Updated 27th June 2010
ACTIVITIES & EVENTS: NEW "HOLT HAPPENINGS" MAGAZINE AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD. ALL THE EVENTS AT THE VISITOR CENTRE. See events and activities page
WILDLIFE: THERE ARE LOTS OF BUTTERFLIES TO BE SEEN IN THE FOREST NOW, INCLUDING PURPLE EMPERORS
Note: This is an independent website. We are not connected to the Forestry Commission or to any of the franchisees who operate in Alice Holt.
The "official" Forestry Commission website is www.forestry.gov.uk/aliceholt click HERE to visit
Aliceholt.org was started in 2007 in a desperate attempt to update people about a campsite planning application that was threatening the Forest at the time. We decided to keep the site going to act as a general site for everyone who knows and loves this unique place.
We've now received nearly 90,000 visitors from nearly 100 different countries including places as far away as Mauritius, Botswana and even the Caribbean islands of St Kitts and Nevis! Thanks to all our visitors and e-mail correspondents.
We are building up a collection of interesting articles about the Forest, it's history, ecology, wildlife and points of interest. We would like to receive any contributions you may have. No matter how long or short;serious or lighthearted. Nature sightings, recollections of the Forest in past times, interesting facts, events and notices, pictures, poems,scholarly treatises or kids' stuff...please use the contact us link or put it in the "Snail mail". Go to Contact us details
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CONTENTS
Forestry Commission answers butterfly enthusiasts' concerns over Straits Inclosure felling.
South Downs National Park Announcement: Alice Holt WILL be included
Old Arboretum to be revived. Read about the progress being made by the AHCF
Submission of the AHCF on the future of England's Public Forests
DIARY OF ACTIVITIES & EVENTS IN ALICE HOLT & SURROUNDING AREA
Includes latest "Holt Happenings" Newsletter with all the Visitor Centre events: now downloadable
Guide to local pubs & accommodation:
Guide to other local places of interest:
Best of Farnham, Springfields Nursery, Jane Austen's House, Gilbert White's House
NEW! A Brief History of Alice Holt Forest
NEW! Shenanigans at the Holt: the 1854 Alice Holt Corruption Scandal
Alice Holt in the Roman Period: the Alice Holt & Farnham Potteries
Wildlife Feature of the Month : The May tree, wildflowers, butterflies, nightjars
Birdwatching in Alice Holt: Top 10 plus complete species list
Want to Contribute to this Site?
HIGHLIGHTS IN BRIEF
FC ANSWERS BUTTERFLY ENTUSIASTS' CONCERNS
There was something of an outcry from fans of Alice Holt's emblem, the rare Purple Emperor butterfly. The issue was the felling of trees along the main ride in the Straits Inclosure. Discussions between the Alice Hol Community Forum and Forest Enterprise have been very constructive in putting this in context and calming tempers down >>Click Here to readmore on the Alice Holt Forest News Page
(c) National
Trust
WARNING! THEIVES OPERATE IN ALICE HOLT CAR PARKS!
The Police are warning visitors, dog walkers etc to lock vehicles and not to leave valuables in the car, due to the tendency for thieves to target cars parked around the Forest.
Vehicles left in some of the more isolated car parks around the edge of the Forest, which provide access to footpaths are especially vulnerable.Anyone seeing anything suspicious should report it to Alton Police on 0845 0454545 (Note: You may get transferred to another station if you're on the Surrey side of the Forest). Louisa Whatmore is the new Rural Beat Officer for Binsted and Bentley and PSCO Andy White covers the area too.
FIND OUT ABOUT THE ARBORETUM RESTORATION PROJECT
There's an article about the Alice Holt Arboretum Restoration Project (AHARP) in the Alton Herald this week for anyone who missed the stand at the Binsted Fete. Contact info@aliceholt.org to register your interest in volunteering >>Click Here to readmore on the Alice Holt Forest News Page
SOUTH DOWNS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY TAKES SHAPE
>> The Forest News page has details of the way the Park is taking shape. After the initial victory of getting a much larger Park boundary, including the Western Weald around Petersfield and the Binsted area, DEFRA asked for opinions about including Alice Holt Forest and in November the former Secretary of State at DEFRA, Hiliary Benn announced the final boundary, including Alice Holt Forest. So well done to everyone who wrote letters, signed petitions and generally pushed for this important protection for the Forest! Following the victory over the misguided campsite plan in 2007 this shows that in a democracy, local people CAN influence National Government, but it needs people to stand up, get involved and make their voices heard! But what will it actually mean for Alice Holt Forest?
