WNHS visit Warsash

Waterside Natural History Society visit Warsash

 

The weather appeared to be our greatest challenge on the day of our visit to Warsash. Rain showers of a frequency that would confuse the Met office supercomputer posed the question of whether we should postpone our visit for another day. As the supercomputer has not yet been built we had to rely on the old adage ‘Keep a weather eye open’. Even this was of little help as we stood in the rain trying to decide if we might get wet sometime during the day. In the end we decided to trust to luck and set out but still spent some time looking at the cloudy skies trying to decide if we should keep going or return to the car. Eventually we came to the conclusion that predicting the weather was a waste of time and we should carry on regardless.

Warsash is not regarded in the same league for bird watching as for instance Farlington Marsh or Keyhaven but it does form a microcosm of both with the added advantage of splendid views and a varied walk. There is a choice of directions from the car park. We could have turned north to walk inland along the River Hamble but decided to turn south towards the mouth of the river overlooking Southampton Water and the Isle of Wight.

The path, which is part of the Solent Way, is trapped between the tidal estuary on one side and a play area called ‘Strawberry Fields ‘on the other. It remains trapped by the high walls of the Maritime College before opening out on to a shingle spit protecting low lying reed beds and ponds. The path has suffered from undermining by high tides in places and also extensive pools of water after the recent rains.

Luckily the tide was ebbing at the start of our walk and fell to low tide on our return which provided ideal conditions for observing the bird life. Black Bellied Brent Geese were the most obvious of the birds on the mud flats with Herring and Black Headed Gulls for a white contrast. Taking a closer look through binoculars we could see hundreds of Dunlin feeding near the water’s edge. Redshank and Curlew made their own solitary way with the occasional Oystercatcher. Pintail and Gadwall swam on the ponds behind the shingle banks alongside Mallard and Wigeon.

 On our return journey past the mudflats a loud high pitched alarm call of an Oystercatcher attracted our attention to a group of five trying to dispute an area of mud with a similar sized group of Brent Geese. The Geese lowered their heads horizontally to the ground, raised their wings, and retaliated with their short hooting sounds. The dispute was eventually resolved when both groups passed each other further along the sea line.

Bird behaviour forms an interesting subject in itself. For instance we came across a group of Grey Plovers on the mud flats which were difficult to identify at first because they were all sleeping with their heads tucked into their back feathers. This seems strange behaviour from the human point of view but with a long neck and hefty bill it makes sense to support the head and relax the neck muscles on a warm pillow. Many other types of bird relax in the same way but those with a short neck such as Owls and some Raptors obviously do not.

We also came across a Little Egret with a pronounced limp. Every time it put weight on its right foot its whole body dipped to one side and it had to open its wings to regain its balance which gave it a rather comical walk. This did not seem to affect the birds ability to feed and hopefully it will recover the use of its leg before a greater challenge comes along. At one point a Kingfisher landed near the water’s edge. Most birds tend to merge into the background but Kingfishers are strikingly visible with their luminous blue bodies. Nevertheless they are easily missed and we were lucky to have had such a good view.

A low sea wall overlooking Southampton Water provided a perfect spot for our lunch. We were able to see heavy black rain clouds to the south over the Isle of Wight, rain clouds to the west over the Waterside and rain clouds to the north over the Hamble River. Fortunately we were able to stay in our island of sunshine until we completed the walk back to the car park. The rain returned with a vengeance as we drove back home but we were fortunate not to have cancelled what proved to be a very pleasant and interesting stroll.

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Garston Wood

The winter of 2013/2014 proved to be one of the wettest on record and the relatively dry spell in March served only to lower the flood levels. April showers up until the time of our visit only served to wet the ground and make the pathways muddy. The wet weather and mild temperatures have given ideal growing conditions for spring flowers and bulbs in particular but we were still unprepared for the glorious display in Garston Wood.

Spots of rain fell as we set out on our 30 mile car journey and our mood changed from optimism every time the sun appeared to disappointment whenever a dark cloud covered the sky. On arrival at Garston Wood the sky was overcast and we were more or less resigned to a wasted journey. The rain held off however and we stepped through the gate to a rich display of spring flowers.

