The Gallery
Learning about and practising commoning on the New Forest.
In medieval times a forest meant an area preserved for royal hunting, and not a wooded area as it does today.
The Agisiter ensures welfare standards of the free-roaming animals are maintained.
The ‘architects’ of the New Forest.
The New Forest landscape supports many species of plants, insects, birds and mammals. It should be valued as a reserve for nature.
One of many gatherings where Commoners can exchange news, information and knowledge.
Pannage season is part of the ancient commoning rights and a popular tradition.
Traditional management practices, particularly commoning, have conserved the ecological diversity of the Forest.
Category Archives: New Forest flora & fauna
New Forest: foals and fawns
Regular visitors to the New Forest will, hopefully, by now have had a chance to see some of the pony and donkey foals that are currently to be found roaming on the Open Forest. They are charming little additions to … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged baby deer, cattle, commonable animals, commoners, deer, donkeys, fallow deer, fawn, foal, Forestry Commission, muntjac deer, New forest, pigs, ponies, red deer, roe deer, royal hunting, sheep, sika deer, Verderers, wildlife
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New Forest: wildlife that bites, stings and kicks!
The New Forest is internationally important because of its mosaic of habitats, which contain many rare and endangered species. Traditional management practices, particularly commoning, have conserved the ecological diversity of the Forest. But for all its beauty this is not … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged adder, bears, bees, bite, biting insects, broom, Cytisus scoparius, donkey, elder-tree, Geranium robertianum, herb robert, kick, ladybirds, lice, Lyme borreliosis, Lyme’s Disease, New forest, pony, Public Health, Sambucus nigra, sting, ticks, wasps, wolves
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New Forest: chalybeate springs and aquatic things
I was watching visitors paddling in one of the many Forest streams recently and it made me reflect on the distinctiveness of the watercourses on the New Forest. The New Forest contains streams, ponds, and mires, as well as coastal … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged amphibians, Bog, chalybeate, Eyeworth Pond, Fritham, Hampshire Avon, Hirudo medicinalis, invertebrates, Latchmoor Brook, leeches, Mire, New forest, pollution, Shultze Gunpowder Factory, smokeless gunpowder, spring, stream, wildlife
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New Forest: the first cuckoo of spring
(Posted 27 April 2015). Those people, who like me, rise early in the morning cannot have missed over the past few weeks the melodious symphony of the dawn chorus. The sound of bird song is much more noticeable from March … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged breeding season, cuckold, cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, Dawn chorus, Downton Cuckoo Fair, Edmund Spenser, folklore, luck, messenger of spring, New forest, spring chorus, springtime, St. John's Day, St. Tiburtius Day, superstition
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New Forest: the Natural Health Service!
Many of the millions of visitors who come to the New Forest each year do so to experience its tranquil beauty and the stimulus of nature upon their senses. The hectic pace of modern life leaves us needing to experience … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged commoners, fauna, flora, National Nature Reserves, National Park, natural health service, nature, New forest, NNR, Ramsar, SAC, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, SPA, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protected Areas, SSSI
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New Forest: an ancient and diverse landscape
Many visitors to the New Forest are surprised to discover that its landscape is not filled with woods or trees. Some are even more astonished to learn that the area is ancient and not ‘new’ at all. The reason for … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged ancient woodland, Bronze Age, Hampshire, Ice Age, Knightwood Oak, Medieval, New forest, wildwood, William the Conqueror
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New Forest: heathland management and controlled burning
Visitors to the northern part of the New Forest recently (Febuary 2015) may have witnessed a technique for managing the heathland that has been practiced for generations, namely controlled burning. The Forestry Commission undertakes this activity now, which aims to … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged cattle, commonable stock, commoners, commoning, controlled burning, fire, Forestry Commission, gorse, heathland, holly, New forest, ponies, Verderers
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New Forest: poachers who steal more than game
In last week’s edition of the Forest Journal (05.02.15) was a front-page article about poaching that caught my eye. Poaching is defined as ‘the illegal practice of trespassing on another’s property to hunt or steal game without the landowner’s permission’. … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged animal welfare, countryside, Forest Charter 1217, Forest Law, game, Lyndhurst, New forest, poachers, red deer stag, Rufus Stirrup, stealing, The Monarch, theft, Verderer's Court
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New Forest: gorse cutting provides a pony’s ‘ready meal’
I recently received a call from a commoning friend of mine who told me that the Forestry Commission was cutting the gorse bushes at Godshill. I was urged to go and have a look at a curious sight. Sure enough … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest flora & fauna, New Forest pony
Tagged Fabaceae, Forestry Commission, furze, gorse, New forest, pony, Ulex europaeus
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Early morning deer rescue!
It’s a good job I’m an early riser. Before the clock had struck 6am this morning (September 2014) I was doing some stable duties in the yard and heard a commotion in the paddock. My mare was snorting, making that … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged fallow deer, Forestry Commission, muntjak deer, New forest, red deer, roe deer, sika deer, Verderers, wildlife
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