Forest Walks

Lonely tree in January (1/52)

2012-01-08T16:52:00.001Z

Lonely tree in January (1/52)
Originally uploaded by Missy2004.

Catching the last rays!

2011-03-31T21:06:00.003+01:00

Catching the last rays!
Originally uploaded by Missy2004.

Black Kite in Flight

2011-03-31T21:06:00.001+01:00

Black Kite in Flight
Originally uploaded by Missy2004.

Barn Owl

2011-03-31T21:05:00.001+01:00

Barn Owl
Originally uploaded by Missy2004.

Janesmoor Pond

2010-12-03T15:43:00.001Z

Janesmoor Pond
Originally uploaded by Missy2004.

One man and His Dog!

2010-12-03T15:42:00.001Z

One man and His Dog!
Originally uploaded by Missy2004.

Missy in the snow!

2010-12-02T10:24:00.001Z

Missy in the snow!
Originally uploaded by Missy2004.

The Foals are Arriving

2010-04-13T22:26:00.002+01:00

Finally the foals are beginning to arrive in the Forest.

Spring is Sprung

2010-03-28T13:05:00.002+01:00

Hawk Conservancy Trust

2010-03-15T12:56:00.000Z

Bald Eagle
Saker Falcon
Barn Owl
Saker Falcon
Vulture

Some Birds From February

2010-02-28T12:48:00.000Z

Greattit
Marshtit
Bluetit
Nuthatch
Greater spotted Woodpecker

It snowed!

2010-01-09T16:32:00.003Z

The Forest is so pretty in the snow and Missy is loving it. We did not get very much ,although they are still forecasting more.

Snow in the Forest

2010-01-09T16:17:00.006Z

Birdwatching Again

2009-11-08T10:17:00.002Z

Its been a while since I updated the blog. I seem to have a lot of problems with blogspot.
We are back birdwatching now that the Autumn has arrived and the Forest is less busy. We have been very lucky to find a familly of Woodpeckers that allow us to get very close. Whilst we are waiting for them to arrive we have a variety of tits , chaffinches and nuthatches to entertain us. Some of the Ponies and squirrels are a bit of a pest as they steal the food. If a pony finds it , it is all gone with one mouthful. The squirrels are less greedy and are very entertaining.

Bird Watching

2009-11-08T10:03:00.004Z

Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Nuthatch
Woody again
Robin

A Plethora of Dragons and Butterflies

2009-08-05T16:34:00.004+01:00

I have not seen many butterflies this year so it was a lovely surprise to go for a short walk in the Forest on Monday and find so many Butterflies and dragonflies flitting around enjoying a sunny afternoon.

Butterflies

2009-08-05T16:18:00.009+01:00

Brimstone
Small White
Meadow Brown
Painted Lady
Peacock
Large Skipper
Common Blue
Silver washed Fritillary

Dragonflies

2009-08-05T15:55:00.003+01:00

Keeled Skimmer Male
Common Darter on Fleabane
Keeled Skimmer Female
Common Hawker
Southern Hawker

Houghton Lodge

2009-07-24T14:18:00.007+01:00

Yesterday we decided to go to Houghton Lodge.
An 18^th Century Grade ΙΙ* listed Gothic Cottage Orné, idyllically set above the tranquil waters of the River Test. The House is set in extensive grounds, with fine trees and lawns sweeping down to the banks of the River.It was a sunny afternoon although a little breezy. It was good to see so many butterflies on the flowers and we had an enjoyable outing.
There is a small self servic cafe. You make your own tea and help yourself to the delicious homemade cakes.

2009-07-24T14:01:00.004+01:00

Redtailed bumble bee on Globe artichoke
Red Day Lily
Houghton Lodge
Alpaca
Peacock Butterfly

2009-07-24T12:50:00.004+01:00

Small Tortoiseshell
Red Admiral
Painted lady
PaintedPink Dahlia

Emer Bog

2009-07-21T14:54:00.003+01:00

Emer Bog is a small nature Reserve just outside of southampton. It is not that easy to find . It was rather dull and overcast but it was a pleasant walk and part of it is on a new boardwalk over the bog. We saw quite a few gatekeepers and skippers and we could hear the constant chirping of crickets and grasshoppers. A ruddy darter posed for us on some old silver birch logs. We caught a brief glimpse of a Red Admiral.

