We have been away again, this time to Sri Lanka, and there will be an update soon, but disaster struck when I came home, and I appear to have lost many of the wonderful images I took, we shall have to wait and see what happens.
It was very hot and humid when we were away, so it has been nice to enjoy wall to wall sunshine these last few days without the oppressive heat. Today was the first opportunity to get out and see what has progressed since before we went away, so as I set off along Lymington Bottom in the late afternoon it was with some good expectations.
The road sides are now covered in Field Mouse Ear, the delicate petals all spread wide in the afternoon sunshine.
Along Brislands, a single Buzzard was flying back and forth calling as it did so. As it flew over you could hear the alarm calls of the small birds in the hedgerow and bushes.
Chiffchaff were singing all along the lane, but it wasn't until I reached the big willows before the lane opens up to the fields that I managed to find one in the open. It would alternate its time between singing and catching insects at the top of the tree.
The footpath at the entrance to the wood continues to change. There is much more green now as the leaves emerge, this has always been one of the best places to find an early singing Blackcap, but this year they appear to be very quiet.
I walked on the outside of the wood disturbing Peacock and Tortoiseshell butterflies. There was also my first Small White of the year.
I re-entered the wood and took the perimeter path through what was now a bed of Bluebells. In fifteen days the flowers have emerged to a point where I would estimate they are about 50% out. Nevertheless it provides a spectacular sight.
As ever there are plenty of photographic opportunities as the flowers spread out beneath the Hazel trees.
I continued to walk along the path, and was pleased to hear one of my favourite songs in the distance. It was that of the Willow Warbler, and despite the fact that the bird tried its best to avoid me, I did manage to get this image of it as it flitted about in the branches.
There were in fact two birds present.
As well as the Bluebells the trees are looking superb as their fresh new leaves begin the appear. The different colours of green providing a lovely back drop to the blues of the bluebells. These flowers on a Willow tree caught my eye back lit by the evening sunshine.
The path takes you close to the edge of the wood, and I again heard a familiar song from out over the field. The song consists of twitters and warbles, and heralds the return of this charismatic summer visitor. I looked out across the field and could see four birds making their way north.
Coming out at the west end I scanned the fields. I could hear another Buzzard but never located it. As I walked to the paddocks I noticed that there was another impressive patch of Bluebells out, and made my way back into the wood to get some more pictures.
I intended to walk through the paddocks and then up Andrew Lane, reaching the first style I could hear the bleats of sheep and lambs in the distance. With the rape now in flower the view across to the south was beautiful.
I continued to scan the skies as I walked on. There was very little moving. Looking to the north at Old Down, the extent of the winter forestry work can be seen, where there was once a wall of trees, there is now a large amount of visible sky.
The paddocks have had some new arrivals, and I could hear them bleating away. One little lamb caught my eye as it was almost pure black. At first it would not leave it's mother's side.
But then it became braver, and went for a hop and a skip before stopping to check just exactly where Mum was.
I started to walk up Andrews Lane expecting to see Swallows, but they were not about. As i reached the stables though I heard the familiar twitter, and looked up to find six birds flying around. As ever they are a photographic challenge as they twist and turn, but this I think was not a bad effort.
Whenever I walk Andrews Lane I have the same approach. Just past the stables there is a gate on the right that opens into a field. The hedge along side it, and the fences seem to me a good spot for a migrant, so I always check. As I looked this time I saw my first Orange Tip butterfly of the year. This time of year they are very fast, and difficult to pin down. Look carefully in the photograph and you will see a small blur of orange and white.
From the gate on the right, I then turn my attention to the paddocks on the left. The grassy field fall away from the path, and then rise again in the distance, there is a rabbit warren and plenty of cropped grass with fences and posts all around. It reminds me of the Shire from the Hobbit, and I have always approached it with high expectation of a Wheatear, Chat or even maybe a Hoopoe! But up to now the best has been a Green woodpecker on a post.
Today as I approached the fence I could see a bull in the field, and a pair of Magpies, but one seemed smaller, and the while patch was different. A closer look revealed that at last the Shire had delivered, a superb male Ring Ouzel feeding on the short grass at the back of one of the paddocks. It was distant, but there is no doubting the bird from these images.
The white crescent around the neck was clearly visible as was the pale white patch on the primaries. It moved around the paddock, digging into the grass, and coming a little closer.
This is the peak time for Ring Ouzels as they move north to the hill and mountain terrain where they breed. It has been a while since I have had such good views, I have seen them in Wales and Scotland recently, but very fleeting views.
The name "Ouzel" is said to come from the old English word "osle" meaning blackbird, and this is related to the German word for the Blackbird "Amsel". I watched it for a little longer then decided to carry on leaving it there in the paddock.
