Welcome to the Grazing for Wildlife Blog

Living Landscapes Appeal

2011-11-29T11:13:00.001Z

Hello. If you have time please have a look atour 50^th Anniversary ‘LivingLandscapes’ appeal to see if you, or anyone you know, is able to supportit.

http://www.hwt.org.uk/pages/living-landscapes-appeal.html

The Trusts vision is to create living landscapesand living seas rich in wildlife and valued by everyone.

Living landscapes is about creating bigger,better quality and more joined up nature for everyone. A high quality naturalenvironment is essential for people’s quality of life and the Trust is workinglocally to join up wildlife-rich habitats and restore colour and vitality to ourcountryside and towns. Our targeted approach ensures that we focus on areaswhere the most benefits for nature can be achieved. Your help as alooker puts you right at the heart of our living landscapes work in your areaand we very much appreciate your support.

Many thanks Laura

New look, Old face

2011-09-04T21:42:00.001+01:00

Yes – your blog looks different! Your blog has been updated to give it afacelift and a fresher feel. This should also ensure it still contains relevantand up-to-date information for you which can actually help you with yourLookering when you log on. The functionality and the way you post yourlivestock checks remains the same so hopefully you shouldn’t have any problems.Please let me know by email if you encounter any problems with the new blog orhave any comments.

And by the way, I am back from maternity leave this week! It’snice to be back.

Laura

Scary or Just Hairy?

2010-01-26T16:10:00.001Z

Does a sign on the gate saying ‘Cattle Grazing including a Bull’ make you feel unsure? Ever wondered how to walk through a reserve with cattle in it? Or how best to behave when you come across a cow with calf on your walk? Let the Grazing Project Staff ease your fears by introducing you to the cattle at Pondtail. Get up close to the cows, learn about attitudes (yours and the cows’) and how to adapt your behaviour to negotiate a herd safely and confidently.

This event may be subject to cancellation in the event of MOD training so booking is essential.
Date: 27 February 2010
Time: 2-3.30pm
Location: Meet on the heath at the end of Pondtail Road (Map ref. SU 826 541). Please park with consideration to local residents.
Suggested Donation: £1.50
Booking Essential? Yes
Contact: Laura Fairs, LauraF@hwt.org.uk or 01256 381190

Conservation Land Management

2009-09-18T12:59:00.002+01:00

Hello
There is quite a lengthy article about our work in the latest edition of Conservation Land Management.
This is a quartely publication aimed primarily at land managers, but may have some interesting snippets for everybody who has an interest in the countryside.

New Member of the Team

2009-08-07T14:05:00.003+01:00

Hello Everyone,

Just a quick 'post' to introduce myself. My name is Keith Blackmore and I've been lucky enough to have recently joined the HWT Northern Team as an Assistant Grazing Project and Reserves Officer.

I live with my wife, and English Springer Spaniel, in Blackwater on the edge of the Minley exercise areas. For the past four years I worked as a Countryside Warden for the National Trust in East Hampshire (Selborne and Ludshott Commons) and am very much looking forward to learning my way around the reserves and grazed areas.

I will shortly be added to the weekend 'on call' rota to be contacted after you've rung the Herriard Office (01256 381190). Please check that the mobile phone numbers that you have are 'current' as we've had a bit of a 'phone swap'.

Only my second ever 'blog' - so fingers crossed! Pictures to follow next time when I've mastered the technology!

Contact Numbers;

ALEX Cruickshank
Grazing Project Manager
07789 096330

DAVID Jewsbury
Asst. Grazing & Reserves Officer
07836 493677

ELLIOTT Fairs
Grazing Project & Reserves Officer (Fleet)
07833 387319

KEITH Blackmore
Asst. Grazing & Reserve Officer
07770 918372

LAURA Fairs
Grazing Project & Reserves Officer p/t
07786 880592

MIKE Morton
Reserves & Grazing Project Officer (Hook)
07786 678604

A plea for new members

2009-07-16T14:34:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone,

Because of the current recession and the stresses and difficulties that this poses upon us as individuals and as a charity, we are really trying to raise our membership levels to help us through these difficult times. The money that is raised through membership recruitment is extremely important for the Wildlife Trust as it is classified as unrestrictive which means it can be spent on any conservation task we like with no strings attached.

