WITH its reed beds, chalk streams and cows grazing in flower-rich meadows, you could be in the middle of the countryside.

Yet Winnall Moors, which has its main entrance at Durngate, is only a short walk from busy Winchester centre.

The beautiful nature reserve, which has the River Itchen flowing throughout its length, has officially reopened to the public after a £1.3m revamp.

Visitors may be lucky enough to see the electric blue flash of the kingfisher.

A nesting site custom-built for kingfishers has had its first breeding success with seven fledglings.

A webcam inside the nesting box has a screen in nearby Trinity Centre for the homeless so that service users, some of who used to camp in the moors, can watch the birds.

It is just one of the ways Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is protecting rare and threatened species while helping people to experience the natural world.

Now a wildlife sanctuary, Winnall Moors has for centuries played a vital role in helping to absorb water and protect the city during flooding.

However it had suffered from neglect before the start of the five-year Heritage Lottery funded restoration project in 2008.

“At the beginning of the project, we had to clear out decades of fly-tipping, drug dens and piles of discarded drink cans,” said project manager Martin De Retuerto, a 35-year-old former paratrooper turned conservationist.

He added: “It was a phenomenal task.

We had a lot of work to do to reverse the effects of lack of management as it had not been touched for 30 to 40 years.”

The trust has leased the site from Winchester City Council on a peppercorn rent since the early 1980s.

An extension to the reserve in 2006 meant it controlled most of the flood plain in this area for the first time.

Mr De Retuerto said this meant the trust could “stitch back together again” the 158-acre water meadow which had been under different ownerships, including a farmer.

Work included reconnecting the river with its flood plain and raising groundwater levels in reed beds to improve conditions for once-common wildlife.

Wetland breeding birds, such as the redshank, snip and lapwing, which are in dramatic decline, are using it as a habitat, thanks to the conservation work.

Grasshopper warblers, which have declined by 85 per cent, have nested on the site for the past two years.

“That is a particularly rare bird and to have it breeding within earshot of the city is remarkable”, said Mr De Retuerto, adding nesting bitterns were “an unexpected bonus”.

A couple of female otters have holts in the northern part of the reserve, which is closed to the public, and have been spotted swimming in the river with their pups.

The other big success story is the watervole – Britain’s fastest declining mammal. Their numbers have more than doubled over the last five years.

As we speak, Mr De Retuerto shows me around the public part of the nature reserve which extends for 22 acres.

There are new walkways which allow wheelchairs and pushchairs to access the reserve and information panels.

We meet artist Rob Turner who has created a story trail through the moors with the help of pupils from Winnall Primary School and St Bede. He incorporated the children’s animal drawings into his carved New Forest oak sculptures and benches.

Grazing nearby are some British White Cattle, a rare breed.

“We are trying to restore this area to a flower-rich fen meadow. Because they are an old breed, the cattle are good at grazing down nettles and thistles – things that smother the wildflowers.”

Parts of the lowland water meadows, says Mr De Retuerto, are among the most botanically rich of their kind in the country.

Plans in the pipeline include selling beef from the 40-strong herd to provide extra income for the trust which relies largely on voluntary donations.

Volunteers, ranging from teens to pensioners, have helped to restore different habitats and to manage the reserve. There is a rota of volunteer wardens.

The volunteers are managed by wildlife officer Rachel Remnant who also organises events and education sessions for visiting school and community groups.

Mr De Retuerto said he was most proud of work to restore the wild fish population in the river channels because “people said it could never be done.”

Both wild brown trout and Atlantic salmon have spawned on newlycreated gravel beds. “We used innovative techniques and totally transformed it, winning national awards for our success.

“Surveys show fish are increasing every year.”

The trust allows angling on part of the reserve. The Piscatorial Society, the oldest angling society in England, leases fly fishing in the northern part of the reserve. Its keepers help to monitor fish numbers.

Fish that are caught are released again.

But there have been complaints about trees being axed to restore the open character of the moorland. Some locals have complained houses are no longer screened from the busy A34.

“Some things have not been popular but you can’t please everyone all the time. It is a constant balancing act.”

As we walk around, we cross the path of mum-of-two Rebecca Jones, who lives in Highcliffe. She is visiting with her three-year-old daughter and father.

She said: “It feels so peaceful. You are able to walk out of the city centre and hear the bird song.

“We come here a lot, especially in the summer when the kids can paddle in the river. I like it because it is easy to get to. You don’t have to drive and it feels like you are in the middle of the countryside.”