SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 12 - 2011 - NORE
BARN - WARBLINGTON
- Report by Brian Fellows
Twelve members of the
Havant Wildlife Group (including me) attended this
morning's walk from Nore Barn to Warblington Church
and back. The weather was quite amazing for November,
warm and still, much more like September. The tide was
rising to high water at 12:00.
Nore
Barn
Starting at Nore Barn
we were hoping to see the Spotted Redshank, but
just before the group arrived a chap paddled his boat
along the stream into the harbour, putting up all the
birds, including, no doubt, the Spotted Redshank. So,
that was that.
However, we did get a
fine view of the massed ranks of 130+ Black-tailed
Godwits feeding on the mudflats, including a
number of colour-ringed birds, all regulars in
Emsworth this season.
I did not have time to
go through the thoroughly for colour-rings, but the
ones I noted were all Emsworth regulars this season:
WO+LW flag, ROL+RLR, RYL+RLY, OY+LR
See the special
Black-tailed Godwit page on the web site for all the
Godwit colour-ringed sightings and photos at . . .
http://www.emsworthwildlife.hampshire.org.uk/x-black-tailed-godwit-c-ring.htm
We were also treated
to an array of colourful Wigeon and Teal, along with
multitude of honking Brent Geese including a good
number of juveniles. They have had a good breeding
season.
We all had a fine view
of a brightly coloured Great Spotted Woodpecker
in one of the Crack Willow trees in the north wood.
We stopped to admire
an Ivy bush along the path to the south of the
woods which was covered in globular clusters of
flowers attracting a myriad of insects, flies, bees
and wasps.
Shore
to Warblington
We stopped to admire
some white coloured Dog Rose flowers in the
hedgerow around the first bend along the
shore.
Tamarisk was also in
flower along the shore. We had a look at the Conigar
Point field at Warblington Farm where we found Wild
Carrot, Scarlet Pimpernel, Black Nightshade, Smooth
Sow-thistle, Field Woundwort, Scentless Mayweed
and more Dog Roses, as previously noted by Ralph
Hollins, pinker than the others. It was good to see
the hips and the rose flowers together.
Masses of Brent Geese,
Wigeon and Teal were on the water off the Warblington
shore. Some people also picked up Dunlin and Ringed
Plover before they flew off. 10 Cormorants and 5
Shelduck were on the saltmarshes. Two flotillas of 7
and 5 Red-breasted Mergansers were also on the water.
We had a good view of
an over-wintering Chiffchaff whistling away as
it looked for insects in the Tamarisk bushes.
Warblington
Church
We stopped for a
coffee break sitting in warm sunshine in Warblington
cemetery. It was here that we had a good view of
three Mistle Thrushes flying between the trees
with their dry rattle calls and occasionally perching.
Also, two Green Woodpeckers were seen. We watched a
host of twittering Goldfinches, along with a few
Chaffinches, actively feeding in the trees. Caroline
spotted a Goldcrest in the churchyard. Caroline also
saw a Red Admiral, our one and only butterfly of the
morning.
A Holly tree was
simply covered in red berries. There was also a
Crab Apple tree behind the church with masses
of bright red fruits. The Yews also had lots of
berries. Some of us had a quick look inside the
church, which was looking fine, with no obvious sign
of the extensive restoration work following the
serious fire.
Church
path
We stopped to examine
the unusual rayed form of Groundsel, which I
fondly recall Gwynne Johnson first showed me along
this path many years ago. It has come up every year
since.
Jim found the very
handsome Shaggy Parasol mushroom beneath the
hedge. It had grown substantially since I first saw it
yesterday.
Caroline got a
beautiful Starling in her scope; it was perched
on top of one of the large round bales of straw. A
Pied Wagtail was also searching the bales for food.
We found some more
Field Woundwort in flower among the Groundsel
on the edge of the large field. We noted that it
lacked the harsh smell of Hedge Woundwort.
SATURDAY
OCTOBER 29 - 2011 -
WEST WITTERING
Chris Cope reported on
yesterday's walk by the Havant Wildlife
Group
"Eight of us went to
West Wittering today. It was dull and breezy on the
shore, with no sea birds in sight, it was three and a
half hours before high tide which may have accounted
for that. Walking towards Snow Hill we saw a large
flock of Brent Geese on the mud, a Grey Plover in
summer plumage, a flock of Skylarks and other small
birds, possibly Linnets overhead , and had a good view
of a juvenile Stonechat.
Due to the lack of sun
and the fact that a lot of scrub has been cut down
(for sea defence work) we had a better than usual look
over Snow Hill and saw Teal, Wigeon, Redshank,
Lapwing, Curlew, and one Snipe. At Ella Nore we saw
several Great Crested Grebe, 4 Shelducks, and a flock
of 40 Golden Plover (Thank you Caroline). The tide was
wrong for the high tide roost at the top of Ella Nore
Lane, but we were able to add Greenshank to the list
when we returned to Snow Hill, there were also large
flocks of Brent Geese on the fields and on the water.
Caroline counted 41 species.
