Ewhurst Park

28/08/2026

Watching bats never fails to impress us. These Common Pipistrelles are foraging along the tree lines, weaving in and out of branches and eating insects on the wing.

We use an Echometer Touch 2 from , which plugs into a smart phone. This links to a free app which shows the shape and frequency of bat calls in order to identify the genus / species.

It’s incredible to hear the echolocation of bats, whilst watching them, how fast they are and how adept they are at foraging.

At Ewhurst Park, we have at least 10 of the UK’s 17 breeding bat species, and we monitor the park regularly to check how they use various woodlands, treelines, hedgerows and waterbodies.

It never gets boring!

25/08/2026

Amongst the dried grass fields, it’s wonderful to still see some colour in our wildflowers.

With the peak of flowering season over, these heroes are still providing for our pollinators. It’s important to support a range of plant species, with different flowering months to extend the window of time that the plant communities can provide food for wildlife..

Plants like Wild Carrot and Yarrow have large seedheads too, which will provide winter shelter for smaller organisms like spiders and insects.

21/08/2026

Our Beavers live in historic fishing ponds, which have artificially steep sides. When they arrived at the park in 2023, Hazel and Chompy dug into the side of the bank to create a burrow.

Last year’s drought meant that the water level dropped so far it exposed the entrance to their home – so the family created this lodge structure to keep the entrance hidden.

Now this mound of twigs and earth creates a shallow gradient into the water which is appreciated by many birds as it offers gradual and safe access to the water.

This Jay is taking advantage of the new shallows to take a bath and cool down in the heat. Bathing in shallow water is also a good method to control parasites and maintain feather health.

19/08/2026

We are looking forward to welcoming Wild Food UK back this autumn - details for their courses available in this post…

NEW AUTUMN COURSES !! Ewhurst Park, Hampshire : 9th & 24th October and 8th November.
Ewhurst Park is one of our very best mushroom venues.
By special arrangement, we are running a series of Autumn Foraging Courses at this historic and magical place. We're privileged to be able to take a closer look at the precious habitats brought about by Ewhurst's estate-wide biodiversity, rewilding and regenerative farming projects. Join us as we explore their parklands, meadows and woods. We'll finish by sharing together our wild food meal at the scenic boathouse beside the lake.

We're also running a Specialist Field Mycology & Mushroom Foraging Course at Ewhurst Park on 17th October.

Ewhurst Park

17/08/2026

A tree on a tree…

This incredible, tree-like pattern was caused by a species of bark beetle. The female bores holes through the bark and sculpts a tunnel in which to lay her eggs.

When the larvae hatch, they eat the surrounding wood, creating their own tunnels which grow with the larvae.

Eventually they create a chamber in which to cocoon themselves, and then emerge as adults through the bark, if they’re lucky…

Seeking safety in tree bark may seem like a good idea, but they are an excellent food source for Woodpeckers, who regularly search under bark for a tasty morsel.

We have both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers throughout Ewhurst Park, so it’s not an entirely foolproof strategy!

circleoflife treeoflife EwhurstPark Basingstoke Hampshire

13/08/2026

*Ewhurst Park Gin Update*

It’s here! 🍸

WILD GIN: Chapter One is now available to buy directly from our website.

Our first small-batch gin has been created with botanicals foraged throughout Ewhurst Park, in collaboration with local, award-winning company, Hawkridge Distillers.

The gin reflects the landscape around us, bringing together carefully selected botanicals with a fresh, distinctive character. Each bottle reflects our approach to working with what the estate naturally offers, creating a spirit closely connected to its surroundings. 🌿

And we’re very proud to say Chapter One has already picked up two fantastic awards this year:
🥇 Gold — 94 points, London Spirits Competition 2026
🥈 Silver — 91 points, IWSC 2026

If you’d like to try it for yourself, you can now find WILD GIN: Chapter One in our online shop. Ts & Cs apply.

11/08/2026

We recently welcomed back members of Hampshire Bat Group for some more trapping under licence.

Using harp traps with acoustic lures and a mist net, the team set out on a Friday night to catch some resident bats to understand a bit more about the population here.

After IDing the species and taking some measurements, all bats were released back into the woodlands.

The bats caught on Friday night were mainly Soprano Pipistrelle, the UK’s smallest bat, with one Common Pipistrelle to mix things up!

The team also used thermal scopes, binoculars and bat detectors to get a feel for the different species using the park. Ewhurst Pond was absolutely heaving with bats, skimming over the water and foraging high in the tree canopy.

What a pleasure to spend time with these enigmatic creatures and the wonderful people who spend their time protecting them and trying to understand more about them.

07/08/2026

We have some exciting news for a Friday!

This wildlife camera footage is the first this year to confirm a brand new beaver kit!

This is the third year in a row that Hazel and Chompy have had kits. With 2024 kit Bobbi caught earlier this year to go and live a free life down in Cornwall, this new kit brings the total group number back up to 6.

We’re eagerly reviewing further footage to see if any more kits were born this year.

05/08/2026

Despite the incredibly high numbers of grasshoppers this year, it has taken us weeks to capture these two images of our springy legged residents!

We think these are a field grasshopper and a meadow grasshopper. Everywhere you walk within the park right now produces clouds of these bouncing critters. The grasslands are literally jumping and buzzing with life!

31/07/2026

*SOUND ON*

Take a moment to enjoy two of our Tamworth sows enjoying a mud bath!

Watch as they take turns wallowing and enjoying the cool mud. Mud isn’t just fun for pigs; it’s essential for their health, helping them regulate temperature and protect their skin from the sun and insects.

It's definitely a favourite spot on a hot day!