Harbour Seal Chichester Harbour July 2025.jpg

2026/2027 Hampshire & IOW Nature Notes Blog by Ashley Whitlock A.R.P.S J.S.A.P

East Meon Park Hill 6th March 2025

A third day in a row where the sun was very warm and brought about a few butterflies. These being Brimstones, the odd Peacock but very little else except on the downland there was a lot of activity in the air especially the Red Kites, where they were using the thermals to get higher and I counted to (10) individuals and there were 4 in a vista at one time. There were also Buzzards and Kestrel on the hunt, the Kestrels just hanging in the air, the mastery of keeping dead still was for all to see, and then diving down at great speed on any prey it had seen in the undergrowth. There were Park cattle keeping the sward down to a minimal level, although I’ve never seen many butterflies on this part of the downland. I’ve normally seen a few Small Tortoiseshells in the area where they grow Corn-on – the cob, but alas today it wasn’t to be.

Milton Allotments /Foreshore 4th March 2025

Beautiful day warm just right for bringing out any Small Tortoiseshells, and low and behold I saw one Pristine next to the Allotments just where many years ago I used to see up to 5-6 walking along this side of the Allotments. All of the Nettles have been cut back and are shooting up rather rapidly now however, just one sighting is good however will there be any more that is the question. Other butterflies were the Peacock but little else even though Small Whites and Speckled Woods have been noted in other parts of Hampshire and Island.

Milton Allotments and Anson Grove/ Portsdown Hill 3rd March 2026

Another glorious day and a walk along to the Milton Allotments before the foreshore brought out a couple of Peacock butterflies and lots of bees on the Blackthorn which is well in flower now. No sign of a Small Tortoiseshell, they really are in desperate trouble. In the afternoon I went up to Anson Grove a small nature reserve on the fringes of Portsdown Hill, and here there were several Brimstone butterflies with several Peacock and Comma butterflies, here I normally see a few Speckled Woods, which have been seen in Kent, but alas not today. Lots of Ladybirds were present on the growing Nettles and there was a few wildflowers dotted about, but I was surprised not to see any Primrose or Violets where I went.

Milton Lock Local Nature Reserve 2nd March 2026

A beautiful day for walking around your local ‘patch ‘and the butterflies were out but the species count at the moment is very limited. Today I chalked up two Commas. One was sunning itself on a patch of vegetation getting in the rays, whilst another was feeding on Hawthorn flowers for which seemed like forever. Also noted was two Peacocks as well as several Brimstones, which really standout when they are flying about. One thing you do notice they are never in any tatty condition, maybe hiding behind lots of Ivy is a good protection from the elements throughout the winter, rather than a log or inside an eve of a house or outbuilding. On the shoreline there were plenty of Gulls and Rooks, also in the shallows there was a good twenty or thirty Redshanks which stayed together when they all took off.

Milton Foreshore 28th February 2026

A short break in the rain again and a walk around my local nature reserve we're the Common Violets were all out and looking rather splendid, and the Hawthorn bushes which were attracting many bees and the odd Peacock butterfly, in fact I saw not one but about three flying in and around the site. Along the shoreline the tide was out quite some distance which kept the waders away from the shoreline and difficult even with a long lens. I did see a few ducks on one of the lakes, but I can’t help feeling that the signs they have taken down will be missed by the Grey Heron and the odd Cormorant for drying their wings and just surveying the immediate area.

I also saw a quick glimpse of a Hummingbird Hawk Moth this morning in the front garden.

Two Gems from the Isle of Wight

Two gems from the Isle of Wight over the past week.

Nikki Kownacki has again photographed the Large Tortoiseshell in her garden, with not just one but two. It would be interesting to see if they are a male and female. Also a lovely Hummingbird Hawk Moth was seen feeding on Snowdrops last week with kind permission of Alex Blades.

Milton Lock Nature Reserve 25th February 2025

The Nature reserve has had a lot of scrub bashing done to it with the clearing of Bramble, which will surely grow back in the summer months, but that gives the ever-increasing spread of Bluebells and Violets over the site and also the Hawthorn is coming out with lots of Honey and Bumble bees feeding. A couple of Red Admirals put in an appearance, and they gave me a dance in the sky whether it was two males or a male chasing a female more the latter, I think. Also two Peacocks were seen, and one was quite tatty obviously not getting the though the winter undisturbed I feel.

Portsdown Hill 25th February 2025

Weather was sublime and so warm today and the butterflies didn’t disappoint, with well over 15+ Brimstones seen with several females waking up as well. There was also several Peacock butterflies seen on patrol. Although the warmth has woken them up there were still a few species that didn’t appear, like the Comma and Small Tortoiseshell. The birds of prey normally seen were a bit disappointing, but it was good to see lots of activity on the south slopes scrub bashing and the ponies are now out and munching away to keep the sward down at the right height.

Milton Lock Nature Reserve Foreshore and River Meon at Droxford 17th February 2026

The weather being very cold but at least the sun was out and on the Milton Foreshore and Milton Lock Nature Reserve the Hawthorn was just coming into flower which is a reminder that warmer weather and Spring is just around the corner, these were being utilized by Bumble bees and Honeybees getting some of their first nectar. There were lots of Common Dog Violets just appearing in flower. It probably wasn’t warm enough for a glimpse of my first butterfly of 2026. In the afternoon I went to have a look at the flooding in and around the Meon Valley and it wasn’t a surprise to see the river at a great height, all over the main roads and the fields, where there were Grey Herons and Small Egrets taking advantage of any amphibian that came their way. In the gardens around Droxford there lots of Snowdrops, and plenty of Primroses in flower. But as I write these notes today the 18th February we are still having gallons of rain!

