It is that time of year when the forest floor has a splash of red.
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric, is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Amanita.
Roe Buck.
Red.
New Forest
Mammals.
Large mammals in the New Forest. Fallow Deer and New Forest ponies.
Fallow Deer “Buck”.
New Forest Ponies – Many visitors to the National Park still get very close to the forest ponies; they do not realise they are wild!
It is illegal and a fineable offence to feed a New Forest Pony.
Dartfords.
5 mile circular walk across open heathland this morning
Stonechat.
Dartford Warblers.
When I was a teenager Dartford Warblers were one of those birds that was on my wish list and it seemed the place to see them was the RSPB reserve at Arne in Dorset a few visits there never gave me a sighting of these attractive little birds. Roll forwards 50 years and a regular spot in the New Forest for me.
1st October 2026.
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.
Crossbills.
The Common Crossbill is both a resident species and a partial migrant to Britain & Ireland. They use their distinctive bills to prise open pine cones and extract the seeds. These birds were spotted in the New Forest this morning.
A Quiet Wednesday.
Wordless Wednesday.
More Marsh Frogs.
Some more Marsh Frogs spotted in the New Forest today.
Aftermath.
Today we walked into an area of the New Forest where we regularly walk about a six-mile circular walk. We know the area and its wildlife well. This time, it was heartbreaking to see the fire damage and total destruction to part of the walk.
On the 9th August 2026, a van caught fire on the A31 dual carriageway where it crosses Heathland close to Ringwood in the New Forest. Fueled by prolonged severe heatwave and drought conditions across the UK, the vehicle fire rapidly spread into the surrounding national park. 23 drivers had to abandon their cars as the fire spread. The wildfire damaged more than 100 hectares (247 acres). The fire was declared a major incident, and firefighters fought the blaze, even pumping water across the forest from a lake 5 miles away in special pipes they had to lay. The road was closed for 2 weeks. The emergency response was stood down on 23rd August.
Fire break cut into the heath.
Back to the Forest.
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.
No one passes!
New Forest.
