A Patch of New Forest Heathland

  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 ...

  For the past 4 years, at the end of April, Mark and I have undertaken a day of ‘low carbon’ birding, during which we try to see as many species as possible in our local area, while remaining on-foot. I say ‘low’ rather than ‘zero’-carbon as the day does require a ten minute car journey to the coast, where we start with a sea watch, before walking home to Sway in the New Forest, returning later to collect the car. As outlined below, the walk takes us through a variety of habitats, passing through the marshes at Keyhaven / Normandy, along the Lymington River, through the mixed deciduous / coniferous Royden Woods and back across the heathland, a distance of around 23 Km (just over 14 miles). Last year’s total of 110 bird species was our highest yet – and was therefore the target to beat.   05.37 – 07.45: Seawatch at Hurst Spit For this year’s walk, on 30 th April 2024 we arrived at Hurst Spit, near Milford-on-Sea shortly before sunrise. The strong South Easterly wind sug...