2009-07-21T14:38:00.004+01:00

Ruddy Darter
Rowan berries
Ruddy darter
Grasshopper
Gatekeeper

Lower Test Nature Reserve

2009-07-17T21:48:00.006+01:00

We took a quick trip to the local nature reserve yesterday in between showers.No sign of the Kingfishers but there were plenty of little egretsand sandpipers.
There are still very few butterflies around , a few gatekeepers , speckled woods and we did see a comma Today it has rained and I had a nasty surprise when I took Missy for her morning walk . I had left the sun roof open and the front seats were soaking wet!
This is my first post since getting the new computer up and running. it was certainly much quicker uploading the photos!

2009-07-17T21:41:00.003+01:00

Seckled wood butterfly
Grey Wagtail
Little Egret
Green sandpiper
Gatekeeper Butterfly

Catching Up

2009-07-04T17:35:00.002+01:00

Finally managed to catch up. I have been having some computer problems and it has been difficult to blog but the new computer comes next week so hopefully things will start to work again.
Here is a photo of Missy taken at the Lake on oe of these hot summer evenings.

2009-07-04T17:29:00.005+01:00

Golden Ringed Dragon fly
Male beautiful Demoiselle
Female beautiful Demoiselle

Emperor in flight
Emperor laying eggs

Longleat

2009-06-25T17:22:00.000+01:00

We spent the Day at Longleat. After a damp start it turned into another Hot Summers Day. it was not too busy when we drove through the safari park and we managed to get some good views of the animals. After Lunch we had a boat trip on the lake to see the sealions and hippos and then we went into the bat cave. It is a wonderful feeling to have bats whizzing silently past you. I was really pleased that I managed to get a half decent shot. It is dark in the cave and I did not think the photos would come out . (However with an Fstop of 1.4 and Iso of 3200 a little photo editing to remove some noise I was pleased with the result)
We finished the day with a tour of the house.

2009-06-25T17:09:00.000+01:00

The Hawk Conservancy Trust

2009-06-22T17:03:00.000+01:00

I have become a member of the Hawk Conservancy Trust so I can make lots more visits. It really is a great day out. Three Flying displays which are absolutely breathtaking and plenty of chances to get good close up shots of these wonderful birds.

2009-06-22T16:48:00.000+01:00

Cheyenne the Bald headed eagle comes in to land
Danebury the other Bald headed eagle went walk about during the flying display and was later found swimming in a river. He was back safly before we left.
Mollie is a beautiful Great Grey owl
Here cheyenne is having a lot to say.
One of the American Kites flying

A Walk with Missy

2009-06-07T15:32:00.003+01:00

A Typical walk with Missy and Huck. Huck is a ball that floats in water and is Missy's favourite toy. She just loves to run and chase him. She is so quck it is not often I manage to get a photo as she leaps to catch him.

2009-06-07T15:20:00.003+01:00

Dragonsand Damsels

2009-06-07T15:03:00.004+01:00

With the recent wam weather , the dragons and damsels have been waking up. This is a male Beautiful Demoiselle. They really glitter in the sunshine and are so pretty as they fly along the streams.
This is a Broad bodied chaser and they are often found flying over forest ponds.
This Fourspotted chaser was newly emerged and drying his wings he was quite happy to sit on karens finger and pose.
here a pair of large red damselflies are mating.
It is rare to see an adder in the wild as they usually slither away before you see them. This one had been basking on the path and we disturbed him. We had some friends paying a brief visit from Canada and Paige heard the hiss , looked down and there he was. Having decided we weren't really a threat or something tasty to eat he posed for the cameras before slithering away.

Painted Lady Invasion

2009-05-27T21:11:00.003+01:00

There were about 50 in my Garden yesterday. Whilst we were walking the dogs we saw quite a few in the forest. later karen sent me the following article..

