nature spots

New Forest Hike.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

On another walk this morning, orchids were abundant in the Heathland.

I believe these are Common Spotted Orchids.

The Meadow Pipit is a small, brown, and streaky bird; they look very much like a small song thrush.

Liverworts are small flowerless plants with leaf-like lobes called a thallus. There were large numbers growing along the stream we walked along.

Common Frog and tadpoles

Male Reed Bunting.

The main highlight of the walk was a family of Redstart.

1st pictures are the male bird, followed by the female, then finally the juvenile.

Stonechat.

/ Andy Finnegan / 1 Comment

A Female Stonechat in the New Forest this morning. Looking at the photographs, you can see how well these birds blend into their environment. A cuckoo can be heard calling in the background of my YouTube post.

Distant Cuckoo.

Sad find.

/ Andy Finnegan / 8 Comments

A dead 3-foot shark on the beach – A Smooth Hound, also known as Grumpy Shark and a Smut. Listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Sadly, fishing killed this fish. It was held in the water by 4 lead weights and 30 feet of broken fishing line.

Fishing line is a major hazard on our local beaches, especially to waders and Swans.

Parenthood.

/ Andy Finnegan / 2 Comments

Avocet families at Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve. Parent birds chase off anything that gets too close to their chicks, including other Avocets. Yet, the chicks wander far from mum and dad. This makes them fairly easy targets for predators like large gulls and Marsh Harriers.

Fox.

/ Andy Finnegan / 2 Comments

Our fox is equally at home within our woodland and farmland, or city streets. At the top of the countryside food chain, they consume a variety of animals. Their diet includes everything from birds and beetles to rabbits and rats. In the city, they scavenge around human activity waste bins and abandoned fast food is a favourite.