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This report aims to summarise some of the notable wildlife sightings and conservation news in the New Forest National Park in June-July 2024. To contribute to future editions, please contact the New Forest Biodiversity Forum Chair ( russ@wildnewforest.co.uk ).   Notable wildlife sightings Met Office data indicate that the UK experienced below average temperatures and rainfall, and average sunshine hours, in June and July, although there were a couple of short-lived warm spells, notably in the last week of July when temperatures peaked at around 30oC.   The big news in the avian world was the successful fledging in mid July of two Roseate Tern chicks from the pair that settled on Normandy Lagoon in mid-May. A volunteer-based 24/7 surveillance programme, combined with a variety of predator management measures, all helped to ensure this successful outcome. Hi-res photos revealed that both adult birds were ringed as chicks at Rockabill (Ireland) in 2017-18, and they were subsequently seen in the eastern Solent at Titchfield Haven in late July. Normandy Lagoon also hosts other breeding tern species, and interesting colour-ring observations made by New Forest Ringing Group this summer included a Little Tern that arrived in late April and was ringed in Senegal 4500km to the south just a few weeks earlier, and a Common Tern that was ringed as a chick at Normandy Lagoon on 30 June 2021 and was recorded back there in 2023 and 2024.   Adult Roseate Tern feeding fledged juvenile on 14 July 2024 (photo: Steve Laycock)   The purple patch for Normandy Lagoon continued when a rare vagrant Long-billed Dowitcher stopped off there on 08-10 July and a migrant Black Tern was seen on 08 July. Other notable sightings in the Lymington-Hurst area included a singing Quail on 08-09 June, a Wood Sandpiper on 25 June, a Curlew Sandpiper on 31 July, impressive counts of 14 Little Ringed Plovers and 112 Avocets on 11 July, and regular reports of two Spoonbills and a Great White Egret.   Long-billed Dowitcher on 09 July 2024 (photo: Steve Laycock) Offshore, a female Eider was seen off Normandy Marsh with three young chicks on several dates in July, indicating successful local breeding; interestingly, the species was also confirmed breeding in Cornwall for the first time this year, which becomes the only other known breeding location in southern England (see here ).   Female Eider with three chicks on 10 July 2024 (photo: Steve Laycock)   Notable bird sightings from the New Forest interior included a Golden Oriole heard briefly in Denny Lodge Inclosure on 03 June, a Quail singing at Black Gutter Bottom on 30 June, a migrant Little Ringed Plover at Woodfidley Passage also on 30 June, and a Pied Flycatcher at Black Knowl on 28 July.   Invertebrate reports ramped up through the period, particularly in the short-lived periods of warmer weather. One of the highlights was the first Hampshire and fifth UK record of Black V Moth in a garden moth trap at Woodlands on the night of 12 July; there was very little moth immigration at the time raising the question of whether the species has become locally established. The same site also attracted a series of nationally rare moths in late July that have traditionally been viewed as New Forest specialities, including four Dingy Mocha and three Light Crimson Underwing, as well as potentially the first New Forest record of the melanistic form of Riband Wave, and both Red-tipped and Yellow-legged Clearwings in a garden polytunnel. Other notable moth records on the open forest included larval cases of Large Heath Bagworm Pachythelia villosella near Pig Bush on 12 June, Cottongrass Sedge-miner Elachista albidella at the same site on 17 June,  Ling Owlet Scythris empetrella on 23 June at the regular site near Lyndhurst where it was first found in 1834, and what appears to be the first New Forest record of Buff Grey Tortrix Cnephasia longana at Matley Bog on 03 July.   Black V Moth on 13 July 2024 (photo: Russell Wynn)   Winged insects can be highly mobile and are therefore capable of responding rapidly to environmental change, with ‘continental’ species becoming established in the New Forest at a bewildering rate. Formerly rare moths such as Jersey Tiger, Tree-lichen Beauty, and Rusty Acorn Piercer Cydia amplana were widely reported by local moth-trappers in July, Norfolk Hawker dragonflies were reported at two sites close to the New Forest and seem likely to be a future colonist, and formerly nationally scarce species such as Median Wasp, Bee Wolf, and Pantaloon Bee are now forming breeding colonies in the New Forest that are several hundred strong.   Jersey Tiger, Tree-lichen Beauty, and Rusty Acorn Piercer on 30 July 2024 (photo: Russell Wynn)   Fungi sightings were relatively sparse as expected for the season, but Devil’s Fingers made an early appearance at a regular site near Lyndhurst on 15 June and the first specimen of the nationally rare Tiered Tooth was found on 15 July. Hampshire Fungus Recording Group (HFRG) conducted surveys at two new Forest sites in July, with the first on 21 July producing a scattering of the larger and more charismatic fungi such as Jewelled Amanita and Scarletina Bolete, as well as several tiny and often overlooked species such as Holly Parachute, Earpick Fungus, Ticker Inkcap, and Dung Cannon Pilobolus . A tiny parachute fungus on an Oak leaf appeared to be the rarely recorded Oak Toughshank  Gymnopus quercophilus , and a bracket fungus on Grey Willow may be  Phellinopsis conchata . A specimen of Choke on grass has been tentatively identified as Epichloe baconii , which would be the first New Forest record, while several spectacular clumps of coral fungus  Ramaria  and a freshly emerged fibrecap  Inocybe await DNA analysis for firm identification (HFRG have received grant funding from the New Forest Biodiversity Forum to support DNA analysis of rare and cryptic species, with permission of Forestry England).   