"Apparently we are being invaded. Millions of exotic migrants are breezing into Britain,

In what could be the biggest influx of butterflies into this country in decades, millions have flown into Britain from the deserts of north Africa. Up to 18,000 were spotted sailing on the breeze across Scolt Head Island on the north Norfolk coast: 50 arriving every minute according to Natural England nature reserve staff.

The mass migration began last Thursday when large numbers were seen off Portland Bill in Dorset. Since then, our highest mountains, biggest cities and thickest forests have proved no obstacle: thousands of painted ladies have turned up everywhere, from central London to Dumfries and Galloway.

Painted ladies reach our shores every summer, but the last major migration was in 1996. This year, rumours of an impending invasion began circulating in late winter. A Spanish scientist, Constanti Stefanescu, reported seeing hundreds of thousands of them emerging in Morocco in mid-February after heavy winter rains in north Africa triggered the germination of food plants devoured by its caterpillars. Aided by favourable winds and unimaginable reserves of stamina, large numbers were seen in Spain during April. A few weeks later, they had reached France.

"We've had reasonable migrations before, but nothing this sudden," says Martin Warren, chief executive of Butterfly Conservation. "All the signs are it could be one of the biggest ever."

On the coast, all you may see is a flash of orange whizz past at head height. When they settle on garden flowers they are as striking as their less adventurous relatives, the red admiral and the small tortoiseshell. Certain weeds should be very afraid: painted lady caterpillars feast on thistles before emerging as an immaculate new generation of adult butterflies in August.

"It's really quite wonderful," says Matthew Oates, the National Trust's adviser on nature. "It may be that thistle-cutting or spraying is unnecessary this summer because the caterpillars will defoliate them for you."

Come September, the painted ladies will be off again: the British-born generation begin an epic reverse trip, drawn by a mysterious calling to the hot, distant land of their mothers and fathers."

Apparently another large influx expected tomorrow and Friday.

2009-05-27T21:09:00.003+01:00

The Bluetits have fledged

2009-05-27T21:05:00.003+01:00

I have spent the last couple of weeks watching a pair of bluetits raising their brood in our nesting box. They make quite a racket as they wait to be fed. The parents have been kept very busy catching tiny caterpillars to feed them.Yesterday they finally left and all is quiet again.

2009-05-27T20:59:00.003+01:00

Baby peeping Out
Parent
Catching breakfast for the Kids

A Few More Photos from our trip to Abbotsbury

2009-05-23T20:56:00.000+01:00

We went to the swannery on Friday. If you are ever in Dorset in May or early June it it well worth visiting the Swannery. It is a wonderful sight to see so many swans all nesting so close to each other. I was also luck enough to see my first Reed warbler.

2009-05-23T20:26:00.000+01:00

Today I Saw a Cygnet Hatch!

2009-05-22T20:33:00.006+01:00

Hello Mama
It was exhausting getting out of the shell!
Just out
You can see the crack in the egg.

We Visited the Swannery at Abbotsbury today and were luck enough to watch a cygnet hatch The photos came up in the wrong order but you can see the progress which took place over a period of about 20 minutes.

Abbotsbury Swannery conserves the only managed colony of nesting Mute swans in the world.Mute Swans are usually fiercely territorial by nature and it is therefore rare to see so many nesting swans in such close proximity to each other.but there are up to 150 pairs on a 2acre nesting site.There are often more than 600 adult swans on the site. In England the crown claims ownership of Mute swans with only three exceptions one of which is Abbotsbury. In1543 the Strangways family was given the right to claim ownership of all the nesting swans on the site and the family still own the swannery today,

The Cygnets Have Arrived.

2009-05-12T21:56:00.003+01:00

The cygnets have arrived. Once again we have two families. One has two cygnets and the other six. We are hoping this year that all will survive and war will not break out.The Cob from last year that caused all the trouble is not on the pond this year so maybe these two families will tolerate each other.

2009-05-12T21:42:00.004+01:00

Its That Time of Year

2009-05-02T20:22:00.002+01:00

I have been up to the pond several times this week and each day there has been a new family appearing. We have Goslings, ducklings and moorhen chicks.I expect next week the first cygnets might appear.

