Do join us for a talk on Wednesday 28th October by Imogen Lloyd from Forestry England about the fascinating White-tailed Eagle reintroduction with the project centred on the Isle of Wight. The project started in 2019 and is led in partnership by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, licensed by NatureScot and Natural England. Imogen will cover the ecology of White-tailed Eagles, their history in the British Isles and bring us up to speed with the latest exciting updates from the project.
All welcome, Froyle Village Hall doors open 6.30pm, Froyle Wildlife AGM pictorial review starts 7pm, reintroduction talk starts 7.30pm, entrance free for members, £3 non-members, teas and coffee.

The RSPB website says ‘In 1918, the last-known White-tailed Eagle in the UK was shot and killed. These birds of prey didn’t breed on our shores for over 60 years. That could have been the end of the story. But due to a few dedicated people, it wasn’t. The return of the White-tailed Eagle to the UK is a tale of determination: and one of nature’s greatest comebacks. It’s a 50-year story of resilience and restoration, and eventual success’.

A passing white-tailed eagle has even been photographed in Froyle! See the photos.

Update: Cancelled due to low water level. Apologies but the water level in the pond has dropped substantially over the summer drought and it will not be possible to carry out the pond dipping sessions. The problem is that the edge bank of the pond is now quite far from the water (which is really low) and therefore it wouldn’t be safe to dip or even possible.

Family fun – join us on Saturday 22nd August for a 1 hour dipping session to see what underwater creatures we can find in the Froyle Wildlife pond, Gid Lane. Children will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult. All equipment will be provided and numbers at this popular event are limited, so it is essential to book by emailing info@froylewildlife.co.uk, stating preference for 10am or 11.15am session.

Join us for a walk on Tuesday 4th August at Magdalen Hill Down near Winchester, guided by reserves officer Fiona Scully. Enjoy a leisurely amble (about 1 mile) over chalk downland that is managed by Butterfly Conservation. We anticipate seeing wildflowers and butterflies including the stunning Adonis Blue which breed on Horseshoe Vetch. Some of the paths are steep and uneven in a few places so sturdy footwear is recommended and close focus binoculars are handy.

Meet 10am up the track past the stone masons, off Alresford Road, Winchester, nearest postcode SO21 1HE. What3words///flask.truffles.hint.

What did we see?  The 46-hectare chalk downland reserve boasts an amazing 34 species of butterflies recorded there, making it a flagship site. We relished spotting the numerous Adonis Blue and Chalkhill Blue butterflies that shimmered with the sunlight in flight, although few settled for a closer viewing. Also seen were Small Heath, Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Green-veined white, Small white, Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, Holly Blue and Treble-bar moth. Overhead there were Kestral and Red Kite, whilst some noticed Grass snake and Common Lizard before they vanished into the vegetation. A lovely walk in nature with enthusiastic Fiona.

Call in anytime between 10am and 4pm to visit 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.

How was the day? A lovely sunny day brought out 13 species of butterfly most of which were Gatekeepers – 39 recorded.  Others included Meadow brown 32, Painted lady 3, Small Copper 2, Clouded yellow 1.  Two day flying moths the Mint Moth and the hovering Hummingbird Hawk-moth’ were also spotted. The pond was busy with 8 species of dragonfly noted in all.  This included two male Emperor Dragonflies plus a female Emperor egg-laying.  Twelve male Azure damselfly plus 3 pairs were also recorded. 7 species of bird were seen, a Buzzard, Heron and Woodpigeons overhead, Wrens, Goldfinches, Blue tits, and a Blackbird. 15 visitors came and enjoyed the meadow and pond area. The most unusual sighting of the day was a Downland Villa Bee-fly (Villa cingulata), listed as a nationally rare species and a first for here.

Update: Our walk on Thursday 25th is postponed until Wednesday 1st July 6.30pm. The met office have issued an extreme heat warning with temperatures up to 37C on 25th and still hot into the evening.

Come along for an evening stroll in Froyle to identify local flora. Meet 6.30pm at outside St May’s Church, Ryebridge Lane, Upper Froyle. The walk will be led by Isobel Girvan, an experienced botanist who works for Surrey Wildlife Trust.

We’ll be spotting wildflowers on roadside verges, field edges alongside public rights of way as well as other areas.
All welcome, come and find out what plants occur locally and learn to identify them.