SATURDAY
OCTOBER 15 - 2011 - EMSWORTH
HARBOUR
An amazing 16 members
of the Havant Wildlife Group assembled in Bridge Road
car park at 9am for the morning's walk down to the
harbour led by myself. Richard Somerscocks and
Caroline French joined the group later. The weather
was fine and sunny, with a slight chill in the wind.
Perfect for birdwatching.
Here
is everyone (including me) posing for a group photo in
the car park
Emsworth
Millpond
We walked round the
town millpond, where we noted the usual Mallard, Mute
Swans and Coot, but noted the absence of Tufted Duck.
They should be on the pond very soon.
On the millpond
seawall some members of the group caught sight of a
Kingfisher which perched briefly on the wall,
before flying off across the calm millpond. A Grey
Wagtail also flew over towards the harbour. We all got
a good view of the Buzzard soaring over the
millpond and then leisurely flying across the harbour
towards Hayling Island.
Richard
Somerscocks got this excellent photo of the bird as it
passed overhead.
and he
was dead chuffed to have got it
Emsworth
shore
From the town shore we
got a good view of 40 or so Black-tailed Godwits
huddled together on the edge of the main channel. A
group of 5 Greenshank were feeding in the low water
channel near the marina entrance. We got a distant
view of about 50 Brent Geese on the Thorney Island
shore. Three Lapwing were also seen from the town
shore.
Dolphin
Creek wayside
Walking down the
Dolphin Creek conservation wayside we examined the
browning leaves of the large Horse Chestnut tree in
the garden of Holmwood House, but decided they were
not affected by the leaf miner moth. We say our first
butterfly of the morning on this wayside, a Speckled
Wood.
Slipper
Millpond
A Little Grebe was
fishing on the southern part of Slipper Millpond,
where we noted a juvenile Black-headed Gull
perched conveniently on a post for a photo.
Juvenile gulls have been scarce this year following
the complete failure of the gull breeding colony on
the Langstone Harbour islands.
On the way back,
Heather spotted a single Common Gull in amongst
the Black-headed Gulls on the pond, he first I have
seen there this autumn.
Emsworth
Harbour
We had our 'coffee
break' at about 10.45 sitting on the grassy bank in
front of the deckhouses and looking across the wide
expanse of Emsworth Harbour, gradually filling with
water as the tide rose.
Right in front of us
were 46 Black-tailed Godwits on the shore;
another 25 were further out, making a total of 71. As
most of the Godwits were standing in water reading
colour-rings was almost impossible. At 11am all the
Godwits flew up and over to Thorney Island, where they
have their high water roost probably on the Deeps.
We could see about 50
Dunlin on the green island far out in the main
channel; this was the largest number I have recorded
in Emsworth this autumn.
Even better than the
Godwits, were the 27 Brent Geese on the water,
new arrivals in Emsworth this autumn. I saw my first
Brents in the harbour only yesterday. Very encouraging
was the presence of 12 juveniles in families of 4, 3,
3 and 2, a very promising start to the Brent Goose
Breeding Productivity Survey, which I take part in
each year. It clearly suggests the geese had a good
breeding season.
Richard's
photo of the Brents taking off shows two
juveniles
Wickor
Bank
We walked along the
Wickor Bank, just past Little Deep. A Wheatear
flitted past us on the seawall. A Red Admiral was
flying on the shore. I noticed a Shoveler on the far
end of the Little Deep. A Water Rail was heard
squealing from the reedbeds. Other birds heard and not
seen included Bearded Tit and Cetti's Warbler.
Three
Turnstones were on the weedy shore searching for
insects - photo by Richard
We had a distant view
of the Golden Plover flock (approx 200) roosting on
the saltmarshes off the Great Deep. On the way back
some of us caught a glimpse of the Green Sandpiper
flying off from the Deckhouses Pond. Coming back
through Brook Meadow, Ros and I admired the Cow
Parsley in full flower on the main river path.
SATURDAY
8 OCTOBER 2011
- HOOK
WITH WARSASH
Chris Cope reported on
the Havant Wildlife Group walk yesterday.
"Eight of us walked
the Solent Way from Hook yesterday morning, it was
very windy, but the bird sightings made up for the
chill.
We saw several Great
Spotted & Green Woodpeckers, with a Nuthatch &
many Long Tailed Tits whilst in the car park, &
heard a Jay. There was a continuous flow of birds
making their way north up the River Hamble, we saw a
flock of Pied Wagtails, Skylark, Canada Geese,
Greenfinch & many flocks of Linnets, with numerous
Swallows going the wrong way for migration.
A couple of HOS chaps
counted 42 Skylarks flying close over the sea going
towards Hook. There were also several Great Crested
Grebe on the sea. Looking inland over the pond, we saw
Teal, Pintail, Widgeon, & a Shoveler, a large
flock of Gadwall, & an Egret, plus some
Black-Tailed Godwits. A Dartford Warbler gave us a
quick warning call & dived into the
gorse.