Portsdown Hill Brown Hairstreak Egg Hunt 14th February 2026

A lovely day although somewhat cold with a northerly breeze blowing over the top of the down today. Several of us embarked on looking at the Blackthorn all around the field which is close to the Churchillian pub, and we looked for a couple of hours without any success. This doesn’t really surprise me as I feel the Brown Hairstreak in 2025 had a pretty poor year, as I didn’t see any up at Portsdown Hill throughout its flying period of late August, September and early October last Year. We did see hibernating Ladybirds and a Green Shield Bug all of which eat the eggs of the Brown Hairstreak. We found two oval eggs of a moth or another insect but identifying it is a bit tricky.

Milton Foreshore 12th February 2026

My favourite patch in amongst the chaos which is Portsmouth at the moment with road works everywhere and it’s a nightmare to get anywhere! Contrary to popular belief I do visit other areas, but as this is so near home and I don’t have to use the car it makes sense for me to just to go around the corner until everything dries up and the sun gets warmer and is out for longer…here hoping. Anyway, yesterday there were plenty of Brent Geese to be seen and when they all take off in their thousands it’s quite a spectacle. Also to be seen a Red Data Species the Curlew put in and appearance several times as a Red Data species it seems to do well along this part of the shoreline. Little Egret, Oystercatchers, Redshanks, Shovellers and Pochards were also seen.

Milton Foreshore 09th February 2025

A break in the rain found me local again today with birds, but insects are starting to wake up. I saw several Honeybees flying about and a couple of Bumblebees as well. On the bird front with the tide out they were hard to identify at times, but there were plenty of Oystercatchers, Cormorants on the Swan Lake drying their wings, Crows of different species Brent Geese, a solitary Little Egret hunting, as well as a hovering Kestrel over the Common, many gulls and Pied Wagtails along the sea walls. On Facebook somebody has seen a Hummingbird Hawk moth flying in and around some Snowdrops on the Isle of Wight at Bonchurch, and on the mainland a Peacock butterfly was seen. It wont be long now when we will be seeing these butterflies and taking them for granted!

West Walk - Forest of Bere in the mist Sunday 8th February 2026

Southwick 5th February 2026

A look around a typical woodland in the middle of winter where it’s been constantly raining for the last few weeks and no end in sight of it stopping either. Very wet underfoot and Rivers and streams are at their fullest with fast flowing water and the water board are letting out large amounts of water from lakes, so they do not flood roads and fields in the surrounding areas, however the fields are already saturated in the surrounding area of the Meon Valley and its been noted that we have just come through the wettest January on record for rainfall.

There wasn’t a great deal of wildlife to see with just a few Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, and Grey Wagtails, with plenty of Robins singing their hearts out in amongst the hedgerows, Magpies Rooks and Crows are busy starting to nest amongst the tall stands of Beech trees. There were several areas of Daffodils out and some Snowdrops in the Beech Woods, but very little else.

Spot the Kingfisher......

Undisclosed location 28th January 2026

I went to an undisclosed location yesterday to see a Kingfisher although it was a long way away it was still a treat to see. There was also lots of bird song plenty of Blackbirds, Blue and Great Tits, and a Firescrest. On the water there were Coots, Moorhens, Mallards and a rather feisty Male Swan, which seemed to follow me every where I went.

2026

27th January 2026 Milton Foreshore

There hasn’t been anything to write about in all honesty over the past few weeks of the New Year, except that I’ve been away for a fortnight in Barbados, which was lovely but very hot and got eaten alive by mosquitos. I attempted to get some butterfly pictures but wading through grasses up to waist height was a big no, no. I did see some butterflies and moths and some lovely birds, but I kept them for longer lenses. Back down to earth it has been so wet and the local patch at Milton is like the lake district with puddles everywhere, and the two lakes are quite high. However yesterday I took a walk in the late afternoon when the weather was sunnier and saw plenty of waders, like Little Ringed Plovers, Sanderlings by the shed load, Redshanks, Oystercatchers, Green Shanks, Turnstones all along the banks of shingle that have been created when they built the sea defences. If you didn’t know they were there you certainly wouldn’t have seen them! There were plenty of Gulls, and Brent Geese and Wagtails as well on the football pitches. I still haven’t seen my local Kestrel yet but forever hoping in the spring.

Warning over viral Highland cows trend after three people were rescued while trying to take photos on Butser Hill

We’re seeing a growing number of visitors heading to Butser Hill in Hampshire, after the area’s Highland cows went viral on social media. Three people were rescued from the hill yesterday evening (Saturday 24 January), highlighting the risks of visiting the area at this time of year.

Crews were called to assist three individuals who had become disoriented in the area, amid bad weather conditions and fading daylight. With temperatures dropping and rain setting in, the group quickly found themselves in difficulty. Firefighters from Cosham and Havant worked with colleagues from the South-Central Ambulance Service. Despite challenging conditions, the individuals were swiftly located using the what3words app to narrow down their location.

Station Manager Steve Jenkins said:

“Social media posts often show the Highland cows and panoramic views, but rarely reflect the physical effort or preparation required to reach them. The terrain can be challenging, especially during winter when poor weather conditions are more frequent and the daylight hours are limited.

“The area is covered in thick gorse, and the wet weather has made the ground very slippery. Without proper preparation, visitors are at risk of slips, falls and hyperthermia. We’re glad no one was harmed during this incident, but it highlights the risks of visiting an exposed downland environment where conditions can change rapidly.”

Butser Hill is a popular beauty spot, however:

The terrain can be steep and slippery, and chalk paths can be unstable after rainfall
Weather can deteriorate quickly, leading to wind exposure and poor visibility
Mobile signal can be inconsistent, making it harder to call for help

The frozen Milton foreshore and the Wolf Moon