As I walked up the path a pair of Marsh Tits were in the hedgerow alongside the path. I always check these carefully as I did find a Willow Tit in this area a couple of years ago, but the calls from these two birds left no doubt they were Marsh.
My walk then took me along the top of the path beside the field. Chiffchaff sang, but that was about all. I made my way back down the path towards Swellinghill. I flushed a pair of Song Thrush that probably had a nest close by, and a little further on there were three Dunnocks that were probably up to no good chasing each other through the bracken and bramble.
By the large white house Four Swallows flew around the buildings and out over the field. These are definitely resident birds returned for the summer.
Reaching the road I walked to the pond where another Chiffchaff was singing, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker drummed on one opf the dead trees at the back of the pond. Around the picnic area a pair of Great Tits were calling to each other.
I still wonder if I missed the height of the Toad spawning, there were signs of spawn, but never in the amounts of previous years. This is all gone now and if you look carefully you can see tadpoles.
Leaving the pond I walked on towards Kitwood, and then took the footpath across the field and into Old Down. The field has green shoots transforming it from the wasteland it appeared as during the winter.
As I approached the wood the new leaves on the Silver Birch close to the edge of the wood were being highlighted and back lit by the dropping evening sun, this produced a wonderful image of greens and golden yellows.
The Winter storms wreaked havoc through the wood with many trees now blown down. However as the sap moves and the leaves and blossom develops, it is clear that while they may have fallen from the horizontal, they are still very much alive as leaves and even blossom emerges from these fallen giants creating a whole new different ecosystem for the birds and insects.
I made my way around the perimeter and then out towards Gradwell lane. Ahead of me four Swallows flew around the horse stables, more residents returning. In the conifer trees at the end of the path a pair of Magpies chattered away to each other at the top of the tree.
I made my way home after what had proved to be a successful walk. A new bird for the patch, taking me every closer to the magic 100, three left now! In addition good Swallow numbers and two Willow Warbler plus an Orange Tip and Small White. Over the last two years I have put in a lot of time and miles to understand this patch, and I feel now that I have a good understanding, and the areas that I feel are suitable for certain species seems to be coming to fruition. I might not have the rivers, lakes, or estuaries that can deliver special birds, but when I find something here it is special, and a reward for the effort. As I walked back home I had a big smile, a lovely way to spend two and a half hours
Last night looked perfect for the moth trap, still, overcast and relatively mild. When I visited it this morning there had also been a little bit of rain, but this did not seem to have had any effect.
The trap was very full, there were 32 Lunar Underwings, and 12 Small Quakers, and 4 Hebrew Characters, all moths that have been about and caught recently. There were some new ones as well, the most striking and frustrating being an Early Thorn, and new moth for me. There were two, and when I struggled to get the first one out, it annoyingly flew off. Never mind I thought, there is another, but then that flew off too!
Here is an image I pulled from the internet so you get a feel for what flew away.
This is an Early Grey. There were 4 of these in the trap.
Only one of this rather nondescript but new moth a Turnip Moth.
The pick though was not inside the trap, I found it sitting on the outside, a beautiful rustic colour, with striking white spots. This is a Pine Beauty, a lovely looking moth with a pristine appearance.
Thats all for now, off to practice the David Attenborough impresions.
Another sunny and warm day with little breeze had contributed to turning my car into a sand castle. Would these same winds deliver some early spring migrants I have been searching for? In the late afternoon I set off to find out.
The walk along Lymington Bottom and then up Brislands was only memorable for the number of stationary cars caused by the traffic lights at the crossroads. Never has Four Marks had so much traffic. Beyond Gradwell I stopped to see if I could hear the Firecrests, but all I managed to find were a pair of Bullfinches. They were piping softly to each other deep in the bushes, and never came out for the photo opportunity.
A little further on a Chiffchaff sang from the top of a Willow tree, it was difficult to pick up, because it was moving around the branches, and flying out to catch insects. Finally it settled but as you can see was constantly looking for a meal.
I walked along Brislands, and out into the open, the sun felt quite warm despite the fact it was five o'clock. skylarks sang on both sides of the lane, and a walk out into the middle of the field disturbed a few from the ground. Looking back down Brislands the lane looks much greener and with the celandines flowering spring is definitely here.
The entrance to the wood was sprinkled with sunshine, and the hawthorn bushes on either side of the path are beginning to sprout their lime green leaves.
the recent dry and warm weather has helped to dry out the mud that lay on the footpath. There are still many deep tracks cut into the ground, and many of these are still full of water, but where the footpaths and trails have been crossed by them there has been an effort to smooth the ruts out.
There is a feel of new growth about, I decided to take the diagonal footpath that joins up with the west path. This path has now been cleared, and before the work it was a dark and dead area, but now it is full of light. This was demonstrated by the fact that a Comma butterfly landed on a log in front of me, previously I would never have seen a butterfly here, let alone a Comma.
