Local photographer John Sutton grabbed this impressive snap of a water rail on the Pond during the recent icy weather. This is a very secretive bird that lives deep in the reedbeds from most of the year, but emerges into the open when the pond is frozen over. You can get a good idea of its size by the moorhen just behind it!
Further information on the Water Rail here.
Earlier this year, a warning was given of the presence of harmful algal blooms at Fleet Pond (see here).
We are happy to say that the blue green algae has now gone from the Pond as confirmed by the Environment Agency last month.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsBby_A1xXk&w=560&h=315]
“Hart District Council and Fleet Pond Society give the Mannequin Challenge a go, in the midst of a spot of Reedbed Management.”
Of course, sometimes things go to the opposite extreme (see here) 🙂
[flickr video=http://www.flickr.com/photos/38794168@N05/18707281963 w=450 h=300]
Michelle Salter, Secretary of Fleet Pond Society, writes:
How old is the pond? The first clear reference to the pond was in the 14th century, when “the great fishery (of) Fleet Ponds” is referred to in the Rolls of Account of Crondall Manor. By this time, there seems to have been a thriving fishery of considerable importance and two ponds.
Do any museums house records of the pond? Many Victorian naturalists visited Fleet Pond and references to its flora frequently appeared in natural history journals from this era, with herbarium sheets located at the Natural History Museum in Kensington and also at Reading and Oxford.
When was the pond used as an ice rink? In the 1840’s, the South Western Railway ran special excursions to Fleet Pond, including a “Skating Specials” in the Winter.
When was the pond, not a pond? In 1940, the MOD completely drained the pond to stop hostile bombers from using it as a landmark to find the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough (see photo above).
What title did the pond receive in 1951? The pond was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1951 and was one of the first sites in Hampshire to receive this distinction, due to the importance of the lake to waterfowl and the rich aquatic and heathland flora.
Ed. This article is a repost, it was originally published in October 2008.
A screenshot of the current home page of the FPS web site
David Pottinger writes:
Different people like getting their information in different ways. At Fleet Pond Society we have set up a variety of ways which hopefully cater for most tastes and which give a wide selection of snippets, photos and articles.
Here they are and as a comparison I also give the numbers (which can vary daily of course) from a similar post I wrote in April this year:
In addition, FPS regularly submits articles for publication in local newspapers, such as Surrey Hants Star Courier and Fleet News & Mail.
Happy reading 🙂