Tiered Tooth on 28 July (photo: Peter Norton)   Some great images of notable plants were reported on the Wild New Forest Facebook site in early summer, including the nationally rare Bastard Balm (info here ) and the locally rare Chalk Fragrant-orchid (info here ).   Bastard Balm on 31 May 2024 (photo: Marion Nesbitt)   Wildlife and conservation news The lack of insects on the wing this spring and summer, particularly butterflies and moths, has been a major talking point locally and made national headlines in July. Initial results from the Big Butterfly Count here support anecdotal observations of worryingly low butterfly numbers, with the exceptionally wet winter and spring followed by a generally cool summer being a likely driver. However, it will take some time to fully understand the long-term impacts and the knock-on effects on higher-level predators such as birds and bats, e.g. see media article entitled “Where are all the bats?” here and the Bat Conservation Trust response here .   The ongoing impact of climate change and extreme weather on our wildlife was underpinned by news headlines here indicating that daily global average air temperatures reached a record high for the modern era of 17.15oC on 22 July, and a Met Office press release here on 25 July stating that that “ climate change is causing a dramatic increase in the frequency of temperature extremes and number of temperature records the UK experiences ”; the latter was based on the ‘State of the UK Climate 2023’ report, published as open access in the International Journal of Climatology, which provides a useful executive summary and a wealth of handy facts and figures.   Daily global average air temperature, 1940-2024 (screengrab: BBC News)   The New Forest now has one of the highest population densities of Goshawk in the UK, with around 45 pairs on the Crown lands and several more on adjacent private land. The New Forest Raptor Monitoring Group are conducting detailed studies on this population and their impact on other species, sponsored by the New Forest Biodiversity Forum. A recent paper on Goshawk diet by Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group, published in the Quarterly Journal of Forestry and available here , contains lots of data of relevance to the New Forest, and the summary is reproduced below: The Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group has been studying the diet of Goshawk using nest trail cameras for the five years 2017-22. In many nests the non-native Grey Squirrel constitutes a high proportion of prey delivered by the adults. Grey Squirrel can cause significant damage to trees, recently estimated to cost £37 million a year across England and Wales, and considerable time and money is spent on Grey Squirrel control. It is expected that a breeding pair of Goshawk can provide a form of natural pest control of Grey Squirrel in the woodland in which they nest, and this article discusses ways in which woodland managers can support them.   There is growing interest in the population of free-living Honeybees in the ancient woodlands of the New Forest, and the potential negative impacts of high densities of domestic Honeybees in this highly protected landscape that is currently subject to high grazing pressure from livestock and deer. A recent article here from the Natural Beekeeping Trust provides some interesting perspectives, and this topic is one that the New Forest Biodiversity Forum would like to pursue via a future student- or volunteer-based project.   Finally, many thanks as always to all those who contributed their observations and images to the various online fora that provide source material for these reports, particularly Going Birding and the Wild New Forest and Hantsmoths Facebook sites.

This report aims to summarise some of the notable wildlife sightings and conservation news in the New Forest National Park in May 2024. To contribute to future editions, please contact the New Forest Biodiversity Forum Chair ( russ@wildnewforest.co.uk ).   Notable wildlife sightings In contrast to the cold second half of April, the month of May was the warmest since records began, although it was wetter and cloudier than average. The warmest weather was in the second and third weeks of the month, which triggered an emergence of invertebrates.   The New Forest Green Forest Hoverfly survey got off to a great start, with the first sightings of the target species (Green Forest Hoverfly Caliprobola speciosa ) on 09 May, coinciding with the start of the warm sunny weather. The volunteer surveyors also recorded other nationally rare and scarce hoverflies during this period, including Heath Ant Fly Microdon analis and Dark-shinned Leaf Licker Xylota abiens ; other notable saproxylic insects included the nationally rare Six-spotted Longhorn Beetle Anoplodera sexguttata and two nationally scarce craneflies: Wasp-banded Comb-horn Ctenophora flaveolata and Orange-sided Comb-horn Ctenophora pectinicornis .     Orange-sided Comb-horn on 25 May 2024 (photo: Russell Wynn)   Other notable invertebrates reported on the Wild New Forest Facebook page included the first Pearl-bordered Fritillary sightings on 12 May, and several nationally rare/scarce spiders: Ant-mimic Jumping Spider Synageles venator, Bleeding Heart Spider Nigma puella , Bowed Jumping Spider Evarcha arcuata , and Lichen Running Spider Philodromus margaritatus. Mothing continued to be rather poor, although the nationally scarce Rose Shoot Borer Lampronia morosa was found at Woodlands on 05 May and appears to be the first New Forest record, while a Pauper Pug Eupitheca egenaria at a private site in the northern New Forest on 11 May appears to be the fourth New Forest record and the first this century.   