More details on our>> Forest News page
Map (c) DEFRA/Natural England
READ THE LATEST REPORT FROM THE ALICE HOLT FORESTERS
Well done to Julian Williams of the Forestry Commission, who has been improving the amount of information made available to the Public about how they're managing the Forest and what's going on at Alice Holt.
His latest newsletter covers everything from running events to updates on the latest felling plans >>Click Here to read Julian's Newsletter on the Alice Holt Forest News Page
GUIDE TO BIRDWATCHING IN ALICE HOLT FOREST
Alice Holt's most famous bird, the Nightjar has arrived and is making its distinctive "churring" in the Forest after dark. Woodcock are still "roding" over the treetops too, making a double treat for birdwatchers at dusk. Whitethroats, blackcaps, willow warblers and chiffchaffs are all in full song and the purring call of turtle doves is to be heard among the spreading oaks.
Bird of the month: The TURTLE DOVE
>>Click Here for the birdwatching page
There's some new photos by Lukas Russel in the Photogallery
>> Click here to see more pictures of Alice Holt and its wildlife in the gallery
QUENCH YOUR THIRST WITTH A PINT OF REAL ALE : FIND THE BEST PLACES TO EAT & DRINK AFTER A WINTRY WALK ROUND ALICE HOLT
This is the Bull Inn on the main A31 between Bentley and Farnham: it closed for a while but is now open again under new management >>Click on this link for our guide to the best pubs around Alice Holt. (all tested personally by yours truly! Ed) We've also included local B&B accommodation for those looking to stay in the Alice Holt Forest area.
NATURE NEWS:
Alice Holt Forest is full of blossoming shrubs, delicate wild flowers, butterflies and nesting birds at the moment.
To see what wildlife to look out for in Alice Holt Forest now, take a look at the nature news section further down this home page
WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE ARBORETUM PROJECT?
The Arboretum Project is gaining momentum. Things take time, because of the need to conduct a detailed ecological survey this year before commencing any heavy work. We obviously don't want to be damaging bats, birds or butterflies in our quest to restore the Arboretum to its former glory.
We are looking for conservation volunteers to join occasional work parties doing practical manual work, like clearing overgrown paths or restoring some of the broken culverts. We're looking for one or two "core" people with some experience of working with groups of conservation volunteers. For those with little or no experience, who'd like to get out in the fresh air and be part of this exciting project, we'll publicise dates for working parties once we're ready to go live with the actual work (hopefully this coming winter).
If you're interested in being a "core" volunteer, or just coming long to a work party and would like us to keep you in touch with what's happenning, send a mail headed "Arboretum volunteers" to info@aliceholt.org
AHARP had stalls at the Bentley and Binsted Fetes and there's a good article in the Alton Herald this week about the Project.
The Project requires a certain amount of funding from outside the Forestry Commission's overstretched budget. Anyone with experience of previous fundraising projects would be most welcome to help Rob Simpson, who is leading this side of the project.
If you know a bit about how to access grants from the various funds and bodies that support this type of project, please offer your help and drop an email to Rob Simpson
BINSTED FETE THIS SATURDAY!
Binsted Fete is always a fantastic day out for people from all round the local parishes and last year donated £2700 to local good causes. There will be loads of stalls and activitiies from skittles to wellie throwing and heaps for the kids to do. Among the "main attractions" are the Flower Show, the Pet Dog Show (enter on the day at 1pm), Photographic Exhibition, kids' competition (enter on the day before 10am) tea, home made cakes, the grand raffle, tombola, books, bottle stall, plant stall plus refreshments in the form of a bar from the Cedars and Trish's famous home made tea and cakes.
