In April just as everone thought winter was over we had a good fall of snow...

...for a short while the snow stopped the Blue Tits from their early nest building...

...while a Magpie takes the opportunity to have a snow bath.

Frozen in time.

Waiting for the first rays of the winter sun to appear over the horizon...

...a ghostly image with the sun trying to burn off the early mist over Winchester.

Flooding on Janesmoor Plain ~ After the heavy rain this winter many parts of the New Forest were very wet underfoot. Janesmoor is on the eastern end of the main runway of the wartime airfield at Stoney Cross Plain. During World War 2 the forest was home to several airfields, all that remains of Stoney Cross is the 2000 yard runway, now a minor forest road.

Follow the leader, Brent Geese over the Solent.

Along the banks of the River Itchen between Itchen Stoke and Ovington.

One of Britain's most popular birds the Robin.

"The Wakes" home of naturalist Gilbert White who is recognised as one of the fathers of ecology. The book for which he became famous "The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne" was published in 1789 and has been in almost continuous print ever since. The building is also home to the Oates Museum, commemorating explorer Francis Oates who explored South America, and his nephew Captain Lawrence Oates who accompanied Scott on the ill-fated South Pole expedition of 1911.

The sun and flowers are out and it's getting warmer now spring is here. The statue of King Alfred stands high over Winchester's Broadway.

Keyhaven's small harbour with the silhouette of Hurst Castle in the background. The castle was one of the most advanced artillery fortresses built by Henry VIII. It was later used during the 17th century as a prison, Charles I was imprisoned here before being taken to London for his trial and execution. The castle was modernised during the Napoleonic wars and again in the 1870's when the enormous armoured wings were constructed which command the narrow entrance to the Western Solent.

The harbour, saltmarshes and mudflats are shielded by the massive Hurst Shingle Spit that reaches out for over a mile to Hurst Castle. Click on the picture for a panorama of the saltmarshes and spit.

Caption details are based on the latest available  information and are accurate to the best of my knowledge. Although the images are heavily compressed you are welcome to use them for your own non-commercial use.   If you do please credit HampshireCam or add a link  to these  pages.

        All Photographs copyright David Packman © 2002 - 2009 (All Rights Reserved)