I have recently uploaded a copy of our membership form which gives you all the information you need to join the Wildlife Trust and also gives you some extra information that our charity does outside of your area as well as details all of the benefits you will receive from being a member.

If you are not already a member please do just take five minutes to have a look at the link on the right hand side of the blog called 'www,hwt.org.uk'. If you would like to join, excellent, or if you feel you know of anyone else that would like to join then please forward the link to them and help us spread the word.

I do hope that you don’t mind me blogging this but we were all told yesterday at a staff meeting that we need to do more to gain members as they are so crucial to the Trusts future so this is the start of my efforts.

Best wishes

Elliott

Species Profile

2009-06-22T13:08:00.027+01:00

Hey Everyone I'm Charlotte, currently doing a work experience placement with the Grazing for Wildlife Project.
I thought i'd just write a quick profile on 3 key species that can be found on our sites, and why grazing is important for these species.

Dartford Warbler Sylvia Undata

Small warbler with long tail, often cocked. Female browner above and paler pink below than male.

Where to see them: Lowland heathland with gorse and heather.

When to see them: All year round.

What they eat: Insects.

Number in Britain: 1700 pairs.

Length:12 cm

Wingspan:16 cm

Weight:10 g

First Record:1773

Clutch Size:4 eggs

Incubation:12- 14 days

Number of Broods: 2/3

Positive impacts of grazing:

-Long-term grazing will reduce the regeneration of invasive scrub
species, which could dominate the heathland.
-Low dense gorse will result from grazing, particularly with winter
grazing.

Nightjar Caprimulgus Europaeus

Nocturnal. Wonderful cryptic plumage looking like tree bark, and is difficult to see when roosting during the day.

Where to see them: Lowland heaths, open woodland, commons and young conifer plantations and felled areas of forest.
When to see them: Arrives in the UK between late April to mid-May, they are best looked and listened for at dusk on warm, still, summer evenings. They mainly leave in August and September.

What they eat: Insects - moths and beetles.
Number in Britain: 4600 males.
Length:27cm.
Wingspan:60cm.
Weight:83g.
First Record: 10th Century
Clutch Size: 2 eggs.
Incubation:18 days.
Number of Broods: 1-2.
Positive impacts of grazing:

-Grazing vital to create bare patches that are not part of pathways or
other areas prone to disturbance for nest sites.
-Dunging increases the levels of invertebrate prey within the heathland,
this is even more necessary if the surrounding land is or is likely to
become unsuitable for feeding nightjars.
-Grazing will create a greater diversity of habitat types and therefore
increases the levels of invertebrate fauna needed.

Woodlark Lullula arborea

It is a streaky brown bird, with a buffy-white eye-stripe which meets across the nape. It has a well developed crest on its crown which is not always conspicuous. In flight the peculiarly short tail and broad, rounded wings are noticeable and the deeply undulating flight with closed wing glides is characteristic.

Where to see them:A summer visitor to the heathlands, requires bare ground and a short sward for feeding. Nests close to paths and firebreaks and among tussocks.

When to see them:All year round.

What they eat:Seeds and insects.

Number in Britain: 1500 pairs.

Length:15 cm.

Wingspan:28 cm.

Weight:30 g.

First Record: 15th Century.

Clutch Size:3 - 5 eggs.

Incubation:14 days.

Number of Broods:2-3.

Positive impacts of grazing:

-Increases the area of short sward and bare ground needed for
foraging.
-Produces a mosaic of short and long swards needed for breeding.
-Dunging increases the levels of invertebrate prey.

Fires on Heathlands

2009-04-06T13:24:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone,

On Wednesday last week I planned to email you all today to let you know that we will soon be entering the heathland fire season any minute now. Unfortunately we had 2 fires on Caesars Camp, 1 on Velmead Common and 2 on Long Valley all within 5 days of each other before i could get chance to warn you all.