The tree planting continues, and I noticed that the cleared area off the path towards Old Down Cottage is now full of white plastic tubes. Although looking inside the saplings are very small, and it will be a while before these make an impression on the canopy.
On the ground bluebell shoots were everywhere, and looking over towards the conifer plantation, and area that was very dark is now awash with sunlight.
I turned onto the main path heading west. A pair of great Tits were making a lot of noise and I stopped to investigate closer, I thought maybe there was a owl nearby they had found, but it turned out the aggression was directed at another great Tit that appeared to be muscling in on the pair.
I took a small deer track that led close to the fence and through a very thick carpet of Bluebells and Dog Mercury. In places the Bluebells were flowering in clumps, if this weather continues mild then there is a good chance the woods could be covered in blue within two weeks.
A Chiffchaff sang from within the cleared area, and two Wrens rattled out their songs in a vocal battle. I came out at the west end, and scanned across the fields in the hope a stray hirundine might be making its was north with the Sahara dust, nothing giving though.
I climbed the stile and walked down the paddocks, a young rabbit sat under the hedge in the sunshine, and allowed me to get quite close.
When I came a little too close though it disappeared down its hole.
I walked through the paddocks listening to the bleats of lambs in the fields across the valley. I walked up Andrews Lane where Blackbirds were collecting food for a brood somewhere, and the House Sparrows chirped away from inside the hedge.
At the view point that looks over the fields and paddocks I noticed a strange shape on the top of one of the Larches, closer inspection revealed it to be a Buzzard, sitting in the sunshine as it scanned the ground below.
I walked up the lane, and out onto the path at the top. For me when walking I rely on my ears and what I hear as much as what I see. The familiar calls and songs are there all the time, a Great tit calling,. Blue Tits buzzing from the trees, a Blackbird and Robin singing, these are the common sounds. But every so often a different call can be heard, and you know it is something worth investigating. This evening it was the "seep" call of a Redwing, it is getting late for them, and as I searched the tree tops for them I heard another new call, the cackle of the Fieldfare, and pretty soon I realised there were a lot of Fieldfare about. I disturbed them from the trees, but realised they were in the fields as well.
The Fieldfare outnumbered the Redwing, I only managed to count twelve of them, but there was up to at least a 100 if not more Fieldfare. I made my way around the path and down alongside the field. They would fly from the field to the trees on the edge of the path, and as they did so it was clear there were many in the trees already.
This gathering here at this time of the year I now realise is a regular event. This is the third year in a row I have found them here in these numbers. They are very nervous, and I was only able to get relatively close to a few single birds.
Clearly the fields are the attraction, but it is not clear why. This year the ground will be quite soft, but three years ago it was very dry. I noticed this year that the field had been spread with muck, but can't recall if this was the case the previous two years, if so it may be the attraction.
i walked along the path, and as I did I flushed birds from the trees, and they flew across in sizeable flocks to the copse on the other side.
There are twenty one birds in this picture, and six flocks of similar size flew across the field, giving an estimate of 120 to 130 birds, plus those that were already in the field.
I made my way towards Swellinghill, the difference today was that I followed the footpath, and did not walk in the field. Tortoiseshells and Peacocks were still on the wing despite the lateness of the evening. I only managed to find one Brimstone today though.
A walk around the pond did not find anything. Another Chiffchaff sang from the back of the pond, a Nuthatch called and a Great Spotted Woodpecker drummed on a tree to the back of the house.
Just recently everyday seems to find yet another new wild flower emerging, today it was a clump of Archangel by the entrance to the pond. This nettle like plant has lovely shaped yellow flowers, and leaves that have silvery veins.
I walked towards Kitwood from the pond, as is usually the case at this time of year Blackbirds were in full song, setting out their territories. This male was in full voice when I picked the camera up to photograph him, but he seemed to sense me, and stopped and turned to look at me.
I walked across the field back into Old Down, scanning all the way in the hope of that elusive swallow, but it wasn't to be. The southern perimeter path to the Gradwell entrance used to be one of the darkest spots in the wood, today it is open and bright, and the clumps of Bluebells look healthy, and almost ready to put on a unique show for this spot.
This clump of Wood Sorrel has grown on an old tree stump created a few years back, but who knows what we will find next spring.
As well as song to announce their territories, the Blackbird males were also engaging in chase intruders away, and if necessary fighting them off. I watched this pair as one chased the other into the tree, and then physically attacked each other knocking the loser out.
With the sun setting, the air was full of song, at the bottom of Lymington Rise one tree had a Blackbird, Song Thrush, Greenfinch and Goldfinch singing, while three jackdaws perched nearby.
As I arrived home this Collared Dove was also "cooing" away from the TV aerial.
No swallows, or other migrants today, but it was nice to walk in shirt sleeves, and see out the end of the day. I wonder what will be next on this small patch.
