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Learning about and practising commoning on the New Forest. -
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Category Archives: New Forest
New Forest: weather-lore and hay-making
Like most farmers at this time of year, I’ve got my eye on the weather watching for the omens that promise a period of uninterrupted productivity. The crop of hay that will feed my stock over the winter is still … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged catchment, ecosystem, England, environment, flash flood, flood, flooding, fodder, folk-wisdom, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, hay, livestock, lowland, Met Office, New forest, Ringwood, river, silage, water, weather, weather-lore
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New Forest: smugglers and rogues
In 1747 a gang of smugglers decided to go over to Guernsey to buy quantities of tea, which on their return to England they could sell for a profit. In their number was one John Diamond, otherwise known as Dymar, … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged Daniel Chater, free trader, Guernsey, Hawkhurst Gang, honest rogue, John Diamond, murder, New forest, Poole Customs House, smugglers, smuggling, William Galley
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New Forest: learning, knowing and passing it on.
For me the natural world is a place of wonder and exploration. Being in the New Forest no matter what time of day, what time of year or in what kind of weather is such a fulfilling experience. The sound … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged Commoner, countryside, directions, fauna, flora, hire, history, knowing, knowledge, learning, natural history, New forest, passing it on, ponies, Rufus Stone, Satnav, tourism, Victorian, visitor, wildlife, woodfidley
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Ragwort: friend or foe?
I’ve recently begun the task of checking for and clearing any ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) from my hay meadow and the paddocks that my field-kept ponies will be using during the summer. This is one of those essential jobs in pasture management … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged biennial, Bugle, cattle, cirrhosis, Defa, hay, horse, liver, paddock, pasture, perennial, Plantlike, poison, ponies, Ragwort, Ragwort Act 2003, Senecio jacobaea, silage, toxic, Weeds Act 1959, Wildlife and Countryside Link
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New Forest: timber stealers and plunderers
The New Forest is often described as a mosaic of habitats, which include heathland, valley mires and ancient pasture woodland. Within these varied environments grow all manner of plant life, from the tiny bog orchid (Hammarbya paludosa) up to the … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged 1849, bog orchid, Bow Bearer, Cuffnalls, Deputy Warden, Deputy Woodward, Forester, Hammarbya paludosa, High Steward, Lady Poore, Lord Duncan, Lord Warden, New forest, plunder, Purveyor of the Navy, Ranger, Regarder, sequoia, Sequoiadendron giganteum, Surveyor General, sylvan, theft, timber stealing, Under Forester, Verderer, Woodward
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New Forest: lost a pony and found a stallion
This week (May 2016) I found one of my mares that I hadn’t seen in a while. The Agister had seen her. Other commoners had seen her. Possibly many visitors –walkers, cyclists, horse riders, bird watchers etc. – had seen … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged dam, foals, Forestry, Lynx effect, mare, mating, New forest, sire, stallions
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New Forest: stallion-silly-season
I was pleased to see that British astronaut, Major Tim Peake, had posted images of the south coast from the International Space Station, circling 404km (251miles) above the Earth. It clearly showed the area of the New Forest and the … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged bluebells, foals, fox cubs, mares, New forest, silly season, stallions, trees
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New Forest: Stallion Areas 2016
Each year stallions are released onto the Open Forest to run with the free-roaming mares to sire the next generation of New Forest pony. The stallions are carefully selected by the Verderer’s of the New Forest, the Commoners’ Defence Assocation … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged Agister, breeding, foal, mare, NFCDA, NFPB&CS, stallion, Verderer
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New Forest: dog-days and mad dogs
In July 1826 it was reported in the newspapers that a six-year old child had died of hydrophobia, the dread disease otherwise known as rabies. The child and his mother were walking alone in the New Forest when a rabid … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged attack, bite, dog-day, Dogs Act 1871, hydrophobia, Louis Pasteur, mad dog, New forest, rabies, saliva, Shirley, Southampton, strays, W C Spooner
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New Forest: lapwings reward the early riser
I’m really enjoying my walks on the New Forest at the moment. I start very early in the morning, when there are few people about, and often arrive just in time to see the sun appearing over the horizon. As … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged bewitched, bird, breeding season, dotterel, habitat, lapwing, New forest, peewit, plover, superstition, Vanellus vanellus, wetland, wildlife, Wuthering Heights
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