Nature Notes

GRANTS MOOR and FRIMLEY HATCHES in the 1980s

Connie Dunford, a Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust member, has been carrying out a survey of the butterflies using the Grants Moor site over this Summer.

For many years she has walked around the area near Farnborough North Station, including Grants Moor and Frimley Hatches, and she has sent the following recollections of her walks there during 1988/89.

 ‘Every year I eagerly awaited the arrival of the geese and ducks that stayed all through the winter and left in the Spring, returning to their breeding grounds . Each species had their own particular area that they always returned to.

When it was decided to build a relief road through the area, I began to record the numbers of water fowl, before and after, to see how the road building and traffic would affect their numbers. Having been a volunteer counting butterflies at Grant’s Moor north and south, this year, I thought it would be interesting to compare 1988/9 seasons to 2011/12.

December 1988 - Frimley Hatches.

This pond was situated in fields and had many reeds and grassed surroundings. There were hawthorn hedges and the pathway to Frimley Green passed over the River Blackwater whose banks border the area. 

Four days before Xmas, the pond was drained completely, to allow for work to be carried out on the electricity pylons. By 11th January it was half full and filled completely by 24th. There had been many water plants there and was home to mallards, coots, and little grebes. During the  mildest winter for 26 years, there were on occasions 7 mallards, 3 coots, 2 little grebe, 14 tufted duck, 2 moorhens, 48 Canada geese and 1 snipe on the pond edge.

By February 1989, there was snow, but on March 6th a coot was nesting with 4 eggs, by 11th one egg only and 12th none.

The large landscape lake with the island in the middle had increasing numbers of ducks and geese arriving during the early spring.  On 12 January, I counted 23 pochards, 2 coots, 127 Canada geese, 2 crested grebe, 2 little grebe and 9 swans. By March 1st the widgeon had increased to 23 and there were 8 cormorants.

Gradually the Canada geese moved to Willow Tree Lake which was used every year by the geese, swans and crested grebe for nesting.

This lake is where the ‘’recycled’’ picnic table is now situated on the Path.  Also in that area of the Path I saw many butterflies including Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells on March 30th.  The temperature was 65F in London,the warmest day for 21 years, but on April 4th it was snowing .

There was a bend in the river just at that stretch and kingfishers built their nest in the bank very near to a branch which overhung the water, which they used for fishing.

Grant’s Moor South didn’t exist at that time.

Summer 2011 Grant’s Moor South.

This area, although small, is where ponds were dug to relocate as many of the amphibians and reptiles as possible during the construction of the relief road.

There are two ponds where the banks are covered with reeds and rushes ,and there are clumps of purple loosestrife, vetch, bird’s foot trefoil, convolvulus, hogweed, thistles and clover.

The butterflies were not plentiful, but included Small Whites, Large White, Ringlets, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Speckled Wood

Although the larger pond is discoloured, water plants are in there, and I have seen a heron standing amongst the reeds and a kingfisher flying over, also 2 moorhens with 2 chicks.  Dragonflies and damselflies are on both ponds and I was able to identify chiffchaff, tits, greenfinches and goldfinches, as well as the usual garden birds.

Summer 2011 Grant’s Moor North.

Butterflies seen from the end of May to October - Speckled Wood, Large White, Red Admiral, Small White, Ringlets( 26 on June the 30th), Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Large Skipper, and on the 14th July 1 Silver Washed Fritillary, also seen by a Ranger later in the day. The summer was dull but 10 degrees above average in September and October started by breaking records for temperature. A yellow wagtail was seen once perched on the tree in the pond and greenfinches were heard early on in the summer but they are suffering from a disease and numbers are falling.

Leaves on the trees were changing colour by the end of September.

There were several flowers in the meadow and also Himalayan Balsam which was removed by volunteers as it chokes everything quickly.

Summer 1989 Station Pond (Grant’s Moor)

May 1989.  There were 2 Canada Geese with 11 young , coots and a Swan .

Willow Tree Lake had 14 Canada geese with 13 young, 2 crested grebe and 2 young, who are white with black zebra like stripes when they are first born. The Canada geese families join together and move with their young down the Path to the safer landscape. I have seen up to 50 young walking towards me and stepped aside while they passed; a fox was watching from the opposite river bank, but they arrived safely. Cuckoo heard by the Station on May 8th. Water level in the river low, swans able to stand up in the middle.

May 24th 1.30 a fierce storm hit Farnborough (said to have been the wettest place in the country), cars had headlights on and traffic came to a standstill. An Army lorry was three-quarters submerged on the A325 by the turning to Fleet, but the soldiers swam to safety.

Rest of the Summer was dry and hot, people used rubber boats and swam in the Lake.

Work about to start on construction of new railway bridge by the Lake.’

I hope you found these recollections interesting.  If you have any similar memories or photographs of the Blackwater Valley before the Relief Road was constructed we would love to hear from you.