We have a variety of locations for our Field Trips this summer with mostly local sites and a couple further afield near Street and the New Forest. Please view the listing and mark them in your diary. There is also a link to a document with details about where to meet, what to bring etc on the Field Trips page.

If you know which trips you want to go on, please email us and we'll add you to the lists.
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Field Trips are free for members and guests can join them for £4 each, unless we publish that there is a restriction on numbers for a particular trip. At the moment we know that there is a limit of 10 Tisbury & District Natural History Society spaces for our joint field trip with the Salisbury NHS, on Tues 19 May for the Duke of Burgundy hunt.

We encourage car sharing wherever possible, to reduce the environmental footprint and certainly some locations have small parking areas so it makes sense to band together.

Please view the details of each field trip by clicking the link to the document that's been loaded onto the Field Trips page. We may need to update this document during the summer, but we'll always notify you here in the Blog or by email.

Please make a note that we have cancelled the Fernhill Farm trip which had been listed for 3rd June and there is now an updated programme for the Society accessible on the Field Trips page. As Peter mentioned at our last talk, Fernhill do run their own events from time to time and perhaps you may wish to attend one of those in the future. 

Just a note to say that the Field Trips now appear on the Field Trips page as a list. We're finalising the details of times and meeting points so bear with us until then. It should give you an idea of which ones you want to pencil in your diaries!

The programme for 2026 is now available for viewing!

Thanks to our hardworking volunteer committee for preparing this.

Download a PDF here. 

About 20 members were met by Jonathan Thompson and Matt Somerville and ushered into the classroom, where Jon gave us a brief overview of the nature reserve.

After buying the 30 acres of newly-planted deciduous plantation, Jon has been working hard to increase the diversity of habitats with small-scale re-wilding. Jonathan explained that, at Underhill, this means mimicking the effects of the large native animals currently missing from the local environment, such as wild boar, beaver and wild cattle. For example, ring barking trees to create dead-wood habitats and opening the woodland, to let light penetrate the forest floor.

We then split into two groups; one led by Matt and the other by Jonathan, before a half-time change over. Matt started by showing us the inner workings of a natural beehive, teaching us about Propolis, which is like a bee glue, with amazing qualities, which bees use to fill holes with and prevent pests taking over. Matt makes something like a hundred natural hives each year, in two styles: Rocket and Log types. We walked onto the reserve to look at several of the log hives, one of which was humming with bees. Wild honeybees have recently been classified as endangered, and it was terrific to have a deep dive into their life and ecology by a real expert.

Jonathan took his group to see newly dug ponds and scrapes which had just started re-filling with water after the summer’s drought. Holding water year-round, whatever the rainfall is, the lake has a large population of amphibians and lots of other wildlife, Jonathan has even seen otters. Near the lake is an example of ‘conservation hedge-laying’, a really thick, wide and tall hedge, where each stem has been cut half-way through at the base and pushed over to forty-five degrees. One of Jonathan’s students has surveyed the invertebrate community in this one hedge and has written a paper on it. Also, a book has been written about it, by a local author!
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Finally, Jonathan took us down to a small stream where the students of the John Muir award scheme made dams, to simulate the activities of beavers. These dams hold up the water, creating pools, which clean the sediment and enable a new community of wildlife to exist.

​Peter Shallcross

On the 3rd September, a group of about 15 members visited Rachel Hall at Gutchpool Farm, Gillingham.

After an introduction to the farm’s history and the management changes that Rachel had carried out since taking charge, about 10 years ago, we were taken on a walk to see for ourselves.

The first thing that is striking is the variety of habitats that have been created. Firstly, a beautiful stream, lined with alders and willows is crossed, leading to a newly created wetland corridor in a grassy field. The corridor has been re-created using old maps and LIDAR remote sensing so that instead of water run off from the top of the farm rushing through large drains into the river, it now gently meanders its way above ground, getting caught up in woody obstacles and long grass until it eventually emerges into a small pond. Only then is it allowed into the stream, without causing a flood.

In the next field, Rachel has planted wide rows of trees in lines separated from each other by wide strips of grass. This agro-forestry benefits the sheep that Rachel farms, giving them shade and leaves to eat, in addition to the usual grass. Rachel explained how the tree leaves have medicinal properties and help keep the sheep healthy by natural means.

