| Millstream walk |
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 A
walk across The Moors at any time of year can be very rewarding with a wide
variety of wildlife to see and hear. Footpaths cross the reserve from the
roadside by Waltham Chase Mill and from the edge of Bishop’s Waltham, a
network of paths can be followed across The Moors as far as Waltham Chase
& Swanmore. |
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If you start the walk at the mill and look in the stream you should see Trout (Salmo trutta) swimming below the mill. Grey Wagtails (Motacilla cinerea) breed around the mill and can often be seen sitting on the bridges or on the mill roof, from where the male often sings. |  |
| A walk across the road to view the millpond can often produce sightings of typical waterside birds. You might see Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Coot (Fulica atra) and Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and, if you are lucky, a Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) or Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniculs) may be heard singing early in the morning. The picture of the millpond is by local artist Dan Powell. | ||
 Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) |
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 Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) |
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| The meadows have been largely unimproved by modern agriculture and as a result still have a wide diversity of wildflowers typical of damp riverside meadows. The meadow west of the millpond is particularly rich. In the spring Lady’s Smock (Cardamine pratensis), Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) and Water Avens (Geum rivale) are all common and form a beautiful backdrop of pink flowers amongst the more common yellow buttercups (Ranunculus spp). Orange-tip butterflies (Anthocharis cardamines) can be seen flying over the meadows in early spring where they lay their eggs on the Lady's Smock flowers. In early summer Southern Marsh Orchids (Dactylorhiza praetermissa) and Bistort (Polygonum bistorta) can be seen along the damper margins of the meadow. | |