Lower Test Nature Reserve

Well its raining again! So here are a few more photos from yesterday. The general view from one of the screens shows the houses and high rise buildings on the outskirts of Southampton. if you look really closely you can see several Little Egrets in the distance.

Lower Test Nature Reserve

This Morning Karen and I went to the Lower Test Nature Reserve.
Until a few weeks ago I did not know it was there. Tucked in behind a housing estate and bordered by the A35 going into Southampton, this little reserve is one of the best places in Hampshire for spotting Kingfishers. We did see one but it was gone in a flash of blue.
As we walked down the board walk toward the hide the heavens opened and although we sheltered under a tree we got very wet. When the rain eased we turned the corner to find the hide was less than 20 yards away!
We saw a Shelduck and a Green Sandpiper (a bird watcher told us what it was.) We were also lucky to see the little egrets at one point we could see 6.
There were also coot and ducks and although we didn't see one apparently sparrow hawks frequent the area.
The area is also known for its wildflowers but as we left the hides the rain started again so we will save them for another day. Because the Reserve is right on our doorstep we will be able to make regular visits!

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Shelduck

Green Sandpiper

Stretching the legs at Fritham

After yesterdays long trip to Norwich, we were glad to go for a walk at Fritham and stretch our legs. These three little foals were having good play together, whilst their mothers looked on. We saw several groups of deer as we walked.
it was quite windy out and dull, but we haven't had any rain yet, although the weather forecast is not promising any return to summer in the near future.

Fallow deer seen on our walk at Fritham this morning.

Rain Rain Rain....It must be Wimbledon!

Beaulieu River at Pigbush

Missy waiting for her ball and below Raffles hoping for biscuits



Well it must be the start of Wimbledon , It rained almost nonstop over the weekend and Monday and today we have heavy showers. We took a walk at Pigbush this morning and were lucky to only have a little bit of drizzle. As soon as we got back in the car it poured!

Cross Stitch

Its been a while since I did any cross stitch, but this is for baby Eva Lilly

Heavy Showers

Over the last few days we have had some very heavy showers, so the camera has not been out much. This morning we walked from the Canadian cross and just managed to finish the walk before the next heavy shower came along. As we got to the pond at the top of Mogshade Hill we saw a heron flying off. I did not have the camera ready so didn't even try and get a photo.just gazed up at it as it slowly flew off.

Midweek

Recent Rain has raised the level s of the streams.

Good Dogs deserve biscuits

Daisy has a roll


At Eleven years she is looking good.

Traveling in Style

These dogs were having a great time , traveling in style.

This Morning at Busketts

Its Hot and muggy this morning. We walked at Busketts and the dogs decided to pose amongst the Purple heath Orchids. They are springing up all over the Forest right now. Such pretty flowers. This afternoon we had some big thunderstorms , even had a power cut for a few minutes....now it is just hot and muggy again.

The sun Came Out

High in the sky a Lapwing is calling

The sunlight catches the dead tree at Mogshade

Missy Loves to play in the pond


and even Raffles likes to have a paddle

After I posted yesterday the sun came out so I taook the dogs for a walk at Mogshade.

More from the Raptor and Reptile centre.

Its raining today so no photos from our wet walks..but here are some more pictures from Libertys Raptor and Reptile Centre .

Watching the Deer at Ocknell

This morning we walked at Ocknell, It was a little cooler than of late and once again it was threatening rain, but it stayed dry. During the walk we spotted several small groups of deer. The bucks are growing their antlers and we could see the velvet covering the new growth.I could stand and watch the deer for hours.
On the way back to the car I spotted some Scarlet Pimpernel in the grass. These are tiny little flowers but so brightly coloured.

I could watch the deer for hours

The bracken is growing up and the deer can hide in it now.

You can see the velvet covering the growing antlers.

I think they have seen us!

A Walk at South Bentley Between the Showers

The heavy rain that is affecting much of the Country is mostly avoiding The New Forest. We are getting short sharp showers and then sunny spells. It poured with rain as we drove up to the forest this morning and we decided to walk at South Bentley where we would be sheltered by the trees. However the weather was dry and sometimes sunny whilst we walked, with another sharp shower as we drove home.
We walked down through South Bentley inclosure and then along Dockens Water. We found some beautiful clumps of wild irises and a little further on we spotted several damsel flies
flitting over the surface of the water. I was quite pleased with the photo I got. From there we walked away from the stream and up to Cadmans Pond, where we found this little family of tiny ducklings scurring back into the water. Part of the Pond is shored up and although the photo isn't quite in focus I thought the little duckling looked quite comical as they peered over the edge before dropping down into the water and swimming after mum!

Twins

The Wild irises were flourishing here


A pair of pretty Damsel flies were flitting about

It was looking very green down by Dockens Water.

More from the Raptor and reptile centre.

