when it looks empty!

Other car parks which have been closed for normal winter maintenance will re-open on 26 March.  Details of all closures can be found on the Forestry England website here: Car Park Closures

More information regarding support for ground nesting birds can be found on the NPA website here: New Forest NPA