Mar 29 2023

Eelmoor Marsh

Scenic photo of bright yellow gorse bushes brightening the Eelmoor Marsh landscape on a dull winter day.
Click Image to Enlarge

I was lucky enough to get a peek inside Eelmoor Marsh yesterday. It’s a fascinating place, with wonderful botany, important reptile populations and, of course, our very special heathland birds, Nightjar, Woodlark and Dartford Warbler. If you haven’t come across this remarkable heathland nature reserve, it’s tucked away between Farnborough Airport, the Cody Technology Park and the A 323 Fleet Road. There’s no public access, so it’s a part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area I hadn’t seen before. Carla and Heidi from Marwell Wildlife were kind enough to give us the tour yesterday and to share their experience of heathland management and monitoring.

The reserve has been thoughtfully managed by the Marwell Wildlife team, on behalf of QinetiQ, for over twenty years. As well as using more mechanical heathland management techniques, that take place over the winter, it’s grazed all year round, currently with two beautiful Przewalski’s horses and ten inquisitive Highland cattle. With biological records going back over 40 years, it’s a wonderful platform for academic research and Marwell Wildlife do a brilliant job in supporting students from the University of Southampton.

I’m afraid the sun didn’t put in appearance for our visit, but I’ve included a few photographs to give you a glimpse inside. It’s a fascinating place we’d definitely like to see more often.

Good to know…

There’s no public access to Eelmoor Marsh.

This special nature reserve is managed by Marwell Wildlife.

Eelmoor Marsh gallery…

Photo of 6 Highland cattle. Impressively long horns. They look very interested in us!
When we arrived, the resident Highland cattle were very interested! I think they were hoping for a treat.
Photo of a view across grass and heath. Very wet ground in the foreground.
As the name suggests, the ground is very wet and is an important part of the ecology of the reserve.
Photo of the team walking down an avenue of pine trees. Wet ground in the foreground.
It’s unlike the publicly accessible reserves we’re used to, but there are plenty of tracks and trails. Many of them interesting historical features.
Photo of a group of wardens walking down a tarmac track on the perimeter of the airfield. Bright yellow gorse in flower.
It was a shame we had such a gloomy day for our visit, but the bright yellow gorse looks lovely, even on a dull day.
Photo of open grassland, a bright yellow gorse bush in the foreground and Farnborough Airport in the background.
The juxtaposition with Farnborough Airport can’t be missed.
Photo of a group of wardens talking to the team from Marwell Wildlife.
We were lucky enough to meet Carla and Heidi from Marwell Wildlife and learn how the reserve is managed.

Photo of open grassland with scattered trees and gorse.
The variety of habitats is important and contributes to the biodiversity of the reserve.
Photo of a stocky pony, with tan coloured coat and black spikey mane.
There are currently only two Przewalski’s horses grazing. Much to our delight, both put in an appearance.
Photo of wardens walking down a heath-clad slope, with heath stretching off into the distance.
It was wonderful to visit and see how this piece fits into the Thames Basin Heaths jigsaw. While there, we could see across to the Long Valley training area and Eelmoor Flashes.

 

[Click on the images for the full size versions, and to see the captions for more information]

These photographs were all taken by myself and my colleagues on a private visit to Eelmoor Marsh. Please follow us on social media, we’d love to share more of the magic of heathland with you.

Sarah
Thames Basin Heaths Partnership

Pictorial messages for "Keep to main paths", "Prevent fires" and "Explore alternatives"

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