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| 2012 |
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Keyhaven |
‘When the Gorse is out of bloom, kissing is out of fashion’ is a rather romantic way of saying that gorse is never out of bloom. Common Gorse starts to flower in late autumn and reaches its most prolific point in the spring but it can indeed have some flowers throughout the year. |
| 2011 |
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Calshot to Ashlett Creek |
| Calshot does not at first sight remind one of the countryside. Nevertheless nature has made the most of what is left of the seashore and there is always something to see at any time of the year. |
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Matley Wood looking at fungi |
| Falling leaves, falling conkers, falling acorns, falling sweet chestnuts and falling apples - it is autumn in the forest. |
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Winnall Moors Nature Reserve |
| Condensation on the windows and a chill in the air mean only one thing - autumn has arrived. That was how it looked when we set out to visit Winnall Moors reserve near Winchester but the British weather is always full of surprises. |
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Magdalen Down |
| Our visit to Magdalen Down coincided with the International Moto Cross event to the west of Winchester where traffic jams were predicted in the local paper. |
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Coulters Dean |
| At this time of year the ground is a patchwork of colourful wild flowers and even below the dark threatening clouds the pinks, blues and yellows lit up the meadow. |
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Blashford Lakes |
| The green shoots of recovery or Spring as it used to be called are on their way.
All this was evident as we travelled to Blashford Lakes in search of birdlife on this the first outing of our fortieth year. |
| 2010 |
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Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve |
| Our December scheduled visit was cancelled due to snow and ice making travel difficult but we did pay a visit between Christmas and New Year to see what we had missed. |
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Stanpit Marsh and Hengistbury Head |
| We started our visit at Stanpit Marsh which is a low lying area of reclaimed mud flats although the sea claims large areas back again at high tide. |
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Fungi Foray |
| The rains we had in early autumn encouraged lots of fungi but the recent dry spell reduced the chances so it was with some trepidation that we embarked on our quest to find and identify the fungi around Dibden Enclosure. |
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Bird Fair |
| We were due to go for a walk around Dibden Enclosure for this month’s outdoor meeting but we took the opportunity to visit a bird fair at Manor Farm Country Park instead.
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Martin Down |
| Martin Down was looking colourful due to the number and variety of wild flowers growing amongst the short grasses. |
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Magdelen Down |
| Magdelen Down is a pleasant and unexpected place to visit being so close to Winchester |
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Orchids |
| Our original outdoor visit was cancelled to make way for a look at Orchids. |
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Ladycross |
| We started our walk from the Hawkhill car park on the B3055 road between Beaulieu and Brockenhurst. |
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Michelmersh |
| A combination of warm spring sunshine, beautiful countryside and an Icelandic volcano provided an excellent walk round Michelmersh in the middle of April. |
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Cadland Manor |
| It was that on a fine morning in the middle of March we were welcomed by our guide, and a Mediterranean Gull, to the estate of Cadland Manor and the coastline to the east of Lepe that visitors don’t normally see. |
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Blashford Lakes |
| We regularly visit Blashford Lakes and each time there is something new to see. It is particularly useful on a cold wet winter’s day, because you can spend most of the time in the shelter of the bird hides & choose the time between showers to move to another hide. |
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Normandy Marshes |
| In the middle of the coldest week for some time it did not look very hopeful for our visit to Normandy Marshes at the weekend. However the snow and ice gradually cleared through the week. |
| 2009 |
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Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve |
| Heavy rain and high winds was a feature of the weather in the week up to our visit but because of our influence over the weather, or perhaps just good luck, the winds had died down and the rain managed to stay away for the duration of our visit. |
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Matley Wood |
| The object of our visit was to look for Fungi. Actually finding fungi was the easy bit; it was the identification of them that was the difficult part. |
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Pigbush |
| Things are starting to stir in the Forest. After a quiet summer the ponies are being rounded up for branding leaving single ponies dashing about in search of their lost companions. |
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Eyeworth Pond |
| On their visit to Eyeworth Pond, members of the Waterside Natural History Society discovered that the red berries of Rowan or Mountain Ash are prolific, as are the Crab Apples and the black Sloe berries on the blackthorn. |
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Bentley Wood |
| The attraction of Bentley Wood is meant to be the butterflies, in particular the ‘Purple Emperor’ and ‘Lettered Hairstreak’. |
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Old Winchester Hill |
| Old Winchester Hill sits on the western edge of the South Downs by the slopes of the Meon valley. |
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Langford Lakes |
| Very high winds and rain put off most members from attempting the fairly long drive to Langford Lakes nature reserve run by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. |
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Moorcourt Farm |
| It lies near the start of the walk and is a typical old farm with lots of ramshackle old barns and sheds, some still standing on the old mushroom shaped staddle stones. |
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Cheesefoot Head |
| A good turnout of members set out on one of the finest days of the year to walk round Cheesefoot head in search of Hares displaying their mad march hare rituals. |
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Lepe or Calshot? |
| That was the question that occupied the minds of those members of the Waterside Natural History Society as we gathered for the February outdoor meeting. |
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Waterside Natural History Society visit Warsash |
| Warsash during the week may be a centre of maritime excellence but at the weekend it is turned into a centre for leisure activities of many kinds. More >>> |
| 2008 |
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Waterside Natural History Society - Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve |
| This reserve is well known among birdwatchers and thoroughly deserves the title ‘national’. We have regularly visited the reserve over the last few years and always look forward to seeing a good variety of birds. More >>> |
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Waterside Natural History Society - Liberty’s Raptor and Reptile Centre |
| The November outdoor meeting consisted of a visit to the Liberty’s Raptor and Reptile Centre near Ringwood. More >>> |
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Waterside Natural History Society - Farlington Marshes |
| Farlington Marshes is a well known bird watching area on the south coast between Havant and Portsmouth. More >>> |
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Waterside Natural History Society - Blashford Lakes and pond dipping |
Waterside Natural History Society spent a day at Blashford Lakes recently. The morning was taken up pond dipping and the afternoon by a walk round the reserve.
More >>> |
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Waterside Natural History Society goes to Micheldever Woods |
| Micheldever Woods lie to the east of the M3 motorway as it bypasses Winchester. The purpose of the visit was to see the bluebells but we were about two weeks too late to see them in all their glory. More >>> |
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Waterside Natural History Society goes to Holly Hill Woodland Park |
| The weather was cold and wet the day before the visit to Holly Hill Woodland Park so the members of the WNHS were well wrapped up and ready for anything….then the sun came out. In the event the weather was warm and sunny and gave us a very pleasant day. More >>> |
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