Turning inland Heather
& Derek spotted a leucistic pale bird in the small
reserve amongst the Willow trees, Derek showed his
photos to the HOS birders & they thought it was a
Willow Warbler because of it's orange legs. This bird
was amongst a flock of Long-Tailed Tits with
Chiffchaff & Blue Tits; we caught up with the same
flock further along the fields.
Willow
Warbler at Hook
Walking back through
the fields we saw Pied Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail &
Meadow Pipits, four Buzzards, a close Kestrel, a
Whinchat with 5 Wheatear; Jays flying over & a
Mistle Thrush, & finally a Tree
Creeper.
Many thanks to Heather
for helping me catalogue all the birds we saw, &
Derek for his great photos."
SATURDAY
24 SEPTEMBER - 2011 -
PAGHAM HARBOUR
Ros Norton sent the
following report of yesterday's walk by the Havant
Wildlife Group at Pagham Harbour:
"15 of us met at
Pagham Harbour information centre for a walk in
direction of Church Norton on a glorious sunny warm
morning with little wind . A highlight was a Ruff on
Ferry pool when we returned. High tide was about 9.30.
There were also many Lapwings on Ferry Pool.
Surprisingly we saw a Turkey which flew off
(but not before Tony Wootton got a photo of it). Lots
of recently released Red Legged Partridges and
Pheasants were on the fields. A large number of Canada
geese flew over. Long tailed tits and Linnets flew
along the hedgerow. Several Grey Herons and Little
Egrets were seen. Many Swallows skimmed over the
ground. Raptors including Buzzards, Sparrowhawk and
Kestrel. Some Curlew and Redshank around and distant
Cormorants. Some were lucky to see a Clouded Yellow
butterfly and several red admirals,"
Here
is Tony Wootton's photo of the Pagham Turkey!
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 3 - 2011 - CHICHESTER
MARINA
Ten members of the
Havant Wildlife Group assembled at Chichester Marina
car park for their Saturday morning walk through
Salterns Copse to Copperas Point. The weather was fine
and warm though overcast.
Members
of the Havant Wildlife Group in Salterns Copse
Marina
area
From the car park, we
walked down the main drive to the Peter Catlett hide
overlooking the Apuldram Manor Farm Marsh where we
watched Swallows skimming the surface of the lake for
insects. Cetti's Warbler sang briefly from the reeds.
Heather spotted an Osprey flying over the main marina,
but we saw nothing more of it.
Nigel pointed out the
Aspen trees which have been planted beside the
main drive with round leaves on stalks so thin and
flattened that they tremble and rustle in the wind.
The Oaks alongside the drive were fully laden with
acorns.
Chichester
Harbour
The tide was low in
the harbour and rising while we were there, but very
few birds were on the mudflats. About 5 Black-tailed
Godwits (no colour-rings) and 3 Greenshank (one in
summer plumage) were on the edge of the channel, along
with a few Cormorants, Little Egret, Redshank and
Oystercatcher. About 20 Curlew could be seen on the
rocky shore to the north of Copperas Point. Plenty of
Swallows were flying around along with flocks of
finches over the open fields.
Salterns
Copse
We found the
Betony on the side of the western path that I
first saw flowering here on Aug 9. An unusual habitat
for this plant? It still had a few petals showing, but
had largely gone to seed.
The
Butcher's-broom had lots of buds showing, but
no flowers that we could see. Ferns growing alongside
the path included Polypody and Male Fern.
We stopped to admire
the green and red berries on the Black Bryony
which was twining around the local bushes. Nigel
pointed out the very dark leaves from which the plant
got its name.
The laurel-like leaves
of Spurge Laurel could be seen here and there by the
path, but neither a spurge or a laurel according to
Blamey, Fitter and Fitter. We also found Broom bushes
with black hairy-edged pods.
Other flowering plants
included Perforate St John's-wort (the largest flowers
of any St John's Wort according to Nigel), Common
Centaury, Common Knapweed, Autumn Hawkbit and
Honeysuckle.
Walking back along the
northern path round the woods we noted the different
varieties of plantain and a nice tuft of Wood Sedge.
Copperas
Point
We headed for the
seats overlooking the saltmarshes where we took our
coffee break. Christine pointed out a good growth of
Smooth Tare with smooth (non-hairy) seed pods near the
seats.
Heather,
Derek, Tony and Hilary enjoying a break at Copperas
Point
I provided the group
with a check list of 16 plants on the saltmarshes, all
of which were found. Sea Aster (in flower), Golden
Samphire (mostly gone over), Sea Beet (abundant), Sea
Plantain (plenty), Sea Arrowgrass (scarce), Annual
Seablite (abundant), Glasswort (scarce), Sea Purslane
(abundant, some with tiny yellow flowers), Common
Sea-lavender and Lax-flowered Sea-lavender (both
frequent in one area), Common Cord-grass (widespread),
Sea Couch (widespread), Sea Rush (in certain areas),
Sea Club-rush (surprisingly scarce), Common Orache
(purple coloured which Nigel took for Red Goosefoot
last year) and Grass-leaved Orache (scarce). We also
found Spear-leaved Orache.