The kestrel is so often seen hovering above the motorways..it was really nice to be able to get so close to these beautiful birds.

A Muggy Walk at Kingshat

This morning we walked at Kingshat.....it was very warm and humid and we soon discarded our coats. We had one brief shower when we were under the trees.
First we went to look at the yellow waterlilies along the Beaulieu River and as we were watching them a Kingfisher flew right in front of us, far to quick to even get the camera ready , but it was lovely to see.
When we walked up to the green we found a large herd of cows with their calves , so we spent some time taking photos , before coming back down to the river.
The threatened deluge still hasn't arrived and now i am going out to tea!

Here you can see the big difference in size between the early foals and those being born now.

Yellow waterlilies on the Beaulieu River

This Morning at Busketts

The heavy rain that was forecast for today, still hasn't arrived, it is just beginning to drizzle as I type. The sun was shining through the trees down by the stream this morning and I thought it made for some interesting photos.
As I walked through the grass on the way back ,I looked down and saw masses of very tiny flowers,only a few mm in diameter, I managed to take a photo of them . So small but so very pretty I think they are Bog Pimpernel.
Blogger is playing silly games at the moment , it is taking ages for photos to upload and then many people are finding they can't see them.....it appears to me a problem between Blooger and Internet Explorer and is affecting a lot of blogs......however if you have firefox you can see them no problem. However hopefully Blogger will fix it soon

The Sun coming through the trees makes this look like a painting.
Ponies by the stream

African Hooded Vulture

This ugly beast is the African Hooded Vulture, and he is the smallest of the African Vultures. When they get angry or excited they blush on the face and neck ,just like humans.

Libertys Raptor and Reptile Centre

The Bateleur eagle is found in Africa and is one of the smaller Eagles living on the plains. Their name comes from the French for tightrope walker, because Bateleurs have short tails and have to balance very carefully when flying.

Libertys Raptor and Reptile Centre

Karen and I went to Libertys Raptor and Reptile Centre today. We were able to get some good photos of the Owls, Eagles and other birds of prey as well as watching some demonstration flights.
Blogger is being incredibly slow at the moment so I will post some more photos over the next few days.

Here the eagle owl is being used in a demonstration. We were able to see the Owl really close and for such big birds their flight is silent, no rustling wings or whoos of air.

Lets see how the Cygnets are Doing!

We slipped up to Hatchetts Pond this afternoon to see how the Cygnets are coming on. Mum and Dad still have all seven cygnets and they all seem to be doing well.
The Cygnets are very quick to come when they realise that bread is being thrown, and the pond is a popular place for tourists and duck feeders. Sadly bread is not the best food for growing Swans but hopefully there is plenty of natural food around the pond as well.
The Black headed gulls were also keen to get some of the bread, causing the swans to hiss at them abit!
Karen and I had another delicious Ice cream.........Ice cream is maybe not the best food for humans but alas there was no salad bar available!

This one looks like the Punk of the family


Catching bread
Mummys Boy

Dragon Hall Norwich

The secret of hidden Dragon Hall in Norwich was revealed during work in the late 1970s

What had appeared to be a three properties was in reality a single medieval hall

The timber-framed Great Hall with its outstanding Crown Post Roof and intricately carved and painted dragon is a monument to medieval craftmanship. Built for the sale and display of cloth, a staple of the Norwich economy from the 15th century until the early 19th century, the hall is a legacy of the early days of the Norwich Cloth Manufacture.
As the only medieval merchant's trading hall known to have survived in Europe, Dragon Hall is unique.
Although a handful of guildhalls remain, most were built for a group of merchants, whereas Dragon Hall was built for one The decorative scheme was even more elaborate in his time than it is today: the beams and timbers were stained with red ochre and each spandrel contained an intricate carving, which like the single remaining carving, was probably a dragon.

Jeremy and Mary's Wedding

Early Morning at Fritham

We walked at Fritham this morning. The sun came out and then went behind the clouds and for a while we thought it might rain, but after a while the sun appeared again.We were hoping to see some deer and for a while we were disappointed but then up on the slope we saw a herd watching us and we were able to observe them for quite a while before they finally skipped off.
After the deer had gone we looked down at the ground and saw a large clump of Orchids , so we took some more photos
Before we went home we decided to have a quick look at Cadman's pond.......still no goslings and I really do not think there will be any now. There was a new family of ducks, very young and not coming too close to the bank.We also saw a couple of moorhen chicks scooting over the water.

On Fritham Green
Bogbean

Three dogs
Bridge over Dockens water

Some more heath Orchids


You have to get down low to photograph the orchids!

We were being watched by a group of Fallow deer!

Some more tiny Ducklings on the pond today

I wonder if this leaf is tasty.

A moorhen chick scoots across the pond


The ducklings were staying right out near the island so the photos aren't brilliant.

