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Photos: Debbie & Andrew Carter
Andrew Graham is leading a field trip to Rushmore Park on Saturday 21st September starting from the Rushmore Golf Club car park at 10.00 am. It will be an autumnal walk through the woods which spread out near the Golf Club. We will be looking to see how many different fungi we can find in this ancient semi-natural woodland. We will not be able to take any home. No dogs. Meet at the Nadder Centre car park for 9:30am departure so that we can car share. Please let us know whether you will be joining us at the Nadder Centre or driving there direct. Anticipated end time: Concluding at 12:30 at Rushmore with return to Nadder Centre by 1pm. One evening last week Esther and Matthew Phillips kindly showed us around their nature reserve which they started two and half years ago when they moved to Swallowcliffe.
With a torrential downpour half an hour before we arrived we were fortunate that the sun came out and the warmth returned. As we gathered, we were shown two occupied Housemartin nests under the eaves as well as a very active Hornets' nest further along. Although Hornets are not aggressive and rarely sting they often cause problems in roof spaces by chewing plasterboard and roofing felt! Esther and Matthew are members of The Wiltshire Small Rewilders. It is a volunteer-run network providing support and knowledge sharing for small rewilding projects (of up to 50 acres) across Wiltshire and the surrounding area. One of the founders is Jonathan Thompson who is well known to our society. Esther and Philip have planted about twenty native trees in their first winter and have steadily increased the number of differing habitats for wildlife, with extensive swathes of grasses - home to two deer which happily spend most of their days in the reserve, and a perfect home for small mammals such as field voles which attract bird of prey. There are perches provided for them, an important detail as there aren't many large trees around the field. Also, they created an additional dewpond which will take a couple of years to become fully established but is already attracting more bird life. With vines, soft fruit, a forest garden and plenty of space to grow vegetables the Phillips are developing a reserve which will also support their enthusiasm for sustainable living. Our Chair especially enjoyed sampling a Szechuan pepper, with a lovely tangy long lasting flavour! We were invited in for refreshments at the end of the evening and had a lovely time chatting and seeing photos of the reserve taken during the spring and summer when it was awash with colour.  (c) Robin Drayton / Viewpoint on the RSPB Arne reserve via Wikimedia Commons Andrew Graham will lead us on a walk around Arne RSPB Reserve where we will pass through varied habitats of heathlands, woods and wetlands with views over Poole Harbour. Arne is a terrific place for wildlife and BBC Seasonwatch has been broadcast from here a number of times, it is so good. It would therefore be a shame not to see a good part of its varied habitats. So, weather permitting, we will aim to spend the day here and we will be walking 4-5 miles.
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 the Arne car park at 11:00 am (OS Grid reference SY972 878) or What3Words wings.poetic.crown. The car park (charges for non- RSPB members) is located on the right at the beginning of Arne village from the Stoborough direction. Distance, Difficulty and Footwear: There is relatively easy walking on paths and tracks with some slopes. Stout shoes should suffice unless wet. Bring binos, a packed lunch and refreshments. Anticipated end time: Conclude at Arne by 3pm returning to Nadder Centre by 4pm. https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/arne/location Despite the gales and torrential rain, a cheery band of intrepid explorers headed off to Wild Woodbury in deepest, darkest Dorset.
