Return to the New Forest

LAST weekend we drove down to the New Forest for the day, to enjoy the purple heather, the towering oaks and suicidal the ponies.  This time of year is a low point for bird watchers so we have to get our kicks somewhere else - marshy bogs with biting insects and dragonflies is just the thing...and the New Forest has some amazing examples.

The landscape is a patchwork of dry heathland, lowland bogs, streams, broadleaved native woodlands, dense conifer plantations and areas that feel like parkland...its a wonderful mix.  This area is all (except for fenced off woodlands) grazed by ponies and cattle, that roam freely, along with deer and of course, rabbits. The livestock is not wild but owned by the "commoners".

Gate keepers were abundant along the open rides

Common century

We ambled round in a broadly circular route that we often follow, but the warm day slightly defeated us, as we were very weary by the time the we got back to the car.  For me the best bit was the wet flushes in the valleys, where the acid water gives rise to sphagnum covered bogs (have I mentioned the bogs???) playing host to all sorts of interesting plants, including the insect eating sundews.

Sundew

bog asphodel - last of this species in flower

bog asphodel

bog myrtle - with very fragrant leaves growing on drier patches

Small rush species

Along one of the woodland edges we came across a terrible stink - now that means one of two things - something dead or Phallus impudicus (i.e. a stinkhorn) and sure enough...there was one with flies and all...

Stinkhorn (a fungus)

Further on whilst having a little sit down in the shade a high pitched whistle caught our attention - I could not quite place it then when this flash of blue flew to the bridge in front of me I realised of course that it could only have been a kingfisher

It was a fair distance from my camera but I did manage to capture this unusual image:

This individual was hunting along a small stream fed by smaller streams.  Along the edges were an abundant array of plants and dragonflies:

A yellow bird'sfoot trefoil flower

Lesser spearwort

Water crowfoot

A great day.

The start of the fungi season

Last week we paid a visit to the New Forest in Hampshire, to get away for a day or two.  During our walks around the woodland and heathlands I was particularly on the look out for fungi and deer.  Saw a fair few of the former, but very few of the later unfortunately.  However another important grazer was abundant - the new forest ponies.  They can give you quite a surprise if you are not expecting them.

A rare moment of sunshine

 

Boletus

Boletus

Honey fungus

The wood ants in the forest make some pretty impressive nests:

There's one particular group of fungi that you often smell before you see them - they attract flies to the sticky top where the spores are - this one is called Phallus impudicus...can't think where it gets its name from...?

Last years visit around the same time was a bit sunnier and I found a few more interesting characters: http://wildlifewanderings.blogspot.com/2010/10/fungi-pigs-deer-and-sunshine.html

Our newest national park - The New Forest

With the temperatures soaring, there's no better place to visit than a woodland (apart from the beach perhaps!).

We spent the day amongst the majestic trees of the New Forest National Park in Hampshire...and what a day it was!  This 1000+ year old Forest owes its existence to the rather insatiable need to hunt by William the Conqueror, who forbade the taking of deer and wild boar by the "commoners".

It is hard to describe how beautiful this place is with all the new spring greens, luminescent in the sunshine.

 New Forest woodland

Towering beeches and holly

The trees are allowed to get to a very old age and as a result limbs naturally fall off and rot on the ground.  This provides a rare habitat for many wood boring beetles and other insects.

Trees and fallen wood

Between large patches of ancient oaks and beech (in what is actually referred to as wood pasture and woodland enclosure), there are extensive areas of open heath supporting gorse and heather.  These are grazed by cattle and a large number of horses which are able to roam freely.

New Forest heathland and woodland

The main target species were redstart and Dartford warbler.  After a long search I managed to see the former, but quite quickly gave up the search for the later in the roasting sunshine.  The New Forest also supports hobbies, which hunt the many dragonflies present, plus a great number of small birds such as warblers, pipits and chats.

Small red damselfly

There are also some significant areas of very short grassland grazed by rabbits, which also have rare and interesting plant species - these areas are called "lawns".  Where the ground in wet there are areas of peat bog.  At the moment the bright blue flowers of common milkwort, yellow pimpernel and the pink lousewort dot the sward with colour.  On the really wet areas where sphagnum moss grows, you can find the carnivorous, insect eating sundews, which gobble up unwary flies in order to make up for the lack of some essential nutrients.

Insect eating sundew