Oh, I have major plans for that lottery I never play! Beach huts, nuthatches, old stone houses, public transportation, and open areas for long walks in a wheelchair are more than enough reason! I’ll bring a baked ham for you and a pint of moonshine for Mick so he can do more lap, tap, and pole dancing.
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Don’t remind me of Lap Tap & Pole… this might explain why my hips still feel like I have been cage fighting…
M
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I put out sunflower hearts, but maybe not enough. We’ve got a big flock of sparrows (tree and house) so maybe the bullfinches don’t get a look in, so hang out in the fruit trees waiting their chance, but nibbling the buds all the time.
Went for a walk today on a lovely lane across the carrs locally that always has wildlife of interest. A very big flock of bramblings, goldfinches and chaffinches were feeding on a winter bird food planted strip of millet, radish and linseed. Still lots of seed on it so should feed them for some time yet. The farm is in an agri-environment scheme, and here the wildlife benefit is apparent. Money well spent.
Though it was only 3:15pm the barn owl came out for a fly around. Also a few redwing, a heron, kestrel, 3 mute swans and big flocks of gulls over heading back to the sea. And a roe deer.
If I’m feeling indecisive and can’t make up my mind where to go for a walk, then this place is a great fall back, and only 4 miles from home. Always something to see, and it is quiet, with big, open skies.
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Wow,
It sounds like you have a lovely variety of local birds. Before we moved here we lived in West Sussex and had cats. Our garden birdlife consisted of a Blackbird who was happy to steal cat food, a robin and a monster gull with some odd starlings every now and then. Once our cats had died, and we moved to East Dorset I put up a bird feeder by a window facing some scrubby woodland. I have now seen birds that I had only ever seen in books, they interact and squabble and are a vey welcome source of visual pleasure. Once again I feel hugely lucky.
Mick
Went back again today, with my binoculars. The flock of bramblings is a few hundred in number! And linnets as well as the goldfinches. They were really enjoying the sun, and twittering away to each other. The barn owl was also out, at 2:30pm, hunting along the ditches. They always look smaller in broad daylight than at dusk. And 2 roe deer this time. Swans in the same location as yesterday.
I was born in East Dorset - near Ferndown. Parley Common is a fabulous place for lizards and snakes. And at Ferndown Primary school we occasionally were taken on walks on the heath just behind the school, which had a few ponds. Great crested newts in there - we did some pond dipping. Just checked on the current maps and the extent of heath behind where the primary school was is reduced, but at least some of it is still there, and there are still some ponds.
It is amazing how many birds that woodland, especially scrubby woodland can support, and just how many will visit a bird table close by. You are lucky. I am lucky too. My house is next to extensive woodland, but open to farmland at the front. We get goshawk over, and have had honey buzzard too. I will have to move in the not too distant future though as it is too far from shops and public transport, but will have to make sure I move to a house with plenty of birds around, and few cats. The wild birds give so much pleasure.
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It sounds like you have an extensive range of birdlife. We are close to Fordingbridge so have easy access to Keyhaven (Pennington) marshes where there are some really fancy varieties of wildlife. If you get nostalgic for this region there is a Facebook page called Wild New Forest where there are great pictures and info. They also have a website https://www.wildnewforest.co.uk/
Where we are I sometimes hear an owl but as yet I have not seen it.
Cheers Mick
Dumb American question of the day: It seems that everybody in England is able to walk (or wheelchair) pretty much everywhere, including wide swaths of nature. Are you like Sweden in that open fields and woods are accessible to everyone, regardless of who actually owns them? Or are you limited to public lands and parks only? Say you’re strolling down the road you live on. Can you just veer off through a farmer’s pasture because you want to see his creek, or will he chase you off and call the police?
Interesting question NM . As ever this is not straight forward. We can not trespass on private property, but we have what is known as the Stautory right to roam - as described " The right to roam allows the public to enter and remain on open access land for the purposes of open-air recreation . However, they must not commit any criminal offences on the land, or break or damage any walls, fences, hedges, etc, and they must abide by other restrictions."
Open access land, might cover some farms but not others. In designated national parks there will be some rules but you should be allowed to wander. I assume that is similar in USA. I remember in a previous life I wandered around Bryce canyon and Zion national parks in Utah (although we paid to get in)
Here in the UK we don’t pay to enter national parks, the nearest one to us is the New Forest and there is some regulation but we can go pretty much where we like.
