New Forest

Back to the Forest.

/ 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).

Stock image of a Goat Moth.

Photo Editing 2026?

/ Andy Finnegan / 7 Comments

Has it gone too far? In the “old days,” you could tweak your pictures in the darkroom. Then came digital, and I used Photoshop to edit my pictures – crop and adjust exposure, etc.

Today, on a long walk in the New Forest, we spooked a Fallow Deer doe with her fawn. They hopped out of the dense Bracken stop and had a good look at us before heading back into the undergrowth.

I took a series of pictures, but the deer were obscured in the foreground by the undergrowth.

Now with A1-supported photo editing, you can go further. I ran one of my pictures through a trial editing package.

I asked it to sharpen, de-noise, and remove the foliage from one of my pictures. This is the result, but I have to ask: is this acceptable, or is it a step too far in wildlife photography?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies

Wood Ants.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

The southern wood ant is the UK’s largest ant species, with workers reaching up to 10mm in length and queens growing even larger at 12mm. These ants are easily identifiable by their distinctive reddish-brown colour and a contrasting black head and abdomen.

Wood ants are known for their formidable large mandibles, which they use effectively for foraging and defence of their nests. When threatened, they have a unique defence mechanism that involves spraying formic acid at potential predators. This acid not only acts as a deterrent but also serves to communicate alarm signals to other members of their colony.

They live in large colonies, which can number in the thousands, and exhibit complex social interactions that help maintain the health and functionality of their community.

Another watering hole.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

A late afternoon walk in the New Forest yesterday to see if the Marsh Frogs come out more later in the day. They were basking in the sun, catching flies, sitting on the mud and letting flies land on them until they got a shot at grabbing one!

A short video of frogs, including the motion slowed down at the end.

Being a water source on the heath with the current weather, the frog pond is an attraction for both cattle and ponies to drink from. Our session with the frogs was interrupted for 1/2 an hour.

They also fancied a nibble on my hat!