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Our animal life includes these four favourites. We are also home to fox, deer, and badger and
hope to feature them in the future. Sadly, in the seven years I have lived in the village, and the many times I have walked
about the rivers, I have only seen one water vole.
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| Grey Sqirrel; lovable or and absolute pest? He is certainly destructive. |
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| Rabbits are numerous which no doubt keep the foxes well fed. |
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| This long tailed woodmouse visits a bird table. |
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| Brown Hares chasing. This picture was taken in July so not 'Mad March hares'. |
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The River Test features large in the landscape of Houghton. Not suprisingly it atracts a varied selection
of flora and fauna. This year, during a hatching of Mayfly I was lucky enough to see my first Hobby whose appetite was more
than satisfied by the hatchings of the day. Although I have never seen one, in the few years I have lived in the village,
the arrival of an Osprey is well remembered and drew a considerable number of visitors to the river.
Here are some examples of Houghton river life. They are an ever changing feature and alter
with the weather and the seasons of the year.
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| Trout, a famous inhabitant of the River Test. |
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| Female Banded Damselfly. Unlikely to be confused with the male which is blue. |
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| Swan flying over sheepbridge. |
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| Riverside plant life. |
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| Family of tufted ducks. |
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| Common blue damselflies. |
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| Sedge warbler. |
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| Common darter dragonfly. |
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With the varied habitat in and around the village we are able to spot a rich variety of wild birds.
Birds of Prey
At least three species of owl can be seen in the village. We have a good population on hunters such
as Barn, Tawny and Little owl. Out gardens provide a fine larder for the likes of the Sparrow hawk and I even have a photograph
of a kestrel devouring a blackbird in my front garden, which rather suprised me. It is a rare walk that does not include a
buzzard or two in the lists of one's sighting. As previously mentioned Osprey and Hobby have also been recorded. Finally it
should be added that in Kings Somborne, the next village across the River Test, an aquaintance told me that he had seen two
red kites recently.
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| Sparrow hawk in a garden with his kill, in the case a collared dove. |
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| Kestrel at rest. |
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| Barn owl hunting. |
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| Buzzard cirling the fields. |
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