Lax-flowered
Sea-lavender was surprisingly common on the
sltmarshes
Nigel and I looked in
vain for the rare Spreading Hedge Parsley
(Torilis arvensis) which we found on our visit last
year on the edge of the main path behind the seat. The
area of arable weeds on the edge of the field was very
overgrown and it could have been hidden away
somewhere. As it is an annual plant Nigel thought it
might not appear every year.
Our best find in this
area was several plants of the rare Marsh
Mallow, to the south of the main seat in front of
the saltmarshes at Grid Ref: SU 829018. Most of the
plants had gone to seed, but one still had flowers.
Marsh
Mallow (Althaea officinalis) on the edge of the
saltmarshes
As Marsh Mallow
(Althaea officinalis) is noted as being a 'missing
scarce species' in the New Flora of Sussex I have sent
this record to Mike Shaw, the botanical recorder for
West Sussex.
Chichester
Canal
Most of the group took
the southerly route back to the car park, crossing the
lock gate and walking alongside the Chichester Canal.
Here we saw flocks of up to 20 House Sparrows feeding
on the grass verge. Two Red Admirals were feeding on
the Hemp Agrimony flowers.
What we assumed was
Round-leaved Mint (Mentha suaveolens),
from the shape of the leaves and the flowering spikes,
was flowering on the edge of the canal and highly
scented! We also noted Common Figwort and Gipsywort in
flower.
Round-leaved
Mint (Mentha suaveolens) on the Chichester
Canal
SATURDAY
AUGUST 20 - 2011 - NORTH THORNEY
As as result of my
illness, the Havant Wildlife Group walk around North
Thorney on Saturday morning (August 20) was led by
Heather Mills. Many thanks Heather for taking the helm
at the last minute. Jean and I are now back to
'brimming health' following a nasty 24 hour mystery
illness which knocked us both out!
Heather sent the
following report of the walk:
Nine attended a rather
dull start to a walk from Thornham Lane. A local
birder told us that the Cattle Egret flew over
and went east. Derek went down Thornham Lane but could
not see it. However, the birder did tell us of an
Osprey in a field further down Thorney Road and so we
set off. Cetti's Warbler was singing and a
Kestrel hovered overhead. We had a good look at the
Osprey through Caroline's scope, resting on a
post beside the lake on the east side of the road.
Plenty of Swallows
were gathering on the telegraph wires and on the
wires of the house opposite. We also had a good view
of the Swallows bug hunting right in front of us over
the trees. Caroline noticed a Sand Martin also sitting
with the Swallows, and remarked that not all books
show the white tail markings of the Swallows so one
photo is for her.
We proceeded back to
our usual walk towards the deeps with Whitethroat and
Meadow Pipits seen. It was noticed that the usual
gathering of Swallows were absent from the grotty
smallholding, where we have had good views in the
past. A few Meadow Browns flying and a couple of blues
seen but not identified.
Slender Hare's Ear
duly noted along the footpath. Tufted duck on the
deeps and young Little Grebe seen. A Sandwich Tern
flew over and a Whimbrel passed us as we had a coffee
break.
Ian spotted a
Kingfisher on the fence and a female
Wheatear. Greenshanks were close by on
the mud as we returned, along with some
Black-tailed Godwits. A very good morning with
45+ birds seen. More birders reported 2 Osprey and the
Cattle Egret and a Redstart.
My
notes:
The Cattle
Egret has been reported by Barry Collins among
many others over the past week in a field of catle at
the far end of Thornham Lane. Barry also had two
Redstarts nearby. The Osprey is a regular visitor at
this time of the year.
Heather reported a
colour-ringed Godwit: BW+GR. This bird has been
previously recorded this season in Emsworth Harbour on
Aug 8.
My favourite bird
guide (Kightley, Madge and Nurney) does show the
white spots on the tail of Swallow, but the
so-called 'top' Collins Guide does not! My book says
the spots are best seen as the bird brakes on approach
to a nest.
SATURDAY
13 AUGUST 2011 - STOUGHTON
Chris Cope reported on
this morning's walk at Stoughton by the Havant
Wildlife Group:
"Seven of us met in
Stoughton village & were soon greeted by four
Buzzards, one was sitting in a tree, apparently drying
its wings, it looked like a very large moth!
We walked up the hill
into Inholmes wood where we saw quite a few
Silver-washed Fritillaries - most past their best, a
lot of Common Fleabane, according to Flora Britannica
it was hung in rooms or dried & burnt as a
fumigant, & has been found to be a close relative
of Pyrethum.
Some of the flowers we
saw, were Vervain, Corn Mint, Hemp-agrimony, Red
Batsia & Dark Mullein, on walking through a
Broad-bean field we saw Round-leaved Fluellen, Black
bind-weed, Sun Spurge & Petty Spurge, Common
Fumitory & Field Madder; Black Medic & Hop
Trefoil in the grass land by Pitlands Farm.
After negotiating a
stretch of road, we returned to Inholms wood where
Heather found a number of crickets including Roesel's
Bush-cricket. A Red Admiral, two Green-veined Whites
& more sorry looking Fritillaries were seen along
with Betony & Bilberry.
