FIELD MEETINGS  2009

·         Visitors are very welcome on all meetings.  A donation of £2 per non-member would be appreciated.

·         Junior members are always welcome but MUST be accompanied by an adult.

·         If any of the leaders is unable to be present, every effort will be made to find a substitute.

·         Dogs are not permitted.

Winter bird rambles

In exceptionally severe or dangerous weather conditions, please assume that the meeting is cancelled. 

Tidal information

The times and heights of high water (as at Portsmouth) are given for coastal bird meetings

FORTHCOMING EVENTS  (and see below for brief reports of past meetings)    

JULY 2010
Saturday 31^st                                       10.30 a.m.   Grid ref:  TQ031162
AMBERLEY WILD BROOKS (RSPB AND SUSSEX WILDLIFE TRUST)
Leader:  a RSPB Warden
A morning walk to see the fauna and flora of the Wild Brooks.  The grassland is dissected by ditches fed from nearby springs.  They support a rich variety of wetland plants and insects.  When flooded in winter, the Brooks are home to hundreds of ducks and waders.  The Wild Brooks are managed jointly by the Sussex Wildlife Trust and RSPB. Park at Greatham Bridge, on Coldwaltham side.

 SEPTEMBER 2010

Friday 3^rd                                                        7.15 p.m.     Grid Ref: SU858417
BAT EVENING, FRENSHAM LITTLE POND (NATIONAL TRUST)
Leader:  Martyn Phillis
A short talk and then a walk around Frensham Little Pond to see several species of bat including Daubenton’s bats flying over the pond.  Children accompanied by an adult are particularly welcome.
Meet at National Trust car park.    Bring a torch and bat detector, if possible. Warm clothing and stout footwear advisable.

OCTOBER 2010

Sunday 10^th                                                                   2.00 p.m       Grid Ref: SU931408
FUNGUS FORAY ON WITLEY COMMON (NATIONAL TRUST)
Leader:  Sara Shepley
Witley Common is renowned for its many species of fungi, including some interesting rarities.  Children accompanied by an adult are welcome.
Meet in main car park off Webb Road, Witley.

Saturday 23^rd                                          10.30 a.m.         Grid Ref. SU852219
HEATHLAND MANAGEMENT AT IPING
Leader:  Bruce Middleton (South Downs Conservation  Joint Committee)
A morning walk to learn about the management of the Common and its role in preserving habitats for certain birds, butterflies, reptiles and insects as well as plants such as the common sundew and cross-leaved heath.   In the past, heathland was preserved through grazing of cattle and collection of firewood and bracken.  It now has to be done through various forms of management.
Meet at main Iping car park.

NOVEMBER 2010

Saturday 27^th                                          10.00 a.m.         Grid Ref. SU792035
WINTER BIRDS AT COBNOR POINT, CHICHESTER HARBOUR
Leaders:  Chris Rhodes and Ann Fitchett
Perimeter walk around the peninsular, along the sea wall and shingle beach.  This area attracts a wide variety of geese, ducks and waders.
From Chichester take A259 signed Fishbourne and Bosham.  Just past Beefeater pub take Chidham Lane on left.  After 1.2 miles park at Cobnor Farm Amenity car park.  Carry lunch.  Warm clothes and Wellingtons advisable.                                                    H.T. 1446   4.4 m

DECEMBER 2010

Saturday 4th                                           10.30 a.m.         Grid Ref. SU906311
VALEWOOD PARK (PART PRIVATE, PART NATIONAL TRUST)
Leader: Iain Brown
The Park lies on the north-west side of Black Down and the morning walk will pass through open meadows and parkland, with small fields, trackways and banks.  After James Henry Mangles had bought Valewood Park in 1859 he recorded his conversations with his neighbour, Tennyson, who was then living at Aldworth on Black Down.  However,  Mangles’ primary reason for moving to Valewood was his passion for cultivating Himalayan rhododendrons.
From A286 at grid ref. 894318 take minor road (Bell Vale Lane) for appx. 1 mile.  Park at large metal barn on left.  Can be muddy:  Wellingtons and stout stick advisable. 

