Wilder Romsey Blog

Owl Babies!

14/5/2026

We have some very exciting news!

Our nature reserve at Mill Lane Meadows in Sherfield English is now proudly home to four tawny owl chicks.

Gemma, the Reserve Officer, recently met with Matt from the Hawk Conservancy Trust on site to investigate potential nest box locations for barn owls, tawny owls and kestrels. During the visit, Matt checked a barn owl box that has been in place for a few years, and we were delighted to discover four healthy, beautiful tawny owl chicks calmly snoozing inside!

In addition to being a bird of prey specialist, Matt is also a licensed bird ringer with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). This qualification allows him to carefully remove chicks from the nest to fit an identification ring around their ankle. Ringing helps us track the birds’ success over time, such as how far they travel and where they establish territories.

This is huge news for TVBC sites, as it marks the first recorded instance of successful nesting by a bird of prey species – a real cause for celebration! To build on this success, more nest boxes will be installed at this site, as well as another near Romsey this autumn, helping to maintain momentum and provide further nesting opportunities for birds of prey.

Huge thanks to the Hawk Conservancy and we look forward to more partnership working later on this year!

Great British Spring Clean!

27/3/2026

‘In support of the Great British Spring Clean campaign (Great British Spring Clean | Keep Britain Tidy), the Wilder Romsey volunteer team came together to assist Test Valley Borough Council on a big litter pick and clean up of Abbotswood Local Nature Reserve in the glorious spring sunshine.

14 bags of litter later – ranging from cans, bottles, dog poo bags, and even a camping chair – we had such a successful morning, and have now set a precedent for a cleaner, litter-free nature reserve for all to enjoy.

Please respect your Local Nature Reserve and dispose of your litter in the bin – we must all take responsibility to keep our local green spaces clean and tidy for all to enjoy.

For more information on Wilder Romsey and how to join (we welcome new members): Wilder Romsey Blog’

Making space for the Great Crested Newt!

5/3/2026

Through January to April, TVBC staff are conducting Great Crested Newt (GCN) surveys on site at Abbotswood Local Nature Reserve. These surveys – led by Daisy our license holder – require access to all the ponds at the reserve (including the attenuation basins).

The Wilder Romsey team have kindly spent the last two task dates helping us make safe, subtle access points around the ponds for staff to be able to conduct these surveys safely (especially important as we survey in the dark).

The turnout on both occasions was fantastic, with 9 volunteers at each task. A huge thanks to those who come and support and help Gemma the Reserves Officer 😊

On our latest count, we had 99 GCNs in on evening – our hard work is paying off!

Night Surveys & Team Effort: Protecting Great Crested Newts at Abbotswood

24/2/2026

Through January to April, TVBC staff are conducting Great Crested Newt (GCN) surveys on site at Abbotswood Local Nature Reserve. These surveys – led by Daisy our license holder – require access to all the ponds at the reserve (including the attenuation basins).
The Wilder Romsey team have kindly spent the last two task dates helping us make safe, subtle access points around the ponds for staff to be able to conduct these surveys safely (especially important as we survey in the dark).
The turnout on both occasions was fantastic, with 9 volunteers at each task. A huge thanks to those who come and support and help Gemma the Reserves Officer 😊

December 16th, 2025

16/12/2025

In December, the Wilder Romsey team assisted Gemma and Daisy in removing an old, barbed wire fence line which had originally been in place when the nature reserve was a field for cattle. We were acting on a report which had come in from a member of the public, where they had noticed some barbed wire on the floor covered in leaf litter – this was located off the permitted pathways, however we were concerned for the safety of dogs and any wildlife who venture off the beaten track! Daisy and Gemma had been up on a separate date to remove the barbed wire, which was loose on the floor, and on investigation it was decided that we were to remove the whole of the structure on safety grounds.

So, a huge thank you to the team from Wilder Romsey who helped us remove a huge amount of barbed wire and old fenceposts on a sunny day in December (yes – we found the one sunny day)! With hot drinks and mince pies to fuel us, we achieved a great deal together…team work makes the dreams work as they say 😊!

Fences, Friends & Four Paws:

8/12/2025

In November, the Wilder Romsey team supported Reserve Officers Gemma and Daisy in clearing a length of fencing that had become overgrown with scrub and oak saplings over the year. Keeping structures like fencing free from vegetation is essential, as encroachment can accelerate deterioration and lead to unnecessary costs in the future.

Thanks to the volunteers’ hard work, the clearance will help maintain the fence’s longevity and security. We were also delighted to welcome Willow the Weimaraner, who kept spirits high and carried out some very thorough quality checks on our progress!

