Fleet Pond’s Common Terns Benefit from Clearwater Campaign Funds

The Common Tern is the beneficiary of recent work carried out on one of the new islands in the middle of Fleet Pond.  Volunteers from the Fleet Pond Society worked together with Hart Countryside Rangers to cover the central island with gravel paid for with funds raised through the Society’s ‘Clearwater Campaign’.

Common Terns like to nest in bare scrapes on flat, poorly vegetated islands. This makes the eggs and young vulnerable to predation by mammals such as rats and mink as well as large birds including gulls, owls and herons. It is hoped that their speckled eggs will be well camouflaged against the gravel, with protection for the chicks provided by the low level roofing tile hideaways.  Fencing has been placed round the island to stop mink accessing it.

Fleet Pond Ranger, Louise Greenwood stated her hopes for the newly covered island: ‘In the summer of 2012 seven pairs of Terns nested on this new island but unfortunately none of them fledged as they were predated. By providing this gravel topping and the hideaways we hope that next year we will have a new colony of Terns on Fleet Pond.’

Colin Gray of Fleet Pond Society said: ‘We would like to thank the company, W M Longreach for kindly transporting the gravel over to the island for us. It is a very exciting project to have spent some campaign funds on.  In fact we named the island, ‘Clearwater’ and if you look closely you might be able to see the flag we planted with the ‘Clearwater Campaign’ logo on.’

Hi all

Millers Ark have taken the two cows, Melody & Magnolia, off of Woodlane Heath at Fleet Pond this afternoon. So that's it for our conservation grazing this year.

A big thanks to everyone who has been a looker this year on all our sites, hope you can help again next year, we will be in touch, have a great Christmas.

Frog on fleet pond

Weeding birch saplings on the dry Heath

Today the countryside rangers Louise and Rachel are on fleet pond with the Hampshire conservation volunteers weeding the birch saplings on the railway wood (by boathouse corner) This is a really important job as the birch spreads over the Heath enriching the soil and shading out the heather. By clearing the birch saplings we give the heather the best chance to recolonise.

Also on the pond the fleet pond society are working alongside the fleet lions to clear the scrub on the old de havillon launch site

The access track and jetty is nearly complete

Along with the new access track from the main car park to boathouse corner
we have also installed a new jetty at boathouse corner.

Further stages of dredging involve the silt being removed from the pond in
dumper trucks and transported to a dewatering site.

The jetty will allow the diggers to easily drive on and off of the pontoons
and provide a great spot to view the pond, feed the birds and fish from.

The new access track is permanent and will allow access for dredging in the future when maintenance works are needed.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused for more information please contact
countryside@hart.gov.uk or phone 01252 623443

Water Rail on Fleet Pond

The Water Rail on Fleet Pond have had a great year. While walking past the North East marsh (between Boat house Corner and Coldstream Marsh) you will be able to often hear the water rails calling to each other. They have a very distinctive call which is often explained as a squealing pig. Next time you are down by the pond have a listen to one of the most elusive birds on the pond. 

Water rails are related to Moor hens in the rail family and have large feet and long bills for catching small fish and invertebrates in the water. The are very secretive birds and will prefer to scuttle off through a dense reedbed than fly.

See you around the Pond

Louise Greenwood
Fleet Pond Countryside Ranger
Hart District Council

New track at Fleet Pond

A new track is currently being fitted at Fleet Pond from the main car park off cove road to Boat House Corner. This track is integral to the next phase of works to allow silt to be extracted from the Pond.

There will heavy machinery in the area over the next month. Please follow any warning signs and instructions, sorry for any inconvenience caused. 

Thank you for your cooperation.