A Wildlife Weekend In Britain’s New Forest
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www.naturetrek.co.uk Deep in the New Forest woodland, rare Smooth Snake and Sand Lizard, Fallow Deer, Dartford Warbler, Nightjar, Honey Buzzard and numerous Dragonflies find refuge from a newer England.
Specialist natural history operator Naturetrek offers a long-weekend of expertly-guided exploration through the New Forest, departing Lyndhurst from 18th May 2007.
The vast 373 square kilometre area of rolling heathland, mixed forest and damp boggy hollows that form the New Forest in south-west Hampshire are recognised as one of the most important ecological areas of Britain.
The land is managed under a pastoral system, incorporating ancient grazing rights and periodic controlled burnings of the heathland. Indeed it is this age-old form of management that has both created and conserved the New Forest's unique ecological richness and diversity.
As a result it contains a huge variety of rare species of plants and animals. Five of the six British reptiles occur here, including the rare Smooth Snake and Sand Lizard. Roe, Fallow, Red and Sika Deer all graze the woodland edges and the New Forest holds an unparalleled range of birds, including over half of the total British population of Dartford Warblers (around 500 pairs).
There are also a rich variety of plants, especially in the damper areas of heathland. Take an evening walk over the heathland in search of singing Nightjars, roding (displaying) Woodcocks and the New Forest’s bumper population of Fallow Deer. Visit Bolderwood, an area of dense, mixed forest and ornamental woodland that supports a small, and often highly elusive, breeding population of the tiny Firecrest. Keeping eyes turned skyward, birds of prey such as Hobby, Sparrowhawk and even the rare Honey Buzzard may be seen hunting above the treetops here.
A visit to Beaulieu Road Station in the early evening provides an opportunity to look for Hobbys out hunting dragonflies over the bog and a trip to the Bishop's Dyke/Beaulieu Heath complex should provide sightings of the region’s rare and localised species such as Dartford Warbler and Woodlark.
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