A Kinson website devoted to old Kinson and modern Kinson
Kinson Review of 2008
Enjoying local history through Communigate
Isaac Gulliver
Old Maps of Kinson and the surrounding district
Unusual sunsets in Kinson
Kinson Astronomy Photo diary
Kinson Wild Flowers Botany & Blooms picture diary
Kinson Common Wild Orchids
Mr. Archibald Hedge Hog`s column
Looking around the historic Kinson Church
About this website
Kinson Common, Local Nature Reserve, SSSI, SACs site
Kinson Smugglers
Kinson & Kinson Common, 1066 to modern times
Kinson Local Astronomy monthly
Poems about Kinson
History of Kinson in Dorset
Natural history files for Kinson, Longham, Millhams, Turbary
A Naturalist`s Millennium & Kinson Nature Diaries
Kinson Heritage buildings
Kinson Common Virtual Tour
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Glimpses of Old Kinson
Monthly Nature Diary for Kinson
Butterflies
Moonfleet mono photo gallery
Moonfleet colour photo gallery
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Nature Gallery
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All named areas of Kinson Common
Kinson Walks 2009
Cuckoo Woods
Kinson News 2009
Moonfleet Wild Birds Photo Gallery
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Welcome to Kinson Common in Kinson, Bournemouth, Dorset
 | Kinson Common. Local Nature Reserve. SSSI. Site of Special Scientific Interest. SACs site. Special Area of Conservation. Trinacria. West Howe Common.
We are always happy to share our Kinson experiences and Kinson knowledge with others and this section of our Kinson website includes a variety of photographs taken over many years when visiting the Kinson Common and also includes wide-ranging and often unique Kinson information.
This section we devote to the Kinson Common also contains 6 detailed maps, 12 monthly information maps, Kinson Common checklists, also Kinson Common research work we have carried out in 2005 which is unique to our Kinson website.
Key to our first photographs
1. The 40+ acre site has excellent information boards
2. Through the mists of time, the past can be found
3. An ancient race scraped a living from the land
4. Fossil remains are sometimes found on the site
5. A lost musket ball from yester years
6. Georgian pennies found near the Common |
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Prehistory of the Kinson Common
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Prehistory.
Kinson Common. Local Nature Reserve. SSSI. Site of Special Scientific Interest. SACs site. Special Area of Conservation. Trinacria. West Howe Common.
Kinson as a habitable community has been around for hundreds of thousands of years.
Almost half-a-million years ago, Palaeolithic man, a hunter of larger mammals, knew Kinson well as an excellent hunting ground.
All the natural resources especially water, were clearly in abundance to sustain this ancient race of Kinson Prehistoric man on a very long and certainly eventful journey which would eventually lead into modern times as we know them today.
Perhaps there is still a touch of the ancient in all of us today and this in turn goes some way to explain why Kinson is such a deeply rooted community and why so many wish to identify closely with it?
Between 400,000 B.C. to around 10,000 B.C., Paeolithic man lived through what we would now describe as a very obscure period in time.
Reminders in the form of exquisitely worked hand tools known as palaeoliths from the Old Stone Age were found on the Kinson Common (then known as West Howe Common) during 1927.
A number of rolled palaeoliths and Levallois were also found on the Kinson Common between 1927 to 1934 and placed in the Calkin Collection in the British Museum.
At the close of the last Ice Age from 12,000 to 10,000B.C., it was necessary for the inhabitants of the Kinson area to focus their skills on smaller prey such as mammals, birds and fish.
On Turbary Common in 1970 a hunter`s camp belonging to the Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age, covering the period from 8,000 B.C. to 3,000 B.C. was discovered.
This hunters` camp was dated to around 4,000+ B.C. , and it is likely that these very same folk could have hunted lower down the valley towards the present day Kinson Common or in or around central Kinson itself.
Evidence of the New Stone Age was found on the West Howe Common (now Kinson Common) during ploughing in 1971 when many flint artifacts including transverse arrowheads were discovered.
Neolithic man farmed this region of Kinson and grew arable crops such as wheat and kept and raised livestock.
Around 1,800 B.C., the Beaker folk from France crossed into Wessex and eventually left their mark in Kinson. They too were involved in agriculture and grew crops especially barley.
From 1,500 B.C. to 600 B.C., the people of the Bronze Age used Kinson and probably the Kinson Common for hunting purposes and in the recent past, arrowheads have been found on the Kinson heathlands.
Being farmers, it would be interesting to see if evidence of past Bronze Age settlement could be discovered in the future on the Kinson Common, if the necessary funds were obtained and used for research purposes.
The people of the Bronze Age also cremated their dead and buried their remains in urns made from pottery which they buried and covered over with an earth mound known as a barrow.
Tumuli existed on the West Howe Common which is now renamed Kinson Common and still do to this day. It is unusual to find two such interesting old relics now in an almost totally urbanised setting.
These two surviving relics of the Bronze Ages can be found on Two Barrow Heath on the Kinson Common.
The Eastern one is a more common Bowl barrow and the Eastern one is a much rare Saucer Barrow.
Although unexcavated and fully documented, it is felt now that both should be scheduled as Ancient Monuments before they deteriorate more and are lost forever.
When considering other possible future projects for the Kinson Common, the works of the late and still highly regarded Mr. J. B. Calkin should be consulted.
It was he who also shed new light on the Bournemouth area relating to various periods of the Bronze Age.
Although no evidence, as yet, has been found of the Iron Age (from around 600 B.C.) on the Kinson Common, some was found in Duke`s Coppice ( now modern day Cuckoo Woods).
Iron Age dwellers may well have visited the area we now call the Kinson Common and certainly held the Dudsbury hill-fort which can be glimpsed in the distance from Two Barrow Heath on very fine and clear days.
In the course of time, the Anglo-Saxons were able to create a village community which would have certainly farmed the area now known as the Kinson Common.
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Early History of the Kinson Common
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Early History.
Kinson Common. Local Nature Reserve. SSSI. Site of Special Scientific Interest. SACs site. Special Area of Conservation. Trinacria. West Howe Common.
Kinson Common land ownership and background history
Kinson included with Canford was once held by Ulwen, a Saxon thane, who was a member of the class intermediate between tenant-farmers (ceorls) and the nobility (eorls).
In Anglo-Saxon poetry, the word thegn was used to designate a loyal attendant and friend in a royal or aristocratic household. In Old English, thegn, a soldier.
After the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror bestowed Canford manor on Walter de Eureux, and it remained in this family , who became Earls of Shaftesbury until Ela, the daughter and heiress of William de Eureux married William Longspee, half-brother of Kings Richard and John and son of Fair Rosamund, in 1198. William Longspee died in 1226 and Ela in 1261.
Canford manor again passed by marriage to the de Lacys, Earls of Lincoln and eventually to the Montacutes, Earls of Salisbury.
In 1435, granted to Cardinal Henry Beaufort. From 1447, Edmund Duke of Somerset.
In 1485, the Beauforts were reinstated and Margaret Beaufort held the manor until 1509.
Henry VIII bestowed Canford manor on his natural son Henry Fitz-Roy Courtenay, Duke of Richmond who died in 1536 and it was granted to Henry Courtenay, Marquis of Exeter.
In 1553 Queen Mary restored the manor to Gertrude, the Marquis`s widow who died in 1557.
For 30 years the manor was then in the hands of the Earls of Huntingdon.
In 1611, Henry, Earl of Huntingdon sold the manor to John Webb of Salisbury who was created a Baronet.
Canford manor estate remained in the Webb family for nearly two centuries and who held Canford longer than any other family since the Conquest and adhered to the Old Religion.
The last Baronet, Sir John Webb, died in 1797 and devised the property to Edmund Arrowsmith in trust during the lives of his daughter, the Countess of Shaftesbury, of her daughter, Lady Barbara Ashley, who married the Hon. W. F. S. Ponsonby, later created Lord de Mauley, and during the life of the survivor of them.
Lady de Mauley died in 1844 and her husband obtained an Act of Parliament to sell the estate and he later sold it in 1846 to Sir Josiah John Guest, a South Wales ironmaster.
Sir Josiah John Guest (1785-1852) was the grandson of a Staffordshire brewer, farmer and coal dealer who became manager of the Dowlais Ironworks in 1767. He inherited this vast industrial concern in 1807 and ensured that it overtook Cyfarthfa as the largest ironworks in the town and the world!
Kinson Common farmers
All of the land was in usage prior to the 1700`s. Mr. William Oakley, who features strongly in early records of Kinson and Pelhams, had an interest in some areas closely connected with land we now refer to as the Kinson Common.
We also know that Gravel was extracted from this area centuries ago, in Kinson Road, also from near Poole Lane in more recent times.
In 1771, John Potter, Yeoman , is listed as the licensee of the Dolphin Inn and he was the outright owner of this public house in Kinson. His wife, Hannah, bore him four children during the 1760`s.
In 1775, when Gulliver purchased Pitt`s Farm from Mary Barns for £817, John Potter was a tenant , also holding 2 acres of meadow or pasture known as Barn`s Mead at present day Millhams.
There is no doubt that Potter was a smuggler and combined his many talents with farming and inn keeping.
John Singer`s granary was raided in 1780 and this was in close proximity to the Dolphin Inn. Singer was a servant of Isaac Gulliver.
In 1784, Hannah, wife of John Potter, was seen and identified by Customs officers when they came to raid a barn in Kinson.
Ruth Potter married Thomas Lecocq, of Alderney, Channel Islands, in 1786, at Kinson. This family were privateers who sold spirits and other commodities to the gentry of those times.
In the 1790`s, smuggler, John Potter of the Dolphin Inn, Kinson, (now Gulliver`s Tavern), paid £60 annually on land he rented at twelve shillings per acre.
This equates to one hundred acres. In addition to this, there is the mention of eight acres of wheat.
Therefore, it would not be unreasonable to say that John Potter established a tradition that the innkeeper at the Dolphin also farmed or was closely connected with land which is now known as the Kinson Common, on which there was originally around 105 acres of farmland.
When John Potter died in 1794, Hannah having died some months before him, daughters Mary and Ruth were instructed through their father`s will to carry out his wishes.
His detailed inventory,taken at the Dolphin Inn, reveals that he had 3 cows and two heifers; 4 horses, 20 sheep; one sow and 3 small pigs.
One of John`s written requests was that the Dolphin Inn was not to be sold for two years. A lot can happen in two years and did!
Mary married George Williams in 1796. Their first child, John was born in 1796, another, George, arrived in 1798 and died in 1799.
In 1801 Thomas Williams was born and in 1802, George senior died.
Without any further evidence to suggest otherwise at present, there is no reason why innkeeping and farming interests did not continue immediately after the death of John Potter.
It is possible to follow the life of Thomas Williams in Kinson until his death in 1893.
In fact, when recording him, it is always in connection with the Dolphin Inn and farming interests on or close to land we associate with present day Kinson Common.
So, it is more than likely that Thomas was born in the Dolphin and spent his whole life living there.
The Canford Estate land he was later to farm can be referred to as Howe Farm.
The remnants of this farmland later became known as the Kinson Pleasure Grounds ,West Howe Common, Trinacria and was eventually renamed Kinson Common since the 1970`s.
One might ask, where did this farming influence come from? In the first instance, his mother Mary probably learned many of the skills from her late father John.
A very influencial character who came into his life in 1804 was Thomas Spencer, who married his mother Mary at Kinson church.
Thomas Spencer was listed as an innkeeper on a marriage certificate in connection with the 2nd marriage of son Charles who was born in 1806.
There is no doubt that step-sons Thomas and Charles received an early baptism into the rudiments of farming in Kinson. Unfortunately, Thomas died in 1817.
Charles Spencer married Ann Moncton in 1830 and by 1838 she had died.
During the 1830`s, Charles Spencer and Thomas Williams farmed 105 acres of land around the present day Kinson Common area, which were originally divided up into 21 distinct working compartments.
All of this land was rented from Lord de Mauley and Henry Graham Thomas Esquires, Trustees under the will of Sir John Webb Baronet Deceased.
Today, about 38% of their original farm holding remains. 6 areas remain practically as they were in the 1800`s and a further 5 areas are sadly partial remnants only.
Mary Spencer (originally Potter), widow of Thomas Spencer, died in 1837.
In 1838, as well as being involved in innkeeping and cattle dealing, Charles was an Overseer of the Kinson poor, a very unpopular post in the Kinson district. In this year too, Ann Spencer (formerly Moncton), wife of Charles, died.
By 1841, Thomas Williams was also one of two Overseers of the poor.
In 1841, Charles Spencer, 35, is listed as the innkeeper at the Dolphin Inn and Thomas Williams, 40, of the same abode is described merely as an agricultural labourer.
In 1843, at Milborne St. Andrew, Charles Spencer (widower), married Mary Corbin.
In 1849, the Poole and Dorset Herald gave publicity to a complaint about robberies and poaching carried out in the neighbourhood led by a man named Fancy.
An anonymous writer , requested the urgent appointment of a policeman in the southern part of Kinson as it was "infested with a set of thieves".
The incident involving Fancy took place on a large tract of heathland known as Castleman`s land, an allotment to Kinson farm which was owned by Mr. Spencer.
