Heath Fragrant orchid 2017

A locally scarce orchid which we found along the roadside.  Graham took this photo and identified it.

When we went back later we could not find it.  The guys from Old Lodge had mown the verges, and this with it.  We did find the stump after a bit of searching.

They mowed it again a week later.

The HRH the Prince must have been in residence?

We must look for it again next year.

Martin

One of the ponies has a lump

One of the koniks ponies has a lump on the left side.  it moves around and must be just a surface effect.  It does not appear to cause the pony any discomfort or distress.  It does cause discomfort to observers.

Various experts have advised to do nothing at the moment.

The pony often looks bloated, and people ask if it is pregnant.  But so do the other ponies.  It is no pregnant afaik.

The lookers keep an eye on it, for any changes.

here are two early photos of the lumps.

martin

Guess where this is .... martin

John, Keith, Mike p, ?,?, Bernard

I think that this is near the high beeches, when we were burning brash from the contractor felling trees in owl wood on the edge of the track down to stoney pond.

Interesting smoke effect, blurring John.

Volunteers playing with streams

Thanks to David p for these

Martin

Bernard and Martin

Bernard, and Martin behind

John

Jonathan, Steve, Pat, Mike m, and Ray

Jonathan, Steve, Pat and Mike m

Mike p and Graham

Neil and Keith

Mike p, Alan, and Bernard

Neil, Ray and the rest

Mike m, Keith, Ray, Neil

fake news .... martin

this photo provided by a volunteer of a chorus of robins is presented here as an interesting piece of fake news.

I guess there could be a number of culprits amongst the volunteers, but let us just say that he or she has an excellent education in the skills needed.

The shades of grey are a give away.

martin

The party’s over its time to call it a day, they burst your pretty balloon and………..

Keith with balloon, and Martin behind in OL1 on a bird count.  Ian to thank for capture of this title and scene.

and Bernard for "Isn't that Piglet with his present for Eeyore"

and Mike m for "Is that Keith’s secret Woodcock lure?"


love it

Martin

nightjar count on 21st June 2017

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Notes

Description:- Neil, Mike m, Ian and Martin - no moon and really dark once sun had gone down - one woodcock roding and about 4 or 5 nightjar territories. Very difficult to count. - good hearing conditions and the churring, clapping and other noises were impressive - saw one bird quite clearly - one very scratchy tawny owl, possibly a young one - second half was perhaps too dark and did not hear any - ponies present and correct. Their coats look super - spoke to guy in first cottage, who wondered what was happening. - did not hear anything from bird that Ian flushed a month ago. - a number of bats out Martin

Bird Count on 35th (?) February 2018

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Notes


Description:- mike m, David p and Martin - started with light rain, but then improved - level of bird activity seemed to drop gradually during the day -rather few birds altogether, following the week of hard weather and snow. About 135 including 5 peacocks, and about 34 species. -plenty of species missing that should have been present. For instance no lt tit, redwing, fieldfare, nuthatch, stonechats. - red kite flying high over the reserve was the star - raven seeing off a buzzard, was helped by 3 other ravens. - a woodcock which was a first for David - looked the ponies - no Dartford. Hope they are ok. - everything very wet, there must have been a lot of rain overnight Martin

The previous weeks storms meant we could not actually do a count in February, and so this was the closest we could achieve.

Bird Count on 22nd January 2018

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Notes

Description:- Keith, Ian, mike m and Martin - nice weather in comparison to recent days. Not cold, minimal wind, some sun and blue sky - looked the ponies - 5 woodcock was highlight - lots of species missing, and total was only 33 - crows and larks did well with sightings over stables. - a nice sparrow hawk that decided to land in a tree above or lunch - a woodlark singing in the sunshine was exciting. - everything very wet - found the tree marked as unstable - very quiet in the afternoon - reed buntings seemed to be active with lots of calling Martin