What did we spot? Meeting outside St May’s Church, Upper Froyle we were met with the sight of the mower cutting the churchyard. So there were virtually no wildflowers remaining to see and identify. An area that in previous years had been allowed to grow long had also been cut. It leaves me question whether there is any space for nature in God’s acre.
After our initial disappointment, we visited the Lime Avenue public footpath, there was White Bryony; the pink flowers of Field Bindweed and the white flowers of Greater Bindweed (that has a traditional childhood nickname of ‘granny pop out of bed’). Arriving at the wildlife pond and meadow near Gid Lane, we saw a wonderful diverse range of British native wildflowers, including Wild Carrot, Tufted Vetch, Hops, Birds-foot Trefoil, Marjoram, Water Mint, Meadow Crane’s-bill, Teasle, Lady’s Bedstraw, Purple Loosestrife and Meadow Sweet. A lovely finish to our stroll, enhanced by Isobel’s flora identification tips.

Join us for a 7.30am morning walk on Saturday 2nd May to see and hear some of Froyle’s birds. Keith Betton, chair of Hampshire Ornithological Society, will be leading this guided bird walk. Keith is an entertaining and highly knowledgeable guide. The walk will start at The Anchor Inn in Lower Froyle, (parking permitted), at 7.30am, and is expected to last approximately 2 to 2.5 hours. We will explore Hussey’s Lane and some surrounding fields.

Do you recognise the silhouettes of a wren, red kite and house martin? Binoculars will be useful for bird spotting, and appropriate footwear in case it’s muddy. The Anchor Inn will be open for optional coffee and breakfast on our return. Both Froyle Wildlife members and non-members are welcome on this walk that is during the weekend of the International Dawn Chorus Day. No dogs please.

Summary of the walk. Keith Betton is one of the top birders in the World, having seen just shy of 9000 species. He was very informative about each of the birds we identified. We heard and/or saw 33 species of birds over the two hour walk. A list of the birds seen and/or heard were:-

Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Canada Goose, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Pheasant, Red Kite, Robin, Rook, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

The wrens were singing their usual incredibly loud song, considering their diminutive size. Keith explained that the hairs that are responsible for hearing in their ears are able to regrow in wrens, in light of their song being so loud it can deafen them! There were both adult and juvenile Rooks flying over, the latter being distinguishable by virtue of having a full black beak whereas the upper part of the beak in adults is white. During flight it can be possible to see a sac below the beak of adult rook, in which they are carrying many insects back for their young.
It was a treat to hear and see several Lapwing, possibly nesting. These are a Red Listed bird, their population having declined by 55% since the 1960s due to agricultural changes. The Lapwing is also known as the peewit in imitation of its display calls. The name ‘lapwing’ relates to its wavering flight, as they zigzag through the skies.
A male yellowhammer, also a Red Listed species, with its striking yellow plumage was nicely perched on top of a hedge, enabling us all to get good views. We encountered White throats and Swifts, both just returning to the UK, having overwintered in Africa.
The song of the male Skylark, one of the finest songsters of the bird world, accompanied us in several locations. These are another Red Listed bird, but we are fortunate to have them around Froyle. They are unusual as they can breath in and out while singing, thus enabling them to sing continuously for 2 minutes. They gradually ascend while the song is delivered, in hovering flight, up to typically heights of 50 to 100 metres, before parachuting back down to earth! In addition we enjoyed the melodic songs of the Blackbird, Songthrush and Blackcap amongst others.
A scientific study, published earlier this year, showed that paying attention to birdsong can boost wellbeing and bring down stress levels. We all enjoyed the walk, and were grateful to Keith for having helped to open our eyes and ears to the birds around Froyle.

Jayne Fisher

Come along to a talk about Swifts by Catharine Gale a trustee of Hampshire Swifts, a charity set up in 2016 to address the decline in Common Swifts in the county. In the first part of her talk she will tell us all about this iconic bird species covering its identification, how it differs from Swallows and Martins, feeding habits, migration, breeding behaviour, trends in population status in the UK, and potential reasons for its dramatic decline. In the rest of her talk she will describe what Hampshire Swifts has been doing to try to reverse Swifts’ decline, including some illustrations of the positive effect of providing swift nest boxes, and finishing with some recommendations for how we can all help Swifts.
All welcome, Froyle Wildlife members free, non-members £3, teas and coffees, doors open 7pm for talk to start 7.30pm, Friday 20th March at Froyle Village Hall.