PAST EVENTS - 2010

JULY 2010
Saturday 17^th                                               
THE CHANTRIES (GUILDFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL)
Leader:  Bob Kirby
A small but gruesome sight: ten members witnessed the sad end of a recently-hatched holly blue butterfly as it was captured on a flower by a small white crab spider.   This was first seen by a member photographing the butterfly when it first alighted. 
The underlying geology of sands, clay and chalk gives rise to a diversity of soils and habitats.  These were pointed out by Bob,one of our members, who had previously researched the area for its flora and fauna.  Interesting plants included hare's-foot clover, orpine, and lady's-mantle;  of the many insects seen were nine butterfly species, several species of hover-flies (mimicking either a bee or wasp) and  - a
welcome sight-  a good number of six-spot ladybirds. 
Members were amazed at the rich variety of wildlife and Bob's wide knowledge was much appreciated.
 
Saturday 3^rd                                         10.30 a.m.  Grid Ref:  SU977347
BUTTERFLIES AT BOTANY BAY, DUNSFOLD (FORESTRY COMMISSION)
Leader:  Margaret Hibbard
Members described the walk as “amazing”, “awesome”.  20 of us met for a walk through Forestry Commission woodland to look for butterflies.  The weather was hot and sunny and countless butterflies flew up and down the ride.  At the start, Margaret displayed a large chart and indicated the species likely to be seen.  Ringlets, silver-washed fritillaries, several white admirals, large and small skippers, comma, meadow brown and speckled wood flitted along the track.  There was excitement at the appearance of a wood white, a delicate little butterfly, and a passing naturalist pointed out several wood white eggs on black medick.  This area is the stronghold of wood whites in south-east England.
A very varied flora each side of the track was obviously appealing to this wide selection of butterflies.  A few birds were heard fleetingly.  The tally of butterflies concluded with small white, red admiral and, after much searching of the canopy with binoculars where they nectar and the ground where they forage for salts, a purple emperor was spotted on the track.  It stayed long enough to be photographed with wings open, and then closed, its pale yellow proboscis searching for salts.  It was a perfect end to a very rewarding walk.

JUNE 2010
Saturday 19^th                                        10.00 a.m.          Grid. Ref. SU737321                  
ORCHIDS AND OTHER PLANTS OF THE CHALK AT NOAR HILL, SELBORNE (HAMPSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST RESERVE
Leader:  Pamela Lee (Volunteer Warden)
“Orchids galore!”   On a mostly sunny, slightly blustery day, fourteen members met at  Noar Hill to be shown the carpets of pink, white, blue and yellow flowers of this chalk downland reserve by Volunteer Warden, Pamela Lee (and it was pleasure to welcome six new members).  Beside the paths which circumnavigate and cross the quarried pits there were quantities of spent cowslips.  Carpets of common spotted, fragrant and pyramidal orchids were interspersed with patches of birdsfoot trefoil, blue, white and mauve milkwort, thyme and the occasional twayblade.  In a little patch of woodland everyone was thrilled to see white helleborine.  On the short turf further up the hill were little yellow-green musk orchids and a few frog orchids.  Uncommon plants of the day included the parasitic knapweed broomrape, very young plants of adderstongue, just one specimen of the deep mauve-blue clustered bellflower and a few lemon-yellow dragon’s teeth.  The last orchid to be found was a fly orchid (and a pure yellow variety of it).  It was rather too breezy for butterflies but several species were recorded.  Birdsong tended to be brief: the pièce de résistance was sight of a red kite being mobbed by a crow.  Noar Hill is an idyllic place and we were grateful to Pamela for so expertly pointing out its treasures.

MAY 2010

Saturday 15^th                                                           
FIELD CRICKETS AT LORD’S PIECE, BARLAVINGTON                                   
Leader:  Mike Edwards
Arriving at Lords's Piece in sunny conditions, members were soon
rewarded with the unusual sound of chirping male field crickets, a
species confined to only a few sites in Britain. Mike Edwards, who has
made a study of these insects, described the years of management which
now have produced an ideal habitat. The harsh winter did not affect
them as they remained safe inside their burrows.  Their life cycle was
explained and photographs were taken of an adult male and female which
had been lured from their burrows (for which a Handling Licence is
necessary). There is an ongoing programme of translocation to
introduce them to other heath localities, mainly in Sussex.

