A Patch of New Forest Heathland

  As a wise old birdwatcher once told me: 'the only good thing about February is that it’s 10% shorter than January’. This month's New Forest birding exploits lived up to these limited expectations, with species counts in the low 40s falling well short of our (rather surprising) record of 51 from 2022. No new species were added to the patch list this month, with the year total creeping up to 63 which is 3 short of our figure at the end of February 2024. As usual, all checklists and bar charts can be found on our eBird Hotspot , and there is a map of our patch route here for new readers. On a more positive note, the recent weather has been considerably less wet than at this time in 2024, and although the puddles reappeared in the last week of the month, the lower water levels ensured that all areas remained accessible. After the wildfowl ‘bonanza’ of December and January, Setley Pond yielded just the usual Mallards , Grey Heron and Cormorant ; a couple of Little Egret over...

  Finding the motivation to get out birding on an inland patch can be a challenge during the damp, dark days of January. Our plans to kick off 2025 with a New Year’s Day ‘bonanza’ were certainly scuppered by a dawn to dusk deluge, which returned the heath to its familiar winter sludge, after a relatively dry December. When we did manage to get out, our first circuit of the year was rewarded by a sighting of one of our most overdue target species, when two drake Eurasian Teal circled overhead at Setley Pond. Although plentiful during winter on the nearby coast, this was a new record for our patch, bringing the total count to 119, and a great start to the year list, which is marginally lower than in January 2024 at 58 species. As usual, all of this month’s checklists can be found at our eBird ‘hotspot’ , along with bar charts and other statistics. A map of the patch and usual route can be found here  for readers who are new to this site. A male Hen Harrier over Widden Bottom ...

  When all things are considered, 2024 was a good year for birding on our New Forest Patch. Despite a few disappointing omissions, our species list reached 102 by the end of December, equaling our previous record from 2022 and comfortably exceeding the 97 seen in 2023. Six new patch ‘lifers’ have brought the total count to 118 – as always, all lists are recorded on our eBird ‘hotspot’ , which now includes 4 full years of data; a map of the patch route is available here , for those who are unfamiliar with the area. Setley pond – usually a source of more hope than expectation – managed to exceed our wildest dreams in 2024, producing three of our six ‘lifers’: a group of three Cattle Egrets overhead in June, a single drake Wigeon in November and a pair of male Shoveler in December. A Moorhen lingered for most of the summer and was joined, briefly by a Coot in April. Mallards produced two broods of ducklings and Canada Geese were a regular presence during the Spring. Greylag a...

  When the weather permits, Autumn can be an amazing time to explore the New Forest. The turning leaves, rutting deer and brightly coloured fungi provide an array of sights and sounds during our weekly morning walks and are often accompanied by some unusual bird sightings. This year, a spell of mild, dry weather provided good birding opportunities and some reward for our perseverance through the damp Spring and Summer. Our species count continued to rise throughout the season, with new records in both October and November; as usual, all lists are recorded on our eBird ‘hotspot’ which can be found by clicking on this link . There are also hyperlinks to photographs of the birds listed on this blog where their name appears in the text; for those readers who are unfamiliar with some of the locations mentioned, a map of the site and route can be found here. Devil's Fingers and Crimson Waxcap are common fungal findings on Setley Plain in the autumn The highlight of the passage migratio...

Although it wasn’t the ‘scorcher’ which some readers may have hoped for, summer 2024 delivered enough bright spells for some memorable patch birding moments. Overall, bird species numbers have remained higher than in 2023, with a few additions to the list bringing the year’s total to 97, compared to 90 at the end of last August. Our highest count of 60 species on 22 nd June equaled our previous record for that month. As always, full lists and bar charts can be found on eBird via this  link . A map of the patch with a description of our route and some background on the concept of 'patch birding' are included in the first blog on this site. The appearance of three Cattle Egrets  over the heath close to Setley Pond on 16 th June, provided the birding highlight of the summer and a new bird for the patch list. Although Little Egrets are regular visitors, their stocky, yellow-billed cousins had previously eluded us, despite now being a well-established breeding bird in Hampshir...

  Whilst I hate to sound like a broken record, it is hard to talk about the last 3 months without mentioning the rain….which has been relentless. The overall weather pattern was similar to 2023 - mild, wet conditions persisting throughout the months of March and April, eventually easing off in mid-May -  but any respite so far in 2024 has tended to be brief, and the continuing surface water levels across the heath and at Setley pond, suggest that this year was considerably wetter. On the birding front, things have been a bit brighter. When conditions have permitted, our daily counts have often been higher than previous years, with our highest of 59 bringing a new March record. The total species number is also ahead of where we were last year with 90 species recorded by the end of May, compared to 81 in 2023. A Barn Owl , which called over the heath during a late night attempt to see the Aurora Borealis was a new bird for the patch, taking the list up to 113. As always, full ...