hantsweb

• Raven
  Year round
  Overhead
  Listen out for deep ‘cronking’ call, long - diamond shaped tail
  
• Buzzard
  Year round
  Overhead/in trees
  Usually two or more circling and calling together.
  
• Little Egret
  Autumn / winter
  Lutcombe Stream/Pond
  Pure white Heron like, hunts small fish and invertebrates in the stream, will fly off when disturbed
  
• Red Kite
  Year round
  Overhead
  Infrequent visitor with unmistakable forked tail
  
• Sparrowhawk
  Year round
  Overhead hunting through woods
  On clear sunny days will circle high up with distinctive ‘’flap flap – glide’ flight action on rounded wings
  
• Kestrel
  Year round
  Overhead mainly over the grasslands
  Can hunt from hover but will hunt from a high perch
  
• Tawny Owl
  Year round
  In trees
  Heard more often than seen with classic owl call
  
• Bullfinch
  Year round
  Woodland/hedgerow
  Usually in mixed pairs, white patch on rump apparent as they fly away
  
• Hobby
  Late summer / autumn
  Trig point/Jacks Meadow
  Large flocks of migrating Martins hunt insects over these grasslands which are in turn harried by the hobby
  
• Kingfisher
  Winter
  Lutcombe stream/pond
  Resident all year but more apparent in winter when leaves have fallen
  
• Pied Flycatcher
  Late summer / autumn
  Tops of small trees
  Flits from top of tree to catch insects then returns to original perch.
  
• Spotted Flycatcher
  Late summer / autumn
  Tops of small trees
  Flits from top of tree to catch insects then returns to original perch.
  
• Hawfinch
  Winter
  Top of mature Beech trees
  Large chestnut, buff and white coloured finch.
  

• Deer
  Year round
  All of the reserve and surrounding property
  Muntjack, Fallow and Roe deer have all been recorded at the reserve
  
• Badger
  Year round
  Various locations on the reserve
  Badgers are rarely seen out in the open, look for signs, tracks and sets
  
• Bats
  Spring Summer and Autumn
  Over Lutcombe Pond and along track ways
  Currently 9  species of bat have been recorded at the reserve and monitoring is on-going, if you visit the site before dusk during the summer months many can be seen over head.
  

In the summer months Butterflies are the most apparent insects on the wing.

• Purple Emperor
  July and August
  Little Shoulder of Mutton
  Females mainly around Willows, males rarely spotted on site
  
• Silver Washed Fritillary
  July and August
  In glades throughout the wood, along paths
  Largest of the fritillaries on site
  Caterpillars rely on violets as food plant
  
• White Admiral
  July
  Within the woodland
  Sometimes seen on bramble flowers
  
• White Letter Hairstreak
  June
  Throughout the reserve, wherever Elm is growing
  Very elusive, you’ll need binoculars - and patience
  
• Ringlet
  June
  Woodland glades and along rides
  Not uncommon but welcome change from the usual browns.
  
• Marbled White
  July into August
  Jacks meadow, Shoulder of Mutton
  True grassland loving species
  
• Essex and Small Skipper
  Essex early July, small late June
  In the grasslands, Shoulder of Mutton, Juniper
  Very difficult to distinguish between species
  
• Chalkhill Blue
  June and July
  Shoulder of Mutton, Juniper, Jacks meadow
  Grassland loving, iridescent  blue, iconic butterfly of the South Downs
  

• Narrow- leaved Helleborine
  Throughout May
  Little Shoulder of mutton
  Over 300 plants constitute the second largest population in Britain of this rare Orchid.
  
• White Helleborine
  Late May through June
  Various trackside locations throughout the reserve
  Locally far more common than the above with broader leaves
  
• Greater Butterfly Orchid
  Late May through June
  Shoulder of Mutton, Juniper and other open grasslands
  Beautiful Orchid, mainly in the grassland
  
• Fly Orchid
  Spring/early summer
  Woodland edge and coppiced areas
  Tall but hard to spot in woodland, dark purple with iridescent blue spot
  
• Birds Nest Orchid
  From April through June
  In Beech/Yew woods
  straw coloured, doesn’t Photosynthesise, relies on rotting leaves to survive.
  
• Common Spotted Orchid
  From mid may through into July
  Mainly the open grasslands
  One of Ashford Hangers most common orchids
  
• Herb Paris
  Throughout May and June
  Bridleway along Lutcombe stream
  4 leaves in a single whorl halfway up the stem
  
• Stinking Hellebore
  January through to May
  Halfway up the main hill on The Hangers Way
  Unpleasant smelling, all parts of this plant are poisonous
  
• Ramsons (wild Garlic)
  April/June
  At the top of Weatham Hill various places
  Pleasant (in moderation) Garlic scented plant with white globe of flowers
  
• Vipers Bugloss
  April/September
  Juniper
  Bright blue flower
  
• Cowslip
  April/May
  Jacks Meadow and other grasslands
  Usually an excellent display at Jacks Meadow
  
• Primrose
  April/May
  Jacks Meadow and other grasslands
  Usually an excellent display at Jacks Meadow
  
• False Oxlip
  April/May
  Jacks Meadow and other grasslands
  A hybrid of the above 2 species which, as the name suggests can be confused with Oxlip.
  

* All flowering times are approximate and it is worth checking before paying a visit.