4th July - Martin Down, Hampshire - Part One

Today was going to be a butterfly day at Martin Down, but as I travelled west and through the New Forest it was overcast, but quite muggy.  I met Ian in the car park at the bottom of Sillen Lane and as I got out of the car I could hear the unmistakeable call of a male Quail coming from the field on the other side of the hedge that lines the path.  No matter how much you try, getting to see this diminutive game bird is almost impossible, so you go on the 'wet my lips' call.

And so it was we left the car park and headed towards the Bokerly Dyke along our familiar path.  Despite the overcast conditions there were butterflies about, mostly Gatekeepers on the wing, but also a few Marbled White roosting in amongst the grass.  This male a little wet from the dew.

The one butterfly we were here to see was the Dark-green Fritillary, as we approached the ditch we disturbed two in the grass.  These, too, were also a little quiet but the grass stems did get in the way.

A stunning fast flying butterfly and we expect to see many more later as the day warms up.

We set off along the familiar path alongside the dyke.  Looking out across the grassland to the fields beyond, the pastel colours of the fields standing out against the dark green hedgerows.

A bit of a surprise though as we walked was this blue butterfly.  At first we thought it was just a Common Blue, but closer examination it turned out to be a Chlkhill Blue.

Then the first of what were a count of unprecedented numbers of Small Coppers. 

Despite the overcast conditions Martin Down was looking a picture with a myriad of wild flowers amongst the grass.

Ian then found this just emerged Five-spot Burnet, the wings not fully pumped up yet.

Meadow Browns were flying along the dyke and this Ringlet that had weaved through the grass to settle on this hazel bush.

The Marbled White, whilst many were on the wing, several were resting amongst the grasses.

A newly emerged Brown Argus on a grass stem.

Yellowhammer were singing around the reserve, as were the Corn Buntings.  This bird singing from the top of a hawthorn bush.  Corn Bunting are late breeders whic is one of the reasons they have become rarer over the last few years, hear though they cam prosper around the grassland of the reserve.

It was till overcast but warm and more and more butterflies were emerging, A small skipper appeared in the grass and it was possible to get quite close and you can clearly see the black blobs at the end of the antennae that make this small skipper an Essex Skipper.

We actually saw this blue butterfly flying and it appeared very pale, fortunately it settled on  a flower and we could see it was another Chalkhill Blue.

This stood out amongst the purple knapweed, an all white specimen.

We reached the next footpath crossroads and there was a large clump of bramble where this Green-veined White showed very well.

We walked on towards the old rifle ranges.  I walked out in to the grass to drop to eye level to photograph this Corn Bunting.

We walked on to the short cropped grass area, primarily to look for the Frog Orchids, but they were not about, probably gone well over by now.  We did come across this Chalkhill Blue that was so much in torpor it allowed me to let it sit on my finger.

In the long grass around the smaller ranges there were plenty of Dark-green Fritillary and while some were stopping the majority just wheeled there way though the grass stems.

These were the flight shots in amongst the grass.

Plus also this male Marbled White on a Knapweed.

It was still overcast and we had even experienced some drizzle as we walked the dyke.  We now had another decision to make, do we walk back the way we had come, or do we walk around the reserve?  To be continued.....

23rd May - Martin Down, Hampshire - The Birds

So we were here on one of the hottest days of the year.  Walking up to the dyke there wasn't any Turtle Dove singing which was a shame, they have been seen here this spring, but clearly not today.

At the top of the dyke while looking at the Greater Butterfly Orchids a male Yellowhammer sat in one of the hawthorn bushes.  Amazingly the first of the year for me.

It moved to another bush which had the perfect background and then sang, even better.

Whitethroat were singing on the far side of the dyke, sitting high on the bushes.  Their scratching song being heard everywhere.

The drabber female Yellowhammer.

Walking along the side of the dyke we flushed a pair of Grey Partridge which was another year tick, they flew low across the grass and dropped out of sight.

Almost matching the number of Whitethroat were the Stonechat.  Several could be seen feeding juvenile birds.

A walk alongside the wood at the crossroads had Spotted Flycatcher singing and giving brief view, but never enough to warrant a photograph.

The other farmland bird that has avoided me so far this year is the Corn Bunting. As I photographed the Marsh Fritillary I heard the distinctive jangling song behind me and one sat nicely in a bush nearby

A Lesser Whitethroat singing around the ranges avoided us, but as we sat having lunch I picked up the message that a Common Rosefinch had been seen and heard singing at the end of Sillen Lane.  We didn't rush, finished our lunch then made our way across the grassland to the spot.  

A Skylark showed close to the path singing from an ant hill.

As we arrived we could see two more birders and when we reached them they pointed where it was seen and the fact that it was singing.

Standing on the footpath I could hear it singing, a distinctive song, brief that sounded like "nice to meet you".  It was a case of focusing on the song and trying to catch a glimpse in a Field Maple tree.  Eventually it moved and I was able to pick it out through the leaves. 

It moved out of the Field Maple and sat out in the open. A second calendar male it lacks the pinkish red plumage that gives it the name.  It is in fact a rather boring looking bird, greyish brown with a lighter wing bar and streaking on the breast similar to that of the Spotted Flycatcher.

So here it is a lifer for me and only the 4th record for Hampshire, al the others being identified on just song and brief glimpses, so I was chuffed to be able to get the chance to photograph this one even if it looked a little drab.

The Common Rosefinch is about the size of a chaffinch, with a short, stocky beak and black eyes. Adult males have a bright scarlet head, breast and rump. However, most sightings again like this one are of young birds in autumn, which are much plainer. They have an olive-brown back with two obvious buffy-white bars on each wing.

It then disappeared for a while having flown across the path to the bushes on the other side.  But shortly after the song was heard once more a little further along the path.  It then showed very well moving through some leafless branches and coming out into the open.

The Common Rosefinch is generally an autumn visitor to the UK, with most records in September and October. These like this one, are often young birds, with a fairly plain brown plumage. They are just passing through on their southward migration. Occasionally, the brightly coloured males are found singing in spring. There have even been sporadic records of nesting pairs, mainly in Scotland.

Common rosefinches usually breed in a wide range from Scandinavia and eastern Europe east to Kamchatka in Russia, though there are also scattered populations in central Europe. In autumn, they migrate to India, Southeast Asia and southwest China for the winter.

Finally it came to the top of the branches and sang.  The head is thrown backwards like a Yellowhammer or Corn Bunting with the bill wide open.

It sat at the top of the branch nicely for the small few present to photograph it.

It dropped once again and then showed lower down with a nice green background.

We had seen the reports of a White-winged Tern at Titchfield in the morning and were slightly put out at missing that.  But catching up with the Rosefinch, that was a lifer full stop more than made up for it