DORSET
MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME : 4 HOURS
A mixed and sometimes surprising patch of rural Dorset
Renowned for its Steam Fair, this picturesque village became home for me and I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of birdlife encountered on my local walk along the river valley and up onto the chalk ridge. Initially, it is quintessential farmland, but the mix of sheep, cattle and arable, alongside thick hedgerows and small coppices, provides a rich mosaic of habitats. It’s amazing what the most ‘pedestrian’ of patches can produce!
WHERE TO WATCH
1North Tarrant Hinton Down:Accessible walking north out the village and then heading east
2Pimperne Long Barrow: As you climb higher, the patchwork of small fields opens up. With its wide, open skies this is, aptly enough, Sky Lark1 country, and I was thrilled to watch, on a bitterly cold February day, a male Merlin performing the most incredible aerobatics whilst hunting Sky Larks. With an abundance of farm buildings around, Ravens, Kestrel and Barn Owls are a common sight.3 towards Pimperne. Last April I watched a Black Kite who stayed around for several weeks and then, most incredible of all, witnessed (and photographed) two White-tailed Sea Eagles soaring above the village. In the winter, huge flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare scour the bare fields and the hedgerows throng with mixed buntings; Corn, Reed and Yellowhammers. The water meadows also harbour, especially in cold weather, small flocks of Lapwing and Snipe.
3Pimperne Wood: The route from Pimperne Long Barrow to Harbin’s Park takes in Pimperne Wood, home to Fallow, Roe and even the odd Muntjac (a surprise that caught me off-guard!). The surrounding fields offers views across West Dorset. There is also limited parking on the road that runs between Pimperne Wood and Harbin’s Park.
4Harbin’s Park: Bucking the national trend, Brown Hare are extremely common here