Volunteer task update

6/11/2025

Since starting in August, the Wilder Romsey team have achieved a great deal, and I wanted to celebrate some highlights with you!

Over the summer we removed a highly invasive aquatic plant species – Crassula helmsii – from the 4 Great Crested Newt breeding ponds at Abbotswood nature reserve. The WR team turned up in force every time to help Daisy and I remove this suffocating plant from the ponds, taking advantage of a very dry summer which allowed us to enter the ponds. Once this species was removed, we planted native aquatic plants such as Water Mint, Water Forget-me-not, and Brooklime into each pond, increasing the abundance of native plant species which will benefit the pond’s habitat for all species. On the same day we also spread some wildflower seeds on the dry patches of meadow, with the hope of increasing our chances of some wildflowers next year.

At Mill Lane Meadows (Sherfield English) we had an outstanding turnout of 13 volunteers to help us plant 3 Crab Apple and 3 Cherry trees (which were funded by the Environment Agency). A huge amount of tree guards were also removed from the hedgerow around the carpark. This was a huge feat of volunteer power, finishing the task within 3 hours! I’m very much looking forward to when these trees are mature enough to start blossoming in the spring, the site will look stunning (even more so than usual).

Finally, we gave Woodlay orchard a good tidy up, fixing the tree pens, weeding and mulching (including the other newly planted trees around the parks and green space). Another fantastic turnout, including Cllr Burnage and Cllr Gwynne – the orchard is set for another year!

Huge thanks to everyone who as attended the volunteer tasks to date – you have been wonderfully welcoming to me and I look forward to many more in the future.

Gemma

Introduction

24/10/2025

Hello Wilder Romsey! I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself to the WR team.

My name is Gemma and I am your new Reserves Officer for the south of the borough. I started in August, having come from Hampshire County Council’s Rights of Way team where I spent 6 years working on Public Rights of Way leading volunteer parties to help maintain and improve public access for communities.

I am thrilled to be working within Test Valley, being a resident myself, I very much appreciate and enjoy using our green spaces and nature reserves, walking my dog Luna and leading runs with the local running group Muddy Runners (based in Andover).

I have met some of you already working on Abbotswood LNR, Mill Lane Meadows and Woodlay orchard, and am in awe of your hard work and dedication to your local area. I cannot wait to build on our relationship and make a real local difference to communities going forward!

Gemma out in the wild.

Please do feel free to contact me with any questions you may have regarding volunteering and/or your local nature reserve, and I look forward to meeting you on a volunteer task soon.

Gemma Clinch
[email protected]

Thank you!

4/3/2025

7 volunteers came out for our last task of the winter, carrying out scrub clearance and dead hedging at Abbotswood Local Nature Reserve.

Abbotswood is fortunate to host a good stock of oak scrub, an unusual species to establish so successfully at a site, though now it has begun to outcompete some other species and invade the grassland. By controlling this scrub, we create a mosaic of habitats with pockets of scrub and grassland. This creates the prefect variety of habitats for the widest range of species possible.

Pippa and Indrek next to their deadhedge

Also, a quick note to say thank you for all your hard work this winter!

This winter Wilder Romsey have contributed 184.5 hours in volunteer time carrying out tasks such as tree planting at Mill Lane Meadows, vegetation control on Romsey Barge Canal and Scrub clearance and dead hedge creation at Abbotswood Local Nature Reserve.

Romsey Barge Canal

Mill Lane tree planting

Our next task is booked in for the 12th July, but keep an eye on your emails, we will send out any other events that may pop up throughout the next couple of months!
The full TVBC events guide for the south of the borough can be downloaded here for interest.

Barge Canal Clearance

20/1/2025

5 Wilder Romsey volunteers and Test Valley Borough Council were out on Romsey Barge Canal Wednesday 15th January. We cleared pockets of scrub on the far banks to increase light levels reaching the river with the aim of encouraging emergent and submerged vegetation in the channel. One of our WR volunteers, Goober Fox, has since seen an elusive Water Rail taking a stroll down the river. These are a common but very rarely seen bird, though you may recognise their call, a soundbite of which can be found on the RSPB website Water Rail Bird Facts | Rallus Aquaticus.

Canal

Water Rail

Our next task is a Tree planting Day at Mill Lane Meadows, Sherfield English. This will be to plant 10 trees (Oak, Crab Apple and Field Maple) across the site. These will be allowed to establish into large parkland type trees to create resting points for birds crossing the large expanses of grassland as well as adding interest for visitors. If you would like to join this task, please email Daisy Kennard, Reserves Officer, on [email protected]