We ended the walk
along-side the wild flower set-aside planted by the
farmer where we saw, among the more usual flowers,
Borage,Sainfioin & a small clump of
Cornflowers."
NEW
FOREST PLANTS
NOTE
FROM MARTIN RAND
Many thanks to Martin
Rand (BSBI South Hants Recorder) for his comments
about the plants found during the Havant Wildlife
Group walk in the New Forest on Saturday July 23.
Martin agreed with our collective IDs almost without
exception. He was not sure about the Water-Crowfoot
without a proper look, but said Round-leaved
Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus omiophyllus) is certainly
there. Regarding our 'rush' that we found in the boggy
ditch near Eyeworth Pond, Martin agreed it did not
look anything like a Toad Rush, but thought we had got
White Beak-Sedge (Rhynchospora alba). I too did not
think it looked like Toad Rush, but could not think of
anything else it could be. I had no idea there was a
sedge with white florets, but you live and learn. My
sample matches exactly the description and
illustration of White Beak-sedge (Rhyncospora alba) in
Rose (Plate 29).
Martin added "If I'd
known you were making this trip I'd have got you to
look out for Flat-sedge (Blysmus compressus) as well.
Now extremely rare in Hampshire (especially South
Hants), but it has a slightly weird site at Howen
Bottom where it persists despite the worst attentions
of the Forestry Commission." I do not recall seeing
this sedge when we were looking around the stream at
Howen Bottom.
SATURDAY
JULY 23 - 2011 - NEW FOREST
Ten members of the
Havant Wildlife Group assembled at Eyeworth Pond for
this morning's walk in the New Forest: Nigel, Ros,
Rowena, John, Tony, Hilary, Heather, Derek, new
member, Sue, and myself (leader). The weather remained
cloudy but warm and dry.
We started by having a
look at the plants growing in the boggy areas around
the car park, before making our way up the footpath
through Eyeworth Woods. We had our coffee break at a
large fallen tree. We had a small herd of deer pass
through the trees while we were having our break in
the woods. During the break I showed the group a
sample of Dodder on Gorse that I had picked on Hayling
Island asking them to keep a look out for any on the
heathland, but no one found any.
We spent a good amount
of time on the heathland before coming over the stream
at Howen Bottom and back to the car park for lunch.
During lunch Tony, Hilary and Sue watched a Grass
Snake swimming on the pond. I missed this interesting
sight as I had gone off to collect some Pondweed
leaves.
Birds
Birds seen near
Eyeworth Pond included House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Great
Tit, Marsh Tit, Treecreeper, Nuthatch. The usual
mixture of moulting ducks were on the pond. Swallows
flying over. Flocks of Chaffinches in the woods.
Robin, Woodpigeon and Stock Dove singing in the woods.
On the heath Heather
found a Stonechat and the group got a good view of
male and female Redstarts.
Butterflies
I snapped a Holly Blue
flying in the car park at Eyeworth Pond. In the
woodland we saw Red Admiral and Silver-washed
Fritillary. Grayling butterflies were out on
the heath, though one needed to be vigilant to see
them. Typically, they flew a short distance after
being disturbed and went to ground, where the mottled
underside of their wings provided a very effective
camouflage. However, I think all the group managed to
see one and some people got photos! Gatekeepers were
also out on the heath, though we did not see Small
Heath which I did see here on the recce.
Fungi
A large Ganoderma
bracket fungus was growing on an old Beech tree stump
with layers of growth showing clearly, with the
underside almost pure white.
Bog
Plants
We spent some time
puzzling over the great variety of plants growing in
and around the boggy ditches beside the track leading
to the car park. Nigel managed to identify most of
them on the spot. They were not easy to get at and
Nigel ventured too far at one point and got a boot
full of water. I took samples of most of the plants to
check their ID at home. Here are my conclusions:
Bogbean - No
flowers, but it had large trefoil leaves projecting
above the surface of the water. Easy identification. A
native plant and common in the New Forest. (The Hants
Flora). First recorded by Gilbert White in 1766 in
'Bean's Pond' Oakhanger.
Lesser Spearwort
- There was no doubt about the identity of this
one with yellow buttercup-like flowers and thin
lanceolate leaves. We saw lots of it in the woods and
near the stream.
Bog Pondweed -
There was masses of these shiny lanceolate leaves,
green and reddish, on the surface of the water in the
ditches. Pondweeds are difficult to identify (Nigel
has a whole book about them!), but I think this one is
Bog Pondweed. It is very common in the New Forest (The
Hants Flora).
Bog Asphodel -
There were a few plants with deep yellow flowers in a
short spike and some orange-brown fruiting spikes.
There is no doubt about the ID of this as Bog
Pondweed. Common in the New Forest (The Hants Flora).
Round-leaved
Sundew - On his excursion to the other side of the
ditch Nigel discovered a small growth of Sundew with
leaves covered with sticky red hairs to catch insects.
Common in the New Forest (The Hants Flora).