The fete takes place on Saturday 24th July on the Recreation Ground (opposite the Cedars Pub) and opens at 2pm
Plus in the evening there's the Barn Dance in the big marquee, with traditional band and caller, supper (included in the price) and a bar till 11pm. Tickets are available at the Cedars or the Fete and cost £12 for adults, £5 for kids and under 5's go free
Contact: Jo Balls 07970233544 , Yvonne Puley 07802 288989, or Patrick Butler 01420 520483
GREENING BENTLEY CAMPAIGN
Now you CAN do something to help beat Climate Change
The "Greening" campaign began in Petersfield when Terena Plowright decided to do something in her own town to try and ‘make a difference’. The campaign was so successful that since then many other villages and towns, including Alton have joined together together to begin finding easy ways to reduce their CO2 emissions and water they waste...and save money to boot.
TO READ MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE GREENING BENTLEY CAMPAIGN...
If you're interested in this exciting project contact Robert Simpson on 01420 22094 or send him an email >> email Robert
MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION
Susan Rooke runs 8-week courses in Mindfulness: "Purposely paying attention in a non-judgemental way to what's going on in your body, your mind and the world about you". Mindfulness practice is a proven ad effective way to reduce stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, to help deal with chronic pain or illness and to prevent the recurrence of depression.
Susan is certified by Bangor University's Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, and uses the methods of Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
In addition to the current courses in Petersfield and Alton (which are fully subscribed) Susan also runs an informal group for those who've done the course, or who are interested in mindfulness and meditation.
Contact Susan on 01730 895430 / 07817901748 or email susanrooke7@gmail.com
Alice Holt Forest lies between Farham in West Surrey and Alton in North East Hampshire and is best accessed from Bentley Railway Station or, by car from the A325. The area has been more-or-less continuously wooded since trees first colonised Southern England after the last Ice Age (around 7000 years ago). The Romans used the local clay for large scale production of pottery in kilns fired by the abundant wood. During the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval periods the area was preserved for hunting, eventually passing to the King and becoming a Royal Forest protected by the strict "Forest Law". The woods have been managed by man for centuries and in the 18th & 19th Centuries provided oak for the Navy. Many famous historical figures had associations with the Forest, from a 10th century Bishop of Winchester, (from who's name 'Aelfsige' the placename 'Alice Holt' derives), through to Gilbert White, the 18th Century naturalist of Selborne and William Cobbett the 19th Century firebrand political commentator.
Alice Holt was "enclosed" in 1812, taking away many of the rights of the local "commoners". Conifers were introduced to the Forest in the latter part of the 19th Century and there are many fine mature specimens and an important Arboretum which is soon to be restored. Alice Holt Forest was acquired by the Forestry Commission in 1924, and a Research Station set up there in 1946. In common with so many ancient Forests under the Forestry Commission's management, more and more became given over to conifers in the post-War drive for State-subsidised timber production. The Commission and their commercial arm Forest Enterprise are however progressively replacing many of the conifer blocks with broadleaves through natural regeneration and selective plantings of native species.
Pressure to find alternative income and to exploit the recreational potential of the woods has led to an increasing provision of organised leisure and educational facilities (Including shop, classroom, Forest Cafe and "Go Ape" adventure) at the Visitor Centre near Dockenfield . However the rest of Forest retains much of its peace and charm. It is accessible to visitors on foot, cycle and horseback (a license is required for the latter) and is a haven for a huge variety of wildlife including important rarities and nationally threatened species such as dormice, hobbies, nightjars and purple emperor butterflies. It is designated as a Site of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC)and from 2012 will form the Northernmost tip of the new South Downs National Park together with the adjacent Bentley Station Butterfly Meadow, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Alice Holt Forest is not just any woodland but a historic 'Ancient Woodland'. If you're thinking "..but how is a Forestry Commission pine plantation 'Ancient' woodland?"....well Ancient Woodlands is defined as
"... land continuously wooded since 1600AD..... that is able to support more threatened species than any other UK habitat. The unique species interactions that occur within ancient woodlands have developed over hundreds of years ..... These eco-systems cannot be re-created and with only just over 2% of the land area in Great Britain remaining preserving the remaining areas is vital." (Source: Woodland Trust)
NEW FEATURE! A Brief History of Alice Holt Forest
Follow the long development of Alice Holt over the centuries and find out where the place name "Alice Holt" comes from
NEW FEATURE! Shenanigans at the Holt: The 1854 Alice Holt Corruption Scandal
Find out how missing trees in Alice Holt Forest embroiled two Prime Ministers and even the great William Gladstone
Alice Holt Forest in Old County
Maps of Hampshire
See how Alice Holt mysteriously disappeared off the county maps of Hampshire between 1575 and 1759
Alice Holt Forest in Roman Times
the History of the Alice Holt & Farnham Potteries
See how Alice Holt was, for four hundred years a thriving industrial centre, manufacturing pottery on a vast scale for the citizens of Roman Britannia
It really feels like summer now, with temperatures hitting the 80's today (23/5/2010). The banner at the top of the page shows just how glorious Alice Holt Forest looks in the first flush of full leaf, when the oaks are vivid green against a clear blue sky.