Wednesday 5^th                
NIGHTINGALES AT EBERNOE COMMON NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE (SUSSEX WILDLIFE TRUST)
Leader:  Bob Kirby
Bob had done much research on the history and resident wildlife on the site resulting in a fascinating walk around these ancient wood pastures with ponds, streams, meadows and woodland.  There was much to be shown: an apparently fused oak and beech, mandarin duck, local Paludina limestone, goldilocks ( a type of buttercup), interesting lichens, liverworts, wild service tree, early-purple orchids among the bluebells and the tiny plant blinks.  During the patient wait to hear nightingales (which eventually sang briefly), blackcap, whitethroat, chaffinch and blackbird sang in the still evening with distant sounds of woodpeckers, Canada geese and cuckoo.  As the temperature dropped few bats were flying, but our bat detectors and recording equipment positively identified both common and soprano pipistrelles, Daubenton’s and a single noctule.

APRIL 2010
Saturday 24^th         
SPRING FLOWERS IN BUMMOOR COPSE, COMPTON
Leader:  Jill Fry
Carpets of wood anemone, primrose, celandine, wood sorrel, and opposite-leaved golden saxifrage greeted us for our walk.  The sun shone through the trees on this glorious array of colour.  Interspersed were patches of common dog violet and the first bluebells.  In the boggy areas were clumps of the golden marsh marigold.  Hazel, alder and poplar were bursting into leaf.  In the open ride to the west of the copse we saw moschatel or town hall clock.  After lunch, Jill decided it was too early for the bluebells at Mitchell Hall Plantation and took us up the North Downs.  Sweet, hairy and white violets were in flower and spindle-tree, whitebeam and wayfaring tree were coming into leaf.  A small tortoiseshell butterfly brought a delightful day to a close.

Saturday 10^th         
FARNHAM HEATH RSPB RESERVE
On a beautiful spring morning, eighteen members were taken around Farnham Heath by one of the RSPB volunteers.
We heard about the latest plans towards converting what was a large wooded area into lowland Heath. This project commenced in 2003/2004, and it is now possible to see the benefits of all the work carried out.  On parts of the heath we saw heathland birds such as the woodlark and tree pipit. We also hoped to see sand lizard, but perhaps it was not quite warm enough for them to venture out. 
Other species noted were, crossbills, kestrel, wren, siskin and goldcrest. Several butterflies, including holly blue, comma, brimstone and and peacock. We also spotted a seven spot ladybird and a buff-tailed bumble-bee. 

MARCH 2010
Saturday 20^th      
BIRDS AT FERRY POOL, SIDLESHAM AND CHURCH NORTON
Leader: Judith Kusel
This area attracts a wide variety of geese, ducks and waders. 
On Ferry Pool and in the adjacent grassland were coot, wigeon, oystercatcher, lapwing, shelduck, redshank, teal, tufted duck, snipe, heron, mute swan, curlew and one sleeping avocet.  Two small birds darted in and out of bramble bushes - possibly the newly arrived chiffchaff, recorded on the sightings board.
Walking along the bank by the salt marsh and mudflats, intriguing bird sounds were heard and a little egret, a reed bunting, a moorhen and groups of dunlin, grey plover, black-tailed godwit and cormorant were seen.  A hide provided a retreat from the showers and a good stopping place for lunch. 
At the edge of the sea several turnstones were busy probing in the shingle.  The return walk was via the churchyard and along the sea wall.  Back at Ferry Pool, feeding with that distinctive scything movement of head and bill, was the lone avocet.

FEBRUARY 2010
Saturday 27^th         
ARUNDEL WILDFOWL & WETLAND CENTRE
Two buzzards were wheeling over the hillside as members arrived.  The captive birds were in their bright spring plumage and beginning to pair up, with some males aggressively defending their territory or mate.
The “Boat Safari” was much enjoyed; the electric boat silently glided through the reed beds where pochard, tufted duck, little grebe and the ubiquitous mallard duck were seen.  Water voles were introduced to the reserve in 2005 and have bred well, but although the calm, sunny conditions were conducive, no adults were sighted.  There was plenty of evidence of their presence:  reed stems cut at an oblique angle and pieces of freshly nibbled green reed in the feeding stations with adjacent latrines.
Arundel’s collection of ducks, geese and swans from around the world includes some  species which are globally threatened, for example, the white-headed duck and the Hawaiian goose or nene which responded well to a breeding programme and was brought back from near extinction.  Among the entertaining sounds and sights were the “ooh-ooh” call of the male Eider ducks and the “punk” hairstyle (black of the males and brown of the females) of the scaly-sided mergansers.