Anyway my warning I suppose is still valid especially if the weather stays as it is. Statistically ( and the fire brigade record all incidents that are reported to them) April has the highest number of fires on heathlands throughout the year. the statistics can even pinpoint that the majority of fires occur between the hours of 3pm and 4pm. Obviously this does not mean all fires occur at these times but the majority of them do.

So what does this mean for you?

Firstly take extra care when walking on the heaths at this time of year, especially if it is dry and then is a breeze.

Secondly, ensure that somebody knows where you are, just in case something happens, and more importantly when you expect to be home.

Always try to carry a mobile phone with you. A fire, if reported early, is much much easier to contain and control than if it is left unreported.

Always call 999 if the fire brigade are not present. please do not assume that somebody else must have and more often than not people will not report anything. The fire services will easily be able to tell you with 30 seconds if there are already fire personnel on their way.

Once you have called 999, please give one of the grazing project a ring to let us know there is a fire. We can liaise with the MoD wardens as to how big the fire is and whether the cattle are in danger and so require moving.

Lastly, and most importantly, do not try to tackle the fire yourself. Heathland fires can appear to be very slow and sluggish and seem quite puny but in fact they are stored up energy ready to ignite the next waiting gorse bush and believe you and me gorse goes up like rocket fuel!

So keep your distance, call 999 and then call us.

I hop[e this helps and hope even more that you never need to take any of these actions.

Elliott

Signs of spring

2009-02-23T22:13:00.002Z

What a wonderful feeling, the days lengthening, the warmth of the sun on my back. At this time of year one can look deep into the landscape, before the blossom flowers and the plants leaf up.

There is a plant sustaining our livestock with green forage and giving walkers a tropical experience as they pass its aroma of coconut and vanilla. I remember walking the Isle of Man coast almost drunk on the heady scent. It is gorse.

Also known as furze and whin, this plant was once very valuable, especially as fuel, it reaches high temperatures when burnt, perfect for baking bread. Many commons placed resrictions on its cutting, limiting commoners to only what they could carry on their backs, I wonder if that included the spines? Today, land managers are keen to cut it down as it can invade the heath and shade out rarer plants and grazing. Also, due to its high heat on combustion it is cut down in fire breaks especially where it grows close to houses, such as on Sandy Hill at Caesars Camp.
It is extremely valuable to wildlife, as a long flowering nectar source providing food to insects when little else is in flower. You can get a taste by neatly plucking the pea like flowers.

In sheltered locations such as valley sides it provides nesting habitat for birds such as the dartdord warbler, yellow hammer, stonechat and linnet. It is a vital winter refuge for the dartford warbler.

On our sites you will find common gorse Ulex europaeus as an upright shrub and dwarf gorse Ulex minor growing close to the ground. There is a third species in Britain, Western gorse Ulex gallii, which as its name suggests, is found in the western regions. Gorse is not restricted to acidic soils, you will also find it on free draining limestone and chalk soils.

On the grazing front it works well as a stock proof hedge and fodder, especially at this time of year when much of the heather has been eaten and the purple moor grass tussocks are brown and low in nutrition.

In the summer listen out for the seed poods as they crackle, bursting open in succession, spreading their seed.

Snow

2009-02-13T10:57:00.004Z

Hello

The snow has had a number of impacts on our work. For starters, like everbody else in this part of the world, it made it difficult to get into work last Monday.

When we did get in on Tuesday we needed to check the sites as livestock often find it difficult to find food when the ground is covered with snow. Because of the 'heathy' nature of our sites the snow is easily shaken off small trees and heather bushes so the cattle seem to be able to find plenty to eat - although they often have to tuck into unusual plants like pine trees and laurel.

Because of the lower availability of food, it is likely that the cattle split up more and move further distances, makling them harder to locate and check. They are also more likely to escape as they go on a hunt for more food. This was the case, and on the Tuesday we had 3 cattle escape from Caesar's Camp. One of these was through a cut fence. I had the pleasure of the company of the local police force, the MOD police and a couple of members of the public as we chased it back in along the Bourley Road. This made the local news.

Unfortunately the other 2 were less lucky. It is likely that they escaped through a gate that had been propped open. They were out all night and one of them got hit by a car and killed in the early hours of Wednesday. We will be replacing the gate with a kissing gate that cannot be left open.

