Category Archives: Plants and Animals

Basking in the Sun

Photography, Plants and Animals

Fleet Pond Adder

An adder at Fleet Pond (credit: John Sutton)

A few weeks ago there was a brief patch of extremely warm weather. During this period, local photographer John Sutton caught this excellent photo of an adder enjoying the sunshine at the Pond!

From Wildlife Britain:

“Adders can be found all over mainland UK, but not Ireland, and are Scotland’s only native snake, demonstrating that they are the most capable snake in the world at surviving harsh conditions. The snakes do this by hibernating between October and Spring, coming out into the open at different times each year depending on the weather conditions.

Adders can be found in a very wide range of habitats but open ground such as moors and grasslands are a favourite as they are often full of their prey. This liking for open ground is often where they come into contact with humans out walking or working the land. if you go looking for them in the right areas at the right time of day then the adder is not an impossible creature to find, especially when combined with good local knowledge, stealth and patience. Early Spring is a good time to see them if the weather is warm as the males will be out looking for a mate and can often be seen basking in the sunshine on a rock.”

Keep An Eye Out For The Bluebells

Education, Plants and Animals, Volunteering

2016-04-Bluebells Vista s

After the clear up – towards the end of the month this area should be a sea of blue!

David Pottinger writes:

A week ago today, a volunteer team lead by Terry Austin took on the task of clearing out an area at the Pond known for it’s spectacular display of English (native) bluebells. The aim was to remove the mounds of leaves and bracken that had accumulated over the year and to take them away to be burnt.

The bluebells are near the picnic area (see picture above) – why not keep an eye out for them in your walks around the Pond in the coming weeks?

If you have any good photos of the carpet of bluebells, why not send them to me (contact details here) as I’d be happy to consider publishing them on this blog (giving full credit of course). Alternatively, perhaps you could tweet them?

On the topic of native and non-native bluebells, Suzie Hunt at the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust writes:

The UK is an international stronghold for bluebells, with more than a quarter of the world’s population found here. More than that, taking a walk through a sweet-smelling carpet of nodding bluebells is one of the definitive experiences of an English spring, and one that I look forward to every year.

Sadly, our native bluebell is losing ground to an insidious competitor: the Spanish bluebell. Introduced by the Victorians as a garden plant, the Spanish bluebell has made it ‘over the garden wall’ and out into the wild. Here, it crossbreeds with our native plants and produces fertile hybrids with a mix of characteristics.

You can use the information below to help you know what kind of bluebell you are looking at. If you see any of the characteristics of the Spanish bluebell then you are looking at a hybrid.

Native Bluebell

English bluebells. Photo by Philip Precey.

Hyacinthoides non-scripta

  • Distinctive ‘droop’ like the top of a shepherd’s crook
  • Sweet, cool perfume
  • Narrow bell-shaped flowers with rolled back tips
  • Creamy white pollen

Spanish Bluebell

Spanish bluebells. Photo by Richard Burkmar

Hyacinthoides hispanica

  • Upright stems
  • No scent
  • Conical bell-shaped flowers with open tips
  • Blue pollen

2016-04-Bluebells End s

At the end of the task, surveying the results

As you can see, the weather was very pleasant and it was a healthy and rewarding task. If you would like to come along and help us in our volunteer tasks, please contact Colin Gray, who will be happy to provide further details.

Cormorants at the Pond

Education, Photography, Plants and Animals

2015-11-23 Pond Photography s

Visitors taking photographs of birds at Fleet Pond

David Pottinger writes:

Recently I was walking to the station via the Pond and I came across two visitors from Farnborough (see above) who were doing some wildlife photography. We had a brief chat about their visit and they mentioned that they were especially interested in the cormorants at the Pond. Here is some information on these interesting birds.

The RSPB website describes the Cormorant as follows:

“A large and conspicuous waterbird, the cormorant has an almost primitive appearance with its long neck making it appear almost reptilian. It is often seen standing with its wings held out to dry. Regarded by some as black, sinister and greedy, cormorants are supreme fishers which can bring them into conflict with anglers and they have been persecuted in the past. The UK holds internationally important wintering numbers.”

