Smudger's Nature: I Have a Heart that tells me to Leave You Be

Sundays are made for kicking back and relaxing and I struggle to find a better place to do this than Martin Down.
Situated in the North West corner of the New Forest, this is nothing short of a gem of natural unimproved chalk grassland that abounds with biodiversity, non more so than in Spring and Summer.
The whole site covers 350 hectares and has ancient and more modern adaptations to its' landscape.

My companion today was my lovely partner Sarah. We had decided to make a pilgrimage to this idyll for a picnic and for a time of relaxation and meditation.
The parking area at Sillens Lane sits at the base of the down and the view across the grassland and up the hill has such a calming effect on the soul.

The wind was a calm southerly and birdsong abounded. Skylark, Rooks, Blackcap and most notably Yellowhammer were the first to be heard.

The Yellowhammer has a high pitched song similar to the phrase 'A little bit of bread and no cheese!' and we heard it continuously as we slowly made our way up the southerly slope.

They have a large stronghold here and can be seen and heard from many shrubs and trees that litter the site.
They are sedentary birds but I suppose due in part to their colour and prominence they always remind me of summer.

The diversity here is almost unparalleled and another species that you would struggle to find elsewhere is the Turtle Dove. Smaller and daintier than the Collared Dove with striking chestnut markings to the wings, faint pinkish grey hue to the head and body with an intense red eyeliner.
It's song is a calming purring that carries far and frustrates in finding it's source as it sits surreptitiously calling.
Sarah and I made camp on the southern slope overlooking the down and the main large area of scrub just before us.
No sooner than we had begun to tuck into our delicious picnic than the classic purring began below us. I couldn't sit still and located it with my binoculars. I was off with my camera with the hope of a closer view...
After much searching I eventually found it. What a beautiful bird and so rare!
The decline of the dove is partly due to a shorter breeding season because it's food source is in short supply. Modern farming practices have limited it's seed source but the unploughed area of Martin Down is perfect for their needs.
Also their wintering grounds in Africa have become hotter and more challenging, not to forget to mention the barrage of gunfire they have to endure if they happen to use Malta or Cyprus as a flyway to get to their destination. How anyone can blast this beauty from the sky truly saddens me.

I returned to our lovely picnic. Thankfully Sarah understands my passion and occasional flight into the realms of the natural world.
Having enjoyed some lovely grub courtesy of our new shop in town... 'Ben's Flavours' a lovely engaging Algerian man and his English wife who produce the most wonderful pastries, cakes and salads.
We would normally make it ourselves but when you have such a superb place such as this, it is a treat to indulge ourselves. He has such a passion for food and would easily win The Great British Bake off in our minds...
Our appetite satiated, Sarah settled down for a siesta. I was off to explore....

As I left, a Grizzled Skipper butterfly popped by then popped off before I could record it. Damn!
Another Skipper, the Dingy, tried to make me feel better as it settled in front of me...

I do love to get down to earth to get a bugs eye view of the surrounding grassland.

No sooner as I had done this than a tiny butterfly zipped past my eyeline. At first I thought a Small Blue but when I caught up with it , it proved to be the Green Hairstreak. This is a butterfly that seems able to pop up unannounced in all sorts of habitats. I never thought open grassland would be one. Gorse, Juniper and scrub normally, but not here.
It flicks around and the eye has a hard time trying to keep pace with it's sharp movements. When it settles, it performs a little dance other butterflies have a habit of doing as it positions itself towards the sun...

I left it to dance alone and began my walk down Bokerley Ditch.

Bokerley Ditch snakes along the border between Dorset and Hampshire and was thought to be made during the Iron Age and then fortified in the 5th and 6th Centuries to repel the Saxons.
Along the northern part it has been modified in more recent times as a Second World War rifle range.

Sitting low out of the wind, it has a unique climate than abounds with wildflowers, butterflies and birds. Orchids thrive here and although a little early in the season for them, some were on show. A Common Twayblade was the first I encountered...

Common Spotted Orchids too...

Lepidoptera time again and as it's such a bountiful place for them I was going to indulge...

My first Adonis Blue of the year. Stunning sky blue hue that shimmers as it turns on the flowers. My photos don't do it justice. This has to be seen with the naked eye...

