On Saturday 6th July, we have a visit to Wild Woodbury, Bere Regis, with a walk of approximately 4km/2.5 miles across uneven ground around this rewilding community project guided by Dorset Wildlife Trust Ranger, Seb Haggett. There is a portaloo on site at the car park.

If you are used to walking poles it will be worth bringing them. Walking shoes/boots are advised and please bring a packed lunch and refreshments. The weather is looking good for Saturday, with dry, sunny spells forecast. There are ticks on site, along with longer vegetation, so trousers are recommended. Also bring along any wildlife spotting equipment, binoculars, cameras etc. 

Please let us know if you are planning to join the trip and where you will meet us. No dogs. 

Meet at the Nadder Centre car park at 9:30am or at 10:30am up a short track off Southbrook Road, opposite Eldon Road in Bere Regis.
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Those of you that came along to our meeting in January will recall the fascinating presentation by Rob Farrington of the work he has been leading for the past two and a half years to re-wild the 170-hectare site, south-east of Bere Regis. The plot acquired by Dorset Wildlife Trust was In September 2021 with plans to return what was previously intensively farmed arable land to its natural state. The goal was to create an example of sustainable land use, contribute to tackling the climate and ecological crises, reduce high nitrate levels in the area (and prevent them from entering Poole Harbour), and to engage the local community.

In the first year of the project, the land was allowed to naturally regenerate: there was an immediate increase in biodiversity and abundance, with the site list reaching 1300 species. During 2023, the second year of the project, work was carried out to ‘re-naturalise’ the headwaters of the River Sherford that run through the site. More information: https://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/tag/wild-woodbury

Anticipated end time:  Returning to Tisbury by 3:30pm

There will be space for members to join the YNW activity at the Hinton Hall on Sunday 14th July at 10am. Do come along to see what Andrew Graham has found in his moth traps from the previous night. 

We are fortunate in southern Wiltshire to have more than our fair share of the county’s ancient woodlands. These are woods that have persisted since at least 1600, which is when maps started to become reasonably reliable so we can track a wood’s history. As they have a long-term continuity of woodland cover and management, such woods are often refuges for wildlife long since lost to the countryside. Some species are so specific to these woods, sometimes because they spread so slowly, that they are used as indicators to help in the identification of ancient sites. New woods planted on open land will never be able to develop the complex and rich biodiversity found in an ancient wood, so a mature woodland planted after the First World War may look splendid in the landscape, but from a wildlife point of view it may have little to offer.

Only 2.5% of the UK is ancient woodland, so it makes those remaining very precious. Although humans will have managed nearly all ancient woods at some time, and in some cases non-native species have been planted, the long-term tree cover allows for deep soils to develop, and complex wildlife communities to thrive. Dead wood, on which scarce fungi and invertebrates rely, can accumulate and archaeological remains such as earth banks and ditches may survive.

Just east of Salisbury lies a mosaic of ancient woods, the largest of which is Bentley Wood, which has an interesting history. The area was used to accommodate US troops in the run up to D-Day and then to store vehicles returning after the war. All this had an impact, but woodland continuity was maintained. After the Forestry Commission acquired it in the ‘50s, they filled any gaps created with new planting, until 1983, when the government wanted to sell off many of the Forestry Commission woods. At this point, a local resident stepped in, forming a trust to buy the wood so it could be enjoyed by the public. This was achieved in 1984 and for the past 40 years the woodlands have been carefully managed by The Friends of Bentley Wood for wildlife and public enjoyment.

The multiple tracks, rides and paths that criss-cross the wood are a pleasure to walk, and the site is particularly well known for the butterflies and birds found there.

​Andrew Graham