2009-05-02T20:12:00.003+01:00

Hawk Conservancy Trust

2009-04-21T15:29:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday karen and I visited the Hawk Conservancy Trust at Weyhill Andover.This is a really wonderful day out. It only costs £10 for the day and it is real value for money. The day starts in the Hides overlooking the meadow which was covered in cowslips. A little food is put out to attract the wild herons, Redkites and Kestrels. You then have a chance to listen to a talk about the Vultures before seeing the first of three flying demonstrations. After a quick lunch it is time for the second and most spectacular demonstration. Vultures fly inches over your head. American Black Kites put on a wonderul areial ballet display and the final event is watching two American Bald headed Eagles appear in the distance as little specks in the sky, gradually coming closer until they finally land. Often the birds are joined by the native, curious red Kites and Buzzards It is not long before the woodland demonstration begins and here you get to see the Owls flying. If you are not shattered you can go back to the Hides and watch the final feed of the herons in the meadow.
If you are impressed and want to go more often it is only £40 for a years membership. We joined and will be making many more visits!

Hawk Conservancy Trust

2009-04-21T15:14:00.000+01:00

Cheyenne Coming into land (Baldheaded Eagle)

Griffen Vulture
Tawny Eagle
Baldheaded Eagle
Vulture in Flight

2009-04-21T15:08:00.000+01:00

Heron
Red Kite
Kestrel
Barn Owl
herons

North Meadow Cricklade

2009-04-18T15:04:00.000+01:00

North Meadow is an old hay meadow which is now a National Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is famous for having the largest UK population of rare Snakes Head Fritillaries which flower in the Spring and attract a large number of visitors. They are usually at their best during the second and third week of April. The meadow has been managed by the residents of Cricklade for hundreds of years through the Court Leet which still exists and has an active role in the management of the meadow today. The meadow is now owned by Natural England

2009-04-18T14:54:00.000+01:00

Fritillaries at North meadow.

CuckooPlant also known as ladies smock
Marsh marigolds also known as King cups.

Goodbye Sweet Raffles

2009-04-15T20:25:00.000+01:00

July1988-April2009
When I took this photo on the 11th I was not to know it would be the final photo of my sweet boy. Raffles crossed the bridge today. I will miss him so much

Another Foal

2009-04-13T18:59:00.003+01:00

Well I knew it would not be long before I saw another foal. This is another little girl and she is near the car park where I often walk the dogs. I hope to watch her grow up.
Happy Easter Everyone!

2009-04-13T18:49:00.002+01:00

The First Foal Arrives

2009-04-03T20:09:00.003+01:00

This is my favourite time of year. For the last week or so I have been keeping my eyes open hoping to see a foal. Sadly we didn't find any on Tuesday when we had friends visiting, but today I found this little girl basking in the sunshine. In the next few months many more will join her and we will see them most days. I will be taking many more photos of foals as summer progresses.

2009-04-03T19:49:00.003+01:00

Missy

2009-03-19T22:33:00.003Z

Here is Missy having a good shake

A Little More Bird Watching

2009-03-19T22:28:00.003Z

It is still sunny! This morning the dogs had a good walk at Pigbush. Missy has finished her season so enjoyed her freedom for the first time in three weeks.
This afternoon I went back to Denny Woods for an hour or so. The woodpecker was feeling a little bolder and came down onto the gate to eat the seeds.

2009-03-19T22:12:00.004Z

The lovely Nuthatch
Pensive Robin
Woodpecker on the gate

Hellebores in Jean's garden

2009-03-18T22:09:00.000Z

Today I had tea with Jean and I took some photos of her hellebores I do like these pretty flowers but they are difficult to photograph as they always hang their heads down! But with the help of a stick we managed to show what beautiful Flowers they are

2009-03-18T21:58:00.000Z

Birdworld

2009-03-17T21:48:00.000Z

The sun was still shining so we decided to take a trip to Birdworld. It was a reasonable day out but we would not go back. On the website it looks wonderful but many of the attractions were over rated. It was more expensive than our recent trip to Marwell Zoo and it only took us an hour or so to see everything. The food in the Cafe was reasonable and helped to while away the time. Under water world consisted of about a dozen very grubby tanks and took about 5 minutes to walk through.The childrens Farm did not have very much and the sea shore walk was a small pond with a boat by the side of it. Their were some pretty birds and a 20 minute talk in the heron theatre where a few birds did a few tricks.
The biggest attraction for us was the solony of wild herons that nest their and were frequently seen flying over head or landing by the ponds.