( Even today, Policemen are still getting called to attend to problems on the Kinson heathland(s) - 159 years later!)
In Hunt and Co`s Directory of Dorsetshire 1851, Charles and Thomas are mentioned. Innkeeping and farming interests continued.
In 1859, Charles served another term as an Overseer.
In 1861, Charles Spencer is still described as an innkeeper , also as a cattle dealer.
In the same year, Thomas Williams, unmarried lodger aged 60, is described as a farmer of 150 acres employing 5 men and 2 boys.
Mercer and Crocker`s Directory 1871. Thomas Williams, farmer and Charles Spencer, Dolphin Inn, are mentioned.
Charles Spencer died in 1879.
Two years before his death, in 1881, Thomas Williams,his step-brother, then aged 80, was still farming 15 acres.
In the same year, Charles Spencer junior, aged 31 and unmarried was farming 17 acres. Both were living at the Dolphin Inn.
From 1879 to 1891, Mary Spencer ran the Dolphin Inn.
From 1891 to 1892 (part) Charles Spencer junior, was the licensee.
From 1892 to 1903, the name of Spencer no longer hung proudly over the entrance.
Charles Bennett, Britain`s Olympic Track Gold medallist was resident from 1903 to 1906.
Arthur Henry Eaton took up residency in 1906 and in 1912, he married Georgina Spencer, widow of Charles Spencer junior.
They remained for a long period of time at the Dolphin Inn and a wonderful link in the Spencers` legacy, rekindled and lived on again until 1927.
Around this time, the district of Kinson began to change, as will be seen in the next section.
In under 50 years, the Kinson Common would change forever and the days of direct links with smugglers and farmers ploughing at Howe farm or whatever name one wishes to give this unique area of ground,would soon be confined to history books for ever. |
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Recent History of the Kinson Common
 | Recent History. 1931 to 2008.
Kinson Common. Local Nature Reserve. SSSI. Site of Special Scientific Interest. SACs site. Special Area of Conservation. Trinacria. West Howe Common.
1931 - Kinson was parted from the Rural District of Poole and included within the County Borough of Bournemouth. Kinson and Holdenhurst, who were both included in the Boundary extension of Bournemouth, totalled 4,627.3 acres. This raised the total area of Bournemouth to 11,270.3 acres from 6,643 acres.
1933 -The County Borough of Bournemouth purchased 22.75 acres for cemetery purposes from Viscount Wimborne. The Minister of Health gave his formal consent and also his approval of the provision and use of the whole of the land for purposes of burial on condition that no part of the land below the 80ft contour line should be used unless it was suitably raised.
1933 - Land adjoining Kinson Cemetery. Viscount Wimborne offered as a gift to the Council, an area of about 9.75 acres adjoining the new Cemetery site, for the purposes of public open space. His Lordship hoped that in time the valley might be laid out on similar lines to the Bournemouth Pleasure Grounds. The sincere thanks of the Council were conveyed to Viscount Wimborne for his very generous gift.
The Public Open Space is subject to covenants including:
1. No buildings without consent of vendor.
2. The land shall be used as a Park or Pleasure ground; any authorised building shall be in connection with a park or pleasure ground.
3. No nuisance to the vendor or owners of adjacent properties.
4. Fencing.
5. The Cemetery land is also subject to similar covenants
1949 - Canford Estate land which eventually became the Glenmeadows estate was designated and used as private allotments.
1951 - The Borough exchanged 557 square yards of Cemetary land with Mr. E. H. Pitts for 3,449 square yards of land for Public Open Space purposes.
1961 - Several small parcels of land at the rear of Kinson Road properties were bought from Mr. G. T. White for Public Open Space. This and the previous acquisition amounted to about one acre.
1961 - 3.08 acres were purchased at the northern end of the Common for the Kinson by-pass.
1962 - The Borough appropriated 1.24 acres of Cemetery land to Baths for the creation of the Kinson Swimming Pool.
1965- 310 square yards of Cemetery land was appropriated to Highways on the west side of Kinson Road.
1966 - 4.36 acres of Private Open Space - Non-Statutory Allotments owned by Lord Wimborne, were recognised in the Council`s Development Amendment of 1966.
1970 -"The Trinacria" was officially the name of the Kinson Common. This name was given it by the then Director of Parks, Mr. Ross Young.
1970 - Byelaws in respect of Pleasure Grounds.Made under Section 164 of the Public Health Act, 1875, and Sections 12 and 13 of the Open Space Act, 1906 by the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the County Borough of Bournemouth acting by the Council in respect of Pleasure Grounds. The Trinacria ( Kinson Common) was listed. These byelaws were confirmed by the Secretary of State on 23rd July, 1970.
1973 - Deletion of the Allotments zoning for the purposes of residential use.
1976 - 700+ flowering plants of the Heath Spotted Orchid on the Common.
1976 - The Town Planning Committee gave approval on the 26th April, for 50 dwelling houses on the former private allotments and this area became known as Glenmeadows.
1976 - The Borough Solicitor advised that, although the Trinacria site was referred to as a common by residents, it was not registered as such under the Commons Registration Act.
The only registrations made under the Act locally were in respect of the Kinson, Holdenhurst and Wick Village Greens.
1976 - The Amenities Committee of the Borough of Bournemouth authorised the formation of the Kinson Common Management Committee to assist the Borough in the management and conservation of the Common.
The Committee, whose membership, consisted of Borough officers, representatives of conservation bodies, local residents and other interested persons, agreed to enter into a formal management agreement
1976 - Bournemouth Council decided that the land purchased for Cemeteries should remain as such for future Cemetery purposes. The public would be allowed access without acquiring any beneficial rights over this land.
The Council decided that the zoning of the Cemetery land should revert to the original 1966 zoning.
1977 - Formation of Kinson Common Management Committee. The original membership of the Committee was as follows:-
Mr. D. K.S. Blanchard, Mr. R. D. Haskell, Mr. C. E. Pepin, Mr. E. J. Taylor, Mr. K. Turner, Mr. R. J. Turner, Dr. H. Walding, Mr. H. Watton and Mr. M. Williams.
Dr. Walding was elected Chairman and Secretary.
1977 - On the recommendation of the Kinson Common Management Committee, it was officially agreed to revert to the original name of Kinson Common, which local residents preferred.
1977 - Consultation and execution of a flood control scheme at the north end of the Common to prevent flooding of Kinson County Primary School. This resulted in the creation of the Pond and Dragonfly Hollow.
Before commencement of the work, the Management Committee transplanted about 160 plants of Heath Spotted Orchid to a site just south of the Excavation.
1978 - The Borough of Bournemouth purchased from Viscount Wimborne 16.25 acres of land for the purposes of Public Open Space under the Local government Act 1972.
Most of this land is now known as Poole Lane Meadows; the rest is known as Glenmeadows.
1979 - A variety of standard trees were planted on grass land now known as Poole Lane Meadows.
1979 - A small play area for children was built near South Kinson Drive, at the western end of a part of the Common which was later named Two Barrow Heath.
1979 - "Kinson Common - A Descriptive Report", by the late Mr. C. E. Pepin, was published by the Parks Department of Bournemouth Borough Council.
1979 - Dr. Roger Booth of York University, recorded and expertly determined the various types of beetles found on the Kinson Common. Completed by 1980.
1979 - Signing of the first Management agreement between Bournemouth Council represented by Mr. Keith Lomas, the Chief Executive and Town Clerk and the Kinson Common Management Committee, represented by its four trustees, Mr. D. K. S. Blanchard, Mr. C. E. Pepin, Mr. E. J. Taylor and Mr R. J. Turner.
This agreement ran from the 1st January 1979 to the 31st December 1980.
1980 - Mr. Keith Goodyear, recorded a pair of sand lizards on the Common.
1980 - Construction of a new and larger children`s play area near Poole Lane, on the short grassland now known as Poole Lane Meadows.
1980 - An easement was granted by the Secretary of State for Social Services to pass and repass with or without vehicles along a road to their land on the north-west corner of the Kinson Common.
1981 - Signing of the second Management agreement between Bournemouth Council represented by Mr. Keith Lomas, the Chief Executive and Town Clerk and the Kinson Common Management Committee, represented by its trustees, Mr. C. E. Pepin, Mr. E. J. Taylor, Mr. R.J. Turner and Mr. H. Watton, who replaced the late Mr. D. K. S. Blanchard as a trustee.
This legal agreement ran from the 1st January 1981 for an unlimited period, subject to there being one Councillor representing the Amenties Committee on the Kinson Common Management Committee. In the first instance, this place was filled by Councillor V. G. Williams.
1982/3 - The first Management plan for the Common was written by the late Mr. C. E. Pepin in consultation with the Kinson Common Management Committee (disbanded 1989). The efforts of this Committee, inparticular the late Mr. Cecil Pepin, and the late Mr. Keith Blanchard and Mr. R. Haskell, first drew attention of the importance of the site to the Council and paved the way for active site management.
1982/3 - Construction of the Area Health Authority`s Hostel on land near Poole Lane Meadows, close to the north-west corner of the Common.
1984/5 - Local naturalists worked closely with the Borough of Bournemouth to record the Kinson Common.
1986 - Miss Sarah Whittle was appointed as the Borough`s first Stour Valley Warden with resonsibility for the Kinson Common and was based at The Barn at Muscliffe.
1986 - "Butterflies of the Kinson Common" - A Report by Mr. R. D. Haskell was produced.
1988 - Natural history checklists were produced in booklets by the Kinson Common Management Group, working closely with Mr. S. Clarke, Assistant Conservation Officer, Bournemouth Borough Council.
1988 - A female sand lizard was recorded. Pepin`s Pond was dredged.
1988 - The heathland of Kinson Common was notified as a SSSI (SITE OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST) under section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 by the then Nature Conservancy Council (now English Nature) on 8th July. Kinson Common heathland was included with an area of the nearby Turbary Common as one site.
SSSI official description as follows:
Site Name: Turbary and Kinson Commons
District: Bournemouth
County: Dorset
Status: Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) notified under Section 2B of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1982. As amended.
Local Planning Authority: Bournemouth Borough Council; Dorset County Council
National Grid Reference: SZ 061948 SZ 067960
Area: 37.3 (ha) 92.2 (ac)
Ordnance Survey Sheet(s): 1:50,000: 195 1:10,000 SZ 09 NE, SE.
Date Notified (under 1981 Act): 1988
Other Information: New site.
SSSI Notification:
This site comprises the Public Open Spaces of both Turbary Common and the nearby Kinson Common,* which overlay the acidic deposits of Plateau gravels and Bagshot Beds. The richness of the relic heathland communities, both in terms of their vegetation and associated fauna, is made even more significant by their urban location.
Characteristic of the Bournemouth and Poole areas, the heathland of the higher ground and dry slopes is dominated by heather Calluna vulagaris and western gorse Ulex gallii, also present are bell heather Erica cinera and bristle bent Agrostis curtisii, this being especially abundant in areas of frequent accidental burning. On the lower lying ground there is humid and wet heath which is largely dominated by purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea with cross-leaved heath Erica tetralix, together with varying amounts of heather and deergrass Trichophorum cespitosum. Inpeded drainage and peat accumulation within the valley bottoms of both Turbary and Kinson Commons have led to the development of valley mire systems with their associated bog communities. These areas hold a rich bog flora with frequent oblong and round-leaved sundew Drosera intermedia and Drosera rotundiflia. Bog Asphodel Narthecium ossifragum and white beak-sedge Rhynchospora alba; also present is the uncommon pale butterwort Pinguicula lustanica. Bog mosses Sphagnum spp. including S. Cuspidatum and S. Papillosum are frequent throughout these areas. Shallow bog pools contain common cottongrass Eriophorum angustiflium and bog pondweed Potamogeton polygonifolius. Drier parts of the bog contain tussocks of purple moor-grass and, within the Kinson more system, nutrient enrichment and siltation give rise to swamp conditions with bulrush Typha latifolia, hemlock water-dropwort Oenanthe crocata and rush Juncus species.
Areas of dense scrub vegetation with much common gorse Ulex europaeus and bramble Rubus fruticosus are common on both areas of heathland, with willow Salix species a frequent component on Turbary Common. Fringing the streams, bog and wet heath are areas of willow carr, with much birch Betula spp. and pedunculate oak Quercus robur within the wet woodland of Kinson Common.
The fauna of the site reflects the range of habitats present. The dry heathland of Turbary Common supports a breeding population of the rare and protected sand lizard Lacerta agilis, and the smooth snake Coronella austriaca is also known to occur here. The invertebrates of Kinson Common have been well recorded, with many of these being present also on Turbary Common. Of the 18 species of dragonfly noted, 15 of these are known to breed, including scarce ischnura Ischnura pumilio and small red damselfly Ceriagrion tenellum, both species of very restricted occurrence. The damper areas have good populations of the local bog bush cricket Metrioptera brachyptera with the rarer long-winged conehead Conocephalus disolor found in slightly drier conditions. Other nationally scarce heathland insects present include silver-studded blue butterfly Plebejus argus and swamp spider Dolomedes fimbriatus.