Then a Common Blue fizzed it's way past me. They are strong and fast fliers but the trick isn't to follow them but wait and invariably they will come to you. Why waste the energy anyway, I always end up chasing them away?!

Some moths are day fliers. This is a terrible shot but a record of a Burnet Companion. Now I'm not sure who ever came up with some of the common moth names but a large amount have some extraordinary monikers. If you ever get the chance, take a look at a moth book and their names, a great way to spend a wet afternoon indoors.
This moth has lovely orange underwings which you can just make out. They are a mobile little insect too. My excuse and I'm sticking to it...

Now this beautiful little beetle I have encountered before. It has no common name and can be one of two different species, Cryptocephalus Aureolus or C.Hypochaeridis. The latter is a fraction smaller and can be found on chalk grassland. The former is more common. Either way, it's a stunning little creature.

I continued down the ditch, which taken out of context, doesn't sound like a pleasant experience but you know where I'm coming from? It is relatively dry in the ditch especially as we have had a dry spring.

I kicked up a bird which gave me quite a start. My first sight of a Grey Partridge in quite a while. I also managed to disturb a Hare too. I was far too slow to get a picture but it's large body and black tipped ears gave it away. It disappeared into the grass and I couldn't relocate it.

Yellowhammer still clearly in the lead as most observable bird on the down...

My first sighting of a Small Heath here was another tick in the Butterfly box. They almost never show open wings which is a shame as the are so alluring in their orange splendor.

Another Dingy Skipper zipped past... Sarah and I discussed this name and came to the conclusion of a wrong interpretation. I like to think of it as a Dappled Skipper, Dingy does it an injustice.

Another Adonis flashed it's sky colour towards my lens...

Along the opposite bank of the ditch a pair of Stonechat projected their ire towards me. Obviously a nest nearby if not some fledglings to protect?
This is the female and then the male..
I left them alone and mooched on.

Then my first sighting of the year of a Small Blue. An immaculate specimen at that. A chalkland specialist that loves the kidney vetch that proliferate here.

Orchids are still just beginning to appear here. They are a good month away from the height of their emergence. Common Spotted Orchid are the main ones in view at the moment. Although my good friend Chris visited here recently and saw a stunning Burned Tip Orchid. I ran out of time to locate it unfortunately.

Looking south with Bokerley Ditch on the right..

At the bottom of the hill the path reaches a crossroads. So far there was one Butterfly I hadn't seen and the one I had been hoping for. They are very rare in Hampshire and very localised elsewhere. Apart from a few pockets in the north they are predominately seen in the South and West.

Then one fluttered low past me and settled by a swarm of Honey Bees in a bush! I couldn't believe it.
Being aware of a swarm I knew I was in little danger of being stung. It might sound and look unnerving being so close to them but they are in transit to another nest site and are protecting the queen as they move. Ironically they are more docile at this stage so I had nothing to fear but as the saying goes if you don't annoy them they won't hurt you.

Luckily my quarry carried on flitting around me so I was pleased to get some good shots of possibly my favourite Butterfly, the Marsh Fritillary....

I like to think of them as mini flying stained glass windows...

There were around half a dozen here and possibly more further along the ditch...

Another tiny Small Heath...

I had been away from our picnic base for two hours now and thought I had better make tracks back.
Another Small Blue kept me away a little while longer, I was such a naughty boy!

More Adonis too, how could I resist?

...and then another Marsh Fritillary sat so well for me. I laid on the grass to get a lovely view in the sunlight.

They have adapted so well. Never being a numerous butterfly in this country and normally associated with wetlands and damp areas, to see them here is a lifeline to their ongoing presence. My friend Chris was viewing one at this exact time at Magdalen Hill near Winchester which has dry chalk grassland, a place you would never associate this stunner with but it is a Butterfly Conservation reserve,so anything can happen.

One of the flowers I saw them nectaring on was this chalk milkwort.

To top it off, another Skipper tripped past and settled before me. The Grizzled Skipper this time and the one that alluded me when I had set off.
I looked up Grizzled in the dictionary. Grey, Silvery, White, Salt and Pepper were the results of my search. Spot on with this one I reckon.

Another Small Blue and I was heading back up the down.

Cowslips were coming to the end of their flowering days but I managed to find one just hanging on. A chalkland specialist and an excellent flower for butterflies. We have some in our garden.