Come along to a talk about Beaver and Water Vole Reintroduction on Tuesday 25th November. David Elliott, the National Trust’s Lead Ranger for the South Downs West, will give a talk on beavers and water voles and their return to the landscape. He will give an update on the progress and work of the River Wey Water Vole Recovery project, and will also talk about where we are currently at with regard to the return of the Beaver, locally and nationally, as well as discussing their respective ecology and why they are such important species to consider when thinking about the future of our wonderful local rivers. He will be happy to take questions and participate in discussion.
All welcome, Froyle Wildlife members free, non-members £3, teas and coffees, talk starts 7.30pm at Froyle Village Hall.

Having once been an important part of the ecosystem, beavers became extinct in Britain in the 16th century because of hunting for their fur, meat and scent glands. This release follows a successful pilot at Holnicote on Exmoor in early 2020, where the beavers have thrived. In spring 2021 two beavers were released on the edge of the South Downs into a 15-hectare fenced area. A male and female were re-introduced, in the hope they will become a breeding pair. The exact location is not disclosed to give them very best chance of establishing themselves in their new home.

Some 150 water voles have been reintroduced into waterways in parts of southern England after being declared locally extinct over the last 20 years. They were released in August 2025 at six sites along the River Wey in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, and further reintroductions will take place over the next two years. The species is the country’s fastest-declining mammal because of habitat loss and predation by the non-native American mink. The population plummeted by 93 per cent in England during the course of the 20th century and has been in further rapid decline since 2000.

Simon Porter will be explaining how Regenerative farming has the potential for the first time to produce the needed quantities of high-quality food to feed the world, whilst reducing inorganic sprays and fertilisers. At the same time, Regen farming can successfully store atmospheric carbon in the soil, improve wasteful water runoff and reduce harmful leaching of pesticides into our water supply. Regen farmers are also seeing a return in the numbers of beneficial insects and red-listed birds. Sounds too good to be true? Come and find out how it has been working successfully on a nearby farm for over 20 years. There will be time for your questions during the talk.
All welcome, Froyle Village Hall doors open 7pm, a brief Froyle Wildlife AGM starts at 7.30pm followed by the talk, entrance free for members, £3 non-members, teas and coffee.

Family fun –join us for a 1h dipping session on Sunday 20th July starting at 10am or 11.15am to see what underwater creatures we can find in the wildlife pond near Gid Lane, Upper Froyle. Children will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult. All equipment will be provided and numbers are limited so it is essential to book by emailing info@froylewildlife.co.uk, stating preference for 10am or 11.15am session.

A successful morning pond dipping

Several families enjoyed a lovely morning of pond dipping at the wildlife pond. Due to the lack of rain we were concerned that the pond level would have dropped too much for safe dipping so we had a smaller group this year. Despite this, we managed to collect a range of tiny creatures and examined them using our new portable wireless microscope. The microscope proved very popular with the children who quickly learnt how to use it to view water beetles, boatmen, dragonfly nymphs and young newts in greater detail. We created short videos, some of which are available to view on our Instagram site @froylewildlife.
Despite the lower water level of the pond, it was teeming with life and we enjoyed spotting dragonflies and damselflies too. The children and adults were amazed to see a ‘wasp spider’ with very long legs and vivid black and yellow stripes. Thank you to Barry Clark for bringing all of the equipment along and finding the wasp spider! We had a great time and hope to run our annual dip again next year.

Some photos taken on the day.

Call in anytime between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 19th July to see what’s flying and flowering at the wildlife pond and meadow, near Gid Lane, Upper Froyle. There should be plenty to see especially if it’s a sunny day.

Members of Froyle Wildlife will be on hand to assist with identification of wildflowers, dragonflies and butterflies. Wildflower species to look out for include; knapweed, lady’s bedstraw, meadowsweet, self heal, purple loosestrife, water figwort and bird’s-foot trefoil. Ladybirds, hoverflies, bees and grasshoppers may also be seen. No need to book, anyone can just pop in and see what you can spot.

What did we see on the day?

After weeks of hot dry weather, we had drizzle on this July morning that deterred any visitors. It brightened in the afternoon for the dragonflies and butterflies to start fliting among the wonderful wildflower meadow that surrounds the pond. Butterflies counted were Gatekeeper 29, Meadow Brown 27, Large White 3, Green-veined White 3, Common Blue 4, Comma 2, Small Copper 1, Small White 1, Small Skipper 1. Odonata seen included Emperor dragonfly, Blue-tailed damselfly, Common darter, Small Red-eyed damselfly, along with bees, ladybirds and hoverflies. Among the vegetation was a metallic green Rose Chafer beetle, a wasp spider and a new species for the location a Turnip sawfly. The area is maintained by Froyle Wildlife volunteers and is definitely a hotspot for biodiversity in Froyle.