Marsh St
John's-wort - These had yellow flowers just
opening and round downy leaves. They were unlike any
regular St John's-wort. Very common in the New Forest
(The Hants Flora).
Round-leaved
Water-crowfoot - These plants were floating in the
water. They had 5 white petals and roundish lobed
leaves. This is common in much of the New Forest (The
Hants Flora). Interestingly, there is a hybrid
crowfoot known as 'New Forest Crowfoot' which is
confined to the New Forest which has been recorded at
Howen Bottom on the small stream near Eyeworth Pond
(The Hants Flora).
Toad Rush -
Nigel left this one for me! I was puzzled. It was
clearly a rush, quite tall with thin leaves and stems
with tiny white florets at the tip of the stems. Nigel
volunteered to get a sample for me to bring home and
this is how he got his booter. At home, I identified
the sample as Toad Rush as it could not really be
anything else, though it is unlike any Toad Rush that
I have seen before. The Toad Rushes we have in some
abundance on Brook Meadow are small sprawling plants
with florets all the way up the branches. The sample
from Eyeworth was 23cm tall and had florets only at
the tips of the branches. However, Rose (in "Grasses,
Sedges, Rushes and Ferns" Plate 48) says "usually only
2-10cm tall exceptionally to 25cm tall". So, that is
that.
Woodland
plants (not
previously mentioned).
Betony - A few
flowering plants were growing out of the bushes along
the track to the car park.
Yellow
Pimpernel - five yellow petals.
Water-pepper -
Nigel informed us that there was a Tasteless
Water-pepper, but did not offer to taste the ones we
saw to test this out. The fruit of the regular
Water-pepper has many dense yellow raised gland dots,
which the Tasteless does not have.
Tormentil -
Four notched yellow petals. Lots also on the
heathland.
Wood Sorrel -
Only leaves present. White flowers with purple veins
already over.
Hard Fern - One
plant seen growing at the base of the Beech stump with
the Ganoderma fungus and another growing high up on a
Beech tree. Hard Fern only grows on acidic soils, as
in the New Forest.
Heathland
plants
Cross-leaved Heath
- Very common over the heath, with clusters of
pink flowers and leaves in groups of four.
Bell Heather -
Also common on the heath with darker pink bell-shaped
flowers.
Heather -
Generally not in flower, though we did find a few
open.
Heath Milkwort
- Tiny blue flowers.
Bilberries - We
found a few black Bilberries, one of which I tasted,
but it was not sweet.
Lesser
Water-plantain - Nigel spotted some small plants
with three pale pink petals in the stream at Howen
Bottom. He thought they looked a bit like the
Narrow-leaved Water-plantain that he found in the
stream in Bridge Road car park in Emsworth in the
summer of 2066, but much smaller and, significantly,
with much narrower lanceolate leaves.
After looking around,
we found a good number of flowering plants in the
small stream at Grid Ref: SU 23083 15024. Our agreed
opinion was they were Lesser Water-plantain (Baldellia
ranunculoides). The fruits had carpels in crowded
heads also indicating Lesser Water-plantain. Rose
indicates this as a NT (nationally threatened) plant
with special conservation status. However, Lesser
Water-plantain is described as 'frequent in the New
Forest' in The Hants Flora.
Jointed Rush -
Flowering in the stream close to the Lesser
Water-plantain.
Fen Bedstraw -
We thought this one was Marsh Bedstraw, but the sample
I picked had stems with backward pointing prickles and
mucronate leaves, both of which indicate Fen Bedstraw
rather than Marsh.
Marsh Pennywort
- We found a mass of these plants with their
distinctive round leaves rather like parasols with the
with the stalk in the centre of the leaf. Abundant in
the New Forest (The Hants Flora).
SATURDAY
JULY 9 - 2011 - IPING COMMON
Christine reported on
this morning Havant Wildlife Group walk on Iping
Common
Ten of us walked
Stedham & Iping Common on a dull & windy day,
as you see below, apart for a few ( two I think )
Meadow Browns we didn't see any other butterflies. We
had a very good view of a family of Nuthatches,
accompanied by Longtails, & Blue tits. There were
quite a few fungi , which I'm afraid are nameless,
except for a magnificent Stinkhorn.
There were a lot of
flowers along the road-side, we identified Hemlock
& Wild Angelica amongst them, this section was
marred by lorries carrying sand from the pit.
Something new, I've not seen them before on previous
walks.
We came across a very
peculiar tree, from the base up to approx 20ft, it
appeared to be a Hazel, the branches sticking out at
right angles, but the bark was spongy, & twisted
(like a Chestnut). Heather recognised it as a
Wellingtonia, on looking to the top of the tree you
could see it was indeed a Pine! There were no Sand
Martins or Swallows on the sand pit. Before walking
back across the Heath we saw a Broad-bodied chaser
perched on a branch over a pond.
No butterflies too
windy & threatening rain clouds on the heath.
On getting home I sat
in my very windy patio, & watched a Holly Blue
sitting on the table, three Swifts & four Swallows
overhead! But no good company!