May is the month when the hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) blooms in great masses of creamy blossoms. It's often called the "May tree" "May blossom" "Mayflower" or simply "May". Another name is "bread-and-cheese", which refers to the edibility of the new green shoots, equally tasty to growing sheep and hungry shepherds who would supposedly eat the leaves with their staple rations as a kind of cheese and salad sandwich. But hawthorn has dozens of other traditional and regional names including gaxels, hagthorn, halves, haw, hazels, huath (which is the Celtic name for May), ladies' meat, quickthorn and tree of chastity. There have been reams of folksy stuff written about its role in mystical practices: from the decorated fairy hawthorns and saints' trees of Ireland and Wales to its use in promoting fertility, driving out witches or ensuring the perfect baking temperature of a bread oven.
Right now the bushes are positively straining under the weight of creamy white blossom. The petals will fall and start giving way to bunches of green, unripe fruits or "haws" in a couple of weeks; the timing coinciding pretty much with the Celtic month of Huath (May 13th-June 9th). While it's in blossom it's a veritable feast of nectar and pollen for many insect species. The small flies and midges one sees on Hawthorn blossom are a key to one of its magical associations. Volatile chemicals in the perfume of the flowers have in fact evolved to mimic the scent given off by a newly decaying corpse: hence the attraction to flies and the reason surely why many people find the smell slightly sickly and associated it in the past with many superstitions surrounding death.
Those "pre-vernal"spring flowers of the Forest floor, like primroses, dog violets, wood anemone and wood sorrel are being replaced by the main flush of early summer blooms. The most visible is the greater stitchwort . Its Latin name (Stellaria holostea) is quite descriptive, as its great drifts of little white flowers do indeed spangle the green verges of the rides like stars. The English name comes from the belief that eating it would cure a "stitch". I don't recommend that struggling joggers try that out!
Here are some other wildflowers to look out for as you walk around Alice Holt Forest:-
Top Row: LEFT: MOSCHATEL (Adoxa moschatellina) is the only European member of its family. The curiously geometric green flowers earned it the nickname "town hall clock". It's got quite a short flowering season, but you may still find in among damp grass in shady rides in the broadleaved parts of the Forest. CENTRE: A plant with more nicknames than most is the ARUM LILY (Arum masculata) It's fleshy flower seems to have sparked off a lot of genital associations among botanical observers: "lords and ladies" is one such allusive name, "cuckoo pint" another (a cleaned up version of "cuckoo's pintle", meaning cuckoo's penis). The polite can use the equally descriptively "jack in the pulpit". The actual flowers are miniscule , in whorls down in the centre beneath the phallic "spadix" which attracts insects, sheathed within the fleshy "spathe". It like bare or sparsely vegetated ground in shady spots where there's little competition from other plants. RIGHT: "Ramsons" is the common nickname of the WILD GARLIC (Alium ursinum) Its Latin name means "bears onion"; presumably hungry bears like to grub up the bulbs. It grows in patches in the Forest proper, but to see it in it's full glory you should take the public footpath along Home Hanger, on the Malmstone ridge overlooking Blacknest. In May the woods there are a sea of white blossoms on the lower slopes where the soils are moist, interspersed with bluebells on the drier slopes.
