European Hornets.

October 8, 2026 / Andy Finnegan / 1 Comment

On our Monday walk looking for fungi in the New Forest, we came across a hornet’s nest and returned today with tripods to get better pictures of these interesting insects.

Despite their size and loud buzz, European hornets are placid and non-aggressive; they rarely sting unless the nest site is directly threatened. They feed on invertebrates, nectar, sap, and windfall fruit. They will bring back the invertebrates to their nests to feed their larvae.

Workers grow up to 25mm and queens can reach 35mm long, making them significantly larger than common wasps.

It is important not to confuse our native European hornet with the invasive non-native Asian Hornet, which is reportable; their nests are destroyed they are a threat to honey bees.

1st October 2026.

October 2, 2026 / Andy Finnegan / 2 Comments

First of the month, and a walk in the New Forest: fungi are starting to show not sure how the season will be given the dry conditions through the summer only time will tell.

We had 6 Ravens flying over our heads as we were on our walk today. Ravens are our largest corvid; they’re often seen in pairs, but particularly in the winter, young birds can come together to roost in big groups. Ravens are mostly carrion eaters, but they will eat insects and hunt small live prey.

Length: 60–68cm
Wingspan: 120–150cm
Weight: 800–1,500g

Another interesting spot was a Lesser Stag Beetle.

and some Caddisfly eggs.

Just one Raft Spider seen.

More Marsh Frogs.

September 16, 2026 / Andy Finnegan / Leave a comment

Some more Marsh Frogs spotted in the New Forest today.

Wheatear.

September 9, 2026 / Andy Finnegan / 2 Comments

A UK robin-sized chat, the wheatear is a summer visitor, arriving here in early March and leaving in September for its African wintering grounds. There were several of these good-looking birds on Hurst Spit today. They are mainly ground-dwelling birds. It hops or runs on the ground looking for food.

Parakeets.

September 4, 2026September 4, 2026 / Andy Finnegan / 4 Comments

Ring-necked Parakeets in Southampton Park, enjoying Beech nuts at breakfast time this morning.

Little Egret.

September 3, 2026 / Andy Finnegan / Leave a comment

Photo blog.

Cattle Egrets.

August 28, 2026 / Andy Finnegan / 1 Comment

Cattle Egret numbers in the UK are rising. These small white herons are mostly found in southern England and Wales. They often spend time close to livestock like sheep and cows and grab the insects and worms their hooves disturb. While watching Highland Cows in Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve, true to their name, 4 of these birds flew in to feed.

Back to the Forest.

August 27, 2026 / Andy Finnegan / 1 Comment

Back into the New Forest after a 10-day gap due to the large wildfire, which closed the A31, the main road crossing the forest. Although other parts were accessible, we chose to stay away, as many of the smaller roads were gridlocked with diverted traffic.

Today’s walk.

about 4 miles through some fairly boggy ground. Some of which would be impassable if we had not had a drought.

Marsh frogs.

Spotted flycatcher.

A first for me today, a Goat Moth caterpillar.

)As an adult, the moth cannot feed. The caterpillars live inside the trunks of a variety of broad-leaved trees, feeding on the wood. They overwinter three or four times as larvae and a final time as pupae. The caterpillar can grow to 10 cm (about 4 inches), and the moth has a wingspan of up to 9.5cm (about 3 1/2 inches).