Heather's
photos
Heather comments:
"After we all arrived back at the car park, some of us
sat and ate our sandwiches. As I looked up in the Ash
tree another butterfly caught my eye. Yes it was
another hairstreak. I am fairly sure it is a Purple
hairstreak,to go with the one we saw earlier. Also saw
the Silver studded blue, small copper and I think
could be a vagrant darter. The dragonfly larvae was
opposite the pond on a stem. One common lizard seen,
alas no sand."
BLACK
DARTER
Ralph Hollins
commented on Heather's Vagrant Darter dragonfly at
Iping Common on Saturday.
"I am always a bit
dubious about going for a rare species when there are
commoner ones that might fit the bill and I have
searched the British Dragonfly Soc webpages for
reports of Vagrant Darter back to the beginning of
June but found none. Thinking of likely heathland
species Black Darter came to mind and does match your
photo in three significant aspects. First is the all
black legs, second is the boldness of the four
pterostigmas at the wing tips (in Black Darter they
too are black), and third is the marking on the side
of the thorax - your picture shows at least two yellow
spots (should be three) in the black stripe. He refers
to the photo on the dragonfly web site which shows the
all black legs in both sexes, the wing tip
pterostigmas in the male picture (they are the same in
the female), and the yellow dots in the black thoracic
stripe in the female."
http://www.british-dragonflies.org.uk/species/black-darter
The Black Darter
identification is also supported by John Bogle who
says, "Going by the markings on the tip of the tail I
would say it is a Black Darter which I have seen
before at Iping this time of year."
SATURDAY
JULY 2 - 2011 - NORE DOWN
Twelve members of the
Havant Wildlife Group assembled at West Marden on a
lovely warm summer's morning for a walk to Nore Down.
They were Brian (leader), Nigel, Richard, Caroline,
Fay, Christine, Jim, Derek, Heather, Hilary, Tony and
Ken (new member). Christine had to leave us after
about half an hour. She e-mailed later to say she got
back safely with no side affects. She says, "I knew,
realistically that I wouldn't be up to climbing the
hill, but was still disappointed to have to turn back
when we got there. It's only 6 weeks since my
operation (as Fay likes to remind me!)".
The route from West
Marden took us along the footpath towards Nore Down,
through fields, which Nigel noted had been mown,
though clearly not for hay and through the hanger of
West Marden copse. We spent an hour and a half on Nore
Down looking at the fine variety of plants and
butterflies, as well as admiring the splendid views
across West Marden valley. We then walked up the long
drag of a hill of Oldhouse Lane before cutting back to
the village through fields of Oil-seed Rape (now in
seed) and the upper part of West Marden copse.
I supplied the a check
list of the more interesting plants (not
comprehensive!) that we had seen on the Nore Down area
in recent years. These were added to during the walk.
See my report on the
recce to Nore Down for more details and photos on
Friday 24 June.
Birds
In West Marden
village, we were pleased to see a good 20
Swifts flying, sometimes screaming around the
houses in family parties. More impressive than the Red
Arrows which we saw later in the morning on their way
back from the Festival of Speed.
However, there was no
sign of any House Martins which Caroline and I have
recorded in previous years in our BTO Atlas Surveys.
They have completely disappeared from Emsworth. The
closest I have seen is at Walderton, though Caroline
says she sometimes sees some over Westbourne.
Another good sighting
was a probable Spotted Flycatcher which perched
briefly on a post in a garden opposite where we parked
and a Goldcrest in a pine tree. We saw a couple of
Buzzards, one over West Marden and the other over Nore
Down during our break. Caroline picked up a Bullfinch
call where we came off the down onto Oldhouse Lane
which Heather subsequently confirmed was a young
Bullfinch with no tail. Another Bullfinch was
heard near West Marden copse.
Butterflies
Our first butterfly
was a Small Tortoiseshell feeding on a Buddleja
plant in a garden in West Marden village. Meadow
Browns were everywhere, though Marbled Whites were
also prolific on Nore Down, along with a good few
Large and Small Skippers. I was pleased some of us
managed to see a (or the?) Essex Skipper that I
photographed during my recce for the walk on June 24.
Here is Richard's photo of it showing the antennae
tips 'dipped in black paint'. .
Other butterflies seen
mainly on the down included Ringlet, Comma, Red
Admiral, Small Copper, Small White and Green-veined
White. Large Skippers were also seen on the sunny path
by the Wheat field and Speckled Wood in the woodland.
Six-spot Burnet moths were feeding mainly on Field
Scabious on Nore Down. Note the two red spots near the
wing tip. Five-spot only has one.
Plants
in woodland
Going through the
Beech woodland, Nigel pointed out that the trees were
probably planted to encourage the furniture industry
to move here. We noted False Brome and Wood Sedge on
the edges of the path, along with lots of Enchanter's
Nightshade in flower. Also, in flower were Hairy St
John's Wort, Nettle-leaved Bellflower and White
Bryony. It was noted that Woodruff had the same
arrangement of leaves as Hedge Bedstraw and Cleavers
and was in the same general family called Galium.