Lower Row: LEFT: Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) rambles threough the grass all along the rides in May, its lilac-blue flowers being a popular source of nectar for bumble bees, hover flies and other insects. CENTRE: BUGLE (Ajuga reptans) is in the same family (the Labiatae) as ground ivy, but is altogether a brighter, more robust plant, formin beautiful blue-purple spikes in large parches in the grass along the sides of the paths and rides. It too is a favourite nectar source for flying insects at this time of year. RIGHT: Bluebell (Endymion non-scriptus) is of course the glory of our woods as spring turns to summer. Alice Holt Forest is not a classic bluebell wood: it's been too disturbed by forestry operations over the last century or so, but you'll still see patches of these wonderful "wild hyacinths" throughout the Forest, and catch their delightful scent. The Hangers (the narrow little woods that "hang" on the steep slopes of the Malmstone Ridge, or the woods on sandier ground to the East of the Forest around Rowledge and Dockenfield are good places to see real "seas" of bluebells.
Top Row: LEFT: I'd never been too sure what this attractive flowering shrubis, with its long, drooping spikes of rather sickly smelling white blossoms. So I looked it up and found its the BIRD CHERRY (Prunus padus) It's different to the normal wild cherry or "gean" which make a large, straight tree with more delicate blossoms.It's quite unfamiliar in these parts, being more of a Northern species but it grows here and there in and around Alice Holt Forest. MIDDELE: COWSLIPS (Primula veris) had a very good year along the local roadside verges and in the Bentley Station Butterfly Meadow. These were growing along the course of the old Bentley-Bordon railway where there has only been a handful of plants in previous years. They're still going strong now but are beginning to go to seed. RIGHT: Being a good ground cover plant that doesn't mind a fairly dry soil in shade, the YELLOW ARCHANGEL (Lamiastrum galeobdolon) is sometimes introduced into gardens. But its a wild plant, often to be found under the oaks of Alice Holt.
Bottom Row: The COMMON SPOTTED ORCHID (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) will be coming out soon in long, damp grass throughout the Forest. However by far the best place to see it is the Bentley Station Meadow, where hundreds of spikes make a lovely display. MIDDLE: Also due out any time now are FOXGLOVES (Digitalis purpurea) This plant is well know in both folklaw, where it has strong associations with faries, and could be used to make them bring back a child instead of the changeling they'd left in its stead. Despite its poisonous juice, it was used in various potions and remedies and in 1785 William Withering found it did indeed have valuable medicinal properties, slowing down the muscles of the heart. Today the drug digitalis, used in heart conditions is still extracted from it. It's going to be an incredible year for foxgloves. The tiny seeds are produced in abundance and are very persistent, lasting 60 years or more buried in the soil. With so much thinning and felling over the last couple of years, enormous numbers of these seeds germinated last autumn and will soon be sending up their spikes of purple "gloves". RIGHT: Elder is not flowering quite yet, but a shrub which looks superficially like it is the GUELDER ROSE (Viburnum opulus) which has these large, flat heads of florets, the outer of which are much larger than the rest. Come the autumn these heads will produce berries of the most beautiful, glossy, scarlet berries.
With so many flowers out, it's feeding time for butterflies, whose little bodies need lots of sugary calories from the nectar to power their great wings. Here are two you can expect to see flying in Alice Holt now:-
LEFT: The SPECLED WOOD (Parage aegeria) is a real woodland species. Look out for males "guarding" a patch of sunlight on a Forest path, and engaging any invading male in an aerial battle to retain (literally) his "place in the sun". The caterpillars will feed on a range of common grasses found on the Forest floor. RIGHT: The ORANGE TIP (Anthrocharis chardamines) is a gorgeous, compact little butterfly which has been flying for a month or so. It's latin name comes from the fact that it lays its eggs on the delicate, pinky-white CUCKOO FLOWER (Cardemine pratensis - shown in the picture), a member of the Cruciferae (Cabbage family) which grows in the damp, grassy areas in and around Alice Holt.
Here's a very conspicuous "immigrant" butterfly that's worth looking out for about now:-
The PAINTED LADY (Cynthia cardui) winters in North Africa, on the finges of the Sahara. As each generation hatches, the newly emerged adults fly northwards in a great wave, settling down to breed before the next generation hatches and moves on. In good years it can reach the Arctic Circle by late summer. Some years we get hardly any. Last year was exceptional withvast numbers of them crossing the channel. I remember sitting on my back lawn last year on May 24th and watching streams of them flying accross the garden, all coming up from the coast and heading northwards. It was fascinating to watch reports coming in over the internet as sitings were made first in North of England, then Orkney and Shetland and finally even the Faeroe Islands and Iceland as the mass migration pushed onwards. Often by the time they arrived at their chosen breeding spot they were pretty tatty and faded from the rigours of the journey. Then in the late summer people were reporting bright, fresh adults as the eggs, laid on thistles hatched into caterpilars which fed, grew, pupated and then emeged as yet another generation of fresh adults, ready this time to start the long trek southwards to the wintering grounds. Let's see if this is another invasion year.