BirdWorld

2009-03-17T21:34:00.000Z

Frogs in the Murky aquarium.

The Sun is here.

2009-03-16T21:27:00.000Z

After a sunny but windy weekend, it was good to wake up to more sunshine. We decided to go for a drive in the Forest. Our First stop was at Denny Woods to feed the birds. This proved a little difficult as first a hungry pony came along and scoffed the seed and then a group of grey squirrels ate the nuts. Woody put in a brief appearance before we moved down to Eyeworth pond. The Mandarin ducks are very puffed up and we also saw some mallards . A pair of canada geese have also decided to hang around so maybe we will see goslings and ducklings in a few weeks. We then had a quick drive theorugh the Forest looking for foals but so far we haven't seen one. On our way home we spotted the biggest pig I have ever seen snoozing by the road.

2009-03-16T20:34:00.000Z

Pony eating the bird food

Squirrel eating the bird food.

A Mandarin admires his reflection.

A mallard duck flies over the pond at Eyeworth

As we drove home we came across this enormous pig sitting by the side of the road.

On Frozen Pond

2009-03-06T22:09:00.003Z

We took a quick trip to Eyeworth Pond today. the ducks looked a little bemused as they skated across the ice.

2009-03-06T22:02:00.003Z

Looking for the Woodpecker

2009-03-02T22:40:00.003Z

We went back to Denny Woods again today and waited for the Woodpecker. He made several appearances but kept trying to hide behind the trees. It was a bit like the sun that kept disappearing behind the clouds! Just before we left we stopped at the gate lower down where somebody had hung up some fat balls in little nets, and finally we got some clear views of him.
Whilst we were waiting for him we were entertained by the antics of the grey squirrels, who were after the bird food.

2009-03-02T22:17:00.005Z

Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Cheeky Squirrel stealing the bird food
Woodpecker on a fat ball left in the forest. I do wish people would not use these nets as I have heard that the birds can get caught in them.

Some More Photos from Marwell Zoo

2009-02-26T15:30:00.005Z

I have posted a few more photos from our Zoo trip. Marwell is not a big Zoo, but many of its animals are threatened with extinction in the wild. They have several successful breeding programmes and part of the entrance fee includes a donation to a conservation project .This year it is for the Cheetahs.
In the Encounter Village you walk through small enclosures where the animals are very close. It was lovely to see the little Joey peeping out of his Mother's pouch and to be able to get so close to the Tamarins.

More Photos From Marwell

2009-02-26T14:56:00.005Z

Golden Lion Tamarin
Meerkat
Ring Tailed Coati
Sulawesi crested Macaques
Rhino

A Visit to the Zoo

2009-02-25T15:58:00.004Z

I know Zoos are a controversial topic,and I have mixed feelings. I love to see the wild animals but accept that Zoos are not always able to provide the right environments for them.Sadly many animals are so threatened in their native lands that Zoos play an important role in breeding and conservation.
Yesterday we went to Marwell Zoo for the day. it was dull and overcast and at times the conditions were not the best for photography but we enjoyed the outing Todays Photos are of the Big cats we saw.

Marwell Zoo

2009-02-25T15:29:00.005Z

Amur leopard
Amur tiger
Cheetah
Snow leopard
Amur Leopard

Signs of Spring

2009-02-22T17:01:00.003Z

Finally signs of Spring are appearing. After walking the dogs this morning we had a coffee with Jean and admired the flowers in her beautiful garden. jean has a wonderful collection of Hellebores. Sadly the sun was not shining but I hope to go back when it is. Her crocuses and snowdrops are also giving a wonderful display.

2009-02-22T15:49:00.004Z

Snowdrops
crocuses
Hellebores
Hellebores
Hellebores

Finally a Woodpecker!