* The Geology of the Kinson Common is now described as : The Geology of the site comprises Branksome sand and Parkstone clay of the Bracklesham group which are overlain on the western edge of the Common by Plateau Gravel.
The NCC (has) also produced a list of operations which are considered likely to damage the features of special interest (Potentially Damaging Operations (PDOs)). These are as follows:
Standard Ref Numbers and Type of Operation
1.
Cultivation including ploughing, rotavating, harrowing and re-seeding.
2.
The introduction of grazing.
3.
The introduction of stock feeding.
4.
The introduction of mowing or other methods of cutting vegetation.
5.
Application of manure, fertilisers and lime.
6.
Application of pesticides, including herbicides (weedkillers).
7.
Dumping, spreadingor discharge of any materials.
8.
Burning.
9.
The release into the site of any wild, feral or domestic animal**, plant or seed.
10.The killing or removal of any wild animal**, including pest control.
11.
The destruction, displacement, removal or cutting of any plant or plant remains, including tree, shrub, herb, hedge, dead or decaying wood, moss, lichen, fungus, leaf-mould, turf.
12.
The introduction of tree and/or woodland management (including afforestation, planting, clear and selective felling, thinning, coppicing, modification of the stand or underwood, changes in species composition, cessation of management).
13a.
Drainage (including moor-gripping, and the use of mole, tile, tunnel or artificial drains).
13b.
Modification of the structure of water courses ( for example: streams, ditches, drains), including their banks and beds, as by re-alignment,re-grading and dredging.
13c.
Management of aquatic and bank vegetation for drainage purposes.
14.
The changing of water levels and tables and water utilisation (including irrigation, storage and abstraction from existing water bodies and through boreholes).
15.
Infilling of ditches, drains, ponds, pools, marshes or pits.
16a.
The introduction of freshwater fishery production and/or management including sporting fishing and angling.
20.
Extraction of minerals, including peat, clay, sand and gravel, topsoil, sub-soil and spoil.
21.
Construction, removal or destruction of roads, tracks, walls, fences, hard-stands, banks, ditches or other earthworks, or the laying, maintenance or removal of pipelines and cables, above or below ground.
22.
Storage of materials.
23.
Erection of permanent or temporary structures, or the undertaking of engineering works, including drilling.
24.
Modification of natural or man-made features (including cave entrances), clearance of boulders, large stones, loose rock or scree and battering, buttessing or grading rock faces and cuttings, infilling of pits and quarries.
26.
Use of vehicles or craft likely to damage or disturb features of interest.
27.
Recreational or other activities likely to damage features of interest.
28.
Introduction of game or waterfowl management.
** animal includes any mammal, reptile, amphibian, bird, fish or invertebrate.
1989 - Three species of reptiles were recorded and the adder was not recorded again after this time.
1989 - A photo air-survey was carried out for Bournemouth Council at a scale of 1:2550. The relevant film negatives are: V88184/283: V88184/284 and /330.
1990 - Following public consultation, the Management plan for the Kinson Common was updated.
1993 - Two additional bog pools were created in Central Bog.
1993 - A new fire-break was installed on land adjoining the perimeter boundary of the Kinson Primary School playing field.
1993 - Roe Deer were recorded on the Common for the first time.
1993 - An informal Kinson Common Group liaised with the Borough`s Countryside officers.
1994 - The Countryside Department of the Borough produced a leaflet which outlined wildlife and historical interest on the Kinson Common. Pepin`s Pond was dredged.
1994 - A remaining Lombardy Poplar near the Kinson Baths, known as the famous "Wimborne tree", was felled for safety reasons.
1994 - Torential rainfall on the 30th and 31st October caused untold to the surface of the Pond`s dam and footpath area which collapsed.
1994 - An informal Kinson Common Group continued to liaise with the Borough`s Countryside officers.
1994/5 - A series of devastating fires burned to ground level 90% of the Kinson Common heathland.
1995 - A concrete bridge (known as Great Oaks bridge) was replaced with a purpose built wooden one with a hand-rail.
1995 - Under the EC Habitats Directive of 1992, English Nature proposed the designation of local heathlands SSSI`s as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). Kinson Common was included.
1995 - In the Report of the Director of Development Services and Director of Leisure and Tourism Services to the Development Services (Planning) Sub-Committee, 26th June, 1995, and the Leisure and Tourism Services Committee, 28th June, 1995, it was recommended not to object to this proposed designation.
(Dorset Heaths are now designated as SACs (SPECIAL AREA OF CONSERVATION) and this precludes (prevents from happening), any further extension of the Kinson cemetery.
(Several of the Dorset Heathlands, including the Kinson Common, were listed as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention of 1971 and have been designated as Ramsar sites.)
1996 - A shared footpath/cycleway across the Common linking Kinson Road and Poole Lane. This area was vastly improved and updated.
1996 - Revision of the Kinson Common Management Plan.
1997 - According to Bournemouth Council, Kinson Common was designated as a LOCAL NATURE RESERVE in 1997.
1998 - English Nature declared Kinson Common a LOCAL NATURE RESERVE. Reserve.
(14th August 2005 - English Nature - Special Sites, states:
LOCAL NATURE RESERVE TYPE: Urban, County: Dorset; English Nature: Dorset Team: Year of Declaration: 1998; Declaring Authority : Bournemouth Borough Council: Grid Ref: Unknown)
1998 - Byelaws for the protection of the Nature Reserve at Kinson Common.
Bournemouth Borough Council, exercised the powers conferred upon them by sections 20, 21 (4) and 106 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, in accordance with section 236 of the Local Government Act, for the protection of the Nature Reserve at Kinson Common. Given under the Common Seal of the Council of the Borough of Bournemouth on the 27th April, 1998. The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, confirmed them on the 26th August, 1998.
1999 - The Friends of Kinson Common, a resident`s group which functions independently and whose members also act as Countryside volunteers, was formed to assist the Borough Council in community conservation tasks on the Kinson Common.
1999 - Byelaws. Pleasure Grounds, Public Walks & Open Spaces. These byelaws were made by Bournemouth Borough Council under Sections 12 and 15 of the Open Spaces Act 1906, Section 164 of the Public Health Act 1875 and Section 28 of the Bournemouth Borough Council Act 1985. Kinson Common Open Space is named in Schedules One, Seven and Nine. Given under the Common Seal of the Council of the Borough of Bournemouth, 26th April 1999. The Secretary of State confirmed these byelws which came into operation on 1st July 1999.
2000 - The first Community Open Day was held on Poole Lane Meadows and has become an annual event in following years.
2000 - Steps leading down from Glenmeadows were constructed.
2000 - THH project (Return of Hardy`s Egdon Heath) was initiated in September.
2001 - A botanical and National Vegetation Classification survey (NVC) was undertaken.
12 habitat categories were identified and included: Dry Heath; Humid and Wet Heath: Scrub: Willow carriage; Woodland: Grassland, Marsh and Open Water.
2001 - Bournemouth Borough Council became a partner in the Urban Heath LIFE Project which would provide additional wardening and educational use of the Common.
2002 - During the Queen`s Golden Jubilee, Awards for All awarded £5,000 for community projects on the Kinson Common.
2002 - Construction of a boardwalk over a side stream through Poole Lane Sallows.
2003 - The Waterfall and surrounding area on the Kinson Common was substantially repaired and a wooden footbridge over the stream was then installed.
2005 -The strongest links with recent history of farming on site have to be the surviving earth banks or tithe boundaries which assist in defining the actual extent of all known areas which existed during the 1800`s. Through modern day use, these are being gradually worn down very heavily in some areas, sometimes to immediate ground level.
We now know that these boundaries were in place and appear on the Canford estate map of 1769 and probably were in place long before the date quoted. Having now checked and realised that one earth bank on Two Barrow Heath was not present in 1769 and was an addition before 1839, the total number of Earth Banks present in 2005 increased to 23 in total.
2005 - The covered outline of an old farm building reputed to have once been used by cows belonging to Mr. George Toms, still survives near the east end of Two Barrow Heath.
2005 - November. Four Shetland cattle were introduced for grazing purposes.
2006 - Best year ever in living memory for recording wild orchids. At least 20 species of damselfly and dragonfly recorded. 1st official recording of the Silver-Washed Fritillary. Historical research of Central Bog and the Poole Lane side-stream. Water table recording in Central Bog. Rediscovery of an ancient bog pool, once a part of Redgate Moor adjoining the present Central Bog.
2007 - Roe Deer observed on the Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve. Mr. Dave Fish, www.kinson-common.co.uk, was out walking his dog Billy and obtained a photograph on 5th March 2007, of this very elusive deer species.
2007 - Wild orchid count down considerably due to unforseen prolonged winter flooding 2006-2007 in the lower valley. Best year ever for recording clouded yellow butterflies. Return of harebells to Poole Lane Heights after the drought of 2006. Use of GPS as a recording and navigational aid on Kinson Common.
2008 - Second highest count of wild orchids on the Kinson Common since official recordings began. Three-spined Sticklebacks and a Brown Trout recorded in the main stream which in the past suffered continued pollution. Glow-worms regularly recorded in July 2008.
The Following pages feature photographs taken over many years while walking on the Kinson Common. |
|
Ancient areas and a find on Kinson Common
 | Key to photographs
1. An ancient bog pool
2. Ridgak or Redgate Hill and Barn Close. Now Glenmeadows.
3. A saucer barrow on Two Barrow Heath
4. Ancient pottery found on site |
|
Dragonfly Hollow and near Pepin`s Pond
 | Key to photographs
1. Dragonfly Hollow in 1979
2. Near Pepin`s Pond on a winter`s morning |
|
Poole Lane Meadows
 | Key to photographs
1. Wooden seats on Poole Lane Meadows
2. Poole Lane Meadows in 1979 |
|
Kinson Common in the 1980`s
 | Key to photographs
1. A swan on Pepin`s Pond in 1989
2. Pond Scrub in 1980
3. A flooded valley in 1990
4. The leaning oak circa 1980 |
|
Pepin`s Pond and Pond Scrub
 | Key to photographs
1. The Kinson Common pond in 1979
2. Snow on Pond Scrub |
|
Kinson Common Pond (Pepin`s Pond)
 | Key to photographs
1. The pond dredge of 1988
2. Background view of pond & railings, 1980`s |
|
Children exploring the Kinson Common
 | Key to photographs
1. Children exploring on a Summer`s day
2. Wanna be in our gang? |
|
The Kinson Common Waterfall fossil
 | | A fossil found at the Waterfall in the 1980`s |
|
Kinson Common Memories
 | Key to photographs
1. The Winter of 1979
2. Doug Mills & helpers in the 1980`s |
|
Old and New Kinson Common Waterfall
 | Key to photographs
1. Waterfall area in 2002
2. Same area, new outlook, 2003 |
|
The New Kinson Common Waterfall
 | | Two views of the new Waterfall |
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Boardwalk over the Kinson Stream by the Waterfall
 | Key to photographs
1. A new boardwalk over the stream
2. Improved walking area by the Waterfall |
|
The Waterfall boardwalk
 | | Waterfall boardwalk, Autumn 2003 |
|
Jubilee Walkway on the Kinson Common
 | | Extending the Jubilee walkway, Autumn 2003 |
|
Kinson Common boardwalk in Winter
 | | Winter scene. The Waterfall boardwalk. |
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Dragonfly Hollow in Winter
 | | Winter scene. Dragonfly Hollow. |
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Viewing Central Bog from Two Barrow Heath in Kinson
 | | Winter scene. A view looking from Two Barrow Heath into the Central Bog region. |
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Snow at the Kinson Common Waterfall
 | | Winter scene. The new Waterfall area. |
|
The Main Track on Kinson Common
 | | Winter scene. The Main Track between Two Barrow Heath and Central Sallows. |
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Gover`s Glade in Winter
 | | Winter scene. Gover`s Glade. |
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Pepin`s Pond in Winter
 | | Winter scene. Pepin`s Pond. |
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Central Sallows
 | | Winter scene. Central Sallows. |
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Poole Lane Heights
 | | Winter scene. Near Poole Lane Heights. This photograph was taken mid-morning on the 27th February, 2004. |
|
A Kinson Common fire
 | Another fire on the Kinson Common.
It`s after 6.30pm on the evening of the 29th March, 2004. Hard working local firemen are putting out a grassland fire where wild orchids grow.
We are informed that measures are being taken to reduce fires on this important local nature reserve. |
|
Kinson Common Orchids affected by fire
 | On the 29th March, 2004, we featured a photograph of a fire in a sensitive part of the Common. The orchids growing in this area have since recovered.
Thankfully, as our photograph shows, the burning only slightly affected the tips of the emerging heath spotted orchids. |
|
Kinson Common Orchids in June
 | | In 2004, all three species of wild orchid to be found on the Kinson Common, performed exceptionally well. |
|
Poole Lane Meadows
 | Poole Lane Meadows in 1979.
Conservation was then in its infancy.
25+ years later, we are delighted to be still involved with the Kinson Common, passing on our knowledge of the site through community walks.
The young lady in our photograph now brings her own family on local visits. |
|
Kinson Common botanical discovery in 2008
 | There`s always something waiting to be discovered on the Kinson Common.
