Stonechat
This is a fairly common species in Hampshire and the whole of the UK. In the south it is more common on heathlands: there are more breeding in the New Forest than anywhere else in Hampshire.
Stonechats will breed in any open rough country with scattered bushes for nesting. As well as heathland, they breed on the chalk downs and along the coast in scrubby grassland. Maintaining a good mosaic of scrub, grassland and heathland in the New Forest is important for the stonechat.
The stonechat has a characteristic call like two stones being knocked together – hence the name. The song is quite musical and is a short, pleasant warble.
This is one of the easiest heathland birds to see and an hour’s walk in almost any open area of the New Forest is very likely to produce a sighting. Stonechats stay in the UK all year round, but many leave the Forest in the depths of winter to feed in warmer coastal areas. Walking on the heaths in April or May will give wonderful sightings of stonechats singing.
Photo credit: Anthony Thorpe
