Froyle wildlife photo competition 2015

froyle_wildlife Projects

What better way to connect with nature than to capture images of what you see.

Common frogPhotos must have been taken within the parish of Froyle and depict what you value in local wildlife.

Images should preferably be landscape format with a max .jpg file size 2MB or prints max 7”x5” size.  The winning photos will be displayed on the website www.froylewildlife.co.uk along with at least one photo from each person entering. Entries from under 14’s will be judged as a separate category.

Please submit up to 4 entries by 31st October 2015 either by email to photo15@www.froylewildlife.co.uk or at the village hall Meeting Place on the last Friday of each month by the Froyle Nature Conservation Group table

Update Nov 2015, link to winning photos.

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Two Mills walk 30th May 2015

froyle_wildlife Walks and Talks

Two Mills walk Saturday 30th May 2015

Join us for leisurely 2.5 mile stroll following footpaths and quiet lanes taking in Isington and Froyle Mills.  We will be and looking to see what’s flowering and flying on the way with refreshments to follow at Mill Farm Organics Shop (to be paid for individually).  Afterwards there is the option of a further 1.3 mile round walk on footpaths through the farm, south of the railway line, then back to the shop.

River Wey near Froyle Mill
River Wey near Froyle Mill

Meet at Froyle Village hall for a prompt 9 am start. The going is mostly flat with the odd gentle incline -there are some styles.  We will be taking the underpass so we don’t have to dodge the A31 traffic!  Allow about 3 hours plus an extra 1 hour if you wish to extend the walk as above.

Please let us know  beforehand if you would like to come. Mill Farm needs to organise enough tables and cakes and we need to organise transport back to the hall.

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Evening bat walk 12th May 2015

froyle_wildlife Walks and Talks

On Tuesday May 12th 2015 (postponed from 5th) there will be a bat walk led by our speaker last November, Nik Knight from the Hampshire Bat group. We shall start at the Village Hall car park at 8.30pm, taking a circular walk, finishing at the Village Hall. Nik is bringing bat detectors so that we can hopefully be able to identify some of the species of bats that are around Froyle. Click on link to hear samples of bat echolocation calls.

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Planned wildflower area Froyle rec.

froyle_wildlife_B Projects
Proposed area for wildflowers
Proposed area for wildflowers

A plan to sow native wildflower seeds in autumn 2015 has been approved by Froyle Parish Council. The proposed area 5x20m is on Froyle recreation ground (link to detailed plan). Initial cultivation will be done by volunteers including Froyle Nature Conservation Group. Maintenance is planned to be an annual late summer cut by volunteers for the next 5 years.

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Froyle Wildlife news April 2015

froyle_wildlife_B Projects

Froyle Nature Conservation Group was formed less than a year ago partly as a follow on to a Parish Plan idea for a ‘wildlife club’. It aims to encourage awareness of local biodiversity and to enhance it. Also to involve the community in practical nature conservation tasks. Anyone with an interest in wildlife is welcome to join.

Wildflower area: The Parish Council has recently been asked to approve a plan to sow native wildflower seed this autumn on an area of the recreation ground (5x20m strip along northern edge). Initial cultivation can be done by volunteers including the group.

New website: Our developing website www.froylewildlife.co.uk has information about wildlife in Froyle including a description of habitats and lists of birds, plants and insects that have been seen in the Parish in previous years. There’s a photo competition and what better way to connect with nature than to capture images of what you see (could be flowers, views, animals).

Wildlife pond: After a slow start, the plan for two wildlife ponds near Gidd Lane had to be changed to a single pond 300m2 area when the topographical survey revealed buried pipes. Next step is a quote for landscape architect and drawings for a planning application. Froyle Park developers NJG say they are committed to completing this project to enhance biodiversity. The earliest pond digging could begin is winter 2015/16.

An initiative to spot and record birds when you are out and about in Froyle has produced over 100 sightings so far in 2015 for the 11 target species. There is more information on the display boards at the village hall ‘Meeting place’ on the last Friday of each month.

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Hedgehog survey 2015

froyle_wildlife_SC Recording

Chris Matcham, a Hart Wildlife Hospital volunteer www.hartwildlife.org.uk who gave a hedgehog talk in Froyle in 2013 ‘Is aiming to plot the location of hedgehogs across Hampshire to determine if feeding them attracts the animals to breed’ (The Herald 17 April 2015) Please contact him with your sightings, name and postcode and whether you feed them.  You can pick up a form from the Hart Wildlife shop in the Bank car park in Alton.  (A tell tale sign that hedgehogs visit your garden is finding their cylindrical long black usually quite shiny droppings on the lawn). SC

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Bird recording in Froyle.

froyle_wildlife Recording

In the last few months 41 records have been submitted totalling 101 bird sightings and covering 7 of the eleven target species, well done everyone and please keep the records coming in.

April sees the return of the cuckoo, a bird whose breeding population in the UK has fallen by half in the past 20 years and the subject of a BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) tracking project to find out why.  Please keep a special listen out and send in your records, but beware, sometimes the collared dove gives a good impression of a cuckoo!

House martins are also on their way from Africa and will begin nesting in May, making their mud nests on house walls. For this species please send in records of active nests only.

See http://www.rspb.org.uk/ and search house martin for information on this lovely species.

Anyone can join in this survey, the target species being skylark, lapwing, yellowhammer, red kite, barn owl, little owl, little egret, cuckoo, grey partridge and woodcock.(+ house martin active nest count)  For an information pack contact us or come along to the Meeting Place on the last Friday of the month where you can view the Bird Maps and Froyle Nature Conservation Group display boards.

Which do you think should be Britain’s national bird?  You can vote for one of the 10 contenders at http://www.votenationalbird.com/  voting closes May 7th 2015.

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Bird Walk Sunday 12th April 2015.

froyle_wildlife Walks and Talks

Leader Keith Betton, Hampshire Bird Recorder

Interested to learn more about the birds to be found in our parish?  Then you could do no better than joining Keith (who gave the great talk in the village hall last autumn) on a 5 mile round walk from the village hall to see what’s flying and singing.

Please meet at the hall for a prompt 9am start. Should anyone prefer a shorter walk of 3.75 miles ending at the church in Upper Froyle, then do please let us know so that transport can be arranged to and fro.

Allow 2 ½ – 3 ½ hours and bring a snack and drink if you wish plus binoculars if you have them and would suggest walking boots or wellies as parts of Saintbury hill track can be very muddy.

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