JANUARY 2010
Saturday 30^th          10.30.a.m.            Grid Ref. SU924348
FRILLINGHURST FOREST
Leader:  Jon Taylor
Fifteen members met for the first field meeting of 2010. The walk, led
by member Jon Taylor, started in Frillinghurst Forest where timber
extraction is in progress, continued to an old coppice with a stream, on
to a bracken area where there was evidence of badger excavation work,
past the large pond at Imbhams Farm and then across arable farmland.
Twenty-one species of birds were either seen or heard, notably
bullfinches, siskins and fieldfares all busy feeding. An unusual sight
was caddis larvae, moving slowly along the underside of the ice in a
small woodland pool.

PAST EVENTS - 2009

DECEMBER 2009

Saturday 5^th      
HIGHCOMBE EDGE, HINDHEAD (National Trust)
Leader:  Matt Cusack (local Head Warden)
Twelve members attended the final Field Meeting of the year. Matt described how
the two sides of the Devil's Punch Bowl will be united once the Hindhead
Tunnel Project has been completed. Invasive rhododendron was being
removed and in other areas pines, bracken and young birch had been
reduced to provide suitable habitats for woodlarks, nightjars and
Dartford warblers. Walking through a beech wood there were signs of an
old sawpit, two charcoal hearths and a barn belonging to the former
Highcombe Farm where the "broomsquire" George Mayes had lived. The main
spring that feeds Smallbrook Stream and continues to bubble throughout
the year was also located.

NOVEMBER 2009

Saturday 7^th      
BIRDS AT FARLINGTON MARSHES (Hampshire Wildlife Trust)
Leader:  Mary Clarke
Eleven members met at Hampshire's oldest reserve on a cool, sunny and breezy day. Fifty-two species of birds were seen: brent and Canada geese, full complements of waders - including avocet, snipe, turnstone, ringed-plover and greenshank - ducks - including pintail, red-breasted merganser, and shoveler - and grebes - little, black-necked and great-crested. The highlights were a group of ringed plover at high tide sharing a small island, beautifully lit by the low sun, with a restless flock of dunlin and, at the end of the day, the explosive call of an unseen Cetti's warbler.   

OCTOBER 2009

Saturday 31st       
FOSSILS, SNAILS & CREEPY CRAWLIES AT BURITON CHALK PIT (East Hampshire County Council)
Leader:  Dr June Chatfield
Buriton Chalk Pit provides an excellent habitat for snails and slugs.  For October the weather was warm and so the snails had not yet gone into hibernation.  In the deep leaf litter, under logs and fallen branches snails with such names as land winkle, orchard, waxy glass, dusky, door and chrysalis were found and on a tree trunk was a white-lip snail.
By lunchtime Dr. June Chatfield’s expert knowledge meant that 21 species of snails and slugs had been located and identified.  It was exciting to find first several empty shells and then a living specimen of the rare cheese snail, only found in this area and on the South Downs. Click here for a full list of the species found.
Other “finds” were:  small tree slugs, fungi (including the white porcelain fungus with its slimy surface), an earth star, unusual mosses, ferns, a liverwort on a beech tree, a tiny millipede and several slime moulds with their fruiting bodies.

Sunday 11^th         
FUNGUS FORAY ON MARLEY COMMON (National Trust)
Leader:  Sara Shepley
Despite drizzle, which later turned into rain, 15 members joined Sara Shepley for a fungus foray on Marley Common. Fungi have been much harder to find this year than has been the case in mid-October in previous years, but we nonetheless found 30 varieties and the weather was completely forgotten in our enthusiasm for the search and our interest in Sarah's lively descriptions of the varieties. It was a privilege to be led by someone with such encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject. Click here for a full list of the species found.

SEPTEMBER 2009

Saturday 12^th      
BIRDS AT TITCHFIELD HAVEN NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE (Hampshire County Council)
Leader:  Bob Kirby
The sky was clear blue, it was hot, and the tide was out for the beginning of this walk. 
The group followed the River Walk through the rustling reeds to the Knights Bank Hide where a flock of goldfinches was seen alighting on the thistle seedheads.  The light was good for viewing birds on and near the water.  The group retraced their steps to the Suffern Hide from which two dabchick could be seen intermittently, many Canada geese and one smaller near-relative – a cackling goose, black-tailed godwits, one barnacle goose, a kingfisher which sat just long enough for a good view and a probable escapee, a Cape Barren goose.  Lunch was taken overlooking the sea and birds feeding in advance of the incoming tide.  From the viewing point near the entrance to the Scrapes, excitement centred on two water rails weaving in and out of the reeds. At Meon Shore Hide the resident whistling duck was feeding at the water’s edge and a small group of Barnacle Geese took to the water.  A Cetti’s warbler heralded arrival at the Spurgin Hide from where a common sandpiper was spotted feeding on the mud and, through the telescopes, the markings on three snipe showed up vividly in the late afternoon sunshine.   

