{"id":4561,"date":"2019-09-25T10:39:01","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T09:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/?p=4561"},"modified":"2019-09-25T10:39:03","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T09:39:03","slug":"hannington-18-september-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/hannington-18-september-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Hannington – 18 September 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jan Haseler led a circular walk\nstarting from the Vine pub at Hannington on Wednesday 18 September, a still\nmorning with bright sunshine. The route and pub visit had been planned and\nprospected by Fiona Brown. The walk started out along a footpath which led past\nthe church and next to a field with much blue-flowered Chicory, fodder beet and\nother plants which might have been a winter bird mix. A single plant of\nSainfoin was also spotted. The next path led to the north-east along For Down.\nThere were extensive views southwards across the Hampshire countryside. The path\nran along the edge of the stubble of a harvested cornfield. Flowers seen in the\nfield margin included Field Madder, Scarlet Pimpernel, Field Forget-me-not,\nField Pansy, Common Field-speedwell and Fool\u2019s Carrot. Most of the poppies were\nCommon Poppy, but a single specimen of Prickly Poppy was also found. Several\nBrown Argus and very faded Painted Lady butterflies were seen here. Small\nWhite, Green-veined White and Common Blue were seen beside the grassy path,\nwhile Red Admiral, Comma and more Painted Lady butterflies were nectaring on\nthe Ivy blossom in the hedge. The route continued north-westwards along the Wayfarer\u2019s\nWalk. The track ran between hedges which were blue-grey in places with a heavy\ncrop of sloes. Swallows flew overhead and Speckled Wood and Small Tortoiseshell\nwere added to the butterfly tally. As the track dropped down towards Watership\nDown, views opened up westwards along the North Hampshire Downs towards Beacon\nHill and northwards over the valleys of the Enborne and Kennet towards the\nBerkshire Downs. The field had been ploughed almost up to the path, but a few\nplants of Musk Thistle, Wild Mignonette and Dwarf Spurge had escaped the\nplough. Two Wheatears flitted across the ploughed field on the other side of\nthe path and Linnets perched at the top of the far hedge. Before reaching the\nKingsclere to Whitchurch road, the next track led gently back uphill towards\nthe Hannington television mast. It ran initially beside a ploughed grass field,\nthen next to a field of long grass with grazing cattle and a hunting Kestrel.\nYellow Toadflax flowers were growing at the field edge and a large party of\nLong-tailed Tits moved from tree to tree in what remained of the hedge. The\nfinal part of the walk was along quiet lanes and another footpath beside the\nChicory field. The walk was followed by lunch at the Vine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n