This is Orange Hawkweed, photographed on the 30th June, 2008, and is a new record. |
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Kinson Common Howe farm
 | Howe Farm
Following requests, maps are now added to this section.
This one clearly shows that the Kinson Common was farmland several centuries ago.
We list old names and modern names as follows:-
Amey`s Close (now Kinson School Field);
Barn Close (now Glenmeadows estate);
Captain Kings (now Kinson Baths);
Furze Ground (now Poole Lane Heights);
Furzey Ground ( Two Barrow Heath);
Hill Close (now Pond Scrub);
Long Close (now Poole Lane Meadows);
Long Moor (now Central Bog and Central Sallows);
Lower Captain Kings (now Great Oaks area);
Wood & Furze (now Blanchard`s Copse);
Ridgak or Redgate Moor (now mostly Central Sallows, Gover`s Glade, Dragonfly Hollow and Pepin`s Pond);
Ridgak or Redgate Hill ( now Glenmeadows).
The name, Kinson Common, is a modern one and dates to 1977. Sadly, at the appropriate time in the past, no one ever registered the land as a common. |
|
Kinson Common boundary banks
 | Ancient earth boundary banks
A number survive on the Kinson Common today. Nos 10 & 18 on our map appear to date to a later period, possibly late 19th century to early 20th century? At least two tithe boundary remnants presently exist within the Kinson Cemetery. At present, November 2006, over 25+ tithe boundary banks still exist on or close to the Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve. |
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Kinson Common Working compartments
 | Working compartments
Kinson Common is divided into working compartments for Borough management purposes.
These are named as follows:-
1. Great Oaks
2. Two Barrow Heath
3. Central Bog
4. Central Sallows
5. Poole Lane Sallows
6. Poole Lane Heights
7. Poole Lane Meadows
8. Blanchard`s Copse
9. Pond Scrub
10. Glenmeadows
11. Dragonfly Hollow and Gover`s Glade
12. Pepin`s Pond
With the exception of Gover`s Glade (named in 2000), names were adopted for other areas in 1982. |
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Kinson Common Site of Special Scientific Interest
 | Site of Special Scientific Interest
The heathland of Kinson Common was notified as a SSSI on the 8th July, 1988. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve
 | Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve
According to the English Nature website, the Kinson Common was officially declared an LNR in 1998.
|
|
Kinson Common Future
 | Kinson Common in the future.
This map shows a possible future vision for the Kinson Common with the possibility of housing on the present Kinson Baths site. |
|
Kinson Common recordings 1970 to 2009
 | (1970`s to 2009)
KINSON COMMON LOCAL NATURE RESERVE
BOTANICAL CHECKLIST 2003-2009
Compiled by R D Haskell
Taxaceae
1. Yew
Willow - Salicaceae
2. Grey willow
3. Goat willow
4. White poplar
Birch - Betulaceae
5. Downy birch
6. Silver birch
Hazel - Corylaceae
7. Hazel
Beech - Fagaceae
8. Beech
9. Pendunculate oak
10. Sweet chestnut
Maple - Aceraceae
11. Sycamore
12. Field maple
13. Norway maple
Horse chestnut - Hippocastanaceae
14. Horse chestnut
Holly - Aquifoliaceae
15. Holly
Box - Buxaceae
16. Box
Lime - Tiliaceae
17. Common lime
Olive - Oleaceae
18. Ash
19. Garden privet
20. Lilac
21. Privet
Hemp - Cannabaceae
22. Hop
Nettle - Urticaceae
23. Stinging nettle
24. Pellitory of the wall
Dock - Polygonaceae
25. Wood dock
26. Broad leaved dock
27. Sheep`s Sorrel
28. Redshank
29. Knot grass (arenastrum)
30. Clustered dock
31. Curled dock
32. Common Sorrel
33. Water Pepper
34. Knotgrass (aviculare)
Pink - Caryophyllaceae
35. Greater Stitchwort
36. Sticky Mouse-Ear
37. Red Campion
38. Common chickweed
39. Annual pearlwort
40. Procumbent pearlwort
41. Lesser Stitchwort
42. Common Mouse-Ear
43. Bog Stitchwort
44. Corn spurrey
45. Sand spurrey
Buttercup - Ranunculaceae
46. Creeping Buttercup
47. Lesser Celandine
48. Lesser Spearwort
49. Meadow Buttercup
50. Bulbous Buttercup
51. Lenormand`s water-crowfoot
52. Love-in-a-mist
Fumitory - Fumariaceae
53. Common ramping fumitory
Poppy - Papaveraceae
54. Common poppy
55. Garden poppy
56. Greater Celandine
Vitacea
57. Virginia creeper
Cabbage - Cruciferae
58. Cuckoo flower
59. Garlic mustard
60. Shepherd`s purse
61. Wavy bittercress
62. Wild radish
63. Watercress
64. Honesty
65. Hairy bittercress
66. Hedge mustard
67. Thale cress
68. Early flowering yellow rocket
69. Lesser swinegrass
Sundew - Droseraceae
70. Round-leaved sundew
71. Oblong-leaved sundew
Goosefoot - Chenopodiaceae
72. Fat hen
Saxifrages - Saxifragaceae
73. Fringe cups
Rose - Rosaceae
74. Rose (canina)
75. Rose (stylosa)
76. Bramble
77. Raspberry
78. Herb Bennet
79. Tormentil
80. Hawthorn
81. Blackthorn
82. Amelanchier
83. Cultivated apple
84. Rowan
85. Rose (rugosa)
86. Sweet briar
87. Field rose
88. Whitebeam
89. Cherry laurel
90. Cotoneaster (simonsii)
91. Wild plum
92. Portugese cherry laurel
93. Scarlet firethorn
94. Silverweed
95. Creeping cinquefoil
96. Spiraea
97. Garden strawberry
98. Cherry plum
99. Cotoneaster (sternianus)
100.Cotoneaster (coral beauty)
101. Meadowsweet
102. Japanese kerria
Pea - Leguminosae
103. Common gorse
104. Broad leaved everlasting pea
105. Red clover
106. White clover
107. Hare`sfoot clover
108. Dwarf gorse
109. Greater birdsfoot trefoil
110. Common birdsfoot trefoil
111. Smooth tare
112. Black medick
113. Subterraneum clover
114. Meadow Vetchling
115. Hairy Tare
116. Common Vetch
117. Lesser Trefoil
118. Tufted Vetch
119. Birdsfoot
120. Broom
Wood Sorrel - Oxalidaceae
121. Pink oxalis
122. Yellow oxalis
Geranium - Geraniaceae
123. Herb robert
124. Cut-leaved cranesbill
125. Common storksbill
126. Dovesfoot cranesbill
127. Wood avens
128. Pyrenean cranesbill
Milkwort - Polygalaceae
129. Heath milkwort
Currant - Grossulariaceae
130. Red currant
131. Black currant
Buckthorn - Rhamnaceae
132. Alder buckthorn
Mallow - Malvaceae
133. Common mallow
St. John`s wort - Guttiferae
134. Perforated St. John`s wort
135. Rose of Sharon
136. Tutsan
137. Hypericum (hybrid cross )
Violet - Violaceae
138. Common dog violet
139. Sweet violet
140. Field pansy
141. Pale wood violet
Gourd - Cucurbitaceae
142. White bryony
Willowherb - Onagraceae
143. Rosebay willowherb
144. Great hairy willowherb
145. Enchanter`s nightshade
146. Large-flowered evening primrose
147. Garden fuchsia
148. Marsh willowherb
149. Dull-leaved willowherb
150. Lesser hairy willowherb
151. American willowherb
152. Square-stemmed willowherb
Spurge - Euphorbiaceae
153. Sun spurge
154. Petty spurge
Periwinkle - Apocynaceae
155. Lesser periwinkle
Ivy - Araliaceae
156. Ivy
Carrot - Umbelliferae
157. Ground elder
158. Hemlock water dropwort
159. Hemlock
160. Cow parsley
161. Hogweed
162. Wild angelica
163. Pignut
164. Wild parsnip
165. Wild carrot
166. Marsh pennywort
Heath - Ericaceae
167. Common heather
168. Bell heather
169. Cross-leaved heather
170. Strawberry tree
171. Rhododendrum ( Rhod. ponticum)
Primrose - Primulaceae
172. Primrose
173. Yellow loosestrife
174. Bog pimpernel
175. Scarlet pimpernel
176. Creeping jenny
Bindweed - Convolvulaceae
177. Hedge bindweed
178. Large bindweed
179. Field bindweed
180. Black bindweed
Bedstraw - Rubiaceae
181. Common cleavers
182. Marsh bedstraw
183. Heath bedstraw
Borage - Boraginaceae
184. Green alkanet
185. Water forget-me-not
186. Common forget-me-not
187. Wood forget-me-not
Labiate - Labiatae
188. Wood sage
189. White dead nettle
190. Betony
191. Ground ivy
192. Field woundwort
193. Gipsywort
194. Self heal
195. Marsh woundwort
196. Lesser skullcap
197. Red dead nettle
198. Hedge woundwort
199. Common Hemp-Nettle
Nightshade - Solanaceae
200. Bittersweet
201. Black nightshade
Figwort - Scrophulariaceae
202. Common figwort
203. Red bartsia
204. Common cow-wheat
205. Lousewort
206. Ivy-leaved speedwell
207. Common field speedwell
208. Wood speedwell
209. Brooklime
210. Thyme-leaved speedwell
211. Common toadflax
212. Germander speedwell
213. Lilac
214. Foxglove
215. Purple toadflax
216. Lesser snapdragon
217. Wall speedwell
218. Ivy-Leaved Toadflax
Butterwort - Lentibulariaceae
219. Pale butterwort
Plantain - Plantaginaceae
220. Greater Plantain
221. Buck`s horn plantain
222. Ribwort plantain
Honeysuckle - Caprifoliaceae
223. Guelder rose
224. Honeysuckle
225. Elderberry
226. Snowberry
Teasel - Dipsacaceae
227. Field scabious
228. Devilsbit scabious
Bellflower - Campanulaceae
229. Sheepsbit scabious
230. Garden lobelia
231. Peach-leaved bellflower
232. Harebell
233. Serbian bellflower
Daisy - Compositae
234. Hemp agrimony
235. Golden-rod
236. Daisy
237. Scentless mayweed
238. Pineapple weed
239. Aster (a x versicolar)
240. Ragwort
241. Wood groundsel
242. Groundsel
243. Corn marigold
244. Spear thistle
245. Meadow thistle
246. Dandelion
247. Ox-eye daisy
248. Mouse-ear hawkweed
249. Lesser burdock
250. Mugwort
251. Tansy
252. Smooth hawksbeard
253. Beaked hawksbeard
254. Marsh cudweed
255. Autumn hawkbit
256. Hawkweed (trichocaulon)
257. Hawkweed (umbellatum)
258. Nipplewort
259. Marsh thistle
260. Creeping thistle
261. Yarrow
262. Common fleabane
263 Black knapweed
264. Prickly sow thistle
265. Greater knapweed
266. Goatsbeard
267. Common catsear
268. Smooth sow thistle
269. Trifid Bur Marigold
270. Orange Hawkweed
Water Plantain - Alismataceae
271. Common Water plantain
Lily - Liliaceae
272. Bog Asphodel
273. Bluebell
274. Grape hyacinth
275. Garden bluebell
276. Crow garlic
277. Three-cornered leek
Yam - Dioscoreaceae
278. Black Bryony
Daffodil - Amaryllidaceae
279. Garden daffodil
280. Garden snowdrop
Arum - Araceae
281. Cuckoo pint
Iris - Iridaceae
282. Yellow iris
283. Garden crocus
284. Monbretia
Orchid - Orchidaceae
285. Heath spotted orchid
286. Early marsh orchid
287. Southern marsh orchid
288. Pyramidal orchid July 1984
Callitrichaceae
289. Water starwort
Pondweed - Potamogetonaceae
290. Bog pondweed
291. Broad-leaved pondweed
Hydrocharitaceae
292. Canadian pondweed
Bur-reed - Sparganiaceae
293. Branched bur-reed
Duckweed - Lemnaceae
294. Common duckweed
Reedmace - Typhaceae
295. Reedmace
Horsetail - Equisetaceae
296. Common horsetail
297. Marsh horsetail
Sedges
298. White beak-sedge
299. Pill-headed sedge
300. Flea sedge
301. Remote sedge
302. Pendulous sedge
303. Common sedge
304. Star sedge
305. Carnation sedge
306. Oval sedge
307. Ribbed sedge
308. Hairy sedge
309. Prickly sedge
310. False fox sedge
311. Common yellow sedge
Rushes
312. Sharp flowered rush
313. Field woodrush
314. Soft rush
315. Hard rush
316. White woodrush
317. Jointed rush
318. Toad rush
319. Heath woodrush
320. Many-stemmed spike rush
321. Compact rush
Grasses
322. Annual Meadow
323. Common bent
324. Smooth meadow
325. Perennial rye
326. Creeping soft
327. Crested dog`s tail
328. Cock`s foot
329. Common cotton
330. Purple moor
331. Rough meadow
332. Fine leaved sheep`s fescue
333. Squirrel tail fescue
334. Sweet vernal
335. Floating sweet
336. Meadow foxtail
337. Red fescue
338. Creeping bent
339. False oat
340. Wall barley
341. Barren brome
342. Scented vernal
343. Yorkshire fog
344. Early hair
345. Soft brome
346. Tufted hair
347. Common couch
348. Brown bent
349. Bristle bent
350. Black bent
351. Sheep`s fescue
352. Reed-canary
353. Small cats tail
354. Timothy
355. Flattened poa
Mosses
356. Bog thread moss
357. Long-trailing feather moss
358. Neat meadow feather moss
359. Rough stalked feather moss
360. Swan`s neck thread moss
361. White fork moss
362. Juniper-leaved hair moss
363. Dicranum bonjeanii
364. Sphagnum subnitens
365. Sphagnum palustre
366. Sphagnum cuspidatum
367. Sphagnum papilosum
368. Sphagnum recurvum
369. Sphagnum auriculartum
Liverworts
370. Aneura pinguis
371. Calypogeia muellerana
372. Lophocolea heterphylla
373. Lophocolea cuspidata
Ferns
374. Bracken
375. Broad-buckler
376. Hard fern
377. Hart`s tongue
378. Lady fern
379. Male fern
380. Soft shield fern
381. Royal fern
382. Scaly male fern
Buddleja - Buddlejacea
383. Buddleja
Elm - Ulmaceae
384. English Elm
Sumach - Anacardiaceae
385. Stag`s horn sumach
Gentian - Gentianaceae
386. Common Centaury
Myrtaceae
387. Bottlebrush
The botanical list extends to 387 recordings. New discovery - Orange Hawkweed listed as 270. Updated 11/08/2008.
