Author: Andy Finnegan

A lost village.

/ Andy Finnegan / 4 Comments

Today, being the last day of 2025, we decided to have a day out and headed to the village of Imber on Salisbury Plain. About an hour and a half’s drive from home, but well worth the trip.

All the residents of the village of Imber were evicted from their homes during ww2 in 1943 with just 47 days’ notice. The village and land formed part of the training grounds for American troops. Land was first purchased for military training on Salisbury Plain in late 1890s. Within 5 years, the total area in the hands of the War Department had risen to 43,000 acres. Permanent barracks were started at Tidworth in 1905. After the First World War, the War Department resumed buying land on Salisbury Plain. The Larkhill Royal School of Artillery was built in 1920. The village of Imber and its surrounding terrain were acquired between 1928 and 1932. The villagers became tenants of the War Department. After the evictions at the end of the war, it was never returned and remains, to this day, a training ground for urban warfare within the larger military training area of the Plain.

Today, the village is open for visits on a few days a year.

A walk around the village’s old homes and more modern killing houses.

The church of St Giles occupies the site of an earlier building dating from the mid-12th century. The nave was rebuilt towards the end of the 13th century, and around 1400,the addition of the north and south aisles, plus the tower and north porch. At this time, the nave roof was reconstructed. The chancel was rebuilt in 1849, at which time the north-east vestry was built.

Winter.

/ Andy Finnegan / 9 Comments

Sunday morning walk up the Hamble River. With the arrival of the Brent Geese and large numbers of Wigeon, we can conclude winter has arrived. The Dunlin have lost their black chests and now sport their winter plumage.

BRENT GEESE.

WIGEON.

DUNLIN.

REDSHANK.

TURNSTONE.

CURLEW.

LITTLE GREBE.

Happy Badgers.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

Still photos taken from trail camera footage.

Some more Badger trail camera footage from The New Forest. This demonstrates good interaction between up to three animals. They seem to be playing; if the rolling around was in anger, I am sure that with their strong jaws and claws, there would be injuries. Our trail cameras are often knocked over, you can see how!

Badgers are the UK’s largest land predator and are one of the most well-known British species. They are famed for their black and white stripes and sturdy bodies, using their strong front paws to dig for food and to perfect their burrows, called ‘setts’.

Length: 75-100cm
Tail: 15cm
Weight: 8-12kg
Average lifespan: 5-8 years

Badgers are protected in the UK under the Protection of Badgers Act, 1992, and the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.

A different Starling.

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“Leucism in birds is a genetic mutation that results in a total or partial reduction of colour in a bird’s plumage. This intriguing phenomenon occurs because pigments are deposited only in the feathers of birds, leading to a striking appearance that can vary widely among species. The affected feathers may appear white, pale, or mottled, depending on the extent of the gene’s influence. Interestingly, while the feathers show this alteration, other parts of the bird’s body, including the beak, legs, and skin, maintain their normal colouration.”

I spotted this white Starling while out for a walk on Calshot Spit

A long flight.

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As winter approaches, the number of Sanderlings increase on Meon Shore. This is because the small number of resident birds increased with migratory birds from their breeding grounds in the Arctic Circle arriving.

This ringed bird

This ringed bird has been on the beach for a few weeks. Ringed as an adult bird on a nest in NE Greenland on nesting grounds in summer 2025. I am always amazed at how a bird weighing just 60 grams makes this journey each year, then returns to their breeding grounds in the spring.