When we think of migrants, it's birds that come to mind. Pretty much all the species tha come to Alice HoltForest from Southern Parts have now made their way here, established their claim to a particular territory and started nesting. It always surprises me that cuckoos are not more common, as the country round the Forest is perfect for them. But they're certainly there, the unmistakeable two-note call of the male (the female makes a sort of bubbling call) ringing out from the eaves of the wood.
Sumer is icumen in, lhude sing cuccu ("Spring has come in, the cuckoo sings loudly")
ABOVE: One of the most famous English Medieval songs from the Reading Rota, hand-written by a monk of Reading Abbey some time in the thirteenth century. BELOW: The CUCKOO (Cuculus canorus) is almost falcon-like with it's long wings, but a weak flyer, generally found in the open country of trees, scrub and fields around Alice Holt Forest, where it searches out the nests of smaller birds, such as dunnocks, tree pipits and reed wardblers in which to lay an egg, miraculously disguided to match the host bird's own eggs. The cuckoo chick always hatches before the host's eggs. Once out of the eggshell, the tiny ,naked cuckoo chick instinctively arches its back, lifting up the eggs which would otherwise hatch into its step brothers and sisters and ejecting them from the nest. The baby cuckoo has en exceptionally large mouth rimmed with yellow which acts has a powerful effect on its foster parents, stimulating them to compulsively shovel insects and caterpilars into the gaping mouth as the youngster rapidly grows to the point where it fills the nest and is considerably larger that either of its hardworking adoptive parents.
Gilbert White, Selborne's celebrated 18th Century naturalist was perplexed by the problem of wheat happened to swallows in winter. He corresponded with other naturalists, debating the theory that they migrated to warmer climates, yet had many first hand accounts from locals wh swore they'd found them hibernating in the thatch of old cottages, or even buried in the mud at the bottom of the horse pond. He never resolved the question to his own satisfaction. Now we know they do ineed perform a fantastic feat of navigation, crossing the Mediterranean and the Sahara to arrive, often exhausted and starving in the rich feeding grounds of tropical West Africa and rriving back here in the spring. Now they're flying up above the treetops , in the watermeadows along the river Wey, and skimming over the surface of the Forest's ponds swallows in pursuit of insects to feed their growing broods. It's confusing for many people to tell the difference between a swallow, a swift and a martin. Here's what to look for:-
FROM THE LEFT- 1st: SWALLOWS (Hirundo rustica - now called the "Barn Swallow" in the official international bird lists) have a plain dark back which looks black until it catches the sunlight to reveal a deep blue sheen. And they have a distinctive orangey-red throat. Most diagnostic is the deeply forked tail trailing delicately behind them as they swoop, constantly twittering, low over the fields. Their nest is a ragged, ope-topped affair of mud, grass and straw, open at the top and generally perched on a nail or the beam of a shed or barn.They arrive early : I saw them along the River Wey on April 17th this year.2nd:- SWIFTS (Apus apus) are not actually closely related to swallows and martens, although they look similar. They arrive a little later. This year I saw huge numbers newly arrived on the south coast on May 3rd and two days later they'd made it up to Alice Holt Forest. They are much more aerial than swallows, constantly sailing and swooping on their stiff scimitar-shaped wings, their wide, stubby beaks agape to scoop up flying insects. They really only settle on the nest (generally built inside a hole or niche high on a cliff or building, such as the tower of Holy Cross Church at Binsted). Once the young have left the nest they may stay continuously on the wing for over a year, sleeping, feeding nd even copulating on the wing and travelling thousands of miles to Africa and back before theirlittle four toed feet once again touch anything solid. you can tell them by the stiff, scimitar-shaped wings and short forked tail ,and by the constant screaming calls they emit, especially when they swarm high in the air, wildly swooping after insects lifted up by rising air currents.3rd:- The HOUSE MARTIN (Belichon urbica) is, as both the English and Latin names suggest, even more closely associated with human habitation thatn the swallow. Once a bird of overhanging cliffs and gorges, they now depend largely on the eaves of houses to make their nests. These are much neater than the swallow's , a little cup perfectly constructed from pellets which the birds create by gathering mud from drying puddles and pond-sides, mouldig it with spittle in their beaks and laying the pellets in rows like expert bricklayers. The nests are not open; a hole entrance is nest from which the youngsters poke their heads out waiting to be fed. The tell tale identifying mark is the bold black and white pattern with a clear white rump visible above the short, forked tail. They make more of a chirruping "cheep" compared with the swallow's twittering call or the swift's shill screams. They are a later arrival. This year it was not until 21st may that I encountered the first ones, more than a month after the swallows, and sadly numbers are in rapid decline, along with so many of our familiar common birds. 4th:- SAND MARTINS (Riparia ripara) are common enough, but highly localised. They look quite simply like a brown version of the house martin and tend to live in large, swarming coolonies by water: wherever there are sandy cliff into which the can did their meter-deep nesting tunnels. The little cliffs along river banks are good spots to look for them, but large colonies are mainly found on the sandand gravel quarries in the area.