Just beyond was a spring-sown ‘herbal ley’, which is a planted mixture of grasses and herbs such as plantain, chicory, birds-foot trefoil and several clovers. Despite the drought, and very little rain since sowing, the herbage was growing really well.

The contrast between the arable farming just 10 years ago and Rachel’s regenerative methods of farming is transformative for the soil. The sown herbs are deep rooted, helping drainage and leading to the build-up of organic material.

Next, we walked through a surviving part of the ‘Park Pale’; a bank and ditch enclosure surrounding what used to be the royal deer park of Kings Court. This remarkable survivor features rare flowers and many old and veteran trees, a brilliant corridor for wildlife.

Approaching the top of the farm, we stopped to admire the expansive views towards Alfred’s Tower and Silton. The field here is the most difficult to farm, with deep sticky clay, ruined by arable farming, with the topsoil ploughed under. Rachel has had success establishing another herbal ley and already the soil is improving. Future plans include reinstating more hedges to create more wildlife habitat, as well as making it easier to graze the sheep.

As we started to return, we talked about the several ponds which are home to Great-Crested Newts and many other species of birds and animals. Finally, we passed through a path with young trees on either side, which soon become a small copse, creating more wildlife habitat.

As the light faded, we all sat down to tea or coffee and ate home-made cakes Rachel had baked and had a lively discussion about the problems of modern farming and solutions, as demonstrated to us.
Thank you, Rachel, for an engaging and fascinating afternoon.

​Peter Shallcross

​© Fera

This field trip is not suitable for those who are allergic to bees.

We are fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Matt Somerville and fit one more field trip into our calendar. Matt's passion is making beehives, supplying them all over the country to establish colonies of wild bees. This event will cover the ecology of wild bees and their importance as pollinators. Jonathan Thompson has several of Matt's hives on his nature reserve, which is worth visiting in its own right. View the fascinating short film about Matt's way of making the hives here.

Please contact us to book a place and tell us whether you'll meet us at the Nadder Centre, Weavelands Road, Tisbury for car share or meet at the Underhill Nature Reserve. Details below.

Visit to Underhill Nature Reserve. Organised by Peter Shallcross.  
Meet at the Nadder Centre car park for 3:30 pm departure or at Underhill Nature Reserve, East Knoyle, SP3 6BP at 4 o'clock.   What3words //bearable.whispers.echo

Anticipated end time: Concluding at 6:30 to 7.00 pm with return to Nadder Centre by 7:00-7.30 pm. 

Distance, Difficulty and Footwear: There will be less than ½ mile of walking, some of it uphill. The walking could be very uneven and wet. Walking shoes/boots are advised.

Our apology that Focus September magazine has the wrong date. We are going on Sat 27th September! 

Rachel Hall has revitalised the wildlife on her farm with re-wetting a corridor, dug ponds, agroforestry, plus field corner and corridor tree planting. Refreshments afterwards. No dogs. Please contact us to book a place. More information about the farm here.

Meet at the Nadder Centre car park for 5:30 pm departure or at Gutchpool Farm, Gillingham SP8 5QP at 6:00 pm.  What3words ///tonality.gossip.envy
 
Distance, Difficulty and Footwear: There will be ½ mile of walking, some of it uphill. The walking could be very uneven and wet. Walking shoes/boots are advised.

Anticipated end time: Concluding at 7:30 to 8.00 pm with return to Nadder Centre by 8:00-8.30 pm.

Andrew Graham will be our guide around Hengistbury Head, a spit formed on the coast where the rivers Stour and Avon discharge into Christchurch Harbour and so into the Channel at Mudeford. A walk around the head provides fabulous views across the harbour as well as diverse habitats to explore.  

Meet at the Nadder Centre car park at 9:30 am or outside the Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre at 11:00 am   OS: SZ 164 911
What3words ///fled.these.united
 
Distance, Difficulty and Footwear: We shall take an approximately 3.5 mile walk around the head at a leisurely pace on informal paths and mostly gentle slopes. Walking shoes/boots are advised. Bring a packed lunch and refreshments.

Anticipated end time: Conclude at 3:00 pm returning to Nadder Centre by 4:30 pm.

 More information Visit Hengistbury Head