AUGUST 2009
Saturday 1st       
MOTHS IN HASLEMERE
Leader: Fiona Haynes (Surrey Wildlife Trust Ranger)
A moth trap set up near broad-leaved woodland in Haslemere the previous
cloudy, warm night had collected 400 moths. Many of these had been
potted-up and were displayed in Haslemere Museum's Education Room for 18
members to view. Among many interesting facts about moths, Fiona
suggested some plants that are good nectar sources: honeysuckle,
jasmine, stock, bramble and Nicotiana. She said that over-ripe
blackberries provide food for moths that over-winter.
Those trapped included the huge poplar hawkmoth, silver Y, purple thorn,
brimstone moth, clouded border, buff-tip and (Fiona's favourite) rosy
footman. For full list click here.

JULY 2009
Saturday 18^th    
BUTTERFLIES & FLORA OF GRAFFHAM DOWN
Leader:  Margaret Hibbard with Biddy and Paul Dimmer of Graffham Down Trust
Nineteen observant people were bound to find much to interest them
during the walk through five reserves managed by the Graffham Down Trust
and adjacent to the South Downs Way. Biddy and Paul Dimmer described
how management in recent years has encouraged an increase in butterfly
numbers and flower species. Thirteen butterfly species were seen,
including many newly-hatched painted ladies. (This brood no doubt
resulting from the great invasion in late May). A queen wasp
Dolichovespula media, a fast-moving snake, a fallow deer, several large yellow underwing moths, a vivid dark green dung beetle, the bright green sawfly Rhogogaster viridis and a
longhorn beetle were all encountered.

Wednesday 1st  
PEWLEY DOWN & THE CHANTRIES (Guildford Borough Council)
Leader: Bob Kirby
A quotation from William Cobbett’s “Rural Rides” on his visit to Chilworth in 1825 set the scene for a fantastic, if very hot, day on the North Downs. Society-member Bob Kirby had taken great care with preparation, providing a list of flora which he had recently seen and fossils typical of the area.  He described the topographical features of the Downs in the context of the Weald and how their geology determined the flora.  We looked at plants which had colonised a sandstone quarry, found a large number of Harlequin ladybirds on a clump of stinging nettles beside the road and then took the long narrow path across the vale of Gault Clay to the chalk of Pewley Down, noting the change in flora as we went (together with a white letter hairstreak butterfly!).  The highlight of the chalk-loving plants was the sight of countless pyramidal orchids, ranging from very pale to deepest pink.  Nearby more than a dozen marbled white butterflies were nectaring on greater knapweed.  We crossed to the north-facing slope of the Down to find another change in flora.  Members were beginning to flag in the heat so it was regretfully agreed that the plan to look at flora on the sandstone Chantry Down should be postponed to another year.  We saw so much and there were so many things to reflect on!

JUNE 2009

Sunday 21st        
WOODLAND FLORA IN LYNCHMERE WOODS
Leader: Laura Ponsonby
Including grasses and ferns growing in damp areas, nearly 80 woodland
flora species were identified. To name just a few - there were yellow
flowers of buttercups, tormentil, cinquefoil and two species of St.
John's-wort; pink and purple self-heal, hedge woundwort, herb-robert,
marsh thistle and one spotted orchid; blue thyme-leaved speedwell,
brooklime and skullcap; and in full-flower large patches of white common
marsh-bedstraw. The stands of foxglove were impressive and it was
pleasing to see ragged robin and carpets of wood sorrel.

Wednesday 10^th 
ORCHIDS ON BOX HILL (National Trust)
Leader:  Martin Scalway
The walk aimed expressly to look for orchids.  The day began with torrential showers and low cloud but slowly improved and it was then notable for amazing views and some lovely chalk downland plants.  Well over 50 species, including two twayblades, numerous common spotted orchids, a small colony of man orchids and five beautifully fresh specimens of bee orchid, left members with the feeling it had been a good day.