Alice Holt's most famous summer migrant is the nightjar. A highly specialised and very shy, nocturnal bird of dry heathlands, it was drastically reduced in numbers over the post war period. For a while it seemed it might become extinct and no more would (in Gilbert White's words) "the still gloom protract his chattering song". Luckily nightjars have taken to the habitat provided by young conifer plantations and the prickly scrub that grows up when large blocks of trees are clear felled, and numbers have risen to some 5,000 pairs. Alice Holt Forest is one of the best places in the country to see them, or (more likely) to hear them.
NIGHTJARS (Caprimulgus europeaus) are strange birds in every way. All day they sit motionless among the thorns and bracken, camouflaged by their mottled plumage and with their large eyes closed. Come dusk , the males begin to make odd, rather tentative, single-note "poop" calls, then a stange clapping noise they make by banging their wings together. Then it starts....quite the strangest bird call you'll hear, in Alice Holt or probably anywhere else. A long, mechanical trilling call like the vibration of a diesel generator running somewhere away in the distance, gently rising and falling for several minutes in the still, warm night air. It's called "churring" and that's as good a description as any, although you have to hear it for yourself to appreciate quite how unbirdlike it sounds.
CLICK ON THIS LINK to hear the Nightjar "Churring"
Watch carefully agains the fading light after sunset and you may be lucky enough to see one silouetted against the darkening sky: a medium sized bird fluttering ad darting on long, pointed wings. They're chasing moths and flying bettles such as cockchafers, with their great frog-like gaping mouths which are surrounded by highly sensitive bristles, which aid them in catching moths in the dark, along with those huge, bulging black eyes.
Their strange apprearance, wieird call and noctural habits made them the subject of many folk myths. The Latin name Caprimulgus echoes one of their old English names "goatsucker" as country people believed they used their gaping mouths to drink milk from the udders of goats and cattle. Other ld names include "nighthawk", "night owl" and "fern owl" whereas the name "nightjar" is a reference to the "jarring" call.
Wherever there's bushy, open land in the Forest, you can stand quietly and listen to the magical sound of this precious and rare bird on a warm evening.
"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land" (Song of Solomon 2:12)
While the nightjar's "churring" may be the characteristic sound of a summer evening in Alice Holt Forest, one of the most distinctive daytime sounds once the warm weather arrives and the oaks are in full leaf is the sound of TURTLE DOVES (Streptopelia turtur) contentedly purring their love songs from the treetops on a sunny day.
The Turtle Dove is our "bird of the month". To read more about this delightful summer visitor and how to tell it apart from its cousins, the other pigeons and doves, go to our "birdwatching in Alice Holt Forest" page by following this link
Do drop us an e-mail if you've spotted any rarities or other interesting wildlife sights
TO SEE OUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO
BIRD WATCHING IN ALICE HOLT
FOREST >>Click here
WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS SITE?
Got a photo you want posted? Know any favourite Forest walks you'd like to tell people about? Any interesting wildlife you've seen recently? Any news or events you'd like to publicise? Any issues you'd like to get onto the soapbox about?