Bird Count on 21st December 2017

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Notes

Description:- mike, Keith and Martin - a bit foggy, but warm and little wind - we found remains of a woodcock, eaten by a fox. Counted it as a record. - nothing of particular interest, though there was a Finch like bird whose call we did not recognise. Not brambling nor hawfinch. - starlings were moving around - fieldfare and redwing on the paddocks - no stonechats - 33 species with about 230 individuals - lots of herring gulls - unfortunately no Dartford, though they have been regularly seen recently. - the berm, paddy fields and schmond all looked good Martin

Bird Count on 22nd November 2017

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Notes

Description:- Keith, Ian, mike m and Martin - really too windy for a bird count, but nice and sunny and reasonably warm - Dartford, sparrow hawk and woodcock were probably main stars. - large flock of jackdaws put up the numbers as did flock of wood pigeons. - 30 species was ok, but many birds missing - low numbers of the winter visitors. No fieldfares, no bramblings, only a few redwings - quite a lot of long tailed tits - ravens did a wonderful fly past near the end of the day Martin

Bird Count on 26th October 2017

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Notes

Description:- Ian, mike and Martin - muddy, then ok, then drizzly. Wet terrain. Not the best weather for a bird count - marsh tits calling and visible. Maybe they had a good breeding season - redwing and fieldfare have arrived but not in big numbers - a possible chiffchaff, not recorded, about only summer visitor left. - a Dartford warbler heard but not seen was nice - woodlark is quite late to be around - looked the ponies and cattle. Kevin was around at the end, and had a good chat to him. - highlight was a cormorant who was probably a little confused on the must and trying to get back to Pippingford Martin

Bird Count on September 2017

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Notes

Description:.. Ian, Keith and Martin .. two peregrines were a minor attraction of the day. Spotted from south heath having a go at a kestrel, or maybe vice versa. .. a very nice view of a good plumage Dartford warbler near the bench was probably the best view of the day. Two others were heard. First record on a bird count day for several years. .. but bird of the day was a lone grasshopper warbler, near the high beeches. Not declared until books referenced. Seen in flight four times, very briefly before hiding at the bottom of grass and heather. Difficult to flush. There are stories of these from the past, but this is first I have seen on ol. .. nice day, warm and no wind. A little wet under foot. .. lots of fungi, a few butterflies and dragon flies .. big movements of house Martin's, with one swallow noted .. 42 species, which is not bad given a number of missing species .. missel thrushes are starting to congregate, and there were good numbers .. meadow pipits and skylarks were moving .. plenty of stonechats .. possible blackcap and reed bunting not counted .. nice flock of lesser redpoll, being first possible winter visitors .. counted the ponies and cattle Martin

Bird Count on 24th August 2017

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Notes

Description:- three spotted flycatchers were highlight - marsh tit at cricket pitch - quite busy to start with lots of birds active, but then much quieter. One exception was a hive of activity in the big Willow scrub in the stream near the bridge, where there was amazing activity for no apparent reason in the afternoon. Must have been some good food source - a grey wagtail flyover was the first sighting for a bit. Dispersal from other sites on the forest probably. - 34 species and 230 birds was a little disappointing - very nice views of the cattle and ponies, which we also counted. Martin

Bird Count on 27th July 2017

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Notes

Description:- Keith, Mike m and Martin - not a nice day. Cold, windy and damp. Regular patches of rain. - birds very quiet, with just over 30 species and a total of a hundred and fifty birds is poor. Lots of birds just keeping their heads down - buzzard probably nesting other side of foresters cottage, worth young bird calling to parent - lots of species missing, eg goldcrest, Linnet, dunnock, woodlark, whitethroat, siskins. - saw a Jay after we stopped counting - a nightjar was put up near Reynard's way, and good views were had as it flew across to the swamp. It was a male. - lots of strange calls from young birds, particularly what we think were young chiffchaff trying to get the hang of singing - more luck with other things. A small red damsel fly, slow worms, lizards, dodder, St John's wort - looked the cattle and ponies - nice blackcap male near tool store - kestrel on the Pippingford boundary - surprising number of herring gulls Martin

