Ashlett Creek is a tidal inlet on the New Forest side of Southampton Water near Fawley. The creek is only accessible at high tide. There has been a mill on the site dating back to medieval times. The mill is a Grade II listed building that was built in 1816 and milled corn until it closed around 1910. Ashlett mill was a tidal mill – a mill driven by tidal rise and fall. The tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one-way gate, and this gate closes automatically when the tide begins to fall. When the tide is low enough, the stored water can be released to turn the mill wheel. Flat bottomed sailing barges were used to load and unload grain, salt and other supplies. A Victorian Quay was built in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.
The Mill.
Mill pond.
The Jolly Sailor, a 160-year-old pub is an old smuggler’s inn near the mill.
Ring-necked Parakeets became established in the wild in the UK in the 1970s after captive birds escaped or were released. Mainly found in the south-east and in London there are large flocks. This pair I spotted today in a Southampton park.
A regular wader spotted on the coast and local river estuaries are Redshanks.
A rarer spot is the Greenshank. The Greenshank breeds on the boggy moors and ancient peatlands of Scotland. Outside the breeding season, it can be spotted elsewhere in the UK as it passes through on migration. As few as 700 to1000 birds can be found in the winter. The south coast is a good place to see them.
A lone Greenshank on the River Hamble near Hamble Common.
A return to the New Forest. We Parked up again at Eyeworth Pond – watching the pond with a cup of tea until the rain stopped before heading into the forest to the North-East following the track from the old Gunpowder Mills this road was built to allow the explosives to be transported away from the factory safely avoiding the small village of Fritham.
A little way along the track you pass a fenced spring. Known as “The Iron Wells” shown on maps dating back to the late-18th century. Marked on today’s Ordnance Survey maps as “Irons Well (Chalybeate)”. The water is impregnated with iron salts and is the colour of rust.
The waters are said to have curative properties particularly helpful for sore eyes, gout and other ailments, including leprosy. The spring was also known as Lepers’ Well, it is rumoured a house of rest for those suffering from leprosy was close to the well. Looking at the spring I decided not to take the waters on this visit!
No deer to see on our walk today.
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Back at the pond lots of birds as always – but the Mandarin ducks steal the show with their bright colours there seemed to be 5 males and 3 females present again. – lots of photographs at the end of this post.
Male Blackbird.
Song Thrush.
Pied Wagtail.
A first for me today was a Brambling. Not the best picture of this female bird but given I have never seen one before I am happy with this attempt.
A Male House Sparrow.
On the way home, we spotted lots of Snow Drops an early sign of spring.
Teal are small dabbling ducks. There are about 2100 breeding pairs found in the UK but the wintering numbers increase to 210,000 birds many of these are continental birds from around the Baltic and Siberia.
A circular walk today in the New Forest starting and ending at Eyeworth pond.
History.
The pond was created by the Schultze Gunpowder Company as a reservoir to hold the water needed during the manufacturing process – it is estimated it held 6 million gallons of water. Work started on the factory in 1860. By the late 1890s the Company employed upwards of 100 people and there were some 60 buildings. The factory continued in operation under new ownership until 1921. The manufacturing of explosives deep in the forest away from the local population reduced the risk to the public. Today the reservoir remains although the factory has gone, it remains as a feature and wildlife habitat. Little other evidence of the factory survives, although the superintendent’s and gatekeeper’s houses remain and are private residences.
Birds. on the pond.
2 female Goosanders were on the far side of the pond ( I have seen males here as well in the past but not today). Goosanders are diving duck, they have long, serrated bills, used for catching fish. They 1st bred in the UK in 1871. ( These ducks are known as Common Merganser in the USA).
Mandarin ducks have for many years been a regular bird on Eyeworth pond. They always draw a crowd, they were introduced to the UK from China in the 20th century and have become established following escapes from captive collections. In the UK there are now said to be about 2,300 pairs and according to Wikipedia the population in China is only 1000 pairs.
Moorhen.
Woodland Birds. around the pond.
A woodland favourite is the Blue Tit.
Marsh Tit.
Great Tit.
Robin.
Dunnock
Dunnocks are also known as the ‘hedge sparrow’, although they are not actually a sparrow. They’re actually the only UK member of a bird family called the accentors. The dunnock is also commonly mistaken for a female house sparrow. Dunnock is derived from the Old English word for ‘little brown’. This is because they do look drab from a distance but close up they are quite pretty with a mottled blue-grey breast and face.
Deer.
Fallow deer are the most commonly seen deer in the New Forest currently numbers are maintained at about 1,300 Following the Norman Conquest of Britan ,the New Forest was proclaimed a royal forest, in about 1079, by William the Conqueror. Fallow deer were brought into the forest for the hunt. Forest Law, reserving the pursuit of beasts within it exclusively for the king and his officers.
A return visit to Stoney Cross airfield to try and take some pictures of the remaining parts of the aerodrome. Parts of the aircraft dispersal hardstandings were not removed when the runways were broken up and are now used as a campsite as we are in the winter months it was a good time to take pictures without holidaymakers on site. Below is a view from above shoving the remaining structures.
From ground level, it is hard to believe what was parked up on these concrete bases back in WW2 – Bombers and fighters of the RAF and USAF and thoughts are for those who failed to return following actions in the skies above Europe.
Flocks of Redwings were feeding on the site of the old runways.
(Part 2 Birdwatching). More from a walk today from Warsash up the river Hamble to Bursledon. Today’s birdwatching observations on a rather dark and gloomy day
Brent Goose. These small geese are a similar size to a mallard. They have a black head and neck and greyish back, with either a pale or dark belly, depending on the race, most of the birds I see. local to me have a dark belly. I always find them difficult to get a decent photograph of them due to their dark colour on the mud, their eyes seem to disappear! I was quite pleased with these 2 shots despite the dull conditions.
A Meadow Pipit.
Little Egret. This bird was fishing alongside the footpath.
A Curlew;
Redshank.
Many of the birds were a long way off on the mud, a large flock of Dunlin a couple of Shelduck and some gulls.