How about your kids? Any drawings or poems they're especially proud of you'd like to see online?
We positively welcome any and every contribution to this website. Never mind if you're writing skills are not those of a professional ...you may have noticed my spelling's not too hot either!
Just send an e-mail
to which you can attach any of the commonly used types of files like
word, powerpoint, jpegs etc . Send it to info@aliceholt.org.
If computers aren't your strong point, you can send anything via post
to www.aliceholt.org, 1 Blacknest Cottages, Blacknest
Road, Blacknest, Alton GU34 4PZ. We can re-type, scan etc and
if you like even return your originals. Please do contribute: the more
stuff we get the more we can turn aliceholt.org into an interesting
site for both local people and those far and wide who are interested
in the Forest.
.....was formed to fight a the threat some years ago that a "Center Parcs"-style holiday camp might be built in the Forest. The Group continues to be the most active and authoritative group monitoring planning proposals that affect the Forest. Several of their memebers are represented on the Alice Holt Community Forum which meets regularly with the Forestry Commission to discuss matters of interest and concern. This website is independent from AHAG but we fully support their aims.
Contact Chairman, Colin Hall at CHall3422@AOL.com
Other oganisations concerned with conserving ancient woodlands such as Alice Holt
The Woodland Trust is the UK's foremost
charity devoted to the conservation of native and broadleaved woodland.
>>Visit the Woodland Trust's website
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is the County wildlife trust owning and managing many important sites and campaigning folr protection for important and threatened habitats such as Langstone Harbour.
Other Useful Links
Official Forestry Commission Site (Main Home Page)
Official Forestry Commission Site (Alice Holt Section)
Bentley & Binsted's shared parish website
A New Site run by Bentley Parish Council
Greening Bentley Page of the Bentley Parish Council Site
The Main "Greening Campaign" Website
Hampshire & IOW Butterfly Conservation
has a good website with in-depth feature on the Bentley Station Meadow nature reserve
Click here on this link to go straight to the Bentley Station Meadow Page
Farnham & District Ramblers Association
interesting site run by Woolmer Forest Heritage Society full of historical info about Alice Holt's "near neighbour" Royal Forest
Download site for Walks in Hampshire
Excellent site about the River Wey, it's history, wildlife, places of interest etc
Stubbs Farm , tranquil local accommodation
Dragon Lodge , self catering iaccommodation at the distinctive Dragon House, Frensham
Mike Young's New Site More brilliant photos from local wildlife photographer
Oldknobbley.com Useful? Well that's not always the point. But fun, definitely. A website devoted not to a Forest but to just one tree
Wildaboutbritain.co.uk great site full of interesting photos, news ,links, forums etc about every aspect of the outdoors for those who are truly "wild" about Britain
Wildlifeonline.me.uk Slightly off the wall wildlife site with really interesting stuff, going into fascinating depth on subjects that reflect author Marc Baldwin's varied interest in natural history.
Definitely worth perusing for those "I never knew that" nuggets of wildlife info
The Purple Empire A great site for fans of that magnificent Alice Holt butterfly, the Purple Emperor
Purple-emperor.co.uk A very professional enthusiast site run by Alan Thornbury: a comprehensive guide to Hampshire's Butterflies
Best of Farnham Online guide to local shops, businesses and attractions in Farnham and surroundings.
CONTACTING US
By Email: info@aliceholt.org
We would be DELIGHTED to get more comments, opinions, feedback and so on about our website! We'll do our best to answer if you ask for as response, and to pass on your e-mails to other people where relevant. But please bear with us as we're normal people with jobs and families too!
IMPORTANT: If your communication is of a sensitive nature, please make plain if YOU WANT COMMENTS TO BE TREATED IN STRICT CONFIDENCE or if you WANT YOUR COMMENTS TO BE PUBLICISED ANONYMOUSLY. We will of course respect that.
Your e-mail address
or other contact details will be ONLY be used by us to contact you about
issues directly related to Alice Holt Forest.
If you prefer not to be contacted at all, please say so.
Contacting us by Post
www.aliceholt.org,
1 Blacknest Cottages,
Blacknest Road,
Blacknest,
Alton,
Hampshire. GU34 4PZ
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