Bursledon Windmill certainly is an amazing and tranquil place to work. Not only do we have the swooshing noises of the sails going and the rumble of the stones, but there is also the clonks and clangs of the wooden gearing and the noise of the wildlife around the windmill.
We have a delightful wild pond, plus woods, and are blessed with visits by a variety of wildlife.
Early in the morning, you might be lucky to see a deer or two - or even sometimes a family of deer, making their eerie noises.
We also have the rabbits and muntjacs and a family of foxes which make an appearance from time to time.
Our feathered friends also make regular visits. We have our curious robin who sticks by our side whilst we are doing the gardening, along with jays, sparrows, crows, kestrels, buzzards, owls and even a heron I call Harry.
This brings me to our pond. We believe Harry may have dropped a carp from a neighbouring pond into ours! We have a quite a few carp and goldfish now. There are also pond skaters, water boatmen, common newts, damsel and dragonflies and nymphs.
There are lots more creatures for visitors to discover. We even have a few ‘Mill’ cats that pay us a visit from time to time. Watch out for the ginger one who seems particularly attracted to our visitors!
Why not come by and lose yourself in our tranquil wildlife garden for an hour or two one Saturday or Sunday? The Bursledon Windmill is seasonal venue, please check our website for when we are open.
This article was written by Gary Freeman, Miller and Jeff Witcher, Visitor Services Assistant at Bursledon Windmill.