Bird Count on 29th June 2017

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Notes

Description:- Ian, Keith and Martin - no wood warbler - lots of tree creepers and coal tits - one huge flock of mostly blue tits - spotted flycatcher in a new place - swifts and starlings are often seen at this time, basically wandering around. - 42 species in total. Nice number. - One family of redstarts doing the rattle, which I have never heard before. All the others hiding, probably moulting. - seemed to be a lot of song thrushes singing - plenty of ringlets, hardly any dragonflies after recent rain - no birds of prey, but a distant Raven - a single yellow hammer singing - the dodder is in flower Martin

Bird Count on 25th May 2017

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Notes

Description:- Martin, Bob and Ian - wood warbler was highlight, closely followed by turtle dove - very hot but with occasional cooling wind - lots of redstarts, Chiffchaff's, Willow warblers, tree pipits - some stonechat families on view - 2 ravens seen. Must have left nest by now. - buzzards and a sparrow hawk were nice, with one buzzard in a tree in ol1 - plenty of things missing. Crossbills, Lt tits, nuthatches, jackdaws, sea gulls, siskins - half a dozen great spot nest sites with young screaming for food - looked the 5 koniks ponies - bb and 4 spot chasers, large red, acute damsel flies. One small slightly blue bodied damselfly not identified. Emporer df. Small Heath, peacock, speckled wood, brimstone, holy blue. - lizard Martin

Bird Count on 28th April 2017

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Notes

the routes refer to the three parts of the bird count

Martin was suffering from sciatica, and did not walk round the reserve, but did some wandering around gently.

the records for the walk were done by hand, and did not record time or position, and only a total for the route.

these have been added with a sample position for an average time and place on the individual routes.

note that a zero count means no observation in this special sheet.

- Keith, Mike m and Martin - Martin laid low with sciatica, and just observed around the shed - over-flying Lapwing was highlight
- barn owl probable, and we know it has been leaving feathers around - numbers will be down because of observer change - whitethroats have arrived - plenty of willow warblers - cuckoo moving all over the place. One female heard. - couple of buzzards - plenty of species missing, including crossbills Martin

Bird Count on 29th March 2017

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Notes

Description:- Keith, Martin and Mike m - weather worse than forecast with surprising amount of drizzle. Not ideal - bramblings in a couple of places was nice - plenty of things missing, for example we did not record any ravens, though there was a possible sighting - Canada geese were being particularly noisy, and we did record them, probably flying around. - plenty of pheasants, including females - tits seem to be all paired up, with lt tit seen in many places - no winter thrushes, but good numbers of blackbirds and song thrushes - chiffchaff all over the place - a pair of crossbills seen a number of times - a party of 5 bullfinches was rather odd at this time of year - tree creeper singing, if I am to be believed :-) - woodlarks and skylarks doing a lot of singing Martin

Bird Count on 29th (?) Feb 2017

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Notes

Description:- Martin and Mike m - chilly, some wind and showers later - March 1, but unofficially Feb 29th - 40 Species, which is not too bad - crossbills, woodcock, linnets and bramblings were nice sightings. - herring gulls as normal, but a group of 15 odd low down behind the stud farm, was new. They obviously has found some source of food there. - peacock seen quite near the boundary, but won't count until in the reserve - lots of calling from the ravens on ol2, but not obvious where the nest is - treecreeper singing, was first sighting for a bit. Nuthatch missing this time. - big flock of redwing, Martin

Bird Count on 30th Jan 2017

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Notes

Description:- Keith, Mike m and Martin - very foggy, not good for bird watching - 35 odd species, with many missing - spectacular views of a pair of crossbills, male on top of tree, watching female gathering nesting material. This was a small 12ft tree just by the path near Jilly's house. We could not have been closer, and we were there for ages. - lots of dunnocks, maybe they felt safer in the fog - woodcock - stock dove near the beeches as normal - lots of fieldfares and redwing on the ol1 fields - more than normal number of blackbirds along the top - plenty of woodlarks Martin

Bird Count on 16th December 2016

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Notes

- cannot find my original notes
- good numbers of species and birds
- lots of Redwing and Goldcrests, presumably recently arrived
- Reed Buntings at 20 were very good at 20
- Lesser Redpolls ditto with 51
- still the odd stonechats around.

