Russell Wynn

Andy Page and Tommy Saunders, New Forest Raptor Monitoring Group (NFRMG), April 2026 Despite a prolonged period of cold easterly winds, the current warm spell has enabled fieldwork to continue apace. Goshawks are the earliest of the New Forest raptors to begin breeding, and with over 60 sites to check and a minimum of two visits required to each to confirm breeding or occupation, we have been extremely busy. To date we have 40 sites where incubation has commenced and a further 16 sites that...

Russell Wynn, 05 May 2026 The New Forest Volunteer Ecological Surveyor Programme (VESPA) reconvened after the Easter holidays, with four group surveys and a training session all delivered in the second half of April. The group surveys are already demonstrating the benefits of having multiple pairs of eyes (and ears!) in the field, and have generated some fantastic records of priority species. It's been great to see the survey participants sharing experience and benefitting from the informal...

Russell Wynn, 05 April 2026 The first three activities of this year's New Forest Volunteer Ecological Surveyor Programme (VESPA) were successfully delivered in March 2026, and a brief summary is provided below. Further details about VESPA, including registration information, are available here. VESPA Group Survey on 20 March 2026 Nine participants enjoyed a wonderful sunny day to kick off the 2026 VESPA Group Surveys, with a focus on restored heathland and wetland habitats in the nothern New...