Martin Down and Salisbury Plain

Leader: Simon Ashley

Martin Down National Nature Reserve:

Offers some of the finest chalk downland birding in southern England. June is prime time, with breeding species in full song and the landscape alive with wildflowers.

Birds to watch for:

• Turtle Dove – Sadly a bird in massive decline it’s estimated that the UK has lost 99% of it’s population since the 1960’s.  There are encouraging signs in Europe in revent years numbers have risen.  There’s an extensive feeding porgramme for them in the UK.  With any luck we might hear and see one on our visit.
• Corn Bunting — Look for males delivering their jangling, key-rattling song from fence posts and tall stems
• Skylark — Constant song-flights overhead across the open grassland
• Yellowhammer — “Little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese” ringing from scrubby edges
• Linnet — Flocks moving between seed heads
• Stonechat — Perching prominently on gorse and scrub
• Red Kite and Buzzard — Soaring over the downs
• Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat — Active in hedgerows

Insects and plants:

The Adonis Blue butterfly is a real highlight — its electric-blue males fly low over the turf in warm sunshine.  We should also find Chalkhill Blues, Marbled White, and Dark Green Fritillaries.

For flowers, the Burnt-tip Orchid is a specialty here, alongside Fragrant Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid, Horseshoe Vetch (the Adonis Blue’s larval foodplant), and drifts of yellow Kidney Vetch.

The walk is in two parts – We’ll start at the High carpark and then move to the Lower carpark.  Both the walks we’ll do will be relatively flat and short.

Part 2: Salisbury Plain

A special treat on the way home will be a short driving loop of one of the none- shooty areas of Salisbury Plain, chief target bird here is the Great Bustard – the worlds heaviest flying bird. They are trully as sight to see.  The recent re-introduction of these birds in a safe environment – means we’ve got an excellent chance of seeing them.  We’ll also keep an eyeout for some Plain specialites like Whinchat and Tree pipit.  Should be fun.