2009-02-19T21:31:00.002Z

I have been waiting for ages to get a decent shot of a greater Spotted woodpecker. We were given a tip off that the campsite at Denny Wood was a good place to look. Today was our fourth visit and finally we got him, In fact there were a pair. The really annoying thing was that on our last visit we were busy watching some birds a little way in the woods when another birdwatcher asked us if we had got the Woodpecker that was sitting on the gate where a few minutes before we had been taking pictures of tits and nuthatches. Now I want one of him just a little closer!

2009-02-19T21:21:00.002Z

A Trip To Eyeworth Pond.

2009-02-13T20:58:00.003Z

Today we took a trip to Eyeworth Pond. The sun decided to shine on us and we spent a couple of hours taking photos. One of the resident ponies likes to try and get the bird food and he can be a bit of a nuisance. Here he is having a laugh as he tries to drive us away from the food. We counted 14 Male Mandarins on the pond , but only 5 females. However the females are less easy to see at a distance so there may be more. it was very pleasant to enjoy the sun whilst watching the birds,.

2009-02-13T20:46:00.004Z

female mandarin Duck
Male mandarins
Nuthatch
Bluetit
Forest pony with his eye on the bird food.

Bird watching at Denny Wood

2009-02-10T22:37:00.006Z

Today karen and I decided to find a new location to feed and watch the birds. We drove to Denny Wood campsite and soon found a suitable location. There were plenty of birds around and we soon had some visitors to our nuts and seed. I really like this photo of a chaffinch against the sky. We had the usual tits and finches and it was good to actually get two nuthatches in the same photo. Although we didn't see a greater Spotted Woodpecker today we know they are around and we hope we will see one on our next visit. After the cold of last week and yesterdays rain we sat in warm sunshine today. Spring may be on its way!

2009-02-10T21:47:00.005Z

Robin
A pair of Nuthatches
marsh tit
Coal tit
Bluetit

A Snowy Saturday Walk

2009-02-07T22:08:00.004Z

As we drove up to the Forest this morning the world gradually turned white again. We went to Cadmans Pond . before we started walking I put some seed out for the birds they are really hungry and they flew down and started eating before I had finished spreading it along the log. Then we set off on our walk. The dogs had great fun . At one point a few fallow does ran across the path but they were too quick for me to get a photo. We did see their tracks several times as we walked through the crunchy snow. When we got back to the pond we watched the sun slowly melting the ice and the ducks seemed pleased to have some water to swim on. The birds had eaten all the seed and nuts so before we left I put some more down. I also finally got some pony photos. They had been hiding on our previous visits but they had come out from under the trees to warm up in the sun.

2009-02-07T21:47:00.003Z

Yes We had some Snow!

2009-02-05T15:00:00.003Z

On Monday Morning we awoke to a beautiful white world. Lots of snow! The dogs had a wonderful time and we slithered along the roads admiring the snowy landscapes. Today the Snow has gone from the garden but there is still plenty in the Forest and a chance of yet more to come.
Raffles really enjoyed it and he still looks very healthy despite his dodgy blood work and the bladderstones. We are hoping that the special diet will soon start to work and dissolve them

2009-02-05T14:26:00.004Z

Hungry Robin
track to the carpark at cadmans Pond
The pond is frozen
The lonely Scots Pine at Bratley View.
bridge at Kings hat

More Bird Watching

2009-01-29T22:27:00.004Z

Its been rather dull of late but this week I had a couple of bird watching trips. At Blashford we saw some redpolls and long tailed tits along with great and Bluetits. There were also plenty of siskins , green finches and chaffinches. We went up to the North hide but the Bittern was hiding in the reeds although he had apparently been about earlier.
Today I slipped down to Eyeworth Pond and saw the mandarins. I put a little food out and we had all the tits and nuthatches galore. A couple of chaffinches put in an appearance but there don't seem to be many about and those I saw had badly crusted legs.

