It was nice to see two Great White Egrets at Tichfield Haven on Thursday. Although they were on the far side of the reserve I was able to get some pictures, they are large birds about the same size as a Grey Heron.
UK breeding:8-12 pairs
UK wintering:72 birds
Murray’s passage in the New Forest is a safe crossing across a boggy valley of Backley Plain – It is named after Admiral Murray who, in 1901, was killed whilst out hunting on 17th September 1901. The construction of the passage was paid for by monies donated to his memory. It is commemorated on a nearby engraved stone.
Roe Deer and Beekeeping on Backley Plain.
Small Copper Butterfly.
The “hovercraft” is a word and an invention that Christopher Cockerell patented in 1954 after working for Marconi, where he helped with work on early radar. Aware of the Normandy landings on D-Day he thought about how to get troops ashore and up a beach he came up with the “hovercraft”. By 1955, he had a working prototype and pursued a patent for his creation, he obtained a patent in 1956.
In that year, he demonstrated his prototype craft, which used air blown out of the bottom of the craft under pressure, to British authorities and showed that it was possible to enable such a vehicle to glide easily over water and land, even mud and marshes.
Saunders-Roe here on the Solent on The Isle of Wight built the SR-N1 which was launched on June 11, 1959, and later that year crossed the English Channel from Dover, England to Calais, France. Although only used for one public service from Portsmouth and Isle of Wight now in the UK they are a regular sight on The Solent.
A visit to our local Hovercraft Museum last year in my post below.
Sir Christopher Cockerell lived from the 1960 in village of Hythe on Southampton Water. I met him in 1980’s . A Blue Plaque to commemorate Sir Christopher Cockerell and the Grove building, the home of hovercraft development way put up in Hythe in 2022.
Hovercraft filmed on the Solent yesterday.
#WordlessWednesday
Leucistic birds have affected plumage which lacks the melanin pigment due to the cells responsible for melanin production being absent. This results in white feathers, unless the normal plumage colour also comprises carotenoids, these remain unaffected by the condition.
Below is a Grey Wagtail I photographed and posted earlier in the year.
Today in the New Forest we spotted A Grey Wagtail with a Leucistic head cap.
With the recent hot spell, Dragonflies have been abundant during the week.
Picture heavy post of some of the best – all spotted in Hampshire.
The UK’s largest snake, and harmless the grass snake, is found of wetland habitats, but can also be found in dry grasslands. During the summer, grass snakes can be spotted basking in the sun. Often seen near ponds or swimming in the water looking for one of their favourite meals “frogs”!
Grass snakes are greenish in colour, with a yellow and black collar, pale belly, and dark markings down the sides. The females are bigger than males.
Today we were lucky enough to see this fine grass snake enjoying the sun at Titchfield Haven.
#Wordless Wednesday
As part of the UKs defences against the French work on the construction of Fort Gilkicker commenced in 1863 and took eight years to complete. The finished fort provides a semi-circular firing arc from 22 gun placements, over the eastern end of Stokes Bay at Gosport.
Today we walked out to Fort Gilkicker. The redevelopment of the site is underway. The current planning permission is for Gilkicker to be restored and converted into 22 townhouses in the gun casemates plus four flats in the former barracks. Estimates of the cost of doing this are between £15 and £20 million. The site was bought for £1,386,000. Given the sums of money to restore/save this Historical Fort such a project could only be undertaken by a commercial redevelopment. Within the plans I understand one of the outer buildings will be made into a cafe with historical displays about the fort.
below some older posts on Fort Gilkcker.
The original gun firing positions were blocked before World War One up and the outer walls were further strengthened with substantial earthwork embankments with the redevelopment this is being removed and the original casements are be revealed.
Above 2020 below 2023
Continued Reflections from my World. 