Ant-mimic Jumping Spider on 30 May 2024 (photo: Russell Wynn)   Down at the coast, a pair of Roseate Terns arriving over Hurst Beach on 14 May and subsequently seen around Normandy Lagoon generated a lot of interest, especially when they were observed mating on 16 May. It soon became clear that a nesting attempt on an island in the lagoon was underway, and so arrangements were made for 24/7 surveillance during the incubation phase. This is a nationally rare Schedule 1 species that occasionally nests in the Solent region, but this is the first time they have settled in such a conspicuous location. With nest protection in place, the news was made public in early June, providing an opportunity for many to see this species in the New Forest for the first time. At the time of writing the parent birds are feeding their young chicks, so fingers crossed for a successful breeding attempt.   Roseate Terns on 14 May 2024 (photo: Jeremy McClements)   A less conventional breeding record concerned a pair of Oystercatchers that attempted to nest on the canopy of a tour boat used by Wild New Forest Guided Tours on the lower reaches of the Beaulieu River (see here ). Wild New Forest Guided Tours also had some fantastic views of a White-tailed Eagle in the north of the New Forest on 15 May, with the photo below showing the size comparison with Common Buzzard. The White-tailed Eagles from the Isle of Wight reintroduction scheme also made the news the same day when an update on their diet was provided by Forestry England, indicating that in our region they are primarily feeding on rabbits, grey mullet, and cuttlefish, as well as taking carrion and robbing prey from smaller raptors (see here ). There is no evidence that they are taking lambs or other livestock.   White-tailed Eagle and Buzzard on 15 May (photo: Marcus Ward)   Other notable bird sightings during the month included two colourful Bee-eaters over Acres Down on 09 May, a White-winged Black Tern flying east off Pennington Marshes and Lepe on 11 May, and the first Honey Buzzards back at regular sites from 15 May. In addition, the wintering drake Scaup at Pennington Marshes remained until 05 May, and a couple of Spoonbills lingered in the area.   It’s always interesting to see summary reports from those who regularly record wildlife on a local patch. The example at the link here is by Chris Roseveare and covers his patch in the south of the New Forest. A White-tailed Eagle featured in Chris’ summary report from this spring, and he also comments on the impacts of the exceptionally wet winter, the late arrival of House Martins and Swallows, and the ongoing woes of our breeding waders.   Wildlife and conservation news May saw survey work get underway for the £1.3M Defra-funded New Forest Species Survival Fund project. A series of baseline surveys were conducted at several sites, with a particular focus on documenting the bird, invertebrate, and plant assemblages to monitor future change and identify any existing priority species (a more detailed survey update will be provided next month). In addition, the project team hosted a visit by Defra staff to two of the project sites, where they got to see Smooth Snake in the hand. The New Forest Biodiversity Forum is providing match-funding for the project, which is being delivered by a partnership including New Forest National Park Authority, Freshwater Habitats Trust, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Wild New Forest, and New Forest Commoners Defence Association (see here ).   The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has recently released two reports that highlight the changing nature of our avifauna. The 2023 Breeding Bird Survey report (see here ) documents the population changes of the UK’s common and widespread breeding birds, with many of the national trends mirroring what is happening here in the New Forest. For example, the species showing the greatest national declines over the last 30 years are Turtle Dove (-97%) and Willow Tit (-90%), which is reflected in their local extinction as breeding birds here in the New Forest over that period, while Wood Warbler (-81%) and Little Owl (-74%) are also at risk of local extinction in the coming years. In contrast, the species showing the greatest increase nationally over the last three decades are Little Egret and Red Kite, which are both now regularly encountered in and around the New Forest, followed by Ring-necked Parakeet and Egyptian Goose, which although still relatively scarce within the New Forest are establishing growing populations at nearby locations. The 2022/23 Wetland Bird Survey report (see here ) highlights the ongoing decline in wintering wildfowl and waders visiting the UK, as milder winters are seeing many of these birds wintering closer to their breeding grounds in a phenomenon known as short-stopping. In the New Forest and surrounding river valleys this phenomenon has also contributed to the increasing rarity of previously regular winter visitors such as Bewick’s Swan, White-fronted Goose, and Smew.   In other news, the New Forest Pine Marten project is attempting to secure DNA samples for the first time this year, to better understand population size and structure (see here ), and the Species Recovery Trust have announced a new project attempting to reintroduce the New Forest Cicada, based around a captive breeding programme using Slovenian stock (see here ).  Finally, of concern for the sensitive New Forest environment is a recent report (see here ) that lists Southampton as one of the UK’s most polluted ports, topping the list for emissions of harmful sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and fine particulate matter. Ship-based emissions of the nitrogen oxides are shown to be four times higher than those coming from all the cars registered in the city, and more than half the fine particulate matter is thought to come from cruise ships.

