Ober

Ober Water below Markway Bridge early this morning.

Grizzly and unusual find

A grizzly and unusual find. Pigeon kill sites are commonplace amongst the forest stands, you regularly see them in double figures, and from a distance I thought this was one. Though as we got closer I noticed the feathers were bigger than those of a pigeon, some dark one too, then I found what remained of the carcass, wings, legs and skull, and to my surprise it was clearly a Heron (Ardea cinerea). In recent years Herons, along with Egrets, have become a common sight along Mill Lawn Brook, Red Rise Brook and Ober Water, some times two or three can be seen on a walk between Mill Lawn and Markway Bridge; a testament to the health of the stream, teeming with small fish. I've always found them very wary birds, taking flight having seen you way before you've seen them; although we have taken them by surprise emerging from cover only meters away once or twice, and I'd imagine whatever was predating would be able to get closer through stealth; it's a possibility that it was taken out by a wild Otter, which have been sighted in the forest in recent years. How ever you look at it, it was an adult bird with as you can see a formidable beak, a challenge to any predator I'd surely. That said, I suppose it could've been already injured or sick or dead making it a softer target for a range of woodland opportunists. Whatever, I was very surprised by this find, having never seen a sight like it before.  

Due to it's unusual nature, I reported the find to the New Forest National Parks Authority.

Red Rise Brook

 Red Rise Brook above Markway Bridge; a lovely spot.

Verge clearance

With the A35 closed the authorities have taken the opportunity to cut some of the verges back hard; I don't remember them ever being so clear. The transformation is highlighted by the uncut verge opposite; a striking difference. The clearance has certainly opened up the road, as well as the views across Ober Water below Markway Bridge. 

Ober Water

Below Markway bridge the Red Rise Brook becomes Ober Water and the forest opens up, now travelling through a shallow broad valley. It's a mainly open landscape, here and there thin groups of trees cling to the stream hemmed by patches of sphagnum bog. Remodelled countless times over centuries by man and nature, the valley bottom is a filigree of former channels and silted oxbows which seasonally echo their former glories. That's starting happen now and wellies are the only guaranteed way you'll get across without wet feet. During really wet seasons the whole valley floor flows like a broad reflected blue sash snaking through the landscape.

Red Rise Brook

You wouldn't believe a stream ran directly through here, a deep banked, straight cut, quite sterile, remodelled waterway, a Victorian era drain dug to aid forestry. Red Rise Brook now runs free again in it's pre Victorian channel meandering along the nearby edge of the woodland, and brimming with diversity. The sections of stream, east and west of Markway Bridge (Ober to the east and Red Rise to the west) were restored about 15 years or so ago, and with their restoration now entering maturity, the only semblance of the Victorian drain are their occasional earthwork remains, which themselves are fading. Nature’s (apparent) ability to regenerate, to mutate and survive the changes thrown at it, and to heal, is a thing that keeps me buoyant in the face of our environmental rampage, she may not look the same, though I'm sure she'll endure and flourish. It would be nice if our species could flourish along with her, we could be giants, you know, though I think we're too stupid, or maybe merely wilfully ignorant. Never mind, maybe the moles or shrews can have a go next time around.

Quacky Racers

Ober Water, below Markway Bridge, was in the early tranche of forest streams restored under the wetland restoration program, 15 or so years later you wouldn't know (unless you knew, I have photos of the old stream taken in the mid 90's, now historical records) that the stream had once flowed 50 meters east. Now greatly narrowed it bursts with life and vigour, wetland has developed on its environs and diversity has exploded, that's not to say that the area wasn't rich in flora and fauna before remodeling, it was, that richness was augmented by the restoration of the wetland elements removed by Victorian forestry. As I walked I disturbed a family of ducklings, who took to their heels, grouped with mother and made off at haste, firstly along the stream, then off into the wetland where they knew most predators would be reluctant to follow. I'm enjoying watching the forest change as the effects of restoration beds in, I suppose I'm lucky to have frequently visited the forest throughout the last 50 years and to be able to have seen the before and after of longterm environmental projects.

Down, but not out.

I mentioned a short while back that there had been some land management work along Red Rise Brook.  Towards Markway Bridge a fair sized bank side Oak has been cut down and I couldn't see why, it's not out of context or anything. So I was pleased to see that although it had been cut down, it wasn't yet ready to bow out, and only a couple of weeks after felling the stump was bristling with eager shoots.

Egret

A fairly poor shot (apologies) of one of the Egrets, Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) I think, which I mentioned yesterday. They used to be rare, although are becoming more common (600 to 700 breeding pairs in the country, apparently, first breeding in Dorset in 1996). There's invariably one on the stream between Markway Bridge and Mill lawn, sometimes two, which indicates the health of the streams fish stocks.  A lovely sight.