Peter Hutchins, Basingstoke RSPB writes:

On Saturday 26^th September 2009, I led a group of 22 wildlife watchers on a walk that covered the north-eastern /eastern side of the pond and the adjacent wood and heathland. A temperature in the high teens and the lack of wind, due primarily to the woodland cover, ensured a pleasant walk that lasted for a little over 1½ hours; the mid-afternoon sun being particularly obvious as the group lingered on the Boathouse jetty at the north-eastern corner of the pond towards the end of this time in the field.

For those of a listing nature, please find below the species that were recorded during the walk:

1. Mute Swan Cygnus olor
2. Canada Goose Branta canadensis
3. Teal Anas crecca: three duck / eclipse drake were on the marsh below Sandhills Viewpoint
4. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
5. Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus: 15 were active about the pond
6. Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo: three were on wooden ‘platforms’ within the pond
7. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea: one was heard
8. Water Rail Rallus aquaticus: two were vocal in the marsh at Sandhills Viewpoint
9. Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
10. Coot Fulica atra
11. Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus: three endlessly moved about the pond
12. Herring Gull Larus argentatus: an adult was seen on the pond
13. Woodpigeon Columba palumbus
14. Green Woodpecker Picus viridis: at least two birds were seen with another being heard
15. Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major: two were seen, albeit briefly, with at least another two being heard
16. Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis: just two were noted moving overhead, both heard vocalising
17. Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
18. Robin Erithacus rubecula
19. Blackbird Turdus merula
20. Song Thrush Turdus philomelus
21. Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita: a single bird was seen among a mixed feeding flock
22. Goldcrest Regulus regulus
23. Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus
24. Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus
25. Great Tit Parus major
26. Coal Tit Periparus ater
27. Treecreeper Certhia familiaris: an all too elusive bird was heard
28. Jay Garrulus glandarius: two were seen, one lingering in the open
29. Magpie Pica pica
30. Jackdaw Corvus monedula
31. Carrion Crow Corvus corone
32. Starling Sturnus vulgaris
33. Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis: one preening in trees by the jetty remained vocal throughout its’ prolonged stay 
34. Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis: three were seen, all being fairly confiding
35. Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas: one showed especially well as it sunned itself on low vegetation
36. Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae: one was seen high in an Oak canopy
37. Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria: at least four were seen, two showing very well as they rested on sunlit leaves / fencing 
38. Vapourer Orgyia antique: a male was seen on the wing
39. Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea: one of these was seen over the marsh at Sandhills Viewpoint and then at least a further two were by the jetty
40. Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum: at least eight were on the wing, including one pair in a ‘mating wheel’ 
41. Wood Ant Formica rufa: several (!) were seen as a nest was disturbed 
42. Common Wasp Vespa vulgaris: one was about the group at the end of the walk

Peter E. Hutchins

PS – Can you beat this? If you’ve made your own list, we’d love to hear from you!  

Photo credits: Michelle Salter

Colin Gray writes:

“I had a review of the Fugelmere Marsh this morning.  Despite recent rain the area we worked on in September is still accessible with care. I suggest we carry on with clearing the central area so that we can use the fire site again which is fairly central to the work area.

More rain is expected later today and on Friday so I will try to have another look Saturday morning.  In the event the water level rises higher, we can work on the woodland edge as this needs to be cut back further to improve the gradient of vegetation between the marsh and woodland.”

Further details on the volunteer event schedule and related matters can be found here and a description of the previous event is here.

I recently came across an interesting discussion concerning tracking down someone’s great-grandfather who appears in the photo above.

If you have any information on the above photo, believed to be of the Manchester Regiment, please drop us a comment (see below this post), we’d be really fascinated to hear from you!

Regarding the role of the military at Fleet Pond, FPS Chairman Colin Gray writes:

“Fleet Pond was incorporated into the army training lands acquired in 1854 when the Aldershot Garrison was built.  It stayed with the army until 1972 by which time Fleet town had grown right up to the boundary of the pond. I suspect that it became unacceptable to have artillery training so close to residential areas, so Fleet Pond was made redundant and sold to Fleet UDC in January 1973 for £10,000. Hart Council inherited it in 1974 when FUDC was disbanded and Hart DC founded.”

We’ve managed to find a couple of related photos (see below) and Colin writes:

“The two photos are postcards that Percy Vickery has in his 900 strong collection of postcards of Fleet and Church Crookham.  There was nothing on them to indicate who the regiment was but I know that the Royal Engineers spent a lot of time exercising at Fleet Pond over the years.  They built the larger islands and at one time installed a steel bridge which spanned the pond from east to west. Sadly none of that remains today!”

Bird walk at Fleet Pond on Saturday 26 September 2009.

Meet at Fleet Pond car park off the A3013 Cove Road at 1.30pm.

Join us and local bird expert Peter Hutchins for a walk around the Pond’s woodlands and wetlands as we look for some of the many bird species that can be found on this important wildlife reserve.

If you have binoculars please bring them with you.

Approximate duration: 1.5 hours.