This report aims to summarise some of the notable wildlife sightings and conservation news in the New Forest National Park in April 2024. To contribute to future editions, please contact the New Forest Biodiversity Forum Chair (russ@wildnewforest.co.uk). Notable wildlife sightings April was much wetter and slightly warmer than average, but it was very much a month of two halves, and the latter two weeks were rather cold with a biting northerly wind that supressed invertebrate activity, although there were notable sightings of the nationally scarce Purseweb Spider Atypus affinis on 13 Apr and Wasp-banded Comb-horn cranefly Ctenophora flaveolata on 21 Apr. Wasp-banded Comb-horn cranefly on 21 Apr 2024 (photo: Neil Sanderson) A popular Marsh Sandpiper on Normandy Lagoon from 19-24 Apr was only the third for the New Forest and the fifth for Hampshire. Other notable bird sightings in the Lymington-Hurst area include Cattle Egret on 07 Apr, Whooper Swan on 10-11 Apr, singing Grasshopper Warbler on 12 and 21 Apr, Wood Sandpiper on 24 Apr, and Pomarine Skua on 30 Apr, while Scaup, Garganey, Bar-headed Goose, Great White Egret, Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Water Pipit, up to four Spoonbills, five Little Gulls and 74 Avocets were regularly reported there. An exceptionally early record of Gilthead Bream came from a local angler on 16 Apr. There were a couple of sightings of White-tailed Eagle and White Stork in the New Forest during the month, presumably from recent reintroduction schemes, and the first reports of migrant Honey Buzzards at the coast on 19-20 Apr. A Great White Egret was at Beaulieu Mill Pond on 21 Apr, while in the forest interior notable spring migrants included two Ring Ouzels at Ashley Walk on 07 Apr and a Pied Flycatcher at Pig Bush on 21 Apr. Marsh Sandpiper at the New Forest coast, present from 19-24 April 2024 (photo: Jeremy McClements) April is not the most productive month for fungi, although a good candidate for the nationally scarce Spring Funnel Bonomyces sinopicus (six previous New Forest records) was found on a bracken-covered burn site in ancient woodland on 11 Apr, together with the nationally uncommon Toothed Cup Tarzetta cupularis (three previous New Forest records). Spring Funnel and Toothed Cup fungus on 11 Apr 2024 (photo: Holly Fitzgerald). Wildlife and conservation news The £1.3M Defra-funded Species Survival Fund in the New Forest was announced in March here and here, and the kick-off meeting on 22 Apr saw over 20 target sites identified across the New Forest, with survey work due to commence in May. The New Forest Biodiversity Forum is providing match-funding for the project, which will be delivered by a partnership including New Forest National Park Authority, Freshwater Habitats Trust, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Wild New Forest, and New Forest Commoners Defence Association. There are encouraging signs that local authorities are increasingly moving towards a more relaxed management regime for grass verges and other public open spaces, including New Forest District Council who launched their ‘Let it Bee’ campaign on 08 Apr here. Further support for the biodiversity benefits of allowing grass to grow long came from Butterfly Conservation research here, showing that the abundance and diversity of butterflies is much higher in gardens with long grass, especially in urban and agricultural environments. Another positive story relates to a £400,000 funding award to the New Forest National Park Authority from the National Grid’s Landscape Enhancement Initiative, which has been used for landscape, access, and biodiversity improvements (see here). Finally, the Campaign for National Parks released a ‘National Parks Health Check Report’ on 10 Apr (download available here and media coverage here) that claims to be the “first full assessment of how well the National Parks of England are supporting nature recovery”. The report contains a variety of maps and statistics, including the fact that the New Forest has the highest proportion of land (47.4%) in public ownership, the highest proportion of protected area (57%), and the highest amount of woodland cover (36.8%) of any National Park, but with particular issues around water quality (primarily agricultural and sewage discharges) and habitat loss and drainage due to past forestry operations (which are being addressed in some areas through ongoing wetland and heathland restoration work). However, the report also identified a lack of robust contemporary data to assess key measures such as peatland extent and condition (particularly deep peat) and species abundance and trends, although the former is now being investigated by Natural England in the New Forest and the latter is being discussed as a potential future project for the New Forest Biodiversity Forum.