Mick
That’s why I was curious. We pay for our national parks, but state and local ones are free. Then as long as you follow the common-sense rules (like don’t confront grizzly bears and bisons!), you’ll be fine. But other than that, everything is classified as private property, so you can’t step foot on it without the owner’s permission. That means that nearly everything is off limits unless you happen to live beside a park. Technically, my next door neighbor could have me arrested for trespassing if I wander onto his part of the patch of woods we share. It’s very limiting if you like to be outdoors.
And how do you know if it’s open access land? Are there signs posted?
There are public rights of way which go back into the mists of time. They allow you to pass over private land while staying on the path. These are very varied and sometimes are just an ancient path that now is a convenient shortcut in an urban environment. Others can extend for miles. These can be way marked and cross fields. Some of them are termed bridle ways and you can ride your horse (if you had one). Some are permissive in that the land owner allows access but not necessarily all the time.
Most areas have a country park close by that is free, but you probably pay for parking. Our National Trust is big landowner with a variety of land with varying access rules according to the property. They have mobility scooters for loan at many of their major sites.
There are many long distance footpaths crossing the country and along the coast. Also many old railways have been converted to paths.
So yes we have a lot out there to use.
Another interesting question. Footpaths, bridleways and cycle tracks are marked on maps and with signposts. Lots of land also has “Private Property” signage. On ministry of defense land access is allowed but if there are live firing exercises there are red flags to identify the access is closed, however there are some idiot dog walkers who have to be escorted away off the ranges!
In a previous life I nearly applied to become a “rights of way inspector” because I loved walking in the countryside. I then found out that I needed legal qualifications and would spend most time in courts arguing with farmers who had failed to maintain signs or paths.
Mick
I prefer to keep away from grizzlies and bison too.
Actually, I think to use most footpaths on open / farm land, you’d need a bigger off-road type of ‘chair rather than a typical wheelchair more suited to towns etc, Personally, I tend to stick to the wildfowl centre and the seafront. Nice smooth paths and pretty birds (plus beach huts!)
Sue
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LOL. There are umpteen news articles every year about idiots who thought they could pet wild animals or dip their toes into Yellowstone’s hot springs. “Here’s a charging grizzly. Let me stop and take a selfie.”
And I love the off-road chairs available to you! I pour over British websites, because we have few like that here, and none are affordable. There’s a direct correlation between that and the fact that we have nowhere to go that’s outside of paved roads. I really need to play that lottery! I look at Mick’s photos and read Essie’s posts and just think “Oh, if only I could do that here.” I know it’s wrong, but my vision of all of you is that you’re outside in all kinds of weather, just zipping along in your motorized chairs every day.
And I really didn’t intend to hijack Mick’s bird thread. I think we need some more photos to get it back on track! Put down that moonshine, Mick!
I reckon there might be pros and cons to each of our locations. I try to appreciate how lucky I am to be able to get out into the countryside, but you would be impressed and the speed of change from elation to panic and fear when things go wrong. I got stuck in a huge heather patch (off the path) with a dead battery… I had visions of calling the emergency services, however my 86 year old father in law was quite close by and ended up pushing me and my dead buggy back to a down hill path. I felt like a total idiot.
No worries about “thread hijack” I tend to be the perpetrator ! As for pictures, I don’t need to be asked twice.
I adore where I live.
Mick
Thank you for making me laugh! I’m sure it wasn’t funny at the time, but just picturing you there in the midst of heather and cows…
I’ve shared your photos with my family, and Nora just wants the cows. She could care less about the scenery and your wheelchair. I think she was adopted.
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when I put the cow picture on my wifes’ facebook page someone recognised their cows, as “commoners” in the New Forest have grazing rights! The one with the white heart shape on her forehead is called Lucy !
I’ll have to revisit Dorset again. It has been a very long time. My grandparents lived at Barton on Sea but I don’t remember ever going to the Keyhaven Marshes area. We didn’t go that often into the New Forest either - for some reason we went westwards to the Purbecks usually. Arne was the up and coming nature reserve back then! I do remember, as a child so much of the heathland around Poole being lost - turned into housing. It wasn’t valued back then. I guess the New Forest survived having been a Royal Hunting Forest, which led to its own unique ‘Commons’ legislation, and still remaining as Crown land.
NorasMom, you might find this interesting about the Royal Hunting Grounds (the New Forest area was one) and how ruthless the kings were!
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great history info. I also found out that there is some WW2 historical info. I found this after one walk took me to a place with a massive brick & concrete arrow on the ground and I was told it was part of an RAF bombing test range!
https://nfknowledge.org/contributions/ashley-walk-bombing-range-1940-46-overview/#map=10/-1.71/50.93/0/24:0:0.6|39:1:1|40:1:1
