At last, a decent, shining morning for our visit to the northwest of the Forest where the landscape has undergone change for several decades. During WW2 an experimental armaments station was based here on the heathland and, in the late 1960s, large areas of conifer were planted, including Scots, Corsican and Monterey Pine, and Douglas Fir. The heath was deeply furrowed to aid planting, making the ground difficult for walking and riding, and for the Forest animals. The severe storm in 1990 demolished many trees and eventually restoration of heath and mire was decided upon. Still ongoing, clearance of many non-native conifers and levelling of ridges and furrows has created a bleak, barren-looking landscape that is gradually re-establishing as heath and mire. Some stands of conifer and mixed species remain with heather and gorse grassland.
This morning we were already on Plan C, having
had to modify routes twice due to mud, fallen trees and debris after recent
storm-force winds and torrential rain. Chaffinch and Greenfinch were seen in
the trees around the carpark and a distant Common Buzzard was spotted. We set
off westwards, passing small ponds and crossing open grassy areas bounded by
gorse bushes, scanning for Dartford Warblers. Reaching the most southerly of
the 3 main SW-NE paths, we headed southwest for a while then took a westerly
path across the flinty, cleared area, skirting lying water and muddy patches
before dropping steeply into the valley and onwards into the mixed woodland of Millersford
Copse. Three who had lingered at the back saw the first Dartford Warblers of
the trip bobbing in the gorse.
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| Dartford Warbler © Richard Smith |
Where our path reached a stream crossing we turned steeply uphill to join the middle path southwest-wards, almost leaving the trees before we retraced our steps along the edge of the Copse and onwards back to the cars. As we passed a particular Douglas Fir, outstanding with its elegant shape and pale, long cones it was time to re-tell Angela’s charming tale of tiny mice escaping a forest fire by seeking shelter between the fir cone scales and thus forming the distinctive bracts with their back legs and tails.
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| Woodlark © Chris Robinson |
The Dartford Warblers were still dodging about
in the gorse bushes and more were seen, as well as Stonechats, as we passed the
reclaimed valley mire. Our bird list for the morning, seen, heard or both,
included Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common
Buzzard, Dartford Warbler, Dunnock, Green Finch, Goldfinch, Kestrel, Meadow
Pipit, Raven, Reed Warbler, Robin, Song Thrush, Stonechat, Wren, Woodlark and
Woodpigeon. MW/SP
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| © Crown copyright 2022 Ordnance Survey. Media 005/22. The licence is valid until 31December 2022 |