This report aims to summarise some of the notable wildlife sightings and conservation news in the New Forest National Park in March 2024. To contribute to future editions, please contact the New Forest Biodiversity Forum Chair (russ@wildnewforest.co.uk). Notable wildlife sightings The New Forest Raptor Monitoring Programme is sponsored by the Forum and saw fieldwork commence in March, with the initial focus being the monitoring of Goshawk and Buzzard territories on the Crown Lands. The first sighting of a female sitting on eggs was on 24 Mar, while a report of a dead Goshawk via the Wild New Forest Facebook page on 21 Mar allowed the bird to be swiftly recovered from a site near Lyndhurst, and it was found to be a freshly dead adult female, albeit very underweight at just 710g. Dead female Goshawk found on 21 Mar 2024 (photos: Russell Wynn) Four other dead juvenile/immature Goshawks have been recovered from the New Forest in recent weeks - two were ringed and shown to have come from different nest sites about 15 km from where they were found. This highlights the natural mortality of birds in their first couple of winters, although for all these birds the possibility of avian flu or trichomonosis cannot be ruled out. It also raises questions as to how much juvenile dispersal there is into the wider countryside, and whether there are differences in dispersal strategy between sexes. Fortunately, the team have been granted permission by the BTO to fit colour rings to juvenile Goshawks this year, and in due course we will be issuing a public call for colour-ring sightings. We are also aiming to fit GPS tags to juvenile Goshawks next year to better understand post-breeding dispersal and behaviour. Finally, one of the raptor team was able to obtain the image below of a spectacular aerial tussle between a territorial male Goshawk and a passing Marsh Harrier on 04 Mar, a photo that would not have been possible three decades ago. Goshawk and Marsh Harrier sparring on 04 Mar 2024 (photo: Alex Yates) Another photo that simply wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago was an amazing image reported on 06 Mar on BBC News here showing a Grey Seal apparently spitting water at a curious White-tailed Eagle. Although the encounter was on the Isle of Wight side of The Solent, both species are now semi-resident along the New Forest coast, with a couple of White-tailed Eagles regularly reported along the Solent and Southampton Water during the month. Other avian news included a couple of Common Redpolls seen with a mixed flock of Lesser Redpolls and Siskins at Pignal Inclosure on 24 Mar, while the male Scaup, a Bar-headed Goose, and up to eight Spoonbills continued to be seen along the New Forest coast between Lymington and Keyhaven. In addition, a Red-necked Grebe there on 17-18 Mar was notable, as the species has become a rare winter visitor to our region in recent years. Little Egret taking a European (Glass) Eel at the New Forest coast on 21 Mar 2024 (photo: Jeremy McClements) There were few notable reports of other animal species, but a Western Conifer Seed Bug found on 12 Mar had no doubt recently emerged from hibernation, and both Dotted Chestnut and Pine Beauty were recorded during a mothing session at Woodlands on 26 Mar. A Polecat captured on 21 Mar on a trail camera deployed at Green Hill Farm (Landford) was the second record there in six months. Dotted Chestnut on 26 Mar (photo: Russell Wynn) Hampshire Fungus Recording Group (HFRG) conducted a couple of surveys in the northern New Forest during the month, as the wet and mild conditions continued to be favourable for fungi. The first survey was at RSPB Franchises Lodge on 02 Mar, with some of the more notable species including the second New Forest records of Pink Pancake Crust Rhodonia placenta (confirmed using DNA) and Leptosporomyces mutablis, both on fallen pines, and Cosmospora arxii parasitising Beech Woodwart Hypoxylon fragiforme. Other notable records included Cobalt Crust Terana coerulea, Serried Porecrust Antrodia serialis, and False Truffle Elaphomyces granulatus, as well as calling Goshawk and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Cobalt Crust on 02 Mar 2024 (photo: Russell Wynn) The second survey was at Copythorne Common on 23 Mar, which produced a nice show of Bog Beacons Mitrula paludosa, the first New Forest record of Stripe Rust Puccinia striiformis on Smooth Meadow Grass, and the second New Forest records of Milesina kriegeriana on Male Fern and Stictis friabilis on Scots Pine (on the same branch as Lachnellula resinaria var. calycina). Note that information on fungi species status is based on the Fungi Recording Database of Britain and Ireland (FRDBI). Bog Beacons on 23 Mar 2024 (photo: Russell Wynn) Wildlife and conservation news Met Office data indicate that March was warmer, wetter, and cloudier than average, and the New Forest certainly continued to be very wet underfoot. The unprecedent wet winter has had a major impact on some forest management activities, e.g. the prescribed burning programme conducted by Forestry England on the Crown Lands had only achieved 13 ha of its planned 276 ha for winter 23/24 up to the end of March, equating to <5% of its target area. The unusually wet weather in 2023 was also a major contributor to an unwelcome increase in combined sewage overflows into our rivers, with national Environment Agency figures featured by BBC News online here indicating a doubling of spill duration compared to 2022. CSO discharges into New Forest rivers continue to be a significant concern, although as outlined here Southern Water are currently investing £30M into the New Forest and surrounds to help tackle the issue. A sighting of Asian Hornet in Kent on 11 Mar, as reported here, has raised concerns that the species is now successfully overwintering in southern England. In 2023 there were unprecedent numbers reported from the region, including a couple from the eastern fringes of the New Forest; it is hard to see how they can now realistically be prevented from colonising the UK, but the National Bee Unit is still keen to receive reports and will take action to destroy colonies where practicable - further details here. A new two-year project on the New Forest coast has benefitted from funding from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme. The Gravelly Shores project is a collaboration between GWCT, Natural England, and Beaulieu Estate, and will create 1.7 ha of new vegetated shingle habitat at the North Solent National Nature Reserve to support ground-nesting birds; this will be combined with electric anti-predator fencing and trials of other non-lethal predator management techniques such as nest protection cages, specifically to support a regionally important population of Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher. In addition, RSPB and Calshot Activities Centre have again erected a seasonal 30x50 m nest fence at Calshot to support breeding Ringed Plovers, and potentially also Oystercatchers, as part of their LIFE on the Edge project. Finally, a local audio engineer and sound artist has expressed interest in working with field ecologists in and around the New Forest, and has lots of field recording equipment available including microphones, hydrophones, contact microphones, and parabola. If anyone is interested in pursuing this opportunity, please contact the Forum Chair.

