9 March Talk: New Forest Rivers
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.
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| Lesser Celandine |
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| Wood Anemone |
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| Green-veined Orchid |
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| 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.
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| 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
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| Common Adder |
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.
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
Stop Press - New Talks Programme 2021-22
We are delighted to announce that our new Speaker Programme has been completed and is now available for viewing via the link below or on our Indoor Meetings page. This new series of illustrated talks promises to be both fascinating and flexible. It will run from September 2021 to March 2022 and can be delivered via Zoom or Room, depending on prevailing circumstances.
Speaker Programme Sep 2021 - Mar 2022
In the meantime, don’t miss the terrific last 3 Zoom talks
in our current season – The next talk is on Heathland which will be followed by
one on New Forest Rivers and finally a talk about the Knepp Rewilding Project in West
Sussex. More details can be found on the
indoor meeting page.
23 February Talk: Heathland - More than just heather
Lymington Naturalists are very pleased to be able to invite non-members to our next Zoom talk by Clive Chatters, free of charge. This opportunity is the result of our participation in the current online ‘Forest Awakening’ festival being run by the New Forest National Park Authority. More details of the festival and details of how non-members can sign up for this talk can be found by following this link:
The Forest Awakening Programme
The talk should be of great local interest. Clive Chatters is a local naturalist and conservationist and is Company Secretary of the Hampshire
& Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. He has published books on the flora of the New Forest and on salt marshes and has recently completed a new book on
heathlands. He will be exploring the diversity of heathland and its constituent habitats, with particular reference to the New Forest.
The French Connection
On 27/01/21 we spotted a colour-ringed Avocet off the sea-wall at Maiden Dock. The tide was very low which meant that this bird and its companions were quite close to the shore, so it was possible to get an ID shot of its rings. These turned out to be YWx/GB (GB as in Green/blue not Great Britain!)
I asked on Hampshire Birding Group Facebook page and Nick
Goldsmith kindly sent me a link to a French site where he had found the bird’s
records.
It seems to have been first ringed (and recorded) on 08/06/17 in The Breugny, near Mesquer in Brittany. It then moved down the road to Batz-sur-Mer, thence over to Normandy Marsh on 12/02/17. It seems to have stayed with us until 27/06/18, then moved to Titchfield Haven (26/06/18), back to France (Sene 21/04/19), then back to us again this year (27/01/21).
I posted the sighting on the Brittany Avocet recording
site. There are gaps, of course, but 4 years of records shows how important
ringing can be in tracing the movement of some birds.
CR
9 Feb Talk: Fisheries Conservation - What can we do?
Our next members’ Zoom talk will be given by Stephen Akester. Stephen is a fisheries management specialist who has travelled widely to develop projects that encourage sustainable aquatic ecosystems.
The 'New Forest Awakening' Festival - all through February
As the Forest begins to awaken for Spring, Lymington Naturalists’ Society are delighted to announce that, together with other community groups, we will be partnering with the NFNPA (New Forest National Park Authority) for their upcoming ‘New Forest Awakening’ festival which will be taking place online throughout February
Starting Monday 1st February, there
will be a varied programme of virtual tours, podcasts, soundscapes, talks and
films to enable people to discover why the New Forest is so special and its
role in the climate and nature emergencies as well as explaining what people
are already doing to protect the Forest and how everyone can help.
More information about this festival and a programme of online events can be seen by following this link:
Walk Reports
You will notice fewer of our popular ‘ghost’
walk reports on the blog in the coming weeks as we all endeavour to comply with
current lockdown regulations by staying local and staying safe. Members are continuing to post their lockdown
photos and sightings on our Members only Facebook page.
Hurst Spit to Lymington Project
Our local coastline, beginning from Milford-on-Sea, encompassing Keyhaven and Pennington Marshes and extending up the Lymington River, is designated as part of the New Forest National Park. It faces significant challenges now and in the future from flooding and from erosion
The Environment Agency is investigating the
challenges and is exploring ways in which a sustainable future for this fragile
landscape might be ensured and funded.
To find out more about the challenges and possibilities or to sign up
for updates on this project or to have your say on it, go to their information webpage:
26 January Talk - Christchurch Harbour and the Lower Avon Valley
Our next members’ Zoom talk will be given by Chris Chapleo, the chair of the Christchurch Harbour Ornithological Group (CHOG). Chris will be showing us some of the rich variety of bird life that is to be found in the harbour and the lower Avon Valley.
Walk report : Lucy Hill 6th January 2021
The walk started well down a wide grassy fire break through mixed woods and then Richard Smith and I were then confronted with an extensive waterlogged and well trodden section While circumnavigating the section, a song thrush was glimpsed and a little later a redwing.
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| Meadow Ant hills |
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| Nuthatch |
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