Dog Poo

This week rangers Louise and Rachel will be joining the Hart Dog Warden Lynn Byfield and Apprentice Dog Warden Jazmine patrolling Fleet Pond and Elvetham Heath Local Nature Reserve. We will be looking for dogs not under control and offences under the Hart dog fouling order. We will be putting out posters and secret cameras to catch offenders. Dog poo bags are free from the Hart District Council, Civic Offices, just ask to reception.

Sandy bay is getting a makeover

This afternoon JDB contractors will be moving the sand piles at Sandy Bay, Fleet Pond and putting it along the track beside the boardwalk to level it out.  They will be using a 13 tonne excavator to move the sand piles :D.  The sand piles were put onto sandy bay in the last phase of dredging to dry out until it could be used along the boardwalk.  Hopefully this work will allow us to get vehicles down to sandy bay for maintenance, make Sandy Bay look much nicer and stop the boardwalk getting flooded in the winter.  Any sand which is left over will be spread out over sandy bay and fluffed up to make the beach all nice and ready for the summer holiday picnics :D

Lots of juveniles

There are lots of juveniles around at Fleet Pond this morning. Many have just left the nest including this robin. Young birds grow their first feathers really quickly as they are at most risk when in the nest so need to get out quick. Once the birds have left the nest over the first few months they start their post juvenile moult. Most birds only moult some of their juvenile feathers. The robin will moult out his spotty breast feathers and greater covers but will keep its primaries until after breeding next summer.

Silver Studded Blue Butterfly

Popped to Hazeley Heath yesterday and there are lots of Silver Studded Blue Butterflies flitting around the heather. They are a UK BAP species (Biodiversity Action Plan) they are quite rare and are often found on heathlands as they feed on heather. Hart has a Biodiversity Action Plan which can be found on the biodiversity page of the hart.gov website.

The old Fleet Pond bank

The far bank at Fleet Pond between the pond and the main car park off cove road is the historical edge of the pond. Fleet pond was drained during the war to avoid being used as a landmark by German bombers, Virginia water was also drained. While the pond was drained the army used it as a training ground. The original pond levels were not regained so the ancient pond edge is now not used

Colour ringing the terns and gulls at Fleet Pond

Yesterday we went out onto Clearwater island to colour ring the Common Tern and Black Headed Gull Chicks. This is part of a wider project including birds from Moor Green and Hosehill lakes. Local bird watchers are very important in the project as any colour ring sightings are really valuable as then we can produce maps to show where they go to fish, how far they travel, how long they stick around at fleet pond after fledging and do they make it back next summer to breed on Clearwater island and join their parents in the colony? Common terns spend their winter in Africa and some can travel upto 8000 miles each way they are an amazing long distance migrant. Some of these common tern chicks could travel 16000 miles to South Africa and back before breeding next summer on Clearwater island now that's amazing!

New picnic benches at Elvetham Heath Local Nature Reserve

Yesterday we installed 2 beautiful new picnic benches at Elvetham Heath nature reserve by Tundry Pond. The benches have been carved from thick pieces of oak from National Trust properties by Will Lee the chainsaw carver from the fleet pond wildlife day. The benches are carved with tawny owls, deer, dragonflies and butterflies can you spot them all?