Smudger's Nature: There isn't a more tranquil place upon this Earth, that I would rather be.

The New Forest was beckoning once more. Acres Down and Martin Down in the Spring becomes a treasure trove of wildlife, bursting with birds,butterflies and wild flowers.

I met Chris in the car park at Acres Down at 7am for a walk of the lower path towards Highland water to start.
The trees had begun to burst with foliage in the last few days.
A Stock Dove called high above us as we started out

This area is usually good to see Redstarts fresh in from Africa setting up their territories and we managed a sighting almost immediately. They do love to sing from a lofty perch however making viewing a challenge.

A little lower to the ground but very elusive is the Firecrest. They are quite common in the forest but you need a keen ear and eye to catch them. Their song is extremely high pitched. I just about hear them. In a few years I will not.

The early morning mist was struggling to clear and made for eerie shots as the sun tried to burn through.

We reached the dead tree at the crossroads, took our usual shots of it and carried on to the bridge.

Our route took us uphill towards a place we know usually has territories of a woodland specialist.

A male Bullfinch was on the side of the path eating seeds. It didn't stay long in our presence.

The ferns on the forest floor were beginning to unfurl, looking good in the light.

We had reached the intended piece of dense Birch woodland. Chris picked up the cascading call of our target, the Wood Warbler. Seeing it in the semi darkness with a speckled white back light is always a challenge every year, not to mention trying to capture it on film. I'm very used to its silhouette.

It doesn't hang around for long either...

Another migrant from Africa, these diminutive creatures are declining in numbers at an alarming rate. A 60% drop in over twenty years due to factors unclear. Habitat management and climate change, especially in their wintering grounds in Africa have been cited as possibilities.

Eventually, with a little perseverance you can be rewarded with half decent views.

We could hear three of four individuals around the adjacent area.

This one had been ringed.

Happy with our sightings, we picked up the track once more not before noticing the light through the cobwebs along the verges.
The light refracting through the strands changed through just very slight movement.

The sun was still relatively low and only now just breaking through the thin shroud giving a muted glow.

The colours and textures of the leaves lit up beautifully in the light.
Oak...

Beech..

and Sweet Chestnut.

Roe Deer are very common in the forest, and somewhat of a problem. There are so many they are literally eating all the new growth, inhibiting the forest's ability to regenerate.

Having reached the car park again we took the upper path towards the viewpoint.
Spider webs were full of moisture after the mist layer and the droplets shone in the sunlight.

From the viewpoint we could see Goshawks and Buzzards circling in the distance. In the foreground, Tree Pipits sang.
We were hoping to catch a glimpse of Woodlark but they remained elusive.

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers inhabit the area too but only their ubiquitous cousin the 'Greater' was around.

There were plenty of Linnets and Stonechats as always with the latter clearly feeding young with a beak full of caterpillars.

Our half day at Acres was over, we had an a afternoon at the idyll that is Martin to look forward to.

Martin Down has got to be one of our favourite places to visit. This place has an air of untainted natural paradise. Unimproved chalk downland, grazed only by livestock and managed very subtly allowing nature to thrive. There should be many more places like this but we have lost over 90% of our wildflower meadows due to modern farming practices and land acquired for building.

From May through to July, these are the best times to see this place in all it's glory and a beautiful day as this day was, always adds to it's splendor.

From the car park the view up the hill is one of lush greeness, there is silence apart from the sound of birdsong that punctuates the air. Skylark are the first heard, then you begin to pick up many more as you start the gentle climb.
Whitethroat, then Lesser Whitethroat, Yellowhammer and Linnet all sing from the dense thicket of Hawthorns bushes lining the edge of the boundary by the path.
In the distance the air is filled with Rooks and Jackdaws all circling and dropping down to feed in the fields. Further still we could here that enigmatic sound of a Cuckoo.
One of the few remaining places to harbour the rapidly declining Turtle Dove makes Martin a draw in itself. There are several territories here and the normal procedure is to listen for the purring call from amid the thicket and then try to locate the bird. A lot harder than it sounds. They can be tucked away in the vast array of small trees and shrubs.
Chris ventured down one path, I decided to loop round so as to cover a wider area.

As I did so I came across some of the first butterflies of the day.
A Green Hairstreak and a Common Blue that wouldn't stop flying.
I was so engrossed in these I lost sight of the Doves until Chris called me on the phone. He was on the other side of the hill and near to a Dove. I raced over hoping it would stay.

Luckily it did and allowed unusually good views.

Although the weather was picking up and starting to become quite warm in the last few days the early Spring weather had been poor, holding back growth. We were hoping for more wildflowers but apart from Cowslips that had seen better days, the numbers were low. Normally many Orchids would be emerging but even these had yet to materialise.

Butterfly numbers were relatively low also. My first sighting of a Grizzled Skipper this year was a welcome sight however.

And the tiny Small Blue too. These are little gems and it looked like this was freshly emerged.

As we began our descent down Bokerley Dyke the butterflies kept showing. Not in any great numbers but at least a few different species.
This is a Small Heath which always alights with it's wings closed, which is a shame as they have a lovely orange hue as can be seen on the upper wing.

Then Dingy Skippers...

Even caterpillars suspended by silk were getting in on the action.

Then the Green Hairstreak reappeared..

Plus the Common Blue decided to stop for a few seconds for a couple of shots..

The view from the top of the hill is one that fills the heart with joy and calmness. The fields beyond are typical arable farmland but this place remains a little untouched oasis, like stepping back in time before enclosure.

Grizzled Skippers were the most profuse so far and kept showing well.

Bokerley Dyke was strangely bereft of wild flowers. I'm sure given a few weeks this will change.
This is a little haven for insects and flowers, creating a shelter from strong winds and running the length of the down on the Western edge.
As you reach it's halfway point in the dip at the bottom of the hill, this is a place to find one of my favourite butterflies. The Marsh Fritillary They live here in small numbers. Clinging onto life.
One had clearly just emerged and was drying it's wings ready for it's limited time on the wing. This is a perfect time to get close as they remain quite indolent. A man was laid out on the grass directly in front of it with large camera equipment denying anyone a decent view however, so we took a quick shot and decided to look for more elsewhere along the ditch.

More Corvids added to the mixture - a pair of Ravens this time - circling above us.

We had reached a part of the ditch known for Burnt Tip Orchids. These are quite rare but always seem to emerge at the same spot. No sooner had we thought of looking out for one than we found it. They are early flowering and this was at the very beginning of blossoming.

It was a pleasure to find one being so rare, just a shame it wasn't in full bloom.

We carried onwards in search of the Fritillaries, still no luck but yet more Hairstreaks entertained us.

Corn Bunting are another rare species that are averse to modern farming practices but thrive here on the Down.

Their 'jangling keys' call are a giveaway of their presence

Then more Grizzled Skipper, would the Fritillaries ever show?

Then a shout from Chris who was patrolling the lower slope of the ditch, he'd found some !

What a little beauty it is too. I always call them flying stained glass windows. Set against the greenery they look wonderful.

Day flying moths are also common here. This is a Burnet Companion.

They were no match for the Marsh Frits in the beauty stakes though and we began to find several more.

We were made up with our finds and our walk back to the car park was lifted by our sightings despite the heat.

The Hawthorn was in full bloom by the path.