KINSON COMMON LOCAL NATURE RESERVE 2003-2009
CHECKLISTS OF BIRDS, MAMMALS, REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS
BIRDS - Breeding species
These species have bred on the Common, though not all of them in every year.
Blackbird
Blackcap
Blue tit
Bullfinch
Carrion crow
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Collared dove
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Great tit
Greenfinch
Green woodpecker
Great spotted woodpecker
House sparrow*
Jay
Kestrel
Long-tailed tit
Magpie
Mallard
Mistle thrush
Moorhen
Nuthatch
Pied wagtail
Reed bunting
Reed warbler
Robin
Song thrush
Sparrow hawk
Spotted flycatcher
Starling
Tawny owl
Tree creeper
Whitethroat
Willow warbler
Wood pigeon
Wren
House sparrow*
A real "conservation species" now. Small numbers are frequently seen near the Fryer Close area, also the car park rear of the modern Kinson Library.
Despite the popularity of the Kinson reserve, a great many of the abovelisted species do manage to breed very successfully.
BIRDS - Visitors & Passage Migrants
Black-headed gull
Buzzard
Coal Tit
Common gull
Common Sandpiper
Cormorant
Cuckoo
Dartford Warbler (1992 & 2004. Immature birds
recorded by Mr. S. Clarke of Bournemouth Council.)
Fieldfare
Firecrest*
Goldcrest
Great Black-backed gull
Grey wagtail
Heron
Herring gull
Hobby**
House martin
Jackdaw
Jack snipe (2006)
Lesser Black-backed gull
Little egret***
Little owl
Meadow Pipit (2008)
Pheasant
Redpoll
Redstart
Redwing
Ring-necked Parakeet****
Rook*****
Sand martin
Siskin
Snipe
Stonechat******
Swallow
Swift
Teal
Water rail
Waxwing*******
Wheatear********
Whinchat
Woodcock
Firecrest*
Recorded by Mr. George Dunkling (2008), who very kindly informed us personally of his excellent discovery.
Hobby**
Recorded on a Borough Countryside walk on the 12th May, 2007. Also recorded on the Common on the 7th June 1988. First recorded on the Kinson Common in 1979.
Little Egret***
Visited Pepin`s Pond on several occasions in the past few years (2003-2004), also Central Bog & Two Barrow Heath in January 2008.
Ring-necked Parakeet****
Was first recorded on 5th April, 2000. Escaped. Recorded again in August 2007.
Rook*****
Most visitors to the Common are quite unaware as to how many actually fly over the Kinson area. During Spring 2003, 229 corvids flew over the site in one evening,some in good groupings with the inevitable stragglers at the rear of such a large roosting group!
Stonechat******
Recorded by Mr. Stuart Clarke of Bournemouth Borough Council in Central Bog, Autumn 2007.
Waxwings*******
Visited during the winter of 2003/4.
Wheatear********
Reappeared on the Kinson Common in April 2007 after many years of absence. Recorded by the late Mr. Cecil Pepin in 1976 and records for this species were also included in the Common`s first Management plan in 1983, being then recorded as now, in the Poole Lane Heights regions.
Additional:
Meadow Pipit investing a gorse area near the bowl barrow on Two Barrow Heath, 13th January, 2008. Observed by Mr. R. D. Haskell.
ALL-TIME BIRDS CHECKLIST OF EVERY KNOWN BIRD RECORDING ON THE KINSON COMMON
POST WAR TO THE PRESENT DAY
CORVIDAE
1. Rook
2. Carrion Crow
3. Jackdaw
4. Magpie
5. Jay
FRINGILLIDAE
6. Greenfinch
7. Goldfinch
8. Linnet
9. Chaffinch
10. Bullfinch
11. Yellowhammer
12. Reed Bunting
13. Redpoll
14. Siskin
PASSERIDAE
15. House Sparrow
16. Tree Sparrow
STURNIDAE
17. Starling
ALAUDIDAE
18. Skylark
MOTACILLIDAE
19. Pied Wagtail
20. Grey Wagtail
21. Meadow Pipit
22. Tree Pipit
SITTIDAE
23. Nuthatch
CERTHIIDAE
24. Tree Creeper
REGULIDAE
25. Goldcrest
PARIDAE
26. Great Tit
27. Blue Ttit
28. Long-tailed Tit
29. Coal Tit
SYLVIIDAE
30. Wood Warbler
31. Chiffchaff
32. Willow Warbler
33. Sedge Warbler
34. Reed Warbler
35. Blackcap
36. Whitethroat
37. Lesser Whitethroat
38. Grasshopper Warbler
39. Garden Warbler
40. Dartford Warbler
TURDIDAE
41. Mistle Thrush
42. Song Thrush
43. Blackbird
44. Fieldfare
45. Redwing
46. Robin
47. Redstart
48. Whinchat
49. Stonechat
50. Wheatear
51. Nightingale
PRUNELLIDAE
52. Dunnock
HIRUNDINIDAE
53. Swallow
54. House Martin
55. Sand Martin
MUSCICAPIDAE
56. Spotted Flycatcher
TROGLODYTIDAE
57. Wren
PICIDAE
58. Green Woodpecker
59. Great Spotted Woodpecker
CUCULIDAE
60. Cuckoo
APODIDAE
61. Swift
ALLCEDINIDAE
62. Kingfisher
STRIGIDAE
63. Tawny Owl
64. Little Owl
65. Barn Owl
FALCONIDAE
66. Sparrowhawk
67. Kestrel
68. Hobby *
69. Buzzard
PHALACROCORACIDAE
70. Cormorant
ANATIDAE
71. Mute Swan
72. Canada Goose
73. Mallard
74. Teal
75. Pochard
76. Grey Lag Goose
ARDEIDAE
77. Heron
78. Little Egret
SCOLOPACIDAE
79. Snipe
80. Jack Snipe
81. Woodcock
82. Common Sandpiper
CHARADRIIDAE
83. Lapwing
LARIDAE
84. Black Headed Gull
85. Herring Gull
86. Common Gull
87. Greater Black-backed Gull
88. Lesser Black-backed Gull
RALLIDAE
89. Moorhen
90. Water Rail
COLUMBIDAE
91. Wood Pigeon
92. Collared Dove
PHASIANIDAE
93. Pheasant
94. Partridge
CICONIIDAE
95. Flamingo (escaped)
GRUIDAE
96. Crane
PSITTACIDAE
97. Ring-necked parakeet
PAST RECORDED DATA of some wild birds on the Kinson Common:
Buzzard:
Pair flying over the Kinson Common, 25th June, 1988.
Hobby:
Flying near Pepin`s Pond. recorded by Mt. Mike Stewart, 7th June, 1988. First recorded on the Kinson Common in 1979.
House Martin:
Good numbers collecting mud for nesting materials on the 20th May, 1985, 10-11am, Pepin`s Pond. At least 5 pairs recorded on the same mud-flats of Pepin`s Pond, 19th July, 1985.This activity has not been recorded again for some considerable years.
Lapwing:
Two on Poole Lane Meadows. Recorded by Mr. R. D. Haskell on 11th February, 1985, am.
Partridge:
Two seen on Poole Lane Heights. Report received from local resident on 3rd August, 1985.
Pheasant:
Pair in Central Bog, 3rd April, 1985. 3 young pheasants also recorded by Glenmeadows, near Kinson Road, 15th August, 1985, 1pm.
Reed Warbler:
Singing in reedmace, Central Bog, late afternoon. Recorded by Mr. Stuart Clarke of Bournemouth Borough Council on 11th August, 1990.
Redstart:
Recorded on 3rd September, 1988, near Central Bog. Species observed by Mr. S. Clarke & Mr. R. D. Haskell in the same year.
Woodcock:
One specimen was observed flying across from Central Bog to Two Barrow Heath on the 15th October, 1988 during a working party on Two Barrow Heath by volunteers.
EARLIER RECORDS OF KINSON COMMON
KINSON COMMON BIRD CHECKLISTS
2003 to 2007
CORVIDAE
Rook : All periods.
Carrion Crow: All periods.
Jackdaw: All periods.
Magpie: All periods.
Jay : All periods.
FRINGILLIDAE
Chaffinch: All periods.
Bullfinch : All periods.
Greenfinch: All periods.
Goldfinch: All periods.
Linnet: 2007
Reed Bunting: 2003-2004.2006.
Redpoll: All periods.
Siskin: 2003
PASSERIDAE
House Sparrow: All periods.
BOMBYCILLIDAE
Waxwing: 2004.
STURNIDAE
Starling: All periods.
MOTACILLIDAE
Pied Wagtail: All periods.
Grey Wagtail: All periods.
Meadow Pipit: 2003,2006.
SITTIDAE
Nuthatch: All periods.
CERTHIIDAE
Tree Creeper: All periods.
REGULIDAE
Goldcrest: All periods.
PARIDAE
Blue Tit: All periods.
Coal Tit: 2006-2007.
Great Tit: All periods.
Long-tailed Tit: All periods.
SYLVIIDAE
Blackcap All periods.Sometimes over wintering
Chiffchaff: All periods.
Dartford Warbler: 2004.
Willow Warbler: 2003-2004.
Whitethroat: 2004.
TURDIDAE
Fieldfare: All periods.
Song Thrush: All periods.
Redwing: All periods.
Mistle Thrush: All periods.
Blackbird: All periods.
Robin: All periods.
Wheatear: 2007.
Stonechat: 2007.
PRUNELLIDAE
Dunnock: All periods.
HIRUNDINIDAE
Swallow: All periods.
House Martin: All periods.
TROGLODYTIDAE
Wren: All periods.
PICIDAE
Green Woodpecker: All periods.
Great Spotted Woodpecker: All periods.
APODIDAE
Swift: All periods.
ALLCEDINIDAE
Kingfisher: All periods.
STRIGIDAE
Tawny Owl: All periods.
FALCONIDAE
Buzzard: All periods.
Hobby: 2007.
Kestrel: All periods.
SparrowHawk: All periods.
PHALACROCORACIDAE
Cormorant: 2003-2004.
ANATIDAE
Mute Swan: f/o All periods.
Mallard: All periods.
Teal: All periods.
Canada Goose: f/o 2003.
ARDEIDAE
Heron: All periods.
SCOLOPACIDAE
Snipe: All periods.
Jack Snipe: 2006.
LARIDAE
Black headed Gull: All periods.
Great black-backed Gull: 2005-2007.
Herring Gull: All periods.
RALLIDAE
Moorhen: All periods.
Water Rail: 2004.
COLUMBIDAE
Wood Pigeon: All periods.
Collared Dove: All periods.
PHASIANIDAE
Pheasant: 2007.
Others recorded!
PSITTACIDAE
Ring-necked Parakeet: 2005, 2007.
EARLIER RECORDS OF KINSON COMMON
KINSON COMMON BIRD CHECKLISTS
1994 to 2002
BIRDS
CORVIDAE
Rook : All periods.
Carrion Crow: All periods.
Jackdaw: All periods.
Magpie: All periods.
Jay : All periods.
FRINGILLIDAE
Chaffinch: All periods.
Bullfinch : All periods.
Greenfinch: All periods.
Goldfinch: All periods.
Reed Bunting: 94,95,01,02
Redpoll: 1994, 1995, 1996,1999,2000,2001,2002.
Siskin: 1999.
PASSERIDAE
House Sparrow: All periods.
STURNIDAE
Starling: All periods.
ALAUDIDAE
Skylark: 1999.
MOTACILLIDAE
Pied Wagtail: All periods.
Grey Wagtail: All periods.
Meadow Pipit: 1994,1997,2001,2002.