Join us for a walk on Tuesday 8th July, 10am-12 in Alice Holt forest for woodland butterflies. We should see Silver-washed Fritillary and may be fortunate to see the elusive Purple Emperor and White Admiral. Fetch binoculars for a better view of butterflies that are futher away. Meet at Abbotts Wood Inclosure car park GU10 4HA, off Dockenfield Street, just south-east of the former Halfway House pub. what3words landowner.likely.splendid.

How did our walk go?

A morning of warm sunshine was ideal for woodland butterflies in Alice Holt forest. We enjoyed seeing the variety and numbers of butterflies at Abbotts Wood along with close encounters while they were nectaring. The 17 species spotted are listed in the order that they were seen.
Silver Washed Fritillary (many), Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Brimstone, Small White, Large White, Ringlet, Holly Blue, Comma, Large Skipper, Gatekeeper, Small/Essex Skipper, White Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Purple Hairstreak.
There were no positive sightings of Purple Emperor, although there were tempting flutterings occasionally high up in the trees.
We had not seen as many Silver Washed Fritillaries for a several years and it was lovely to see their courtship flights as well.

Join us for a walk on Wednesday 25th June 10am at Noar Hill SSSI near Selborne when we hope to see at least 4 species of wild orchid. This 20 hectare nature reserve, managed by Hampshire Wildlife Trust, was originally formed by medieval chalk workings. Over hundreds of years the mounds and hollows were colonised by a great variety of beautiful chalk downland flowers now rare in the wider countryside. Many species enjoy the micro climates amongst the undulations with over 30 butterfly species recorded.

Meet there 10am or preferably share lifts from Froyle Village Hall leaving at 9.30am. as there is very limited roadside parking, OS grid reference SU737321 near Charity Farm, what 3 words ///binders.flippers.measure .

All welcome to a talk on Thursday 20th March about ‘Understanding Birds and how they live’ by Keith Betton. As a regular visitor to Froyle, Keith’s talks are always entertaining and informative, so come along and find out everything you wanted to know about birds but were afraid to ask.

Froyle Village Hall, doors open 7pm for talk to start at 7.30pm, teas and coffee.

Keith Betton is a media trainer, PR consultant, writer and occasional broadcaster. He is a keen world birder having seen nearly 9000 species in over 100 countries, so he is one of the world’s top 40 birders of all time. He is heavily involved in bird monitoring in Hampshire, where he is Chair of the Hampshire Ornithological Society. He has been a Council Member of both the RSPB and BTO, and Vice President of the latter. His two books (with Mark Avery) “Behind the Binoculars” and “Behind More Binoculars” have been highly rated, as has his revision of “Where to Watch Birds in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight”. He is particularly active in protecting Peregrines and Stone Curlews, and that has put him on BBC TV’s Springwatch.

Summary of talk: We enjoyed an informative and entertaining evening with Keith’s illustrated talk. To begin with we heard that 382 bird species were observed in Hampshire in 2024, of which 110 are resident, the remainder being summer or winter visitors, passing through or rarities (169 species) – birds which are here because they have got lost or been blown off course while going somewhere else. In the UK as a whole there are 220 breeding species and 100 winter or passage visitors, so Hampshire offers a disproportionately large number, probably because it is by the sea and on some of the migrant routes. Although eight species are now extinct in the UK and seven more are in decline, more than 13 have arrived here, including, as we see in Froyle, over 500 pairs of red kites. Birds have been on earth for about 150 million years whereas humans only about 1 million – and most of the decline in the bird population is attributable to human activity, in particular industrialisation and climate change, which has changed the temperature in birds’ habitats, altered their food supplies and caused habitat loss.
In the second half Keith discussed migration – “the return seasonal movement between regular breeding and non-breeding areas”. About 2,000 bird species migrate, principally in search of food and also to avoid extreme cold, so to maximise their chances of survival. They navigate by the sun and the stars, the earth’s magnetic field and, over oceans, by smell. Migration is generally governed by day length, rather than temperature or other factors, which has implications for survival if food availability changes eg as a result of climate change. Almost all migration is on a north/south axis – apart from the North American wheatear which spends its summers in Alaska and winters in Africa. Keith highlighted the arctic tern, the bird which has the most daylight in the year as it moves between the Arctic and Antarctica; and the bar-tailed godwit, flying 11,700 km in 8 days non-stop from Alaska to New Zealand (it makes a longer return trip, stopping in China). Space does not permit a fuller account of his talk, which was full of fascinating facts and much enjoyed by the audience. To find out more, join HOS!
Jonathan P.

Be inspired by some stunning wildlife images of the UK natural world – mammals, birds, insects and landscapes – taken by Jon Hawkins, on Friday 7th February 2025 at 7.30pm in Froyle Village Hall.