The first New Forest Biodiversity Conference for many years was held at Careys Manor Hotel in Brockenhurst on 06-07 Feb 2024 - this conference is a key part of the New Forest Biodiversity Forum, with the aim of encouraging knowledge exchange and networking among those responsible for biodiversity survey, recording, and conservation in the New Forest. We had a full house of 100 invited attendees over the two days, representing a wide range of interests including governmental and non-governmental organisations, farmers and commoners, private companies and estates, universities, independent ecological consultants, and expert ‘amateur’ naturalists. The conference opened with a welcome from the chair and sponsors, and an introduction to the New Forest Biodiversity Forum. This was followed by a keynote talk by Prof Adrian Newton, who convened the last major New Forest Biodiversity Conference 15 years ago (click here to access the outputs of that event). Adrian gave a thought-provoking and at times provocative talk, but one that reminded us of the increasing impacts of climate change and some of the persistent ‘hidden threats’ to the New Forest such as atmospheric pollution. The remainder of the first day was focussed on habitats, with 11 speakers providing updates on habitat management, creation, and restoration across the New Forest. The day concluded with stimulating talks by Tony Hockley about how we communicate the importance of the New Forest to the public and policymakers, and by Andrew Parry-Norton about the challenges and opportunities associated with commoning in the New Forest - these talks generated lots of discussion that was continued over drinks at a networking reception. Prof Adrian Newton giving his keynote talk on the first day. The second day opened with a keynote talk by Clive Chatters, who provided an illuminating overview of species recording in the New Forest. Combined with the subsequent talk by Nicky Court of Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre, it highlighted how species recording has a long history in the New Forest but is currently highly heterogeneous between different groups, with mammals, fungi, and many invertebrates being under-represented compared to birds, plants, butterflies, and moths. The remainder of the day focussed on updates on species studies, with 16 presentations in total ranging from non-native invasive plants to lichens, raptors, hoverflies, snakes, bats, and deer. Clive Chatters giving his keynote talk on the second day. In addition to the talks, we held workshop sessions after lunch each day, facilitated by our steering group members. The first workshop aimed to identify key evidence gaps relating to New Forest biodiversity, while the second focussed on whether species monitoring in the New Forest is fit-for-purpose and what could be done to improve it in the future. The outputs of both workshops are currently being analysed and will be used to inform our strategic research programme going forwards. One of the workshop sessions on the first day, facilitated by steering group members Leanne Sergeant and Gemma Stride. One of the workshop sessions on the second day, facilitated by steering group members Trace Cooper-Williams and Nicky Court. Overall, the conference went smoothly, and the amount of noise generated by chatting attendees during the coffee breaks was a good gauge of its success! We’re conscious that this was an invite-only event due to space constraints, and that there are likely to be colleagues who couldn’t attend but who would like to see the outputs. To that end, the conference schedule, talks, and abstracts will all be uploaded to the online hub soon. Finally, many thanks again to the conference sponsors, support team, steering group, and speakers, and thanks also to local wildlife photographer, Steve Laycock, who generously provided a portfolio of 50 stunning New Forest wildlife images that brightened up the venue. Some of the (anonymised) comments received by email from conference attendees after the event are copied below: “Congratulations on a very successful conference. I really enjoyed today - the pace, the variety, the venue, the discussions, all were excellent. I am sorry I missed yesterday but look forward to seeing the notes on the forum website. Well done to you and the team and the wider steering group. There was a real buzz in the room at breaktime and everyone I spoke to commented how vital it is to have these sorts of events to discuss the biodiversity of the Forest and how to work together to understand and help it. I hope you can repeat this as an annual or bi-annual event.” “Just a quick note to congratulate you and your team in organising this event.  I'm certain it will have a positive impact on the biodiversity of the New Forest going forward. A superb blend of different experts and enthusiasts and a privilege to be a part of.  I personally have made some very good connections over the last couple of days, hopefully providing us with greater knowledge. Wishing this event success in the future and I hope I'm able be a part of it too.” “I just want to say how very much I enjoyed the conference and learnt so many new things about the Forest. May I congratulate you on its success and, like so many other attendees, I am excited that this is just the beginning of an annual sequence which has the capacity to achieve so much for the Forest. It was a triumph: a combination of your inspiration to hold and organise the conference and the generosity of the sponsors.” “I wanted to get in touch and thank you very much for the invitation to the event this week. A lot of work clearly went into the organisation. I really enjoyed the event and have taken a lot from it! If there are data gaps or issues identified which we may be able to assist with in some way, do let me know. Please also extend my gratitude to the rest of the steering group and facilitators.” “I am sure your inbox is overflowing with thanks from conference attendees and here is another one! Thank you for all your hard work in putting on such a diverse, informative, and thought-provoking couple of days. I now have a much better knowledge of the amazing work being undertaken within the National Park to protect and enhance its biodiversity. I also feel better informed as to some of the challenges the New Forest is facing. All of this will be invaluable to myself and my team whilst engaging with partners, local businesses, and members of the public in future. It was great to catch up with colleagues and to make new acquaintances which will be useful in future work. The conference has already encouraged thought provoking discussions and will hopefully be a catalyst for them to continue in the coming year.” “Thank you ever so much for such an amazing event, so informative and was great to hear everyone’s opinion. Was fantastic to be able to finally put faces so named and share our thoughts on the New Forest. I am really looking forward to next years’ event!” “Just to congratulate you and your team for organising the conference so well and making everyone keeping to time. I thought the idea of having the short five-minute talks was an excellent way of squeezing in extra information. It was also great to catch up with people I hadn't seen for years.”