SITTIDAE
Nuthatch: All periods.
CERTHIIDAE
Tree Creeper: All periods.
REGULIDAE
Goldcrest: All periods.
PARIDAE
Blue Tit: All periods.
Great Tit: All periods.
Long-tailed Tit: All periods.
Coal Tit: 1994, 1998, 2000,2002.
SYLVIIDAE
Blackcap All periods.Sometimes over wintering
Chiffchaff: All periods.
Willow Warbler: 1994,1995,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002.
Whitethroat: 2000, 2001.
TURDIDAE
Fieldfare: All periods.
Song Thrush: All periods.
Redwing: All periods.
Mistle Thrush: All periods.
Blackbird: All periods.
Robin: All periods.
PRUNELLIDAE
Dunnock: All periods.
HIRUNDINIDAE
Swallow: All periods.
House Martin: All periods.
Sand Martin: 1999.
MUSCICAPIDAE
Spotted Flycatcher: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002.
TROGLODYTIDAE
Wren: All periods.
PICIDAE
Green Woodpecker: All periods.
Great Spotted Woodpecker: All periods.
CUCULIDAE
Cuckoo: 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000.
APODIDAE
Swift: All periods.
ALLCEDINIDAE
Kingfisher: 1994, 1996,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002.
STRIGIDAE
Tawny Owl: All periods.
FALCONIDAE
SparrowHawk: All periods.
Kestrel: All periods.
Buzzard: 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002.
PHALACROCORACIDAE
Cormorant: All periods.
ANATIDAE
Mallard: All periods.
Mute Swan: 1994,1999, 2000,2001, 2002.
Teal: 1997,1998, 1999, 2000,2001, 2002.
Canada Goose: 1994, 1997.
ARDEIDAE
Heron: All periods.
Little Egret: 2002. (Pepin`s Pond.)
SCOLOPACIDAE
Snipe: 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002.
Woodcock: 1994,1998.
Jack Snipe: 2000.
Common Sandpiper: 2000.
LARIDAE
Black headed Gull: All periods.
Herring Gull: All periods.
Common Gull: 2000, 2001, 2002.
RALLIDAE
Moorhen: All periods.
COLUMBIDAE
Wood Pigeon: All periods.
Collared Dove: All periods.
PHASIANIDAE
Pheasant: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001,2002.
Others recorded!
CICONIIDAE
Flamingo: Escaped. 1994.
GRUIDAE
Crane: Flying over area. 2000.
PSITTACIDAE
Ring-necked Parakeet: 5th April 2000.
EARLIER RECORDS OF KINSON COMMON
KINSON COMMON BIRD CHECKLISTS
1988 to 1993
BIRDS
CORVIDAE
Rook: All periods.
Carrion Crow: All periods.
Jackdaw: All periods.
Magpie: All periods.
Jay: All periods.
FRINGILLIDAE
Chaffinch: All periods.
Bullfinch: All periods.
Greenfinch: All periods.
Linnet: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993.
Reed Bunting: 1989 to 1993.
Redpoll: 1990. Small flock.
Yellowhammer: 1990.
PASSERIDAE
House Sparrow: All periods.
STURNIDAE
Starling: All periods.
MOTACILLIDAE
Pied Wagtail: All periods.
Grey Wagtail: All periods.
Meadow Pipit: 1990, 1993.
SITTIDAE
Nuthatch: All periods.
CERTHIIDAE
Tree Creeper: All periods.
REGULIDAE
Goldcrest: 1989 to 1993.
PARIDAE
Blue Tit: All periods.
Great Tit: All periods.
Long-tailed Tit: All periods.
SYLVIIDAE
Blackcap: All periods. Overwintered 1993.
Chiffchaff: All periods.
Garden Warbler: 1989.
Sedge Warbler: 1990.
Willow Warbler: 1990 to 1993.
Whitethroat: 1990, 1993.
Dartford Warbler: 1992.
TURDIDAE
Fieldfare: All periods.
Song Thrush: All periods.
Redwing: All periods.
Mistle Thrush: All periods.
Blackbird: All periods.
Robin: All periods.
Stonechat: 1990.
Redstart: 1990,1991,1992.
Whinchat: 1990. Several pairs.
PRUNELLIDAE
Dunnock: All periods.
HIRUNDINIDAE
Swallow: All periods.
House Martin: All periods.
MUSCICAPIDAE
Spotted Flycatcher: 1989, 1992, 1993.
TROGLODYTIDAE
Wren: All periods.
PICIDAE
Green Woodpecker: All periods.
Great Spotted Woodpecker: All periods.
CUCULIDAE
Cuckoo: 1989 to 1992.
APODIDAE
Swift: All periods.
ALLCEDINIDAE
Kingfisher: 1989 to 1993.
STRIGIDAE
Tawny Owl: All periods.
FALCONIDAE
SparrowHawk: All periods.
Kestrel: All periods.
Buzzard: 1989.
Hobby: 7th June 1988.
PHALACROCORACIDAE
Cormorant: All periods.
ANATIDAE
Mallard: All periods.
Mute Swan: All periods. 1 released from Pond.
Teal : 1991 to 1993.
Grey Lag Goose: 1993.
ARDEIDAE
Heron: All periods.
SCOLOPACIDAE
Snipe: All periods.
Woodcock: 1988, 1991, 1992.
LARIDAE
Black Headed Gull: All periods.
RALLIDAE
Moorhen: All periods.
Water Rail: 1989 to 1992.
COLUMBIDAE
Wood Pigeon: All periods.
Collared Dove: All periods.
PHASIANIDAE
Pheasant: 1989 to 1993.
EARLIER RECORDS OF KINSON COMMON
KINSON COMMON BIRD CHECKLISTS
1982 to 1987
BIRDS
CORVIDAE
Rook: All periods.
Carrion Crow: All periods.
Jackdaw: All periods.
Magpie: All periods.
Jay: All periods.
FRINGILLIDAE
Greenfinch: All periods.
Goldfinch: All periods.
Linnet: All periods.
Bullfinch: All periods.
Chaffinch: All periods.
Yellowhammer: 1985, 1986.
Reed Bunting: 1983, 1986, 1987.
PASSERIDAE
House Sparrow: All periods.
Tree Sparrow: 1985.
STURNIDAE
Starling: All periods.
MOTACILLIDAE
Pied Wagtail: All periods.
Grey Wagtail: All periods.
Meadow Pipit: All periods.
Tree Pipit: 1984. (Mr. C. E. Pepin.)
SITTIDAE
Nuthatch: 1986.
CERTHIIDAE
Tree Creeper: All periods.
REGULIDAE
Goldcrest: 1982, 1983.
PARIDAE
Great Tit: All periods.
Blue Tit: All periods.
Long-tailed Tit: All periods.
SYLVIIDAE
Willow Warbler: All periods.
Chiffchaff: All periods.
Sedge Warbler: 1987.
Garden Warbler: 1986, 1987.
Blackcap: All periods.
Whitethroat: All periods.
Lesser Whitethroat: 1984.
Reed Warbler: 1984, 1987.
TURDIDAE
Mistle Thrush: All periods.
Song Thrush: All periods.
Blackbird: All periods.
Fieldfare: All periods.
Redwing: All periods.
Robin: All periods.
Stonechat: All periods.
PRUNELLIDAE
Dunnock: All periods.
HIRUNDINIDAE
House Martin: All periods.
Swallow:All periods.
MUSCICAPIDAE
Spotted Flycatcher: All periods.
TROGLODYTIDAE
Wren: All periods.
PICIDAE
Green Woodpecker: All periods.
Great Spotted Woodpecker: All periods.
CUCULIDAE
Cuckoo: 1986.
APODIDAE:
Swift: All periods
ALCEDINIDAE
Kingfisher:1984, 1985, 1986.
STRIGIDAE
Tawny Owl: All periods.
FALCONIDAE
SparrowHawk: All periods.
Kestrel: All periods.
PHALACROCORACIDAE
Cormorant: 1984.
ANATIDAE
Mute Swan: 1986, 1987.
Mallard: All periods.
Teal: 1985.
Pochard: 1986. Pepin`s Pond.
ARDEIDAE:
Heron: 1986.
SCOLOPACIDAE
Snipe: All periods. Small numbers.
CHARADRIIDAE
Lapwing: 1985 Poole Lane Meadows. 1986, Dragonfly Hollow.
LARIDAE
Black-headed Gull: All periods.
RALLIDAE
Water Rail: 1983, 1985, 1987.
Moorhen: 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986.
COLUMBIDAE
Wood Pigeon: All periods.
Collared Dove: All periods.
PHASIANIDAE
Pheasant: 1985, 1986, 1987.
Partridge: 1985.
EARLIER RECORDS OF KINSON COMMON
KINSON COMMON BIRD CHECKLISTS
Pre 1976 to 1981
BIRDS
CORVIDAE
Carrion Crow: All periods.
Rook: All periods.
Jackdaw: All periods.
Magpie: All periods.
Jay: All periods.
FRINGILLIDAE
Greenfinch: All periods.
Goldfinch: All periods.
Linnet: All periods.
Chaffinch: All periods.
Bullfinch: All periods.
Yellowhammer: 1976.
Reed Bunting: 1979,1980.
Redpoll: 1976.
PASSERIDAE
House sparrow: All periods.
STURNIDAE
Starling: All periods.
ALAUDIDAE
Skylark: 1976.
MOTACILLIDAE
Pied wagtail: All periods.
Grey wagtail: All periods.
Meadow pipit: All periods.
SITTIDAE
Nuthatch: 1976.
CERTHIIDAE
Tree creeper: All periods.
REGULIDAE
Goldcrest: 1976.
PARIDAE
Great tit: All periods.
Blue tit: All periods.
Long-tailed tit: All periods.
SYLVIIDAE
Wood warbler: All periods.
Chiffchaff: All periods.
Willow warbler: All periods.
Sedge warbler: 1976.
Reed warbler: 1976.
Blackcap: All periods.
Whitethroat: All periods.
Lesser whitethroat: 1980.
Grasshopper warbler: 1976.
TURDIDAE
Mistle thrush: All periods.
Song thrush: All periods.
Blackbird: All periods.
Fieldfare: All periods.
Redwing: All periods.
Robin: All periods.
Redstart: Pre 1976.
Whinchat: Pre 1976.
Stonechat: 1976 to 1981.
Wheatear: Pre 1976.
Nightingale: Pre 1976.
PRUNELLIDAE
Dunnock: All periods.
HIRUNDINIDAE
House martin: All periods.
Swallow: All periods.
MUSCICAPIDAE
Spotted flycatcher: All periods.
TROGLODYTIDAE
Wren: All periods.
PICIDAE
Green woodpecker: All periods.
Great spotted woodpecker: All periods.
CUCULIDAE
Cuckoo: All periods.
APODIDAE
Swift: All periods.
STRIGIDAE
Barn owl: Pre 1976.
Tawny owl: All periods.
FALCONIDAE
Sparrowhawk: All periods.
Kestrel: All periods.
Hobby: 1979.
ANATIDAE
Mute swan: 1976.
Canada goose: 1976.
Mallard: 1979 to 1981.
Teal: 1976.
ARDEIDAE
Heron: All periods.
SCOLOPACIDAE
Woodcock: Pre 1976.
Snipe: 1976, 1981.
COLUMBIDAE
Wood pigeon: All periods.
Collared Dove: All periods.
MAMMALS
The following have been observed in recent years:-
Bank vole
Common rat
Common shrew
Fox
Grey squirrel
*Rabbit
Roe deer (2005/06/07/08)
Wood mouse (2005/06/07/08)
*Droppings & evidence found in 2002.
** A badger was also found dead in Poole Lane near to the NHS Trust home. This important conservation species does visit the Kinson reserve and has been recorded in 2008. Most recent recording by RD & J Haskell on 19th October, 2008.
Three species of bats are still present and are believed to have roosting sites on or close to the Kinson reserve.
These are the Common bat, Soprano bat and the Noctule bat. There are many types of bats living in the Kinson,Millhams and the Longham areas. Little local research has been undertaken at present.
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS & FISH
Common Lizard
Well located around the reserve.
Slow Worm
Still found in small numbers.
Common Frog
These are well distributed locally. As well as spawning in established natural pools they also tend to spawn in water filled hollows which
dry up very quickly during the drier seasons and great numbers of tadpoles are lost.
Common Toad
These are recorded annually and there numbers are never high.
Palmate Newt
These breed in generally around the reserve and are very very partial to frog tadpoles Pollution does affect their numbers in some years.
FISH
Brown Trout (2007-2008).
Three-Spined Stickleback (2008).
KINSON COMMON WILD FUNGI CHECKLIST 2009
English names & some in Latin.
