DAY ONE
We meet at our accommodation at approximately 17.00 for check in and briefing before dinner.
Overnight Ormonde House.
DAY TWO
The first stop is at Crockford Stream where we will search the stream and its adjacent woodland and heath. Species of particular interest here are Southern and Small Red Damselfly, Beautiful Demoiselle and Keeled Skimmer dragonflies and Grayling and Silver-studded Blue butterflies. The heathland is often a good area to see Dartford Warbler and Eurasian Hobby, and Grayling is also common. After lunch we head to Hatchet Pond to search for Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly and Black-tailed Skimmer. The odd Silver-studded Blue may still be flying over the heath and we have our first opportunity to find Black Darter. Finally we make the short hop to Matley Bog to look for Common Hawker, Black Darter and Emerald Damselfly. This is also a good area for Wood Lark, Spotted Flycatcher and Common Redstart.
Overnight Ormonde House.
DAY THREE
Acres Down is a premier birding spot and we will spend the morning here looking for raptors. Eurasian Honey Buzzard is present most years but very difficult to connect with, though Northern Goshawk is quite common and easy to see. Wood Lark and Common Crossbill are often seen from the watchpoint while Southern Hawker, Broad-bodied Chaser and Keeled Skimmer dragonflies should also be found. The woodland walk here is also very good for finding Firecrest, and perhaps represents our best chance to find White Admiral. After lunch we travel to Stockbridge Down to look for chalkland butterflies such as Chalkhill Blue, Marbled White, Dark Green Fritillary and Silver-spotted Skipper. There is always the chance of Clouded Yellow, Essex and Small Skipper too and White-letter Hairstreak can also be found nearby The site is also excellent for downland plants and reptiles such Slow-worm and Common Lizard.
Overnight Ormonde House.
DAY FOUR
A busy day today as we make the 1.5 hour trip over to Alner’s Gorse in neighbouring Dorset. This is a premier butterfly site where we could easily see in excess of twenty species and is managed by Butterfly Conservation. The main target here is the Brown Hairstreak, but Purple Hairstreak is also quite common, both species regularly bucking the trend by visiting nectar sources at eye level rather than spending their whole time in the treetops. White-letter Hairstreak could provide a memorable ‘hat-trick’. Other species here include all the common skippers, Brown Argus, Brimstone and the magnificent Silver-washed Fritillary. In the afternoon, we head down to the coast to either Portland, Durlston Country Park or Lulworth Cove, to look for the very localised Lulworth Skipper. The species has a long flight period but will not be present in large numbers at this stage of the season so we will have to search hard. We might also find Small Blue and Adonis Blue here and perhaps a migrant such as Clouded Yellow. Late afternoon we will make the long trip back to base for another enjoyable evening meal out in the town of Lyndhurst.
Overnight Ormonde House.
DAY FIVE
Our final morning is spent in the forest catching up on any missed species. Top of the list will be to spend some time at a site where Eurasian Honey Buzzard is often seen, in the hope we may connect with a displaying bird. There will be more chances for Wood Lark and Dartford Warbler, Common Crossbill and Eurasian Hobby, and if we have not already had good views, then Black Darter will be a priority too. We conclude the tour at lunchtime for the onward journey home.
**Please note if wet or inclement weather is encountered, some of the sites will have to be dropped in favour of a more bird-based itinerary. In the past we have visited Titchfield Haven, Blashford Lakes and Keyhaven Marshes where a variety of wildfowl, waders, terns and woodland birds can be added. Note that depending on the weather we may visit Stockbridge Down on the final day, in which case we will travel in convoy to the site and depart from there after lunch.
