Farlington Marshes, Hampshire.

Farlington Marshes in Hampshire has to be one of my favourite places in Hampshire. It has pretty much everything going for it, including wildlife, countryside and coast. The marshes are owned by the Hampshire and Isle Of Wight wildlife trust, covering around 300 plus acres of the northern reaches of Langstone Harbour, near Portsmouth.

Farlington Marshes reed beds.

Personally, i enjoy coming here at any time of the year as there is always something different to see through the seasons. The landscapes are constantly changing, with the tides revealing mudflats and reed beds at low tides. Low tide is the best time to visit as i think it gives you more to see in terms of wildlife that come to feed on the mud dwelling creatures among the eelgrass and algae.

During the Autumn months the marshes are visited by large numbers of Brent Geese, overwintering on the marshes where food and shelter is easily found. To see the Brent Geese arrive or take off at once is quite a sight, and i enjoy seeing them on a yearly basis. The reserve is also important for other species of birds at other times of the year, such as Mallard, Gadwall, Pintail and Widgeon.

Mud Flats. Easy food for passing wildlife.

Easy walking paths surround the reserve.

 There is a good solid and level walking path that surrounds and criss crosses the reserve, and even a small area for car parking that is easily accessible from the nearby M27. the walk, at a guess, is around one and a half to two miles long, and is a blast of fresh sea air when you feel the need to get away from it all. Not only is it a place to see the wildlife, but a great place for plant and insect life during the Spring and Summer months, that is just as important to the local ecology. I enjoy Farlington Marshes, and will continue to do so. i very much recommend it.

Paul Martin. http://www.media-attention.co.uk 

Deep In A Hampshire Hedgerow.

You have probably guessed by now that i poke my nose into all areas of Hampshire, well, almost. Walking the back roads of Hampshire reveals a beautiful scenery, with rural landscapes and wild places that most people just walk, or drive past. Not me. So much so, that even the humble Hampshire hedgerow makes for a good afternoons snooping about, especially in the Spring and early Summer months.



At this time of year the hedgerows are bursting with life of all varieties, including plant life and insect life, which as you can see from my video here, can be hard to see. You really do have to get in there and look hard if you want to see the insect life. Once you get your eye in it's a match for any jungle, with predators, the hunters and the hunted all vying for a slice of life that goes on in the undergrowth beneath our very noses in Hampshire.

I'm sorry i cannot name any of the species here, but there is a huge amount of differing insect life, much of which i couldn't fit onto this little film. Maybe i will save that for another time, but for now i hope you enjoy the small offering here, and next time you pass a Hampshire hedgerow, stick your nose in and squint. You will be amazed at what you might find.

Paul Martin. http://www.media-attention.co.uk/

Bluebell Woods In Hampshire.

During a recent trip out towards Basingstoke, Hampshire, earlier this year, i had the great fortune to come across a bluebell wood that i didn't know existed, until the flash of blue caught my eye from the car. Luckily, i had my camera with me from work, so i stopped and filmed the colourful spectacle that presented itself.




Sights like these in Hampshire are becoming a rare treat, and on top of that, only last a short while during the early months of Spring. I find that walking through woodland in Hampshire is the best way to find and see these types of things, so i felt very lucky to have seen them whilst driving in the car. The sun was shining that day which made the find all the more special, so after filming them i just sat a while with my flask of coffee and watched. The insect life and the peaceful surroundings made for a very pleasant time. Sit still for long enough and the wildlife will appear, many people forget to just sit and watch and let the scene before them unfold. So next time you happen upon a bluebell wood, take the time to really see it. Stop, listen and watch. You will feel a lot better for it.

Paul Martin. http://www.media-attention.co.uk 

Frensham Fire.

It was a great shame that over the past week we learned of the full extent of the heath fire at Frensham, just over the Hampshire border into Surrey. A short walk around the area left me in no doubt that a great deal of damage had been done to the heathland, the flora and fauna, and of course, the wildlife which will have suffered a catastrophic blow. The Surrey and Hampshire fire and rescue services, along with teams from the countryside rangers, did their best to contain the flames....

I did get the chance to speak to one of the head rangers, during his lunch break on a very busy day for him and his team, and was told that over 150 acres of heathland had been destroyed or very badly damaged by the flames, however the seeds from the heathland plants stood a good chance of survival, and could be growing again sooner than we may think. However, the wildlife will have suffered greatly, with many rare and endangered species having taken a big hit, and may decrease in numbers quite heavily at this time in the spring and summer breeding season, with their young still too young or unable to flee the fire.

I think it will take quite a while for the heathland to recover. Not being a heathland expert i don't know what or how quickly the heath will take to regrow, or for the wildlife to re-establish itself over the coming years, some species may never return, such is the rarity of some species. I hope i am wrong.

I will endeavor to get some more information on this from the countryside rangers, however i think that they have more to do at the moment to make sure that fire doesn't flare up again in the coming days, so i will leave interviews and audio until they have some spare time to talk to me.

Paul Martin
http://www.media-attention.co.uk

Wildlife Artist At The Alton Show.

Having spent the day at Froyle Park near Alton at the Alton agricultural show, i got around to speaking to a wildlife and landscape artist called Gordon, and i took great delight in looking at the fine pictures he paints whilst working full time as a landscape gardener. So i decided to have a few words with him to see what inspires him to paint ...



I think you will agree that he is a thoroughly nice chap, with a talent that most of us can only aspire to, and it was a pleasure to get to talk to him.

Hampshire Beekeepers At The Alton Show.

The first post of my shiny new blog sees me venturing not too far away from home, less than 10 miles to be exact. I thought that the best way to start this new travel blog was to start local, and work my way out from there, so i attended the Alton Show at Froyle Park, for the annual agricultural get together. The first people who said yes to an interview were the Meon Valley Bee Keepers Association who kindly said a few words .......

PART ONE.




PART TWO.