A
bright, cool, breezy morning heralded a warm spring day as 20 gathered for a
2.5 mile loop through Milkham Inclosure. This mixed woodland sits north of the
A31, accessible from the road between Bolderwood and Linwood. It stretches westwards
then south, continuous with Roe Inclosure, then Red Shoot and Pinnick Woods,
ending at Linford. Today we limited
ourselves to the northern area where there has been recent clearance of some conifer
stands leaving open slopes or small areas of dense, deciduous replanting
including wild cherry, in blossom today. Beech and Oak were fresh in spring
foliage and soft shoots of Larch had to be touched. Wide grassy rides run
west-east and north-south bordered by ditches with a winding cycle path and
several crossings of Linford Brook and its shallow tributaries that drain
toward Blashford Lakes. After a slow start all these areas provided their own
wildlife interest.
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| Palmate Newts
© Richard Coomber
|
As
an overture, a Peregrine zipped over the car park, too fast for some to see.
Swallow, Robin, Willow Warbler, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Nuthatch and Raven were
seen by most. More elusive, and identified by call, were Chaffinch, Siskin,
Blackbird, Blackcap, Song Thrush and Chiffchaff.
In
both shallow and deeper water there were dark Leeches, stretching to several
centimetres then contracting, mating Palmate Newts, and a few frog tadpoles.
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| Speckled Wood
© Richard Coomber
|
Insects
were represented by Southern Wood Ants teeming over their large brown hillock-nests.
Several dozen were getting the better of a solitary Dor Beetle until a helping
hand lifted it away from the unfair struggle, dusted it down and released it to
safety. As the day warmed, butterflies appeared including Speckled Wood,
spiralling round each other, Peacock, Brimstone and Orange Tip. A single dragonfly
larva walked along the pebbly bed of a shallow drainage channel with Pond
Skaters and Whirligig beetles on the deeper water.
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| Bog Beacon
© Duncan Wright
|
Spring
flowers on the verges took our eye: one Tormentil, many Common Dog-Violets,
Wood Anemones, Wood Sorrel and Wood Spurge. Bilberry had not been grazed as
short as usual and some early flowers were present. As for ferns, Southern Polypody
was found.