This is Hampshire | CommuniGate | Alverstone Mead Conservation Group Feedback Wildlife Workers Recent sightings Links for Alverstone Mead Conservation Group Event Calendar Reed Bunting brings Spring Once winter was well over one or two males of the endangered "Red List" bird species, the Reed Bunting, started appearing below the hide, feeding on the seeds turfed out by the squirrels invading the bird feeder. Unlike Greys on the mainland these Red Squirrels are quite welcome to help themselves - there were three in the vicinity at the time. Another bird, a Wood Warbler was seen and heard in early Spring, at the same time as the plants Bogbean, Marsh Forget-me-not and Marsh Cinquefoil flowered. Colourful Visitor As if to mark the Equinox a Hoopoe visited the mead for a day on Sunday 21st March. Since then, birds entered by visitors in the hide logbook up until mid-June have been: Chiff Chaff, House Martin, Yellowhammer, Linnet, Long-tailed Tit, Tree Creeper, Little Egret, Redpoll, Bullfinch, Mute Swans, Whitetroat, Canada Geese, Barnacle Geese, Dunnock, Jay, Pheasant, Siskin, Greenfinch, Kestrel, young Song Thrush, Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Chaffinch, a pair of Sparrowhawks, Moorhen and Mallard - both with chicks, and a Barn Owl. A Fox, Brown Rat, Water Vole, Rabbit and Badger Cub were the mammals listed. The warden's blackboard for early July chalked up a flock of 12 Linnets, plus a Common Sandpiper, and the total known number of Red Squrrels is now four. If you want to see a picture and know more about these species use the links to the RSPB A-Z on this site, and to The Mammal Society FactSheets. Osprey spends a week in the reserve In September a Sea Eagle, otherwise known as an Osprey, was seen in the vicinity, eventually regularly perching on a post overlooking the pool above the small weir by the Southern Water monitoring house. It had probably come from Scotland and was resting and feeding on fish before heading on to the Mediterranean Coast and Africa for the winter. Mead Dormice affected by Global Warming In early November while cleaning out dormouse and bird boxes a sleeping dormouse was found and two more boxes contained dormouse nests - on the advice of Richard Grogan of Wight Nature they should be left alone until December as they will not go down to ground level and make their winter nests to hibernate until it is much colder than it has been.  Email page  Feedback  Home Wildlife Workers |Recent sightings |Links for Alverstone Mead Conservation Group |Event Calendar