17/09/2022-Ashley Walk in the New Forest and bits at home
There is a change in the air, it’s still quite warm when the sun shines but a wind and moments of shade make that less certain and cool it down noticeably. The angle of the sun also reminds me of autumnal days whilst still feeling quite summery especially shining down onto vast green in the landscape. I noticed this yesterday whilst out, toddy from home and on our walk at Ashley Walk this afternoon. On this week off we have as I hoped used New Forest walks to glue together all the big day trips into a pleasing week similar to last year’s September time off, somewhat a chance to reacquaint for me as like most years I have visited the forest less over the spring and summer months whilst pursuing seeing as many butterfly and seasonal bird species as possible primarily, taking in many locations outside of the forest and requiring repeat visits to some. The theme that has run through all our New Forest walks this week for me on fine days has been the sense of tranquility in the walks which I have found so precious.
Today it was great to explore the sun kissed woodland, rolling and hilly landscape carpeted in fairly purple heather with the greens of oak, birch, gorse with some bits of yellow flowering, bracken and more keeping the landscape painted nicely green with some nice red berries including holly and some rose hips seen well too. Apple trees laden with fruit looked stunning in the sunlight. I took the first two and seventh pictures in this photoset of views here today as well as the third of a notable oak tree and eighth showing some holly. The bare stream a reminder of the summer we have had. There were pretty scenes of clouds today too. Hawksbeard I believe was a nice flower to see here today too.
In the brilliant sunshine on a week of mammalian magnificence for me I very much enjoyed seeing Fallow Deers moving through and surveying the vast landscape, with some epic views of New Forest ponies too adding to a pleasing list of mammals I’ve photographed this week. I took the fourth picture in this photoset of some ponies. Delicate Speckled Woods drifting through the air and settling on the still quite warmed gravel of the path which I took the fifth picture in this photoset of, a lovely Small Heath in a strong habitat for it and a stunning Granulated Ground beetle which I took the sixth picture in this photoset of proceeding across the path were insect highlights here today I was chuffed to see the beetle a beautiful one to see and another smashing beetle species to learn this year.
It was a nice walk of seeing birds with stars of this week off swirling Swallows and a stunning Spotted Flycatcher at yet another site for me this year and not one I’d seen this species at before. Sharp chirping Meadow Pipit and Stonechats were other key birds to see on the walk. It was also nice to see Robins, Blackbird, a Blue Tit illuminated by the sun on some gorse in great bright scenes they are a well coloured birds for that cheery primary colour crayon almost larger than life look, a lovely Long-tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Woodpigeon and a couple of Kestrels. It was nice to see a Buzzard being mobbed near home on the way out and Ravens in the New Forest on the way home. I enjoyed seeing Collared Dove and Goldfinch feeding on the balcony tonight the photo I took of the former like I had with one I took of the latter on Thursday I was quite pleased with the emerald background created by sunlit trees across the road behind.
With pink as shown in the ninth picture in this photoset I took today and red geraniums, dahlia and black-eyed Susan near to each other as the tenth and final picture in this photoset shows, hebe and sedum enjoyed in the garden today and a purple flower with a hoverfly looking beautiful on it in the evening sun. I also liked taking in the fresh green of the grass and green of the trees out the front tonight recreating a photo looking towards Lakeside over the summer that I remembered for the brown grass with the grass now fresh and green. There was a nice bit of red at sunset to end a gorgeous evening.