As a professional photographer, wildlife is his hobby. The talk will describe how he achieved getting the photos in relation to the subject. Understanding wildlife is a key essential to taking pictures in the natural environment. Jon’s pictures and associated talk will be a reflection of his appreciation for his subjects and surroundings. Although he shows some settings he used on the photos, there is only brief mention about the technical aspects of photography.

Jon Hawkins is an award winning photographer based in Ash Surrey, see https://surreyhillsphotography.smugmug.com/Galleries/Wildlife. His images have been published in various national magazines, newspapers, greeting cards, calendars and websites including use by the BBC, Sky and National Geographic. Before turning professional as ‘Surrey Hills Photography’ one of his images was included in the BBC’s Countryfile Calendar.

All welcome, Froyle Village Hall, doors open 7pm for talk to start at 7.30pm, teas and coffee.

Join us for a talk entitled the ‘Wildflowers of Froyle’ by botanist Isobel Girvan on Thursday 21st November. How much has changed in the last 30 years to the native flora that grow locally. Isobel has lead plant identification walks in Upper and Lower Froyle in recent years.

This joint project with Alton Natural History Society recording plant species in Froyle is an update to a previous survey in 1991. The variety of locations surveyed included roadside verges, field and wood edges alongside public rights of way as well as other areas with landowner’s permission.
All welcome, Froyle Village Hall doors open 7pm, a brief Froyle Wildlife AGM starts at 7.30pm followed by the talk, entrance free for members, £3 non-members, teas and coffee.

Text from Surrey Wildlife Trust website about Isobel is copied below:- Principal Ecologist, specialising in bespoke botanical surveys and habitat management plans, as well as undertaking National Vegetation Classification (NVC) surveys and has superb knowledge of the UK Habitat Classification system. She has been a full member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (MCIEEM) since 2003 and is a Fellow of the Linnean Society (FLS).
She is on the committee for Surrey Botanical Society, Hampshire Flora Group and Alton Natural History Society, attending many of the field meetings during the summer. In the winter there are always mosses to identify with the British Bryological Society.
If there was one thing she would like to see everyone do to help biodiversity it would be to leave at least a small corner of the garden for nature with some decaying wood, or a window box with native wildflowers.

Summary after the talk

Isobel Girvan gave a fascinating talk on the Wildflowers of Froyle, updating a survey originally carried out in 1952 and done again in 1991.

Over the 72 year period the number of species recorded has increased from 86 (1952, which excluded grasses) to 370 (1991) and 429 in 2021/2022.  All three surveys have identified a total of 695 species – “a good number”, reflecting the rich biodiversity of our local area.  Isobel and her helpers made 25 different visits covering 18 out of the 32 “monads” (a square, 1km x 1km) which make up the area of Froyle, collecting over 2,300 plant records.  They visited private land, with permission, and walked public paths and bridleways – but no gardens.  Generally they surveyed when the weather was decent – woodlands in April/May, grasslands in June/July, and again in August and the autumn.  They recorded 121 plants only once, and only one plant on every visit.   What was it?  Scroll to the end.

Two particular highlights were the white helleborine, a rare orchid which grows under beech trees, and toothwort or corpse flower, which is hemi-parasitic on hazel and an ancient woodland indicator. 121 plants were only recorded once, and one plant was recorded on every visit.   What was it?  See the end of this article.

All three of the surveys identified seven broad habitats in the area: woodland (23%) predominates, then neutral grassland (18%), chalk grassland 16%, wetland, garden/urban, arable and other.  In four of the woodland areas they found 42 ancient woodland indicators (“ancient woodland” is woodland which has been managed as such continuously for at least 400 years), including wych elm, bluebells, greater stitchwort, red campion, bugle and dog’s mercury.  We are fortunate in Froyle to have as much ancient woodland as we do, and in particular to have so many wild bluebells, which although common are protected as they are in decline.

On our chalk grasslands Isobel found many species, including bee orchid, pyramidal orchid, common broomrape and quaking grass, and on the neutral grassland, creeping buttercup, meadow buttercup, cowslips and ox-eye daisies.  Even in the arable and hedgerow habitat there was a rich variety of plants, from teasels to musk mallow and dog rose, as there was also in the walls and banks.

About 100 species were recorded for the first time, including red valerian (probably a garden escape), slender rush (an import from the USA first recorded in Hampshire in 1910 and now naturalised here, can be found on path edges) and wall rabbit.  And there at least 225 to be recorded in Froyle, such as wild thyme, gorse and corn spurry, so there is scope for more work surveying.

The number and range of wild plants in Froyle is an indicator of the rich biodiversity we enjoy and benefit from, and need to foster: if we want to do one thing to help with that Isobel encouraged us “to leave at least a small corner of the garden to nature”.

And the most common plant was – the bramble.

Jonathan