AGARICACEAE
Field Mushroom
Yellow staining Mushroom
AMANITACEAE
Fly Agaric
Tawny Grisette
The Blusher
Amanita excelsa
AURICULARIALES
Auricularia auricula-judae
BOLETACEAE
Bay Bolete
Birch Bolete (L. scabrum)
Birch Bolete (Leccinum versipelle)
Penny Bun
Red-cracked Bolete
Leccinum versipelle
CLAVARIOIDS
Golden Spindles
White Spindles
COPRINACEAE
Common Ink Cap
Fairies` Bonnets
Glistening Ink Cap
Japanese Umbrella
Shaggy Ink Cap
CORTINARIACEAE
Poison Pie
HELVELLACEAE
Helvella crispa
HUMARIACEAE
Orange Peel Fungus
HYGROPHORACEAE
Hygrophorus coccineus
HYPOCREALES - SPHAERIALES
Candle Snuff Fungus
Coral Spot
Daldinia concentrica
LEPIOTACEAE
Parasol Mushroom
Shaggy Parasol
PAXILLACEAE
Brown Roll-rim
PHALLACEAE
Stinkhorn
POLYPORES
Beef Steak Fungus
Birch Polypore
Blushing Bracket
Daedalea quercina
Grifola frondosa
Laetioporus sulphureus
Trametes versicolor
RUSSULACEAE
Blackening Russula
Common Yellow Russula
Oak Milk Cap
Ugly Milk Cap
Lactarius mitissimus
Lactarius tabidus
Russula atropurpurea
Russula cyanoxantha
Russula delica
Russula lepida
Russula xerampelina
SCLERODERMATACEAE
Common Earth Ball
STROPHARIACEAE
Brick-red Hypholoma
Sulphur Tuft
TREMELLALES
Witches` Butter
Yellow Brain Fungus
TRICHOLOMATACEAE
Amethyst Deceiver
Fairy Ring Mushroom
Greasy Tough Shank
Honey Fungus
Lilac Mycena
Russet Shank
St George`s Mushroom
The Deceiver
Omphalina ericetorum
KINSON COMMON CHECKLISTS OF KNOWN RECORDS FOR BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, GRASSHOPPERS & SPIDERS
KINSON COMMON BUTTERFLIES CHECKLIST 2009
The following have been recorded in the recent past.
Brimstone
Brown argus (2005/6)
Meadow brown
Orange-tip
Clouded yellow (2003,06,07)
Comma
Common blue
Painted Lady (2005/2006/2007)
Peacock
Purple hairstreak (2004-2008)
Essex skipper (2003/05/06)
Red Admiral
Grayling
Silver-studded blue
Green hairstreak (2003/04/05)
Small copper
Green-veined white
Small heath
Hedge brown
Small skipper
Holly blue
Small tortoiseshell
Large skipper
Small white
Large white
Speckled wood
Marbled White (2003/05/06/07)
Wall brown
White admiral
Silver-washed fritillary ( 2003 & male 2006, also 2007)
KINSON COMMON MOTHS CHECKLIST 2009
Random recordings only
Present, Recent and Older records
ARCTIIDAE
Cinnabar
Garden Tiger
Ruby Tiger
Buff Ermine
White Ermine
CHOREUTIDAE
Prochoreutis myllerana/ sehestediana? (2006)
COSSIDAE
Leopard Moth (2006)
GEOMETRIDAE
Brimstone
Clouded Border (2006)
Common Carpet (2006)
Common White Wave
Double-striped Pug
Foxglove Pug
Large Emerald
Maiden`s Blush
Magpie Moth
Riband Wave
Willow Beauty
Winter Moth
LASIOCAMPIDAE
December Moth
Lackey
LYMANTRIIDAE
Vapourer
Yellow-tail
NOCTUIDAE
Angle Shades
Burnet Companion (New Record 2006)
Copper Underwing
Flame Shoulder
Grey Dagger
Knot grass
Large Yellow Underwing
Lesser Broad bordered Yellow Underwing
Mother Shipton
Old Lady
Red Underwing
Scarce Silver Lines
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Straw Dot (2006)
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Silver Y
Spectacle
Svensson`s Copper Underwing
Vine`s Rustic
NOTODONTIDAE
Buff-tip (Larva 2006)
Lesser Swallow Prominent
Puss Moth ( 23rd July 2006)
PTEROPHORIDAE
White Plume Moth
PYRALIDAE
Brown China-mark
Mother of Pearl
Small Magpie
Pyraustra aurata (2006)
SATURNIIDAE
Emperor Moth
SESIIDAE
Hornet Moth
Red-belted Clearwing
SPHINGIDAE
Elephant Hawk-moth
Eyed Hawk-moth
Hummingbird Hawk-moth
Lime Hawk-moth
Poplar Hawk-moth
TORTRICIDAE
Green Oak-roller
ZYGAENIDAE
Five-spot Burnet
Six-spot Burnet
OTHERS
Green Longhorn
ORTHOPTERA
(Recorded in past years)
Field grasshopper
Common Green grasshopper
Meadow grasshopper
Mottled grasshopper
Common Green grasshopper
Speckled Bush-cricket
Dark Bush-cricket
Bog bush cricket
Tawny cockroach
Common groundhopper
Long-winged conehead
SPIDERS
(Recorded in past years)
Include two spectacular spp. -
Swamp spider* (Dolomedes fimbriata)
Wasp spider* (Argiope bruennichii)
Pale Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) 2006/07/08
Also recorded on site have been the following:-
Agelena labyrinthica
Araneus angulatus 2007
Araneus diadematus
Araneus quadratus
Argyroneta aquatica (Water Spider)
Pisaura mirabilis
*Well represented in 2004 - 2006. Swamp and Wasp spider numbers down in 2007 and 2008.
KINSON COMMON CHECKLIST OF DRAGONFLIES 2009
Breeding Species
Hawkers & Darters
Broad-bodied - Libellula depressa (2008)
Common Hawker - Aeshna juncea (2007)
Emperor - Anax imperator (2008)
Four-Spotted Chaser - Libellula quadrimaculata (2006)
Golden-ringed - Cordulagester boltonii (2008)
Keeled Orthetrum - Orthetrum caerulescens (2008)
Black-tailed Skimmer - Orthetrum cancellatum (2006)
Brown Aeshna - Aeshna grandis (2008)
Scarce Chaser - Libellula fulva (2008)
Southern Hawker - Aeshna cyanea (2008)
Migrant Hawker - Aeshna mixta (2007)
Common Darter - Sympetrum striolatum (2008)
Ruddy Darter - Sympetrum sanguinem (2008)
KINSON COMMON CHECKLIST OF DAMSELFLIES 2009
Beautiful Demoiselle - Calopteryx virgo (2006/07/08)
Banded Demoiselle - Calopteryx splendens (2006/07/08 and recorded as Banded Agrion in the 1980`s - 2005. First recorded in 1983.)
Emerald Damselfly - Lestes sponsa
Blue-tailed Damselfly - Ischnura elegans (2008)
Large Red Damselfy - Pyrrhosoma nymphula (2008)
Azure Damselfly - Coenagrion puella (2008)
Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum (2008)
White-legged Damselfly (2008)
(Recorded in past years)
Small Red Damselfly - Ceriagrion tenellum
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly - Ischnura pumilio
CHECKLIST OF KINSON COMMON BEETLES
(First recorded in 1979 & 1980 and determined then by Dr. Roger Booth of York University.)
CARABIDS - Ground Beetles
Carabus arvensis
Pterostichus madidus
Amara familiaris
Harpalus tardus
Harpalus affinis
Harpalus rufitarsis
Bembidion tetracolum
Bradycellus harpalus
CHRYSOMELIDS - Leaf Beetles
Lochmaea caprea
Lochmaea crataegi
Plagiodera versicolora
Luperus longicornus
Phyllodecta vulgatissima
Chalcoides fulvicornis
Altica lythri
Altica oleracea
Crepidodera ferruginea
Longitarsus flavicornis
Longitarsus succineus
ELATERIDS - Click Beetles
Actonicerus sjoelandicus
Athous haemorrhoidalis
Agriotes pallidulus
Agriotes acuminatus
Melanotus rufipes
COCCINELLIDS - Ladybirds
Adalia bipunctata
Adalia septempunctata
Adalia decempunctata
Calvia 14-punctata
Exochomus quadripustulatus
Rhyzobius litura
Scymnus auritus
STAPHYLINIDS - Rove Beetles
Phyllodrepa floralis
Omalium rivulare
Stenus flavipes
Tachyporus chrysomelinus
WEEVILS
Apion hydrolapathi
Apion assimilis
Apion apricans
Anoplus plantaris
Cidnorrhinus quadrimaculatus
Curculio salicivorus
Gymnetron antirrhini
Phyllobius pyri
Polydrusus cervinus
Rhynchaenus stigma
Rhynchites aequatus
Sitona regensteinensis
Strophosomus melanogrammus
OTHERS!
Cetonia aurata
Lucanus cervus
Cyphon hilaris
Cyphon coarctatus
Rhagonycha fulva
Anaspis maculata
Cylindrinotus laevioctostriatus
Meligethes stratus
Meligethes aeneus
Meligethes flavimanus
Melachius bipustulatus
Tetrops praeusta
Byturus tomentosus
Contharis cryptica
2008 update:
A Glow-worm larva was found while on a guided walk on the 19th May, 2004, near Two Barrow Heath and Central Bog and adults were noted in 2005. Glow-worm seen in June 2007. Female observed by Jackie Haskell, 12th July, 2008, at dusk in Gover`s Glade and other regular recordings were made throughout July of 2008.
THE FOLLOWING MAPS ARE INTENDED AS A GENERAL GUIDE FOR WALKERS AND VISITORS TO THE KINSON COMMON DURING EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve in January
 | Mallards, moorhens, two species of wagtails and water rail are sometimes present at Pepin`s Pond and in Central Bog.
With winter in full swing now, it`s worth looking for visiting kingfishers and teal.
Redwings and fieldfares, also redpolls and goldcrests, should be present on the Kinson Common.
If the conditions are right, small numbers of common snipe, may "drop-in" for a brief period before swiftly moving on again to other quarters.
The tawny owl can often be heard on still evenings and buzzards and hawks will find the Common an excellent hunting ground at this time of year.
The month of January presents good opportunities to observe many species of other wild birds during the coldest and bleakest time of year.Poole Lane Meadows can be a good vantage place to observe visiting corvids, gulls and pigeons.
Hazel catkins and sweet violets should be appearing near the Kinson baths and these are more advanced than in any other areas where they can be found.
Depending upon the weather, some frogs may spawn. Late walkers with torches can sometimes see them on the Main Track.
During January some species of moths will be active. "Courting couples" can often be seen on the bases on oak trees! Other insect activity will be minimal this month.
Roe deer can sometimes be present. Foxes will be active in January. A number are frequently observed around the Poole Lane Meadows and Pond Scrub regions.
Grazing has ceased until springtime. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve in February
 | Even though the landscape may appear to be a little sombre at this time in the year, hazel catkins, violets,celandines, crocuses and a few snowdrops are already adding a welcomed dash of colour. Early plum blossom should reveal itself this months, being noticeable around the Kinson baths and Poole Lane Sallows areas of the Common.
February is usually a good month to record many species of wild birds on site. Mallard numbers often increase and resident moorhens should add interest around Pepin`s Pond. Here also, water rail and small groups of teal are sometimes seen.
Woodpeckers will continue to be a regular feature around the whole site.
Tree creepers and nuthatches are resident on site and reed buntings are occasionally recorded near Central Bog and Dragonfly Hollow.
Buzzards are observed flying around the site at this time in the year.
Sparrowhawks can be observed flying over Two Barrow Heath and Great Oaks.
Kestrels, when present, can be seen hovering over the Central Bog, Poole Lane Heights and Dragonfly Hollow regions.
Tawny owls are resident around the Common and may be glimpsed at dusk or heard calling under cover of darkness.
Do look out for visiting fieldfares, redwings and snipe. Poole Lane Meadows is a good area to look for visiting wagtails and pipits.
The Common supports a wealth of moths and the familiar winter moths may still be occasionally viewed after dusk.
Grey squirrels may still be actively collecting in food stores and taking full advantage of any milder days.
Depending upon the weather,smaller mammals such as mice, voles and shrews may be active.
Foxes can be observed during the day and at dusk. It is amazing how many actually live on or close to the Common.
Reptile activity has ceased on site until the springtime.
Secretive roe deer are sometimes present and take full advantage of all remaining dense cover on site.
The Common supports good populations of frogs and these will be seeking out out every suitable available water covered area for breeding purposes.
Palmate newts can be observed in local bog pools during early February and these will be keeping close to areas where frog tadpoles hatch.
From the onset of the winter, right through to the spring, Borough conservation tasks are often carried out on the site.
Borough information boards are sited on Poole Lane Meadows and at the Kinson Road entrance not far from Fryer`s Close. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve in March.
 | Do look out now for arriving warblers such as the chiffchaff and the blackcap. Poole Lane Meadows is a good area to look observe both visiting and resident birds.
The Common supports a wealth of moths and these in turn provide necessary food supplies for resident common and noctule bats.
Grey squirrels will certainly be active now and a familiar sight around the Common.
Depending upon the weather,smaller mammals such as mice, voles and shrews may be active.
Foxes can be observed during the day and at dusk when they can be observed at Glenmeadows and on Poole Lane Meadows.
With the arrival of springtime, reptile activity will increase now
Secretive roe deer are sometimes present and will remain under dense cover on site.
The Common supports good populations of frogs. Unfortunately, at this time of year, many of their annual spawning areas do dry up quickly.