martin

Bird Count on 24th November 2016

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Notes

Description:- Keith, Ian and Martin - highlight was a great grey shrike seen behind the cottages. Unfortunately seen into the sun, but Keith got some photos - very windy and hence all numbers are down. Lots of normal species missing - over half a dozen brambling seen or heard, particularly near the shed, thought partly this is because some over eager bird watcher had put out some grain to attract them. One good male with black head. - a few crossbills were also nice and a flyover by a heron - there seemed to be lots of Goldcrest's around. Is this winter visitors arriving? - found the ponies at frog marsh pond - lots of pigeons, though no big flocks - 3 ravens having fun near where the ggs was, playing in the wind as it came over the ridge with the main road Martin

Bird Count on 21st October 2016

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Notes

Description:- Keith, Mike m and Martin - mostly cloudy, wind later on, cool - winter migrants in plenty. Redpolls, redwings, fieldfares, meadow pipits, skylarks - still the odd summer visitor around. Chiffchaffs, stonechat, woodlark - plenty of long tailed tits, but rather fewer of other species of tits. One marsh tit. - good views of three ravens - 4 stags and a couple of rutting sites - first brambling of the year at the tool store - looked the ponies - lots of species missing, including birds of prey, nuthatch, owls, except the barn owl feather found last Tuesday, woodcock, linnet, greenfinch. - saw a couple of large dragon flies, s hawkers ? Martin

Bird Count on 30th September 2016

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Notes

Description:- just Mike m and myself - weather was OK, but with the odd shower - migrations active, particularly swallows, house Martins, meadow pipits, and probably the large numbers of chiffchaff calling - a very odd looking buzzard was seem at the end of the day. but probably just a common buzzard. dark, purposeful flight, long wings, slightly kinked at the elbow. but pale patch on chest is probably diagnostic. - lots of Robins, song thrushes and blackbirds. - plenty of Stonechats in family groups - just over the forty species mark - five crossbills near power lines at the north Martin

Bird Count on 26th August 2016

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Notes


- hot day, with lots of sun and little wind - lots of Robins everywhere - two marsh tits were nice sighting - sparrow hawk had a go at a green woodpecker, but ultimately failed - still plenty of redstarts around, but not very visible - ravens appeared to be back and very vocal - saw an female adder under tin 4 - GPS gadget out of juice for the last stretch from the roller stand - swallows starting to pass through on migration - plenty of species missing - Keith, Martin and Mike - stony pond looks low - no woodlark or crossbills although we have seen them around recently - Heather in fill bloom - no dodder visible Martin

Bird count on 29th July 2016

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Notes

Description:- Keith and Martin. mike m on granddaughter duty, but came to do looking of ponies with Valery. - weather OK, with spot of rain and some wind. some sun later on. - day of the green woodpecker, which seemed to be all over the place. jolly difficult to count without the risk double counting. presumably lots of successful broods - herring gulls over for much of the day - a spectacularly red linnet and a very black stonechat were the highlights - no woodlarks which is odd since we have having nice sized family parties recently - masses of gatekeepers and meadow browns, but not much else in the butterfly line. one painted lady - a couple of slow worms under the tins - starlings enjoying the insects attracted to the horse dung, and a solitary wagtail - plenty of stonechat, chiffchaff and willow warblers. the odd redstart and tree pipit. - very few tits, with exception of coal tits - probably many birds hiding, the post breeding moult - brown hawkers and golden ringed dragon fly - ponds looking lower, including stoney pond unfortunately. - solitary crossbill added to a fairly complete list of finches - quite a number of tree creepers. we probably under countered these martin

Bird Count on 24th June 2016

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Notes

- Keith, Mike m and Martin - heron was first for quite a long time. presumably dispersion after breeding at weir wood - three spotted flycatchers were more than expected - pair of marsh tits that looked like a family party in ol1 was particularly nice - lots of slow worms under tins - saw a number of tree pipits in the woods feeding their young presumably - 2 kestrels, one looking like a young male. he was rather inept at choosing landing places in the tops of small pines - start of the mistle thrush congregation - lots of wood larks - good weather, with sun and a little wind at the end. very wet underfoot Martin