Beautiful June day

This morning was a beautiful Summers day. When we first got out the car at Pigbush, the breeze seemed a little cool, but it soon warmed up and by 9'oclock we had clear blue skies. We took our time as we crossed the bog, looking at the plants that grow here. The fluffy cotton grass blows in the breeze and is a good warning of boggy ground.. There is a raised causeway at this part of the forest so walkers can cross the boggy area quite easily , but at the same time see the bog plants on either side. A little further on we stopped to speak to the Forestry Commission workers, who were having a tea break. They were dumping gravel on some of the boggier bits of path. When we reached the Beaulieu River we let the dogs have a little play before returning to the car.
It was such a beautiful morning we decided to go for a little drive and we ended up at Tanners Lane . I had never been here before, and would never have known it was there. You park the car right on the edge of the mudflats that line the Solent. The dogs had a wonderful time playing in the sea whilst we looked at the various birds that feed here.

Missy and Raffles wait for Taivas to join them on the Bridge

The bridge at Pigbush

Three dogs look into the stream

The causeway over the bog

Missy and Taivas are heading down to the bog

Tanners Lane

After our walk this morning we went for a drive in the car and ended up in an area I did not know .The place we ended up was called Tanners Lane and it is right on the coast. The beach is a series of mud flats and I think very few people go there. The dogs had a lovely time playing in the sea, which was very shallow, or sniffing along the beach at the seaweed and shells . There were plenty of birds around and we spotted an oyster catcher, a Little egret and a redshank (I hope I identified them correctly) . They were all a little distance away so the photos are not good , but we did see them and it was fun to watch them.

Looking across the Solent to the Isle of Wight.
Mud flats at Tanners Lane

Missy and Taivas loved the sea

Missy having fun

A Redshank

In the distance an Egret was just standing very still..so still we thought it had to be a wooden post!

Oyster catcher with a couple of Black headed gulls

A few more Images from Hatchetts Pond

A common Gull find a viewpoint

A Black headed gull coming into land

Foal having a drink with mum.
Some one was feeding the Swans.......I wouldn't want to get too close to that big beak!

An Hour at Hatchetts Pond

After walking the dogs this morning, Karen andI drove up to Hatchetts Pond as I had heard there were some cygnets. As soon as we got out the car we spotted them and an hour passed very quickly as we took lots of photos. The ice cream van was parked up and we were tempted by the delicious New Forest Stem Ginger Ice cream!

Summer has returned

It has been a beautiful day. This morning we walked at Kings Hat. The carpark was busy as people got out their chairs and picnic paraphernalia, but once we had crossed the Beaulieu River we had the forest almost to ourselves. There was a gentle breeze to cool us down a little and the rays of the sun to keep us warm. After we had been up the hill along and down we tried to follow the River, watching the dragonflies and damsel flies, but in the trees where it was cool and green and shady it was also very boggy. The heavy rain in May had made the little streams that run into the river difficult to cross and because we weren't wearing boots we had to make several detours.
There are so many different wild flowers in bloom now, we are so lucky to have so much variety here in th Forest.
I put a few we saw today in the previous post and then some shots from our walk before that , blogger was playing up here and I wasn't able to label them!

Ragged Robin

Cross leaved heather

Sowthistle

Yellow Water Lily, the flowers are like small globes

Walking from Cadmans Pond again

We walked from Cadman's Pond again today. There are no sign of any goslings and now I do not think there will be any this year. There were none at Eyeworth Pond yesterday either, maybe it is not a good year for Goslings here in the Forest.
The dogs did disturb a female Mallard down on Dockens water and she flew off low over the water to attract their attention, but I noticed she quickly returned to the same place once we had walked by, so maybe she had a nest or some young ducklings nearby.
There were lots of dragonflies and damselflies down by the water and we spent a long time trying to catch one with the camera. There were also a whole group of wagtails flying low over the water, so we had a lot of entertainment this morning.
On our way back up through the woods we found some foxgloves. Like the orchids they have such beautiful markings.

These damselflies are so pretty to watch, like little blue jewels floating along the water, but they are just so difficult to catch on a photo.Yhis one is a Beautiful Demoiselle
Not sure if this is the grey or the Yellow Wagtail. It has been identified by two of my more informed readers as a Young grey Wagtail. (Thanks Pete and Jan)

Reflections in Dockens Water.

Some Bits and Bobs from Today

This pretty little foal was right by the road at Janesmoor.

This looks like a very young stallion, he was smaller than the mares and looked as if he was a yearling. However he was certainly doing his best to please the mares!

Cows taking a drink In Janesmoor Pond

I don't know what sort of ducks these are , not even sure if it is a Mr and Mrs!

Scruffy duck, I wonder what it is ?

Moor hen at Eyeworth Pond and below a Heath Spotted Orchid