Down Farm, Sixpenny Handley - wildlife and archaeology virtual field trip

The pond at Down Farm - James Phillips

If it hadn’t been for the coronavirus we would have urged you to join an excursion we were due to make to Martin Green’s organic farm at Sixpenny Handley.

When our Chairman Peter Shallcross asked him to give us some idea of what we would miss, Martin replied:

“We have just had an unprecedented number of raptors on the farm & adjacent this weekend. My neighbours cut an adjacent field for silage last week and since it has been a focal point for feeding - a few hundred corvids at least 7 red kites & 10 buzzards and a marsh harrier - not bad!

Anyway my friend James Phillips visited and recorded these species on the farm – around our pond and in a re-wilding area - hopefully gives a feel for what your group may have seen here.

Maybe next year…………….?”

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And he copied James Phillips’ message:

“17th May 2020:
Around the pond and woodland planting: 
Highlights were Emperor dragonfly, Azure and Large Red damselfly, Small blue, Common blue, Green hairstreak, Large skipper butterflies, Burnet companion moth plus singing Lesser Whitethroat in the woodland scrub and a pair of Corn bunting and a pair of Yellowhammer on territory around the pond. 
12 Hectares: Highlights were Grey partridge on territory calling, 3 pairs of Yellowhammer, a flock of 16 Corn bunting plus 4 pairs on territory, 1 pair of Linnets, 6 singing Skylark and 2 Brown hare with at least 3-4 Red kite over the nearby woodlands towards Wimborne St Giles. 
It’s was also great to see the Woad still in flower.”

To give you a start on what to look out for when up on Cranborne Chase, here are James's photos and others from our growing photo-library.  Should you need help identifying, I do intend to provide a list of the myriad apps now available.  For birds, meantime, the British Trust for Ornithology has a wonderful page to help you.