One of the first flowers that we saw near the car park was a cultivated specimen of Dusky Cranesbill or Geranium Phaeum Samobor which probably arrived with a visitor from someone’s garden. This was however the only example of a garden escape that we came across and every subsequent flower was of the wild variety. When trying to identify a wild flower in a wood it is often a good idea to precede a guess with the word ‘wood’ for instance ‘wood anemone’ or ‘wood spurge’ of which we came across a great many.

Wood Dog Violet with its purple spur and pointed sepals grew alongside ‘Wood Speedwell’ identified by having hairs all round its stem but the occasional ‘Bugle’ had no reference to wood whatever. Primroses had been in flower for some time and only a few specimens remained amongst the Dogs Mercury. Fewer still examples of Sanicles were present but they had only just come into flower. Stitchwort and Yellow Archangel were dotted about along the path sides with a few Crosswort although they are more common on chalk Downland. The underlying soil must have been chalky since we also came across Twayblade orchids. ‘Early purple’ orchids, identified because they were both early and purple, stood out like beacons at the side of the paths throughout the wood.

Identifying the names of wild flowers with such a variety along the path sides took some time so our walk round the reserve was leisurely to say the least. Walking slowly in warm sunshine is always a pleasure but when spots of rain start to fall our pace increased almost immediately. The main purpose of our visit however was to see the Bluebells and in this we were not disappointed. It so happened that our visit coincided with the flowers in their peak condition in a particularly good year. Bluebells are not the only bulb to flower at this time of year and Garston Wood has a particularly large display of white Ransoms or Broad Leaved Garlic. Seeing Bluebells and Ransoms together always reminds one of the colours in the Scottish flag. The Scottish Bluebell however is known in England as the Harebell but the so called English Bluebell also grows prolifically north of the border. To make things even more confusing the Spanish Bluebell is grown widely in gardens throughout the country.

English bluebells can be distinguished from Spanish bluebells, particularly when seen together, as the Spanish variety are more vigorous with larger more fleshy leaves. The English bluebell flower head also droops whereas the Spanish one grows upright. English bluebells always have white pistils but Spanish bluebell pistils take on the colour of the bell. This means that Spanish bluebells have blue pistils on blue flowers but have a reddish tinge on pink specimens and obviously white on white flowers.

Bluebells can be found throughout the wood but, as can be seen from the car, are particularly abundant alongside the road. We also found several examples of Solomon’s Seal and a small group of Toothwort. The latter plant has no green parts and is parasitic on Hazel which has been widely coppiced in the wood. A patch of the dainty grass Wood Melick could be picked out alongside the path back to the car park.

There were very few butterflies on the wing because of the cloudy conditions but we did see an Orange Tip during one short spell of sunshine. A Song Thrush serenaded us for part of the walk and a male Cuckoo gave a few calls before moving on to brighter pastures.

The walk round Garston Wood did not take long even at our leisurely pace so in the afternoon we took the opportunity of visiting the wooded area opposite to Martin Down.

Our indoor meeting for April was a talk on Badgers by Martin Noble of the ‘New Forest Badger Group’. Martin has been looking after Badgers in the New Forest for a number of years and we were treated to a talk about their habits and population growth during this time. The recent controversial badger cull was also discussed but there was no doubt as to what Martin thought about it. Several arguments were put forward to support the badgers cause but the most remembered was that Bovine TB by its very name is a disease of cattle and the cure should lie with them and not the badgers. There was a great deal of sympathy for the badgers from the audience by the end of the talk and hopefully they will live to enjoy their part in the countryside together with all the other animals. 

