Dorset Holiday 2011 - Part 2

THE SIKA  DEER  OF ARNE

As I’ve got so many photographs (!) I’ve decided to dedicate a post just to the Sika Deer.

Fact File:-

Name - Sika (cervus nippon)

Introduction – First introduced into Britain, from Japan, in 1860 and to Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour in 1896, being good swimmers they soon made their way onto the Arne peninsular!

Habitat – Coniferous woods, heathland on acid soils and also the marshland at Arne.

Food – Grazers of grass and small shrubs, especially heather, coniferous tree shoots and sometimes small amounts of tree bark.

Impact – The Sika will readily interbreed with the Red Deer and as a consequence it is believed that there are no “pure” Red Deer left in the British Isles.

On the Arne reserve the herd has grown so large that its eating habits are altering the delicate balance of the plant life. A study by Bournemouth University and a controlled culling programme is underway.

 

Dorset Holiday 2011 - Part 1

WEEK ONE – ARNE

We arrived at our first week’s accommodation, The School House.  Arne, at exactly the same time as the rain!  After unloading the car in a steady drizzle, and true to the form of the English weather the sun came out. Was this a hint of things to come?

The village of Arne is situated on a peninsular that juts out into Poole harbour and consists of only a few houses (mostly large and secluded),  a small church and Arne Farm which is owned by the RSPB.

The School House is a large Victorian building (built in 1874 by Lord Eldon) with extensive grounds to the rear directly bordering the RSPB Arne reserve with distant views across Poole Harbour and Brownsea Island.

Poole Harbour and Brownsea Island can just be seen in the receeding rain!

 

 As you would expect this is an area very rich in wildlife and daily visits to the grounds included -

Green Woodpeckers (mostly three, sometimes four)

A large "clattering" of Jackdaws

Rabbits (and more Rabbits!)

The ever present Buzzard (pair)

And with a little bird seed for encouragement some of the braver patio visitors -

Dunnock

 Robin (juv.)

A pair of Siskin (this is the male)

 As I mentioned earlier there were lots of Rabbits and one evening my wife witnessed a Buzzard making a kill, unfortunatly I was otherwise engaged! and missed it but we did watch for about 45 minutes as at first one of the pair of Buzzards had a meal before passing it over to the other.

And finally, some visitors that needed no invitation - the not so shy Grey Squirrels!

In the next post the wildlife of the RSPB reserve.

I'm Back!

I’ve just arrived home from a two week holiday spent exploring the beautiful countryside of the Purbeck Hills between Poole and Weymouth in Dorset.

I now have 3000+ photographs to sort and file (most to the trash can, I suspect!!). So, to fill the gap whilst I get myself organized here are a few photos taken in my garden just before leaving for Dorset.

GREEN SHIELD BUG (palomena prasina) is very common to our gardens where it feeds on deciduous shrubs and tall herbs. Although bright green for most of the year it darkens, sometimes to a deep bronze colour, before hibernating in late Autumn.