This report aims to summarise some of the notable wildlife sightings and conservation news in the New Forest National Park in January 2024. To contribute to future editions, please contact the New Forest Biodiversity Forum Chair (russ@wildnewforest.co.uk). White-tailed Eagle on 12 Jan 2024 (photo: Rob Farnworth) Notable wildlife sightings As is often the case in mid-winter, it was the more obvious mammal and bird species that made the headlines. One of the most remarkable records was the first confirmed breeding (in modern times) of Grey Seal along the New Forest coast, found during one of the popular boat trips operated by Wild New Forest Guided Tours. The same location regularly hosts White-tailed Eagles from the Isle of Wight reintroduction scheme, and one of these birds was seen investigating the newborn pup, presumably thinking it was carrion. Fortunately for the pup, the eagle left it in peace, and at the time of writing it appears to be growing well. Grey Seal with pup photographed on 07 Jan 2024 (photo: Marcus Ward, Wild New Forest Guided Tours) White-tailed Eagle and Grey Seal pup on 12 Jan 2024 (photo: Marcus Ward, Wild New Forest Guided Tours) Grey Seal pup on 12 Jan 2024 (photo: Rob Farnworth) A very unusual sighting was a summer-plumaged Common Tern photographed off Pennington Marshes on 28 Jan. This species would normally still be in winter quarters off Africa at this season and, in contrast to Sandwich Tern (which now winters in the Solent in small numbers), it is very rare to see one in our region in mid-winter. Other notable bird records included an adult male Ferruginous Duck off Oxey Marsh on 19 Jan; this national rarity appeared with Tufted Ducks at a time when overnight temperatures fell to -8oC, so the flock had presumably been frozen off an inland water body. It was subsequently seen further east along the Solent coast at Posbrook Floods, Titchfield. A series of scarce bird species were seen in the Avon Valley just beyond the western boundary of the New Forest, including Ring-necked Duck, Green-winged Teal, Caspian Gull, and Glossy Ibis. Scaup and Long-tailed Duck have become hard to come by in recent years, but individuals of both species were present between Lymington and Hurst in January. A nice selection of now regular wintering species in this area also kept the photographers happy, including Avocets, Spoonbills, and a young male Marsh Harrier that was wing-tagged in Norfolk in July 2023. The latest Waxwing influx didn’t quite reach the New Forest, although a couple of birds in the Romsey area proved popular. Sadly, there have been no reports of Great Grey Shrike in the New Forest this winter and, given its increasing national rarity, it seems likely that this charismatic species is slowly becoming extinct as a wintering bird in our region (for wider context see this Birdguides article). Wing-tagged Marsh Harrier 'Z9' at Pennington Marshes on 06 Jan 2024 (photo: Steve Laycock) In 2023, the first frogspawn report in the New Forest was on the record early date of 09 January (see here). The first appearances this year seemed more typical, with numerous reports during a spell of mild weather in the last week of the month; these conditions also enticed out a Common Lizard and several species of butterfly, and the southerly winds saw an arrival of migrant moths including Bordered Straw and Dark Sword-grass. There were also a couple of records of Dark-streaked Tortrix Acleris umbrana at this time, a nationally scarce species that has shown a marked increase in our region in recent years (see here). And while on the subject of moths, anyone interested in why moths are attracted to light (including those who operate light-based moth traps) may be interested in a recent paper in Nature Communications that claims to have solved the mystery… Hampshire Fungus Recording Group (HFRG) have had great success in recent years using DNA analysis to confirm identification of rare and/or cryptic fungi species, many of which are new to the New Forest / Hampshire / UK, and several that are even new to science. The latest batch of analysed samples, collected during a HFRG survey in the central New Forest on 21 Oct under Forestry England permit, confirmed the presence of Goatcheese Webcap Cortinarius camphoratus, which appears to be the first definite New Forest record, and a fibrecap that looks to be a good match for Inocybe turfae - if the latter is confirmed it will be a first for Britain. The New Forest Biodiversity Forum has just awarded a Small Grant to HFRG that will support DNA analysis costs for fungi specimens collected during surveys for the next three years, so hopefully there will be more exciting discoveries to come! Photo montage showing macro- and microscopic features of potential Inocybe turfae (photo: Eric Janke) Conservation news The Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Hampshire is currently at the consultation phase, and a series of online and in-person workshops are being rolled out to seek input from the community. The 'New Forest and Forest Fringe' workshop took place on the evening of 01 Feb, but there are plenty of other opportunities to get involved prior to the production of a first draft strategy in late spring or early summer. Further details on the strategy are here and information on how to get involved is here. Local Nature Recovery Strategy workshop in Lyndhurst on 01 Feb 2024 Hampshire County Council have given formal approval for the A326 North 'upgrade' to proceed to the design and planning stage (see here); these works will take place along the eastern margin of the New Forest between Totton and Applemore, and will inevitably have some impact on the adjacent protected landscape. Councillor Rob Humby said "This proposed scheme is not simply about increasing capacity on the A326 to cope with existing and increasing traffic volumes, it is also about drawing traffic away from local roads such as those that run through the New Forest National Park and Waterside communities, as well as measures to enable more active travel by making it easier and safer to cross the road. More widely, if the future economic opportunities of the Solent Freeport are to be unlocked, improvements to this major route will be fundamental. To mitigate the impact and enhance the local environment, a landscape plan will be developed alongside the highway design which will maximise biodiversity along the route through, for example, creating species rich grasslands along new verges, planting trees and