Whilst there is a steady decline in the number of ponds throughout the country, Silchester has reversed the trend and increased the number in the village over the last few years.

In 1995 a survey showed that we had six ponds; two of which were overgrown, one lost in gorse scrub, two heavily silted and one recently restored. A work party began work on the heavy growth around Church Pond with the result that a large but heavily silted pond was exposed. A series of surveys concluded that a lot of silt needed to be removed and the Parish Council set to work to get outside assistance. At the same time Flex Ditch pond was surveyed - it was so heavily overgrown and silted that the surveyor walked across the whole surface area!  Another work group and several JCBs later both ponds were cleared of silt and the overgrown banks cleared to allow light in.

Karslake Corner (School Lane) pond is our smallest and easiest to manage. Even so this has given us considerable problems because of the invasion by a weed known as Australian Stone Crop ( ‘crassula helmsii’) which threatened to kill the whole pond in 2000. We have succeeded in controlling this weed in the short term but it is still there. In the meantime the waterlillies have taken over and we shall have to remove a lot in the autumn. Overall though the pond is healthy and contains a wealth of wildlife.

In the other extreme Church pond is huge and was effectively declared barren following a full survey in 1997. Following the dredging operation in 1998 we now have water throughout the year but the dredging has disturbed the nutrients in the mud and we have had a massive growth of duckweed. Several volunteer groups have removed large amounts of duck weed by skimming the surface with trawl netting ( a process that is a lot harder to do than it sounds!).  There is no doubt that the pond is now a healthier place as we have found toads and newts and the moor hens regularly nest. During 2003 the pond has been predominently clear of weed growth.

Flex Ditch pond seems to need continuous maintenance on its banks and  it is planned for this to be ongoing. The same problem with duck weed as with Church pond has happened at Flex Ditch and it is hoped that this can be controlled by continuing maintenance.

Since then, Commons work parties have cleared the area around the pond at the back of the school (known as Grange pond) and developed the ephemeral ponds near Keepers Cottage (see separate report below). Similarly ther has been clearance of the overgrown ponds at Bramley Road.

At the start of this article I was going to write that Silchester is blessed with so many ponds. However clearance of the ponds is one thing but they need maintenance (with a gentle hand to keep the ecological balance) and it is good practice to survey the wildlife to monitor the pro0gress of each pond. This requires manpower and we have set up a group of Pond Wardens. Training is available from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. The job entails taking responsibility for one of the ponds and organising maintenance.

EPHEMERAL PONDS

A review of the work on the ponds near Keeper’s Cottage.

The area is a series of old gravel workings which, in living memory, was an open space regularly visited by migrating wildfowl. Over recent years the thick growth of birch trees had resulted in the ponds becoming silted and drying out due to water extraction by the trees.

The aim of the work which was started in 2000, was to provide a year round water supply for the cattle in the northern sector of the Common and to increase the diversity of habitat for wildlife. If we could also entice some wildfowl that would be an extra bonus !

English Nature had recently completed a survey showing the dramatic decline in ponds throughout the UK. Although we already have quite a number of ponds under our management throughout Silchester, we had the opportunity to help to reduce the decline.

Before we start any work of this nature on the Common we discuss the proposals and take technical advice from local and national bodies (English Nature, The Ministry of Agriculture DEFRA, Hampshire Heathlands Project and Hampshire Wildlife Trust). We have meetings with representatives from these bodies throughout the year and, as Graham Dennis, the Pamber Forest Warden, is a committee member and a regular at our work parties, we have on-site technical advice easily available.

One of our sources of information is a booklet published by English Nature on management of ponds for wildlife and its first lesson is that there is no such thing as an ideal pond. Variety is the spice of life! What we have endeavoured to create is a variety of ponds to provide a wide range of habitats. We cleared a large area of trees on the south side to provide an open space and to allow light to many of the ponds. Some of the silt was removed to deepen ponds but those that were established were untouched. The result is a variety of depths from a few inches to a couple of feet. On the north side the wood was thinned producing an open area.  Many of the ponds  dry out in the summer leaving a marshy bog and the open areas will grass over with new growth of ferns and wild flowers.

Bearing in mind the work described above I have extracted the following from the English Nature booklet;

Many pond animals use the surrounding land during part of their life cycle. Dragonflies can live and hunt away from the water and amphibians spend most of their life on the land. Open spaces will provide suitable areas and the log piles left around the site will rot to form habitats for hibernation.

Ponds which have shallow gently sloping edges and which gradually dry out in the summer have a draw-down zone that is an exceptionally rich habitat for plants, invertebrates and small mammals. Even the shallow muddy areas produced by  cattle

as they take water provides another variety of habitat, the complex temporary pools provide a host of habitats for shore bugs, beetles and caddisfly larvae. The very edge of a pond with just two or three centimetres of water is surprisingly important. Marginal grasses are often considered as weeds when they spread into the water but, in fact, they are preferred by many invertebrates, such as water beetles, dragonfly larvae and water scorpions.

The zone of slightly deeper water provides a warm water where breeding amphibians and water insects thrive. Water deeper than about 40 cm provides a habitat for plants and animals that prefer permanent water such as toads, red eyed damselfly and many types of water flea.

In the same way, a variety of plant growth provides differing habitats suited to different animals and clear water suits some while muddy water suits others. Even the sediment is important, tree roots and wood debris are valuable sites while gravel and stones provide hiding places and even permanent homes.

Ponds that are completely shaded support fewer species than open ponds but trees can be beneficial in many ways. They provide cover for birds and mammals and shelter for adult insects. Blossom supplies an excellent pollen and nectar source and underwater branches and roots are colonised by algae and fungi which are eaten by many pond animals. It is recommended to remove trees from the southern side because these cast more shade and pollarding, particularly of sallow (willow), is preferred to complete removal.

I hope this demonstrates the thought and planning that goes into the work done by our work groups and I would like to think that it will encourage you to walk around the area and see it in a different light.

John Harrison