Colin Gray, Chairman of Fleet Pond Society, adds:

“The cormorant is designed to hunt fish in deep water. It therefore lacks the natural oils in its feathers that other waterbirds have to give them buoyancy. The bird needs rapid manoeuverability under water and to be able to stay submerged for some time. It therefore has to stop regularly to dry the feathers between hunting trips. This lack of buoyancy also explains why it swims with only the head, neck and part of the upper body above water.

Cormorants 1 small

A spectacular shot of a cormorant roost at dusk at the Pond by Nigel Cridland (click to enlarge)

Cormorants 2 small

An impressive closeup of a pair of cormorants drying themselves off at Fleet Pond by Barry Perfect (click to enlarge)

Habitually, mature birds return to coastal cliff sites to breed in summer and only young and non-breeding cormorants will be found inland in summer. In more recent years, however, the number of commercial freshwater fisheries inland have led to some birds breeding close to these and not taking to coastal breeding sites. One pair attempted to breed at Fleet Pond on Cormorant Island two years ago and two young hatched. The nest was destroyed however and it is uncertain if the two young survived.

The cormorant looks black from a distance, often because the feathers are wet, but on closer inspection on a sunny day the plumage has a glossy, iridescent green/blue sheen similar to that seen on a mature male starling in summer plumage. Young cormorants have pale, almost white breast feathers.”

Photo credits: with kind courtesy of the mentioned photographers.

The Puzzle Of The Fish In The Flash

Conservation, Fishing, Plants and Animals

Pond Dipping Practice s

Practising pond dipping at the Pond

David Pottinger writes:

Whilst taking a walk around the Pond the other week, I noticed a mother and her daughter pond dipping from one of the fishing platforms (see picture above). They were practising prior to a school event. She said that they would be using the fishing platform for the dipping itself and then go to the dipping platform proper for observation purposes only, as it was now full of fish! This came as a bit of a surprise to me and I went to take a look and yes, it was certainly full of fish (see picture below)!

Fish in the Flash s

Click image to see the fish in The Flash pool (near the Station)

A few days later I bumped into Colin Gray, Chairman of Fleet Pond Society, and told him the story. Interestingly, he said that this filling up with fish had happened previously although they were not sure why. Last year, for instance, they had to take over 5,000 fish out of the comparatively small area as it was getting seriously overcrowded!

Here’s the rather fascinating background story, as related by Colin:

“This (filling up) seems to be a regular occurrence and we are not sure why it happens. Fish are not good at explaining their actions! In December last year (2014) John Sutton called in his old work colleagues from the Environment Agency (EA) because The Flash pool was packed with fish. The EA was concerned that the fish might suffocate in such dense shoals in a very small area of water. The team used a large seine net to trap the fish and all were transferred back to the main pond. 5,000 fish of various sizes, species and ages, but mostly young, were returned to the main pond.

Fish at the Flash 1s

Catching the fish in The Flash pool

Fish can move between the two water bodies by a culvert under the footpath but seem not to move back into the main pond having assembled in very large numbers in The Flash pool. The reason is not clear. We do know that fish will migrate out of the pond using the inflow streams and it might be that these were trying to migrate out into the Hart Brook via the Small Pond on the other side of the railway line.

Fish at the Flash 2s

Fish at the Flash 3s

Transferring the fish back into the main pond

The wide culverts in The Flash are, however, completely blocked and no water can flow in that direction. Thus if they were trying to migrate they were frustrated in the attempt and hence came together in large numbers. One suggestion was that the fish were driven there in an attempt to escape predators like pike and Great Crested Grebe but trapped in The Flash they are easy prey for Kingfishers and Herons, so no escape there. I rather think this idea does not explain quite so many fish however.

We will call in the EA to once again do a rescue. Meanwhile if any pond dipper catches a fish, please put it back in the main pond not into The Flash pool.”

As always, there’s more going on at the Pond that you ever realise!