Although we run holidays on mainly set dates we are happy to organise specific New Forest holidays for small groups. Just let us know when you'd like to come and what wildlife you'd like to see and we'll do the rest, although we'd like to know your plans are early as possible.

The New Forest is well known as a haven for wildlife and many visitors come especially to search for rare and exciting species. This wildlife mini-break is designed to show you the spectacular wildlife of the New Forest national park and help you learn how to identify it.

The New Forest is one of the richest places for wildlife in Britain. The outstanding variety of habitats holds a wealth of different species at all times of year. We shall concentrate on birds during this winter holiday. The coast has estuaries and old salt pans packed with many waders and wildfowl, inland lakes are covered in wintering ducks and grebes, New Forest woodlands hold roving tit flocks, woodpeckers and wintering finches, while the adjacent heaths have Dartford Warblers, Hen Harrier and Great Grey Shrike.

As well as the wildlife, the landscapes here are beautiful. In the New Forest there are wild valley bogs with horses grazing thigh-deep in water, magnificent panoramic views over vast tracts of heath and ancient woodlands with quiet streams tinkling through. With grazing animals roaming free, it has a character different from anywhere else in Britain. It is easy to find quiet spots if you know where to look.

We place an emphasis on our excursions being enjoyable and fun, while giving you memorable and simple hints on how to find and identify the wildlife we see.

We limit the groups to 12 guests to maximise your chances of seeing and photographing the wildlife and to ensure that the leaders have time to focus attention on every individual in the group.

Itinerary and what we hope to see:

Friday 27th November: 8.00pm - introduction meeting in the Queens Head pub in Burley. At this meeting we shall briefly discuss the itinerary, car sharing, maps of meeting places etc.

Saturday 28th November: On Saturday morning we shall start at the coast. The coast at Keyhaven is alive with birds in winter. As well as high numbers of the commoner waders and wildfowl such as Wigeon, Teal, Black-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover, there are flocks of Golden Plover in the fields, Pintail, Shoveler and Gadwall on the pools, Greenshank and Redshank on the muddy edges, and Eider and Red-breasted Merganser on the sea. Spotted Redshank, Slavonian Grebe, Little Owl, Dartford Warbler, Spoonbill and Kingfisher are all regularly seen here in winter. It is a great place to learn how to identify waders and wildfowl and see some uncommon species.

In the afternoon we shall visit Beaulieu Road Heath. This is one of the most famous bird watching spots in the New Forest. The mixed area with open heath, scrub, wet valley bogs and ancient woodlands holds the best of the area's birds. Roving tit flocks in the woods usually have Marsh Tit, Treecreeper and Nuthatch with, sometimes, Lesser-spotted Woodpecker and Firecrest joining them. The heath regularly holds at least one wintering Hen Harrier and last winter there were two males and a female! A Great Grey Shrike usually winters here too and with luck we shall see it.

Sunday 29th November: On Sunday we start the day at the inland waters of Blashford Lakes just north of Ringwood. These are some of the only large freshwater bodies in the area and so are the best place to catch up with species such as Tufted Duck, Pochard, Goldeneye and Great-crested Grebe. Green Sandpiper winter along the edges and at least two Bittern have wintered in front of one of the many hides in the past three years. Less common water birds to be found here include Ruddy Duck, Goosander and Black-necked Grebe. The woodland hide here will give us fantastically close views of Siskin, Redpoll, Great-spotted Woodpecker, the commoner Tit species and usually a few Brambling.

In the afternoon we will take a short walk in some New Forest woodlands in an area where Fallow Deer are to be found and often Red Deer and Roe Deer. It will be a great chance to work out how to identify these wonderful animals from each other. There is always a chance of Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, Crossbill or Brambling here too. This will be followed by a walk to Blackwater Arboretum. This is where the New Forest's Hawfinches come in to roost each afternoon. We have never failed to see them and we almost always get great views of this normally shy and difficult to see scarce bird. We often see Siskin and Bullfinch here and sometimes Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, Crossbill and Brambling.

How to book: Please book in advance by e-mailing us at project.fred@virgin.net or by ringing 01425 673321. A deposit of £30 is required by end Sept. Please send a cheque for £30 per person, made out to Simon Curson, to "St Ives", Poplar Lane, Bransgore, Christchurch BH23 8JE to secure your place. Full payment must be made by 1st November.

Cost: £65 per person. This includes all guided walks and tuition on both days, but does not include accommodation, food or travel.

Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Cancellation:The deposit, minus 10%, will be refunded if you cancel before 1st November. The full amount, minus the deposit, will be refunded if you cancel after 1st November

Length of walks: All walks are at a relaxed and leisurely pace. None of the walks is more than 4 kms and the paths are generally flat and even. Some parts of the walks may be wet or muddy.

What to bring: Waterproof clothes would also be advisable in case of rain and please dress warmly, especially for the Keyhaven walk which is fairly exposed and often windy. Please bring walking boots as parts of the New Forest can get very wet and muddy in wet weather. Binoculars will help when bird watching. We will have a telescope for you to look through, but feel free to bring your own. We will have field guides for you to use, but do feel free to bring your own. Please bring money for lunch times at the pubs!

Accommodation: Please make your own arrangements for accommodation. There is a lot of B&B accommodation in the New Forest. Burley is central to the sites we visit and for ease of car sharing and the Friday evening meeting it would be great if you were to stay in Burley. We would recommend the following B&Bs in Burley - Bay Tree House One double room and one single room at £32 pppn. Wayside Cottage Four double rooms and 2 twin rooms at £65 per room per night, £40 single occupancy. Highcroft Three double rooms at £30 pppn, £40 single occupancy.

More B&Bs in Burley and elsewhere in the New Forest can be found here New Forest Bed and Breakfasts

Additional information: We will be stopping for lunch at a local pub each day. Please note that the lunches and evening meals are not included in the price of the holiday.

Please note that the paths in the New Forest can get muddy after rain and we will warn you if the paths are likely to be slippery.