2009-01-29T22:09:00.004Z

Marsh tit
Nuthatch
Blue tit
Longtailed tit
mandarin Duck

The Waxwings Came to Town

2009-01-23T22:34:00.002Z

I woke up this morning to pouring rain and did not think I would be taking photos. I walked the dogs and the weather was a little brighter. I looked on the Two Owls website and saw some Waxwings were about 20 miles away and decided to go see if I could find them. They are winter migrants and not that common. I picked Karen up and we drove down the motorway . We arrived at the location and couldn't see any sign of them , although we met several others looking for them. We walked around the housing estate they were supposed to be frequenting for about 90 minutes . Most of the other seekers had given up and gone elsewhere and we decided our luck was out. As we walked back to the car , the one other remaining watcher saw us and said look up in the tree. But for him we would have missed them. At the time we counted 17 but looking at the photos we think there were at least 20. The photos are not the best , they had chosen the tallest tree in the vicinity to perch. But we were happy, I had never seen them before. After about 10 minutes they flew off and although we went back to the berries we had seen we did not see them again.

2009-01-23T22:22:00.004Z

Alittle Bird and deer watching

2009-01-22T22:48:00.003Z

Karen and I finally felt well enough to go for a drive in the forest. We spent a while watching the birds at Eyeworth Pond . There were several mandarin ducks around but they are not coming close. We think this is because of the dogs that were playing in the water.. There are so many ponds and streams in the forest without birds it seems a shame that people allow there dogs in those ponds where the birds are. When we started to feel the cold we jumped back in the car and drove up to bolderwood to see if we could find some deer. We were lucky and I particularly like this little fallow doe who stood and watched us. she decided we were not a threat and went back to grazing with the others.

2009-01-22T22:27:00.004Z

two faalow Bucks smiling for the camera

Bluetit

Coaltit
Nuthatches like nuts!
and so do marsh tits

Its been a while

2009-01-16T22:34:00.003Z

since I last posted. I have had the flu that has been sweeping across England and have really been under the weather. I had a new lense for Christmas a Nikon 70-300mm and i really haven't had a chance to use it. Today I slipped down to Eyeworth pond for a little while but the light was not good. Every morning the long tailed tits are coming to the feeders in the gardens . I do like these little birds, they are so pretty but it is so hard to get a photo of them.

A few Bird Shots

2009-01-16T22:26:00.004Z

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T13:44:00.003Z

Raffles

2008-11-12T20:54:00.004Z

Raffles has not been very well recently and has had to have some tests. At one point he had a very low platelet count.....but xrays have shown that he has bladder stones and with the right diet he is doing well. We think hs immune system caused him to attack his own platelets and hopefully we have now got this under control.

Sika Deer at Arne

2008-10-28T20:45:00.000Z

A few pictures of the Sika Deer during the rut at Arne.
At first the sun shone but then we had a very heavy down pour. Fortunately we were in a hide at the time and so we stayed dried and eventually the sun came out again.

Stourhead

2008-10-21T19:24:00.003+01:00

John has a few days holiday so we took a trip to Stourhead (national trust property) Some beautiful autumn colours in the sunshine. Of course just after we arrived it poured with rain! However the sun did reappear for a while and we were able to walk around the lake.

2008-10-21T19:02:00.004+01:00

Protests in the Forest

2008-10-04T20:56:00.006+01:00

At the end of August the National Park Authority published their Draft documents for the future of the New Forest. 300 pages of gobbledegook! They propose sweeping changes to the way people use the Forest. Horse owners face many restrictions on how they keep their animals , dog walkers will be barred from parts of the Forest.They talk about Road Pricing and the closure of more car parks,also closing many minor roads to car users, the list is endless. If the proposals go ahead much of the forest will be a no go area and people will no longer be able to use it. Their argument is that the Forest must be preserved. For 1000 years the Forest has survived and people have enjoyed it If these proposals go ahead, very few will continue to enjoy it .
Today about 1000 people joined a protest organised by the Horse riders, where both our elected Members of Parliament pledge their support and called for the abolition of the Authority. Next week the Dog walkers are arranging an all day meeting to help people fill in the complicated objection forms.
Other protests will follow as we fight for our rights to enjoy the Forest

2008-10-04T20:38:00.004+01:00

Marsh Gentians

2008-09-27T22:00:00.004+01:00

On our walk today we found some Marsh Gentians. These beautiful little flowers are not very common and it is several yeas since I have seen any.It was worth getting soggy knees to get the photos