shrubs and redesigning a drainage tunnel through Bartley Water to ensure fish and otter movements can continue as they would usually". The New Forest Code has been a useful addition to the public education toolkit - the infographic below summarises some of the joint work carried out in 2023 to share and enforce the code, and further details are available here. Climate change is already having a significant impact on habitats and species in the New Forest, and January 2024 again saw local flooding across the region following periods of intense rainfall. To facilitate public communication of climate change, University of Reading have released new products based around their famous ‘climate stripes‘ that provide a useful visual representation of our changing climate, including graphs for different areas of the World and the UK. These are free to download here, and two examples showing temperature change in England over the last 140 years are shown below: Finally, the New Forest Pine Marten project spearheaded by Forestry England and Wild New Forest Guided Tours again featured in national media (e.g. see here), with results from the 2023 field season indicating the species is now well distributed and breeding in ancient woodland habitat across the New Forest. The next phase of the project will attempt DNA analysis and radio tracking to try and identify individuals and their movements, and assess population size. A Forestry England project update can be viewed on YouTube here. Many thanks to all those who contributed images and sightings to the following sites: Wild New Forest Facebook page Hantsmoths Facebook page Hampshire Bird News

The New Forest Biodiversity Forum is now 'open for business', and this week we are holding a two-day New Forest Biodiversity Conference, going live with an online New Forest Biodiversity Hub, and inviting applications to our Small Grant Scheme. More on those later, but before that a bit of context…. First, what do we mean by biodiversity? Here we use it to mean the variety of life within an area (or globally), including all species and the natural systems that support them. The New Forest is nationally and internationally recognised for its mosaic of protected habitats, including ancient woodland, lowland heathland, valley mires, and coastal lagoons. Together these habitats create a biodiversity hotspot that contains an impressive array of species, many of which have disappeared from the rest of southern England - current estimates suggest there are likely to be at least 20,000 species of animal, plant, and fungi in the New Forest, including many that are of high conservation concern. However, perhaps surprisingly given the proximity to large population centres and the >15 million day-visits per year, biodiversity recording in the New Forest is extremely patchy; for example, there are relatively few modern records for most insect groups and fungi, even though these comprise as much as 85% of macro-species diversity. Another issue is that existing survey and monitoring schemes are generally not co-located in space and time. Overall, this makes it challenging for landowners and land managers to access data that would enable them to deliver conservation actions that benefit the full spectrum of priority species that may be present on a site, particularly in the context of environmental change. As well as being one of the most biologically complex regions of the UK, the New Forest is also administratively complex, with numerous public and third-sector organisations operating in a relatively small space (~500 km2). At present there is limited co-ordination of recording effort between different organisations, potentially leading to missed opportunities for collaboration and a risk of overlap. The New Forest Biodiversity Forum has therefore been established to support and improve biodiversity survey, monitoring, recording, and conservation in and around the New Forest National Park. The Forum has three main aims: Improve co-ordination of biodiversity survey, monitoring, and recording, through delivery of an annual New Forest Biodiversity Conference and an online New Forest Biodiversity Hub to share resources, news, and expertise. Provide funding to initiate and support biodiversity survey, monitoring, recording and conservation in the New Forest, and to aid recruitment and retention of expert biodiversity recorders. Provide guidance and support to biodiversity recorders in the New Forest about species identification, record submission, and site access. The Forum is financially supported by Kairos Philanthropy Fund and is co-ordinated by a Chair supported by an expert Steering Group of 13 members representing diverse interests and expertise. The Chair, Prof Russell Wynn, is also the Director of Wild New Forest CIC, a not-for-profit organisation that is the hosting partner for the Forum. Further information on the Chair and Steering Group is available on the Hub. One of the first actions of the Forum was to set up a New Forest Biodiversity Conference, which is being delivered on 06-07 Feb at Careys Manor Hotel in Brockenhurst. With a maximum capacity of 100 attendees this inevitably had to be an invite-only event, but we’ll be producing a summary blog and the presentations will be available on the Hub soon. On that note, the online Hub is now live and contains further information about the Forum, including a Small Grant Scheme and the outputs of the last major biodiversity conference in the New Forest that took place 15 years ago. The Hub will be populated with lots of additional content in the coming weeks, so please sign up to receive the latest news and updates via the home page. The timing of the Forum launch also coincides with the launch of major conservation strategies that exemplify the requirement for up-to-date biodiversity data, including the New Forest Re:New Nature Challenge and the Hampshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Several representatives of our Steering Group are responsible for shaping and delivering these strategies, and so they will be able to incorporate Forum outputs as the programme develops and direct future Forum resources towards the key strategic priorities. Finally, many thanks to our Sponsors and Steering Group members for enabling and supporting this initiative. We’re now keen to get your views as to how we can best serve the New Forest biodiversity community going forwards, so please contact the Chair with ideas and suggestions at russ@wildnewforest.co.uk.