EXCURSIONS 2012 



Jan Haseier 



Sunday 29 January 



The first field trip of 2012 was on Sunday 29 January, when Martin Sell led a joint field trip with the 

 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) to the Avon Valley near 

 Ringwood and then to the New Forest. The initial meeting point was the bridge over the River Avon at 

 Ibsley. In a nearby field were several hundred Mute Swans Cygnus olor, plus one Bewick's Swan C. 

 columbianus and one Whooper Swan C. cygnus. While most of the group were scanning the fields for 

 swans, Ian Duddle spotted 3 Otters Lutra lutra from the bridge - but by the time he managed to attract 

 the attention of the other members of the party, they had vanished from sight. Next stop was Blashford 

 Lakes, a nature reserve of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. A hide in a wood of birch 

 and Alder >A/nus glutinosa overlooked feeders which were being used by Redpolls Carduelis flammea, 

 Siskins C. spinas and a selection of other finches and tits. Lunch was eaten in another hide, looking 

 out over a lake with Goosanders Mergus merganser, displaying Goldeneyes Bucephela clangula, 

 distant Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa and a bank-side Fox Vulpes vulpes. The final destination 

 was Blackwater Arboretum in the New Forest. In late afternoon. Hawfinches Coccothraustes 

 coccothraustes flew in and perched on the tops of the trees before going to roost. Their bulky bodies 

 and short tails gave them a distinctive torpedo-shaped outline. Crossbills Loxia cun/irostra were 

 another good find here. 



Saturday 25 February 



On Saturday 25 February, Lesley Dunlop led a walk to look at the geology of The Coombes, near 

 Barkham. 17 members started out at the top of the site, on river terrace gravels which had been laid 

 down about 250,000 years ago. An exposed bank showed flint-origin gravel, with the pebbles in a 

 mixture of shapes and sizes. Two Goldcrests Regulus regulus in a bush at the side of the track 

 displayed their fiery orange caps and drumming woodpeckers were heard. The route then led down 

 into the woods and onto the Bagshot Sands, which had been laid down in a marine environment 49 - 

 44 million years ago. The strong orange colouring of an exposed bank of sand indicated that it had a 

 high iron content. There were occasional beds of flat rounded pebbles, which would have been laid 

 down near a beach. Some creatures, perhaps bees, had excavated round holes in the sand. Bluebells 

 Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum and Wood Sage Teucrium 

 scorodonia were growing in this part of the wood. As the path descended towards the bottom of the 

 woods, the conditions became boggy and streams began to appear. This marked the start of the 

 London Clay, laid down 56 - 49 million years ago. The ground flora became notably richer, with Wood- 

 sorrel Oxalis acetosella, Lesser Celandine Ranunculus ficaria, Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilis, 

 Herb-Robert Geranium robertianum, Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea, Lords-and-Ladies Arum 

 maculatum and Dog's Mercury Mercurialis perennis. Another track led uphill, back onto the Bagshot 

 Beds. There were many animal burrows dug into the banks at the side of the track and two Roe Deer 

 Capreolus capreolus were seen in an adjoining field. Back at the top of the site, on the river terrace 

 gravels, was an area of recent excavations. Lesley explained that the gravels laid down in the Kennet 

 and Thames valleys are made up almost entirely of flint, but the Loddon gravels also include 

 sandstone fragments from the Greensand of the Weald, and a number of these were found. 



Saturday 24 March 



The sun was pleasantly warm when Jan Haseier led 23 members on a circular walk from Ufton Nervet 

 on Saturday 24 March. Alexanders Smyrnium olusatrum was growing luxuriantly beside the lane 

 through the village. The walk started out westwards along a footpath through fields. First stop was the 

 site of a medieval moated manor house. Common Frogs Rana temporaria, clumps of frog-spawn and 

 chains of toad-spawn were seen in the moat and Chiffchaffs Pliylloscopus collybita were calling from 

 the trees. Next stop was Ufton Court. A Treecreeper Certhia familiaris was spotted in the avenue of 

 trees leading up to the house. An enormous old Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur pollard nearby is 

 reckoned to be more than 500 years old. One of the fishponds was full of yellow Western Skunk 

 Cabbage Lysicliiton americanus heads. As the ancient sunken track-way which leads west from Ufton 

 Court dropped down from gravel onto clay, the ground became damp underfoot. Primroses Primula 

 vulgaris were flowering in abundance on the bank sides and in the adjoining copses. A Lords-and- 



4 