  

Pondhead Inclosure

Waterside Natural History Society visit Pondhead inclosure Following our recent presentation on the history of the New Forest we were able to expand our knowledge with a visit to Pondhead inclosure near Lyndhurst. The link with history was not intended when our programme was arranged and it was also a coincidence that we met Dave Dibden shortly after our arrival. Dave has been appointed by the Forestry Commision to look after Pondhead inclosure and he was happy to go through the history and management of the area. Pondhead inclosure includes a large part of the ‘Lyndhurst Old Park’. This was formed by the Plantaganet King Edward 1in 1291 and became to be regarded as the first park in a forest. The Plantaganets had war in their genes. They fought against the French King, went on the Crusades and bashed the Barons in this country. The Queen and Princes each had their own armies and in the periods between wars they fought each other. In spite of this, or maybe because of it, they managed to introduce common law to the country by publishing the Magna Carta. In this area they also produced the ‘Charter of the Forest’ which specified the land ownership and gave commoners the right to live off the land instead of being hung on it. The name Plantaganet derives from ‘planta genista’ referring to the sprig of Broom that supporters wore in their hats. We came across a plaque at the side of the path which was erected in 1979 when a stand of Oak trees was planted to commemorate the nine hundredth anniversary of the formation of the New Forest. The forest was created as a Royal Hunting Ground by William 1 in 1079 . Other historical evidence of Lyndhurst Old Park is the Park Pale. This consisted of two man made embankments with a wooden pale fence on the top that gradually came together in a narrow neck. Deer were chased into the wide opening and shot for sport by huntsmen waiting at the neck. The wooden fence has long since rotted away but the embankment remains and can be seen running along the road side of Matley Ridge before it turns to cross the road opposite Pondhead Farm. The earthworks have deteriorated over the years and are dwarfed by the ridge but thousands of people must have walked along the ridge path without realising that history runs a few yards away. The intention of the Forestry Commision at the moment is to return Pondhead inclosure to a working forest and to be commercially sustainable. Charcoal is to be produced and woodland products such as besoms and clothes pegs manufactured and sold. This is a commendable project and Dave Dibden deserves all the support he can get. The woodland in Pondhead inclosure is a mixture of Oak, Beech and coppiced Hazel. The Hazel is allowed to grow for about seven years before being chopped back to the ground and the sticks used for charcoal or garden supports. The Hazel then regrows and the cycle continues. We were fortunate to enjoy warm sunny spring weather for our visit in March but we had difficulty finding a parking spot near Boltons Bench and when we returned in the middle of the afternoon cars had parked all along the access roads. Nevertheless we did not have to walk far into the forest before the only noise was that of the church bells in Lyndhurst. There are few signs of spring in the forest at the moment. Celandines are the only ground flowers but in the tree canopy Blackthorn blossom and Pussy Willow cover the bushes. Pussy Willow is used instead of palm on Palm Sunday as this is not available in northern Europe. Many of the tree leaf buds are swelling and the Beech buds are turning pink. Bluebells are not yet in flower but the green pointed leaf shoots cover the ground in parts of Pondhead inclosure. The recent wet weather has been good news for mosses and the ditches and embankments at the side of paths are covered in a variety of green shades of moss. There are many varieties of moss but there are basically three types. These are the branched and unbranched types found in the woodland together with the Sphagnum mosses found in bogs and water courses. Bracken dies back in the winter but other ferns remain green and can be seen among the mosses. Polypody fern can also be found above head height on the branches of trees such as Oak. Our walk started at the cemetery car park near Boltons Bench and we entered Pondhead inclosure at the north eastern corner. At Clayhill we took a left turn to walk along Beechen Lane and followed the wide path almost to Denny Lodge. Turning left again we eventually reached the Beaulieu road which we crossed and turned left to walk along Matley Ridge back to the car park. A distance of about five miles took us at least four hours which gives some indication of the leisurely pace of our walk. The warm sunny weather with no wind made it a pleasure to be outdoors. Our indoor meeting for March was an illustrated sound recording of ‘Spring Birdsong’ by Brian Harrison. The format was in the form of a light-hearted quiz in which the recording of a bird call was played and we were invited to guess the identity of the bird. If it was guessed correctly the image of the bird was shown on the screen. Brian has spent many years perfecting the recording of different bird calls in the New Forest and Gordon Small who provided the pictures specialises in photography to a very high standard. The evening turned out to be both informative and entertaining. It was interesting to learn for instance that the longest continuous recording by Brian of birdsong was forty five minutes by a Skylark whilst on the wing. The member of the audience who guessed ‘Robin’ for every birdsong was delighted to get one answer correct.