Palmate newts will be active in local bog pools and be keeping to areas where frog tadpoles have hatched.
Borough conservation tasks sometimes take place this month. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve in April
 | Waterfowl should continue to stimulate interest at Pepin`s Pond.
Look out for arriving chiffchaffs and blackcaps this month.
Buzzards and tawny owls are occasionally present on site.
Lesser celandines, stitchworts, primroses and bluebells should be flowering now.
Frogs are often present in good numbers. Wood mice can be recorded this month.
Common bats can be observed along the Main Track leading to Poole Lane from the Kinson baths and near Fryer`s Close. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve in May
 | Shetland cattle can often be seen grazing areas of the Common known as Poole Lane Heights, Central Bogs and Central Sallows.
The month of May presents excellent opportunities to observe many species of wild birds as spring advances rapidly towards the Summer.
Listen out in May for the repetitive songs of the chiffchaffs which can be observed in the Central Sallows, especially Gover`s Glade and the Poole Lane Sallows regions of the Common. Also in these regions, will be observed the wonderful blackcaps and their distinctive and beautiful songs will be heard.
Occasionally, whitethroats can be observed around Central Bog and Central Sallows, also in the sloe thickets around Poole Lane Meadows. It`s also worth looking out this month for the willow warbler in Central Sallows.
Mallards, moorhens and several species of wagtails are sometimes present at Pepin`s Pond and in Central Bog. The heron often plods over the Common daily.
The Tawny owl can sometimes be heard on still evenings. Buzzards and hawks will find the Common an excellent hunting ground at this time. Buzzards often fly over Central Bog, Great Oaks and Poole Lane Heights at this time of year.
Treecreepers should continue to be present in areas such as Blanchard`s Copse, Central Sallows, Gover`s Glade and Poole Lane Heights. Nuthatches are likely to be observed on the tall oaks when crossing over Great Oaks bridge to reach the Main track leading to Poole Lane.
Both the green and the great spotted woodpeckers will be present this month and will be sure to create much interest during the nesting season. Both species often feature strongly in Great Oaks, Central Sallows and the Main Track not far from the stone seat which has been in place now for at least a decade.
The blossoms of the springtime are well advanced now. Look out for bluebells ,broom, campions, dog & sweet violets, gorse, honeysuckle, plum & the chalk-white flowers of the stitchworts.The distinctive green leaves of wild arums will be observed under hedgerows and in other shaded regions. Tormentil and lousewort should be showing well in Central Bog.
Three species of wild orchid will be well developed on site. With favourable amounts of sun and rain throughout their growing season, June should see many bloom to perfection. Emerging heath spotted and southern marsh orchids are often first recorded on site between February and March each year. Emerging early marsh orchids, although sometimes recorded later than the other two species, always manage to flower during May.
Every year, frogs always appear to spawn well but their tadpoles seem to struggle for survival in the rapidly drying out pools on site. Palmate newts, which are well distributed, also struggle to reproduce in the same difficult conditions.
Secretive roe deer are occasionally seen. Foxes will be active in May and it is sometimes posible to observe and to photograph them during the daytime.
With the warmer and brighter days still to come, it`s worth looking out for other mammals which reside on the Common and this must include the wood mouse. As always, the common rat will continue to be a great survivor!
May sunshine will ensure that the butterflies are stirring. Look out for common and holly blues, commas, orange-tips, peacocks, red admirals, small tortoiseshells and a whole host of others. Soon, the larvae of the peacock and the small tortoiseshell will be appearing on clumps of stinging nettles.
The warmer conditions will certainly stir the damselflies and dragonflies into activity. Good numbers of the large red damselfly are usually recorded at this time of year.
Bats should be active around dusk during the warmer evenings in May. Two species of pipistrelle and the noctule bat can be detected on an evening walk.
Common lizards and slow-worms should show themselves during May and the adder has appeared on the Common at this time of year in the recent past. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve in June
 | The month of June presents good opportunities to observe many species of both resident and summer visitors.
Listen out in June for the repetitive songs of the chiffchaffs which can be heard singing from many of the leafy glades around the Common.
The distinctive and beautiful songs of the blackcaps should also feature strongly this month and can often heard near Central Sallows and Gover`s Glade.
Occasionally, whitethroats can be observed near Central Bog and in the sloe thickets around Poole Lane Meadows.
Mallards, moorhens and two species of wagtails are sometimes present around the Pepin`s Pond and Central Bog regions. The heron also slowly plods over the Common on a regular basis. The Kingfisher sometimes visits Pepin`s Pond and the Central Bogs region.
The Tawny owl can often be heard on still evenings at dusk and buzzards and hawks will again find the Common an excellent hunting ground this month. The kestrel should also be present in the Central Bogs and Two Barrow Heath regions during June.
Treecreepers and nuthatches are often observed in the tree-lined areas around Gover`s Glade and Dragonfly Hollow.
June should be the highlight of the botanical year and three species of wild orchid should not disappoint. The early marsh will have started to flower earlier, followed by the southern marsh and the heath spotted orchids.
The Kinson Common also has much to offer in other ways botanically. While on a June visit, do look out for buttercups, campions, cow-wheat, heaths and heathers, lousewort, milkworts, speedwells, stitchworts, thistles, tormentil, vetches, willowherbs and woundworts, also a whole host of others. With over 387 botanical records for the Common, observational opportunities are endless.
Lots of froglets can be observed in the wet bogland areas. More mature specimens will be observed as well and there does appear to be good succession for the future.
Foxes will be continue to be very active in June and are sometimes observed around the Poole lane Meadows and Pond Scrub regions, even in the daytime.
With the Summer now in full swing it`s worth looking for mammals which reside on the Common and this must include the wood mouse.
The Kinson Common supports common lizards and slow-worms and there`s every chance of seeing them during a hot spell of weather. The occasional adder is recorded at this time.
Common and Noctule bats will be active this month and the entrance to the Common opposite Durdells Avenue near the lime trees is sometimes a good vantage point to observe them, also around the tree-lined triangular area by the Kinson baths.
There should be ample opportunities to record insects and spiders this month. The Common also supports good populations of damselflies including the banded demoiseselle and the beautiful demoiseselle and dragonflies. The broad-bodied, scarce chaser, golden-ringed and the black-tailed skimmer dragonflies are especially worth looking out for during June.
On warmer and brighter days, do look out for browns, blues, hairstreaks, skippers and an assortment of white species of butterflies. We always say to expect the unexpected and June is the month to be looking out for those very elusive clouded yellows and marbled whites.
If present, Shetland cattle will be grazing areas known as Poole Lane Heights, Central Bogs and Central Sallows. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve in July
 | The month of July presents good opportunities to observe many species of wild birds.
Chiffchaffs can be observed in many areas of the Common. Blackcaps, whitethroats and even the willow warbler are worth looking for.
Kingfishers, mallards, moorhens and two species of wagtails are sometimes present at Pepin`s Pond and and in Central Bog. As well as regularly flying over the Common, the heron sometimes visits Pepin`s Pond, probably to look for fish such as sticklebacks which are present in good numbers.
The tawny owl is more often heard than seen and it favours areas such as Central Sallows and Great Oaks. Buzzards and hawks sometimes feature strongly at this time of year and find the Common suits their daily needs. The kestrel can be observed hovering around the Central Bogs and Two Barrow Heath regions.
Treecreepers and nuthatches can be observed on walks through the tree-lined areas of Gover`s Glade and Dragonfly Hollow.
With all three species of wild orchids seeding now, the Common still has much to offer by way of botanical interest in July.
On a visit this month, do look out for buttercups, campions, cow-wheat, heaths and heathers, loosestrife, scabious, stitchworts, thistles, tormentil, vetches and willowherbs including rosebay.
Walkers do sometimes report seeing roe deer but these beautiful creatures are very scarce now. Foxes will be active in July and are sometimes observed on sunny days at Glenmeadows, Poole lane Meadows and under the shade of Pond Scrub.
Kinson Common supports common lizards and slow-worms, but not in great numbers, and these can be observed on favourable days.
Common and Noctule bats will be active this month and evening walkers, especially around dusk, will glimpse them as these aerobatic mammals investigate any suitable tree canopy for moths.
There should be ample opportunities to record insects and spiders this month. Occasionally during July, glow-worms can be observed near Gover`s Glade. The Common also supports good populations of damselflies and dragonflies and with around 20 species present in good years, these will add interest to any summer stroll of the Common.
On warmer and brighter days, do look out for browns, blues, hairstreaks, skippers and an assortment of white species of butterflies.
We always say to expect the unexpected and July is the month to be looking out for those very elusive clouded yellows, marbled whites and the silver-washed fritilary. While admiring the heaths and heathers of Two Barrow Heath, be sure to look for graylings which are a nationally scarce butterfly and can reach fair numbers on the Common.
At this time, Shetland cattle are likely to be seen grazing areas such as Poole Lane Heights, Central Bogs and Central Sallows. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve in August
 | The month of August presents many opportunities to observe a good variety of wild birds as the summer will hopefully shine this month!
Listen out in August for the repetitive songs of the chiffchaffs which can be heard singing from many of the leafy glades around the Common. The distinctive and beautiful songs of the blackcaps should also feature strongly.
Mallards and moorhens are often present around Pepin`s Pond and breed in some years.
The Tawny owl can sometimes be heard on still evenings at dusk and buzzards and hawks will continue to find the Common an excellent hunting ground.
Treecreepers and nuthatches are resident on the Common and can sometimes be observed in the tree-lined areas around Gover`s Glade, Dragonfly Hollow and Great Oaks.
The Kinson Common still has much to offer by way of botanical interest in August. On a visit this month, do look out for buttercups, campions, cow-wheat, fleabane, heaths and heathers, loosestrifes, red bartsia, stitchworts, thistles, tormentil, vetches, willowherbs and a whole host of others.
Foxes will be active in August and are sometimes observed around the Poole Lane Meadows and Pond Scrub regions, even in the daytime. As many as four can sometimes be seen together on Poole Lane Meadows at dusk.
With the summer now edging ever closer to its close, it`s worth looking for mammals which reside on the Common. Kinson Common supports common lizards and slow-worms and there`s every chance of seeing them during a hot spell of weather.
Three species of wild bat will be active this month. The north end of Central Bog near Blanchard`s Copse and Poole Lane Meadows are often good venues to observe them at dusk.
There should be ample opportunities to record insects and spiders this month. Crab, raft and wasp spiders are well distributed around the site.
The Common also supports good populations of damselflies and dragonflies and these can be observed close to watery regions.
On warmer and brighter days, do look out for browns, blues, hairstreaks, skippers and an assortment of white species of butterflies.
We always say to expect the unexpected and August is the month to be looking out for those very elusive clouded yellows and marbled whites.
If present, Shetland cattle will be grazing Poole Lane Heights, Central Bogs and Central Sallows.
The annual Kinson Common Community Open Day takes place on Poole Lane Meadows during August. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve in September
 | Mallards, moorhens, a heron and grey wagtails are sometimes present at Pepin`s Pond. It`s also a good month to watch out for visiting kingfishers.
Chiffchaffs, blackcaps, whitethroats and willow warblers will remain locally until early autumn.
Keep a look out this month for visiting swallows and martins over the meadowland and Central Bog regions.
Heaths and heathers, tormentil, cow-wheat, campions and various forms of willowherbs will add a welcomed dash of colour in autumn.
Ripening blackberries, guelder rose, hawthorn, hazel, reedmace and sloes remind us that this current season is now changing rapidly.
Two species of common and noctule bats will be active and a good place to observe bats at dusk is along the Main Track from Kinson Baths to Poole Lane.
As well as looking for late-flying butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies can also be abundant on the Common at this time of year. Golden-ringed, Common Aeshna, Brown Hawker and even the Southern Hawker may be present.
September should provide good opportunities to observe wasp and raft spiders during the daytime, and perhaps at dusk, owls and even shy deer which have been glimpsed at times. |
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Kinson Common Local Nature Reserve in October
 | Mallards, moorhens, the heron and grey wagtails are sometimes present at Pepin`s Pond. The glorious kingfisher often puts in an appearance this month and can be observed flying around Pepin`s Pond and sitting in the nearby willows.
Chiffchaffs and blackcaps may remain locally until later in the autumn.
Keep a look out this month for any remaining visiting swallows and martins over the meadowland and Central Bog regions. Visiting buzzards,kestrels and sparrowhawk can be observed this month.
Heaths and heathers, campions, fleabane, native golden-rod, tormentil and various forms of willowherbs will add a welcomed dash of colour at this time of year.
The berries of guelder rose, hawthorn and sloes will be remind us that autumn is with us once again. Tall stands of reedmace will be noticeable in areas such as Central Bog or Dragonfly Hollow.
There may still be time to look for hazel nuts, if the squirrels have not eaten them all! Even if disappointed in your searches, look more closely at the branches of the hazel and you will see that the male catkins are already well developed and these are often hanging fully by the Kinson bathsin early January.
Autumn can certainly be a very colourful time in the year and with an abundance of trees and shrubs on the Common, even an occasional walker will not be disappointed. Firm favoutites of ours for changing leaf colours are amelanchiers and silver birches.
Common and and noctule bats |
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