The Arne RSPB reserve - sunflowers
The little village of Arne is on heathland between Poole and Wareham in Dorset and is now the home of an RSPB nature reserve.
I visited the reserve only briefly when on a genealogy hunt in the area.
Some of my ancestors, with the surname Kitcat, were born in Arne and my 4-great grandmother Honor KITCAT was christened in the Church of St Nicholas on 14 October 1781.
The village was evacuated for the duration of World War II, the nearby Royal Naval Cordite Factory at Holton Heath having set up decoy targets in the vicinity.
You can find my pictures of the lovely little Church of St Nicholas, Arne, in a different gallery, but here are some of my picture from an hour or so on the RSPB reserve.
I did see a willow warbler among the sunflowers but was unable to snap it, so no birds, I’m afraid!
The Arne RSPB reserve - thistles
The Arne RSPB reserve
The Arne RSPB reserve - oak tree with acorns
The Arne RSPB reserve - thistles
The Arne RSPB reserve - sunflowers
The Arne RSPB reserve - sunflowers
The Arne RSPB reserve - sunflowers
The Arne RSPB reserve - stachys
The Arne RSPB reserve - thistles
The Arne RSPB reserve
The Arne RSPB reserve
The Arne RSPB reserve - harvestman on a gate
The Arne RSPB reserve - old oaks
The Arne RSPB reserve
The Arne RSPB reserve - hawthorn berries (haws)
The Arne RSPB reserve - unripe elder berries
The Arne RSPB reserve - old elder trees
The Arne RSPB reserve - wild clematis in the hedgerow
The Arne RSPB reserve - view over Poole Harbour in the distance
The Arne RSPB reserve - the shady lane leading to Arne's Church of St Nicholas
The Arne RSPB reserve - poison honeysuckle berries in the hedgerow
The Arne RSPB reserve - sandy soil strata
The Arne RSPB reserve - sandy soil strata
The Arne RSPB reserve - sandy soil strata
The Squirrelbasket 
Next time you visit Arne, be sure to enjoy and photograph the Sika deer too. Meanwhile here are a few to whet your appetite! http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=arne+sika&z=m&s=int
If you are interested in history of Arne you should read “Bound to the Soil” by Barbara Kerr. It was an important industrial area.
Thank you – I will see if I can find a copy of that.
Best wishes 🙂