Common Redstart
Following the recent success of our general wildlife watching tours in Norfolk led by Butterfly and Dragonfly expert Adrian Riley, we are pleased to be offering this new tour around the best sites in Hampshire and Wiltshire. The tour has been timed specifically to coincide with the flight period of some of the rarest insects in the area, and we have some real treats in store over the four days in the field. We will be basing ourselves near Ringwood for the four nights and covering a relatively small area, as all our sites are within easy reach. Wetland sites such as Upper Crockford Stream and Hatchet and Eyeworth ponds will give us the opportunity to observe a number of Odonata, with Downy Emerald the real star of the show for many. Other rarities include Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly, Keeled Skimmer, Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Small Red Damselfly and possibly Black Darter in boggy terrain such as that at Matley and Beaulieu Road. Both Banded and Beautiful Demoiselle will be available, along with Emerald and Red-eyed Damselfly, Common Hawker, Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Southern Hawker and both Fourspotted and Broad-bodied Chaser. A wide variety of Butterflies could include over twenty five species, and in addition to more regular Small, Large and Essex Skippers, Speckled Wood, Small Copper and Painted Lady we can expect a variety of much scarcer and more localised species such as Marbled White, Purple and White-letter Hairstreaks, Clouded Yellow, White Admiral, Silver-studded Blue and Dark Green Fritillary. Both Silver-washed Fritillary and its ‘Greenish’ form should also be found, while with luck we may have the opportuntiy to look for the rare Glanville Fritillary at a coastal site. Small Pearl-bordered and even Marsh Fritillary might be possible depending on conditions. Perhaps one of the highlights of this trip, however, will be the visit to Bentley Woods on day five where our target species will be the stunning Purple Emperor. While not guaranteed, this wonderful creature should provide a fitting finale to a spectacular few days wildlife watching. Birds will of course feature throughout and Dartford Warbler will no doubt be high on everyone’s list. Mandarin breed on some of the small ponds we visit and we should encounter flocks of Common Crossbills in the pine forests. Eurasian Hobby can be common though with luck we may have the opportunity to see Honey Buzzard or even Montagu’s Harrier! Wood Lark frequent the heathland and we will make an evening excursion to look for European Nightjar and roding Eurasian Woodcock. Finally, deciduous woodland around Bolderwood may add a variety of passerines such as Marsh Tit, Spotted Flycatcher and hopefully singing Firecrest.
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Introduction