We were spurred on by memories of the enthusiastic and interesting talk given by Rob Farrington in January about Wild Woodbury, near Bere Regis and this was to be our quest: what had happened to this site, acquired in 2021 by Dorset Wildlife Trust? Our guide for the day was Seb Elwood and, as we turned into the car park, the rain stopped, Seb greeted us and all would be well. Since 2021, the area of farmland has been allowed to rewild. From bare earth have sprouted meadows, completely naturally, no seeding has taken place apart from nature’s own handiwork. Standing at the top of the site, surveying the surrounding fields, it is hard to comprehend where the flowers and plants have come from as the view shows neatly planted crops all around, but nature brings its own. Seb explained how this part of the site will become an open area of meadow, accessible to everyone (and their dogs!) and so providing an amenity to the nearby village of Bere Regis. There are plans for a farm shop and picnic areas to encourage locals and visitors from further away to enjoy the site and to refresh their spirits. The main project over the past three years has been to return the waterways that traverse the land to their natural courses. A lot of work has gone into removing the agricultural drainage (from the top of the hill it appears that the stream ran uphill!) and allow the streams to run where nature intended. Fauna has begun to return to the site, all carefully logged and recorded in order to show how the rewilding is benefiting the natural order of things. Seb told us that the fields were bare earth when Dorset Wildlife moved onto site. This soon changed and became covered with signs of mice and after that, signs of owls, predating on the mice! Seb was a knowledgeable and interesting host and guide. He answered the many questions from our interested members. Seb’s enthusiasm was infectious and we were all stimulated and our quest was complete. We hope to go back in the future to see what happens next. So much has been done in three years. What will the next three years hold? by Emma Procter. 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. https://maps.app.goo.gl/qXbC482vgk4pZ6Qt6 What3words: permanent.kings.chef 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  Ham Wall Reserve by LesBardd via Wikimedia Commons On Saturday 8th June we have planned a field trip to Ham Wall RSPB Nature Reserve near Glastonbury with Andrew Graham and Debbie Carter as your guides. The focus will be on birds but there should be many other wildlife to see. Bring binoculars if you have them. No dogs.
Please let us know by Thurs 6th June evening whether you plan to go on this trip and whether you will car share from the Nadder Centre or meet us at the Reserve because we need to know numbers in advance. Without this information there is risk that this field trip could get cancelled. We do require a booking for each field trip in our programme. Meet at the Nadder Centre car park for a departure at 9.30am or at the Ham Wall Nature Reserve BA6 9SX for 10:30-45am. The car park is at OS ST44893959. What3words biggest.sharpened.clots https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/ham-wall/location Anticipated end time: Departing Ham Wall at 3:00pm to arrive back at the Nadder Centre by 4:15pm. Distance, Difficulty and Footwear: Approximately 5 km/3 miles on flat gravel paths which may be a bit muddy if there has been recent rain. Good stout shoes should suffice rather than wellingtons. Climbing steps may be necessary to enter hides. Bring a packed lunch and refreshments. On the Field Trips page, you'll see that we've updated the in-depth document for the Field Trips. Please note that the Wild Woodbury field trip is on Saturday 6th July, not Sunday as previously listed.
Andrew Graham is leading a walk through Bentley Wood, West Dean with a focus on butterflies. Meet at the Nadder Centre car park for a 9:30am departure or at Bentley Wood Eastern Car Park, West Dean, for a 10:30 am start. (GR SU 258 291. What3Words: filled.village.screeches) There is no limit on this field trip, but if you could let us know beforehand it helps with organising car shares and knowing if you plan to meet us at West Dean. Bentley Wood is a 1,700 acre (688 ha.) nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, roughly 7 miles east of Salisbury, that has been worked for at least 2,000 years (and is still commercially managed today, though with a view to conservation). If you want to read more about the wood ahead of the visit, go to this blog on the Hidden Wiltshire website: https://www.hiddenwiltshire.com/post/bentley-wood  Path west through Bentley Wood (c) Brian Robert Marshall, Wikicommons
On the Field Trips page you can now access the document which shows the postcode location of the destination, distance, difficulty, footwear and picnic advice for each field trip.
We also indicate the times for meeting at the Nadder Centre, as we encourage members to share lifts, plus the start and estimated finish time at the location. We have limited numbers on only one field trip: on Bank Holiday Monday 6th May. 5.30 pm. Guided bird walk at Chicksgrove. If you would like to sign up for this one, do let us know on the Contact page. The programme for 2024/5 is now available and can be found on the pages Field Trips and Talks & Films.
We shall be publishing a more detailed guide to the Field Trips in the near future. |
Photo: Avocets (Izzy Fry)
The headers display photos taken by our members. Do get in touch via the Contact Form if you'd like to submit a photo for selection.
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