Other plants in the woodland not on my check list
included Common Figwort, Wood Speedwell (thanks, Jim),
Lesser Burdock, Hart's-tongue Fern and Redcurrant
bushes (with no smell, says Nigel). Before going onto
the down we noted (but stayed well clear of) the
Deadly Nightshade. Here is a picture I took of
the flowers on June 24.
Plants
on Nore Down
In addition to the
plants on the check list, Richard spotted Common
Dog-violet with pale spur and Round-headed
Rampion and Heather pointed out Wild Basil, which
I had missed. Heather also found a nice patch of
Squinancywort and a Dwarf Thistle in flower. I added
Yellow Oat-grass and Rough Chervil. We puzzled over a
Crosswort-like plant, which we finally concluded was,
in fact, simply old Crosswort. In addition to the
abundant Rough Hawkbits, there were some pale yellow
daisies, probably Autumn Hawkbit. Nigel reported over
100 Pyramidal Orchids, but surprisingly, no Fragrant
or Common Spotted Orchids.
Here
is Richard's image of the Round-headed Rampion
Here
are the Rough Hawkbits which were abundant on Nore
Down
Here
is a shot of the Perforate St John's-wort with reddish
flowers
Going into the
Oil-seed Rape field at the top of Oldhouse Lane, we
had an aromatic experience with masses of Scented
Mayweed along the paths through the fields and
Pineappleweed.
SATURDAY
MAY 7 - 2011 - HOLLYBANK WOODS
Seven members of the
Havant Wildlife Group attended the 'orchid walk' in
Hollybank Woods led by Brian Fellows. We were very
lucky with the weather, the heavy overnight showers
having relented to leave a fine morning. Conditions
underfoot were wet, but quite firm except on the banks
of streams which were slippery. Several members of the
group had difficulty in crossing the border stream,
but we managed. On the way back we discovered an
easier crossing a few metres north of the usual stream
crossing.
We
had our break sitting on the King Alfred's Cakes log
in the orchid area (Richard took the photo)
Starting at the top of
Hollybank Lane we walked up the main track to the
Holly Lodge clearing and then went along the eastern
bridleway to cross over onto Longcopse Hill to see the
Early Purple Orchids. We walked back around the
eastern side of Longcopse Hill to have a look at the
ever diminishing heathland area at the top of the
hill. Oh, for some heathland restoration work like I
have been seeing on the Isle of Wight.
Wild
flowers
The main objective of
the walk was to see the Early Purple Orchids in
the 'finger' in the southern corner of Longcopse Hill.
This has been another good year for the orchids with
662 spikes counted on April 29. However, they were a
good two weeks earlier than usual, which meant they
were well past their best today, but were still
looking good and the group enjoyed seeing them. We
came back through the southern Bluebell area, which
was still quite good, though most flowers were
wilting.
Other flowering plants
noted in the woods (not comprehensive) included Wild
Strawberry, Bugle, Germander Speedwell, Wood
Speedwell, Greater Stitchwort, Crosswort, Field
Forget-me-not, Common Stork's-bill, Red Campion,
Yellow Pimpernel and Creeping and Meadow Buttercups.
Tormentil was flowering on the heathland area at the
top of Longcopse Hill.
Nigel
convinced us that this was Field Forget-me-not (M.
arvensis)
Trees
We
stopped to admire a Spindle tree in full flower at the
junction of the main paths.
We
examined the Holly bushes and distinguished male and
female flowers. These are male.
Red Currant and
Gooseberry were also seen. Nigel pointed out the cones
of a large Douglas Fir on the east side of Longcopse
Hill.
Grasses
and Sedges
Two woodland grasses
were noted, Wood Melick and Wood Millet. Among the
sedges, Remote Sedge was very common along the edges
of the footpaths and Wood Sedge abundant in the orchid
area. I also found Spiked Sedge in the Holly Lodge
clearing
Dense-headed
Heath Wood-rush (Luzula
multiflora ssp congesta)
We found several
Wood-rush plants on the western side of the main track
at Grid Ref: SU 7448 0810. I had previously seen these
plants on 25-May-09 when I thought they might be Heath
Wood-rush (Luzula multiflora ssp. multiflora), rather
than Dense-headed Heath Wood-rush (Luzula multiflora
ssp congesta). However, on inspecting the plants today
I am fairly sure they are Dense-headed Heath
Wood-rush. Each plant has a rounded cluster of stalk
less flower heads and has both bracts rising above the
inflorescence.
This is the second
confirmed location of this plant in Hollybank Woods.
The other location (originally discovered by Gwynne
Johnson on 11-May-02 and confirmed by Martin Rand) is
on the south eastern path east of the Bluebell area at
Grid Ref: SU 7466 0831. We checked the plants in this
location and found them still present, but fewer in
number than usual.
Birds
Most of the common
woodland birds were singing, including Blackbird,
Robin, Great Tit, Song Thrush and migrants Blackcap
and Chiffchaff, though there was no sound of Willow
Warbler. I have not hear Willow Warbler in Hollybank
Woods this year. A Buzzard was seen over Longcopse
Hill.
Song
Thrush in full flow - by Richard after the end of the
walk