Winspit

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Winspit

The outdoor meeting for April was a joint event with Southampton and District Bird Club to Winspit near Worth Matravers in Dorset. The journey by car was about fifty miles with heavy traffic and tortuous roads so it was a relief to get out on foot in the village of Worth Matravers. Entering the field at the edge of the village was like opening the door of the Tardis into another world. Sheep and white fluffy lambs frolicked in the green rolling downland with freshly arrived Warblers singing in the hedgerows. Warm sunshine and the promise of a fine day relaxed the mind and lifted the heart especially on the downhill sections of the walk.

Starting from the village of Worth Matravers the walk continued along the dry valley towards the sea and into the abandoned quarry at Winspit. Some time was spent looking around the quarry and out to sea before retracing a few steps to climb up to the South West Coast Path. On reaching the coastguard lookout point on St Aldhem’s Head the walk turned inland to return to Worth Matravers via Weston Farm. Although the walk was only four or five miles it consisted of many stops to admire the scenery and the birdlife.

The Winspit valley appears to be a magnet for migrating birds including several varieties of Warbler and of course Swallows. Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat and Blackcap were all heard singing. Linnets and a solitary Yellowhammer joined the usual Blackbirds and Robins. Two Wheatears were seen perching on top of a stone wall but most likely they were just resting during their migration.

 The cliffs host many seabirds but when walking along the top it is not always possible to see over the cliff face. Occasionally however an inlet allows the cliff face to appear. Kittiwakes and Fulmars perched on ledges and on one occasion a male Peregrine stood guard over a nesting female. A lone Kestrel appeared above the cliffs and was being pestered by a persistent Crow. Kestrels are not as common as they once were and it was a sign of the times that more Peregrines were seen than Kestrels.

 The yellow flowers of Wild Cabbage were the most abundant flower along the cliff top with smaller patches of Horseshoe Vetch and Kidney Vetch. Thrift was starting to come into flower and the young spikes of Meadow Clary were already turning blue. Early Spider Orchid was in flower on the floor of the quarry at Winspit. It seems incredible that evolution can have produced a flower that imitates a spider so precisely and it was a privilege to see it.

A Small Copper butterfly was warming itself on the stone of the quarry and Wall Brown butterflies flew over the short grass on the cliff top. The Wall Brown has a black eye pattern with a white spot similar to other browns but the seven circular patterns on the back of its rear wing are unique. It is a pity that this attractive butterfly which was once common is now restricted to a few coastal sites. A Ruby Tiger moth flew down onto the path with a flash of red between the wings. When it landed however it played dead even when it was turned over in order to see the underside.

An Oil Beetle braved the feet of walkers to scramble along the dusty path. This insect has an interesting life cycle in that larvae crawl up to flowers and wait to hitch a lift on feeding mining Bees. They then detach in the Bees burrow to feed on the pollen and eggs.

The indoor meeting for April was an illustrated talk on ‘Titchfield Haven-A Rangers Tale’ by Richard Levett. This proved to be a comprehensive account of the history and problems in running the reserve. Many coincidences enabled the reserve to get to the position it is in today. The first was the building of the sea wall to enlarge the estate along the river Meon. Second was the purchase of the land by the council to prevent a power station being built and lastly was the establishing of an area of special scientific interest.

The SSSI was granted because of the great numbers of overwintering Teal and Wigeon. However these numbers have dropped in recent years due to the mild winters. An electric fence was erected to prevent foxes and badgers from raiding the nests of Avocets and other wading birds which was initially successful. Unfortunately Black Headed Gulls took advantage of the safe area to establish large colonies. These birds are not at the top of the list for many bird watchers who pay to enter the reserve and no solution is in sight.

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Michelmersh

Michelmersh is a small village lying off the main road from Romsey to Stockbridge. The walk included mixed woodland, downland and quiet country lanes. Starting from the church of St Mary’s the entrance to the path was not obvious but was eventually discovered between a gate and an overgrown laurel bush leading along a very muddy path between trees and a boundary fence. The experience was similar to what Alice must have felt like going into the rabbit hole. Eventually the fence came to an end and sunlight penetrated the woodland floor. A Chiffchaff started to call followed by another a few trees away. A overwintering Blackcap joined in with a Wren calling from the undergrowth. Chaffinches, Blackbird, Thrush and Robin completed the orchestra to accompany what promised to be a very pleasant visit.

Leaves are showing on some trees in towns and cities but in the countryside where it is slightly colder they have yet to appear. This allows light to fall on the woodland floor so that low growing plants can flower and produce seed. The woods and coppices alongside the path through Lower Eldon Farm were all carpeted in Celandines, Wood Anemones and Dogs Mercury or the leaves of yet to flower Bluebells. Sweet Violets grew along the sides of the path mostly of a deep purple colour but some of them formed patches of white. The white Violets all had a purple spur to the rear of the flower showing that they were sweet rather than dog violets.  Speedwell grew on patches beside the path. When examined closely the light blue colour of the petals is made up of blue and white stripes and the petals fall off almost as soon as they are picked.

The land in the immediate vicinity of Lower Eldon Farm is chalk downland with large fields of bare earth waiting for the spring crop to appear. The hoot of an Owl and the mewing of a Buzzard were the only sounds to be heard over the open landscape. A Kestrel floated silently onto its favourite perch on an old Oak tree where it could look down for prey in the ditch below.

The path through Humbers Wood emerged onto the Kings Somborne to Braishfield road which was the northern extremity of the walk. Walking on the road is not normally a good idea but in this case moss in the centre of the road indicated that few cars used the road and in the event only one car passed in the whole two miles. This was one less than the two tractors that passed by on the outward journey.

Primroses and Stitchwort flowered along the high banks at the side of the road and the purple spotted leaves of an orchid yet to flower was also seen. A selection of Goats were grazing in one field near the old Eldon Church but more animals could be seen at Manor Farm. In addition to Cows and Sheep the Geese and Turkeys kept watch for any intruders. Skylarks were heard over the open farmland and it was warm enough in the sheltered hollows for Red Admiral, Peacock and Brimstone butterflies to appear.

The path back to the church at Michelmersh became narrower and less distinct so it was some relief when the churchyard and the end of the walk came in to view. Nevertheless the walk proved to be a very varied and worthwhile experience on a warm spring day.

The indoor meeting for March was an illustrated talk on ‘Martin Down and the New Forest Commons’ by Pete Durnell. The commons in question were on the western edge of the New Forest and included Hyde Common, Rockford Common and Gorley Common. Martin Down was also a Common at one time but is now owned by the local council and Natural England.

Martin Down has the poor soil associated with underlying chalk and the other three commons have the poor soil associated with sand and gravel underneath a hard pan of decayed vegetable matter. Poor soil means that one species of plant cannot dominate and all types of plant have an equal chance of growing. This leads to the rich diversity found at all the sites with chalk loving plants at Martin Down and acid loving plants at the others.

The talk described plants, butterflies, birds and animals found at these places and the work needed to keep them sites of special interest. Many of the audience were familiar with all or some of the places mentioned but could appreciate the details and photographs described in the talk.