New Forest Wildlife Blog - November 2009

Badgers, birds, deer and other wildlife

15th November
Return to the New Forest after a couple of weeks in north-east England, and what a return!

Led a Hampshire Ornithological Society walk in the area around Telegraph Hill, Eyeworth Wood, Eyeworth Pond, Islands Thorns Inclosure, Hampton Ridge, Coopers Hill and Black Gutter Bottom on a bright, calm day - a nice change after recent gale force winds and torrential rain, and an unlikely stroke of luck for a HOS walk.

A merlin perches obligingly on a broken gorse stem right on the edge of the car park - a rare treat indeed. A beautiful, strongly marked bird illuminated in the sunshine. After posing for a good 10 minutes, it eventually flies off, presumably to hunt, but quickly returns to an adjacent gorse stem and poses some more as a butterfly, presumably a late, red admiral, flits by.

Fieldfares are present in huge numbers throughout the day - I can't remember seeing so many here in previous years - and good, though smaller, numbers of redwings are present, too. They're all attracted by a really strong crop of holly berries that make the trees glow crimson in the sunshine - there will be no shortage of Christmas decorations this year.

Four sparrowhawks soar together over Studley Wood, enjoying life on the thermals. There's certainly an element of display and/or aggression as two crash earthwards together, talons seemingly tangled, before belatedly pulling out of their fall to soar again over the trees.

Meanwhile, a very pale buzzard, a bird that has been present in the area since at least early summer, sits nearby, high in a beech tree, appearing almost white against the bronze, autumnal foliage. A fieldfare in the same beech warily eyes the buzzard, but wisely, keeps a discrete distance away.

A raven flies silently past, ignoring the show-off sparrowhawks and the buzzard. Shaggy throat feathers and large outline are instantly diagnostic.

Eyeworth Pond. No mandarin ducks are present at all, which is unusual, but two sparrowhawks soar above the trees - maybe they are two of the four seen earlier, or perhaps they are separate birds.
A peregrine goes by, just above tree-top height. It seems to slow down when just overhead, as if to provide better views. Superb!

Particularly large numbers of winter thrushes are present around Coopers Hill, gorging on the holly berries. Their feast is disturbed, however, by another passing peregrine. The thrushes scatter in panic; the peregrine gets amongst them, fast and low, but fails to make a catch. It soars high above the trees before disappearing back in the direction of Eyeworth Pond, so maybe it's the same bird seen earlier.
The thrushes quickly return to the hollies, drawn back instantly to feed, but themselves a ready source of food for both merlin and peregrine.

A snipe is inadvertently flushed; whilst a Dartford warbler and a pair of stonechats are watched at length, these latter species, as is often the case, seemingly enjoying each others company.

A male hen harrier at Black Gutter Bottom rests on the ground or perches on a low, gorse stem. It later repeatedly flaps about just above the ground, drops down to ground, then lifts up again, maybe trying to capture an awkward prey item. Another bird is nearby, a second harrier, also down on the ground - dark plumage and size suggest a juvenile, although at distance it's really difficult to be sure.

Two kestrels hunt close to Black Gutter Bottom, the sixth raptor species seen during this walk - the New Forest can often seem reluctant to reveal its autumn and winter birds, but certainly not today!

Wild flowers in small numbers brighten the November day: cross-leaved heath blooms are still present, and heath milkwort plants are also in flower - the latter seem more sturdy that their spring-time counterparts.

16th November
Denny Inclosure, 16.15-17.25, an evening walk after a wet and windy day, 12 degrees.
Tawnys, understandably, are subdued by the weather.
The highlight - a woodcock flies along one of the woodland rides in silent, but almost roding-like, flight at 3/4 tree top height.
A quite strong aroma of stinkhorn, Phallus impudicus, drifts on the evening air. Didn't notice it here on the way out this evening, but seem to remember reading somewhere that the smell is stronger after dark as the fungus attempts to attract night flying insects in to feed.

21st November
A breezy day, but at least it's not raining.
Sparrowhawk soars over Red Shoot Wood, and a raven calls noisily from high in a Scots pine on the edge of Great Linford Inclosure. The highlight, though, is saved for the journey home: around 50 bramblings, maybe more, feed under beech trees by the roadside at Wooson's Hill. My first this autumn, and a sure sign that winter is nearly here.

22nd November
Denny Inclosure, 16.30-17.15; very cold wind, lots of cloud, but some clear sky; 8.5 degrees, but it seems far colder.

As I park by the roadside, four fieldfares fly by, heading downwind in the direction of Matley Wood, followed by eight pied wagtails and a single redwing, all going to roost.

A fallow doe and this year's youngster go across the path, the first fallow deer seen since the end of the rut - they all seemed to have gone to ground after October's exertions. These two are relatively unconcerned by my presence: the doe stops to feed, whilst the youngster simply stares back in my direction.

Small groups of redwings are disturbed from holly tree roosts as I pass below. They flutter out, largely silently, to find shelter elsewhere. Two more fallow deer feed nearby.

25th November
Mixed cloud and clear, blustery, cold, and showery again.

Martin Bennett, local ornithologist and wildlife photographer, has recently discovered an enormous redwing roost close to Broomy Inclosure/Holly Hatch in the west of the New Forest. It is estimated by John Clark, Hampshire County Recorder, to certainly hold in excess of 40,000 birds, and maybe as many as 100,000 birds. (The largest previous Hampshire redwing roost count is apparently 2,000 birds).

I go along today with Martin and two of his friends to help with preparatory work that will establish the best vantage points for counters during a full, coordinated count.

( En-route, a female hen harrier is watched hunting over the heathland beside Slufters Inclosure, and as I count the redwings, two ravens fly by, quite high, going from east to west over Broomy Inclosure).

15.10 - good numbers of redwings and fieldfares are already present near the roost site, feeding on holly berries in Amberslade Bottom.

16.00 Take up my counting position on the gravel track leading to the High Corner Inn, looking east towards Broomy Plain. Martin and friends look west towards Linwood. From 16.10, when the birds start to fly through, until 16.45 when movement finishes, I count a modest 1,276 redwings and 96 fieldfares; whilst Martin counts 8,600 redwings with many more known to have gone through uncounted. Impressive stuff!

(The coordinated count took place in appalling weather on the 28th November. 10,885 redwings were recorded, and many more no doubt missed).

27th November
Beaulieu Heath, 14.25-17.15, mixed cloud and clear, intermittent rain, calm, cold and very wet underfoot, 7 degrees.

As I arrive, a great spotted woodpecker calls from the pines around the Hawkhill Inclosure car park.
Flocks of up to 20 fieldfares are on the heath, feeding on the ground. They lift up whenever disturbed, but quickly settle down again, a distance away. They're certainly striking birds, large and boldly marked in grey, chestnut-brown, black and white.

Linnets are present in small numbers amongst a 25-strong, loose flock of finches - primarily greenfinches; and 2 large, fresh parasol mushrooms adorn one of the old airfield runways - a feast going to waste.

Two buzzards perch quite close together on broken birch trees, reluctant to move as they stare earthwards, waiting for their own feasts to come within striking distance. They occasionally call out - loud, far-carrying mews - maintaining contact with each other.

A snipe flies up from the wet ground, calling agitatedly; and at dusk, a number of lapwings fly in to roost or feed on the grasslands. It's too dark to estimate the numbers, but I only see 6-8.