Hampshire Swifts website says: These beautiful and charismatic birds have declined across Hampshire and the UK by approximately 65% over the past 25 years. They continue to decline at approximately 5% per annum. Hampshire Swifts was formed in 2016 in response to the on-going decline of this iconic bird across Hampshire. Our objective is to reverse the decline of Swifts in our county. This is best done by ensuring we provide an ever-increasing supply of suitable nest sites for our Swifts. We can achieve this by conserving existing nest sites and by providing nest sites on existing and new buildings.

Summary after the talk: One of the yearly highlights for nature lovers in Froyle is the return of a favourite bird migrant, the Common Swift.  They return from their wintering grounds in Africa to breed here in the UK.  Catharine Gale gave us a fascinating talk in the village hall, reminding us how fortunate we are to be visited by this iconic bird. There are 92 swift species worldwide.  Despite the Common Swift’s association and similarities with our other summer visitors, the Swallow and House Martin, their closest bird relatives are in fact Hummingbirds!

The Common Swift is blackish-brown with a small grey patch on the chin, with a short forked tail and long swept-back wings.  They are most prominent when they form “screaming parties” that fly at high speed between buildings near their nesting area. Swifts spend almost all their lives in the air, only landing to nest.  They sleep, mate and feed on the wing.  They are the fastest bird in level flight, clocking up to 69 mph.  They feed on aerial plankton, insect and spider species found up to an altitude of several hundred metres.

Swifts migrate to our temperate region which provides a seasonal abundance of aerial insects and longer daylight hours enabling them to forage and feed their chicks.  They arrive typically in May and return to Africa in late July/August after the peak abundance of aerial food passes.  Swifts are tracked using micro data loggers which have demonstrated that their Spring migration route to the UK is very fast – one swift took 5 days to travel 5,000km from West Africa.

Swifts breed from 4 years old and they live on average between 6 and 10 years.  The oldest known swift was 21 years.  They pair for life, meeting up in spring after a winter in Africa to hopefully produce a single brood of chicks.  They make nests out of material they can catch in the air such as feathers and bits of grass.  Swifts store caught insects for their chicks as a bolus (a round mass bound together with saliva) in a pouch in their throat.  Each bolus contains up to 1,000 insects comprising up to 35 insect families. Rearing chicks takes 9 weeks and as the chicks get near fledging, they spend time looking out of the nest and exercising and strengthening their wings by doing press-ups in the nest (video shown!).  After fledging, it is usually 3 years before they land again to start nesting themselves.

Swifts use the same nest site every year, which is one reason why swift numbers are declining (between 2018 and 2024 swifts declined by 30% in the UK).  As they nest primarily on buildings, swift nests are lost each year due to building demolition and roof repairs/renovations, including the installation of UPVC soffits/facias. Returning in Spring to find their nest is no longer available may mean a pair of swifts are unable to reproduce that year.  So, to help conserve this species we must try to preserve their existing nest sites while creating new ones by installing swift nest boxes and encouraging builders to make provision for swift nests in new builds or extensions.

‘Hampshire Swifts’ (www.hampshireswifts.co.uk) can help supply and install nest boxes, comment on planning applications to increase provision of swift bricks and provide advice on all things associated with swifts.

Alan Dyos

Join us for a talk by Pete West about the volunteer conservation work carried out by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amphibian and Reptile Group (HIWARG) with a special focus on Froyle and surrounding areas. We will be looking at the eleven species known to be in the area (including at least two non-native species), the surveys we have carried out and key target species we are monitoring.
All welcome, Froyle Wildlife members free, non-members £3, teas and coffees, doors open 7pm for talk to start 7.30pm, Friday 27th February at Froyle Village Hall.

HIWARG focuses on conservation of native UK species essentially around habitat management, surveying, public engagement, volunteer training and doing as much as possible to understand and protect the native species in the county. Pete West is the Amphibian Officer and has carried out surveys locally. In the last 15 years there have been a number of newly constructed ponds in Froyle with some in gardens and fields. Work has also started to restore an historic dew pond. These ponds help to increase local biodiversity and provide habitat for species such as amphibians and dragonflies.