Roydon Woods Wood and Local Produce Fair: 09 June 2019
Brian Matthews was one of our members who attended this event and has submitted the following:
Guided walks at 12.00 and 14.00 were led by Bob Chapman and John Durnell respectively and both covered the wild flower meadows of the now scarce habitat, unimproved grassland. Southern Marsh and Common Spotted Orchids were in flower but they also produce a hybrid which manifests some of the characteristics of both parents, making definitive identification difficult. Other flowers/plants included Lesser Stitchwort, Meadow and Creeping Buttercup, Water-pepper, Water Mint, Germander Speedwell, Marsh Thistle, Ragged Robin, Pignut and Common Lousewort amongst the sedges, rushes (including Jointed and Compact) and grasses. Insects included Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Large Skipper, Burnet Companion, Mother Shipton, Hornet (not Asian!), male Emperor Dragonfly, female Keeled Skimmer, a wasp-like hover fly and soldier beetle. Besides the numerous webs of tunnel spiders, possibly the most interesting sighting was of a female Roesel's Bush-cricket with its distinctive short and upcurved ovipositor.
Bob Chapman was joined by Pete Durnell (HCC) to open 2 moth traps at 13.00. Despite the previous evening not being ideal for moth-trapping, the traps produced an interesting sample of a few of the potential 100+ species that might have been expected at this time of year. Besides examples of 3 magnificent hawk-moths (Eyed, Poplar and Privet) were Buff-tip, White Plume Moth, Heart and Dart, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Buff and White Ermines, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Common Swift, Clouded Border, Willow Beauty and Treble Line.
Early reports put the attendance on a glorious afternoon at around 1300. Roydon Woods was at its best - highly recommended.
Roydon
Woods Wood and Local Produce Fair was held on Sunday 9th June from 11.00 -
16.00. This event was the 10th Wood Fair which has now become a biennial event,
having been held annually until 2015 and the 9th having taken place on 18th
June 2017. At over 380 hectares Roydon Woods is HIWWT's largest reserve and was
gifted to them in 1978 by Peter Barker-Mill. The day offered guided walks,
demonstrations of crafts and machinery, children's activities and timber and
local produce for sale. Stands present included the New Forest Non-native
Plants Project, New Forest National Park Authority, New Forest Area
Conservation Volunteers, Tools for Self Reliance, Woodland Management at
Hoburne Bashley Woods, Hampshire Ornithological Society, Hampshire Swifts and
Beaulieu Young Farmers. During the event wood sculptor Paul Sivell transformed
a log into a leaping hare by using chain-saws.
Guided walks at 12.00 and 14.00 were led by Bob Chapman and John Durnell respectively and both covered the wild flower meadows of the now scarce habitat, unimproved grassland. Southern Marsh and Common Spotted Orchids were in flower but they also produce a hybrid which manifests some of the characteristics of both parents, making definitive identification difficult. Other flowers/plants included Lesser Stitchwort, Meadow and Creeping Buttercup, Water-pepper, Water Mint, Germander Speedwell, Marsh Thistle, Ragged Robin, Pignut and Common Lousewort amongst the sedges, rushes (including Jointed and Compact) and grasses. Insects included Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Large Skipper, Burnet Companion, Mother Shipton, Hornet (not Asian!), male Emperor Dragonfly, female Keeled Skimmer, a wasp-like hover fly and soldier beetle. Besides the numerous webs of tunnel spiders, possibly the most interesting sighting was of a female Roesel's Bush-cricket with its distinctive short and upcurved ovipositor.
Bob Chapman was joined by Pete Durnell (HCC) to open 2 moth traps at 13.00. Despite the previous evening not being ideal for moth-trapping, the traps produced an interesting sample of a few of the potential 100+ species that might have been expected at this time of year. Besides examples of 3 magnificent hawk-moths (Eyed, Poplar and Privet) were Buff-tip, White Plume Moth, Heart and Dart, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Buff and White Ermines, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Common Swift, Clouded Border, Willow Beauty and Treble Line.
Early reports put the attendance on a glorious afternoon at around 1300. Roydon Woods was at its best - highly recommended.
Walk report: 06 June 2019 Burbush
 |
| Dartford Warbler |
 |
| Birch Polypore |
 |
| Heath Spotted Orchid |
As we walked over Church Moor and up Coffins Holm, the birds spotted were Great
Spotted Woodpecker, Robin, Curlew, Stonechat, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, and on
the steep hill a Dartford Warbler was seen, photo, by Robert is a little
blurred, but the group were very pleased to have seen this elusive bird.
 |
| Green Hairstreak |
Also
seen were several butterflies - Green Hairstreak, Small Heath and Red Admiral
as well Brown-tail Moth and dragonflies.
 |
| Fallow buck |
Plants identified were Louseworts, Cross-leaved Heath, sundew, Common Milkworts,Butchers Broom, Bilberry, Dog Rose, Dodder, Silverweed, Tormentil, Guelder Rose, Bugle, water crowfoot sp, Bird’s-foot Trefoil. Also on the slope were a group of Heath Spotted Orchids. Some bracket fungi were also seen on the Silver Birch.
On
our return walk we saw a bees nest, Jackdaw feeding its young on a roof top,
then a Fallow Deer.
All
in all the group enjoyed the views over the moors towards Bournemouth, and the
variety of the species. MM
Photos © Mary Mawdsley,
Robert and Glynis Payne
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