Hugo the Happy Heron had his first outing on Monday when we had a visit from Katy Gary, who is the Wilder Neighbourhoods Officer for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. We had invited Katy to see the pond and to make recommendations for maintenance and improvements for wildlife. Jo Smith and I bombarded poor Katy with questions but Hugo kept very quiet, I think he was a little overwhelmed.
The good news is that Katy thought the pond looks very healthy. There seems to be plenty of oxygenation, probably because it is spring fed and not stagnant. She gave us some excellent advice on what to remove to keep the pond clear, how to minimise disturbance to existing wildlife and tips on how to improve the access for smaller creatures.

The more immediate problem is the proliferation of Himalayan Balsam which needs to be cut back before it launches its seeds everywhere, making the problem worse next year. Let’s hope we can resolve the red tape over access to the pond soon so work parties can get stuck in.
We are very grateful to Katy for making the trip over and giving us encouragement. Hugo looked grateful but still seemed lost for words. Hopefully he will overcome his shyness in time for our first public meeting on Monday 30th September at 8pm in Headley Village Hall. See you there!
Neville Merritt