In more cheery news, it did make for some good photos!

Danny Allen About Me

2009-01-06T10:28:00.000Z

My name is Danny Allen im 17 years old and currently studying a national diploma in Countryside Management at Sparsholt agricultural college (Winchester) I will be working with the project for 3 weeks for my work experience. Im in my second year there and the course is going very well my favourite subjects are Livestock management, Deer Management and Archaeology. Having grown up in an urban area (Portsmouth) I was tempted into conservation and land management by a colleague where I work at Butser Ancient Farm. After applying to the college I was soon accepted to my delight. My interests include Shooting, Beating, Bushcraft, Gundog training and the general outdoors. At school I spent most of my time staring out of the window at a pigeon or some other outside attraction rather than getting on with work. Such is my pull to the outdoors than I volunteer often and enjoy it when I do so. Being at Sparsholt and volunteering for various organisations has given me an even more enhanced view of nature, now I can’t help myself identifying trees or flora when out for a walk with family much to their annoyance at times. Im looking forward to working with the project and hope I enjoy my time with the team!!! - Danny

Christmas is approaching

2008-12-23T12:36:00.003Z

Happy Christmas to you all!

Thank you to everybody who reads and contributes to this blog, I hope that you find it interesting.

We have had a good, and interesting, year. The cattle dying at Caesar's Camp was obviously a bit of a low, but hopefully that is all sorted out and we can get on with looking after the cattle again. All the other sites seem to be doing just fine, and we have already had lots of positive comments from wildlife experts who say these areas are benefiting greatly from that work that we are doing.

The Wildlife Trust's Grazing Project is contantly looking to expand. We are taking on the 'habitat management' (mostly scrub and grass management) from the MOD on many of the areas around Aldershot and Fleet from next year, and we have a couple more sites lined up to introduce cattle in the coming months.

Thanks again to everybody who has assisted us over the past year, and I look forward to working with you in 2009 and beyond.

Best Wishes for Christmas from all the Grazing Project Team

Grazing Project on BBC website

2008-12-16T09:21:00.003Z

Hello
We had a BBC reporter out on Longmoor last week. He has written an article about our work on this Army Training Area. You can read it (an listen to it!) here:
Longmoor Article

2008-12-09T14:58:00.001Z

Hello All,

This is my first tentative step in to the world of blogging, just wanted to introduce myself as the new Conservation Trainee. It’s been a really busy first month for me but I have managed to visit a few of the grazing sites with Elliott and said hello to most of the cows. All the trainees (there’s six of us) have helped to clear scrub and trees from both Ancells farm and Noar Hill and usually get roped into helping move the cattle as there’s so many of us, strength in numbers! We helped move the 6 dexters on Noar Hill down to their new field last Wednesday, they all seemed rather boisterous and decided to take-off down a side path, there was a lot of bribery using feed going on!
Really enjoying everything so far, sure I will meet a few of you out and about at some point.

Lisa

What is supplementary feeding and why do we do it?

2008-12-09T13:16:00.003Z

Hello everyone,

As Christmas rapidly approaches and we are all busy either buying or wrapping presents or arguing who we should and should not send a Christmas card to spare a short moment to think of the cattle that are still out on site, contentedly grazing away through the ever shortening days and ever more increasingly frosty mornings.

We still have cattle on the majority of our project sites as their eating habits change dramatically during the winter months to when they would normally be on site during the rest of the year. Instead of eating all of the fresh luscious green grass that grows every second of the day, or picking off the leaves that have caused the trees lowest branches to bend to within reach of the cows long tongues, the cattle switch to eating brittle and spiky old gorse bushes, next years tree buds, holly leaves and berries, any bramble leaves which continue to avoid the frosts or basically anything which has some kind of vitamins or minerals in it.

This alteration of cattle eating habits has massive beneficial impacts on the site for the following year by keeping all of the scrub in check and preventing it from spreading out into the more important heather dominated heathland.

Some of you may wonder whether the cattle can get enough vitamins and minerals from just eating these morsels around the site and the answer would have to be no they cannot. Historically the sites would have been so big that they would have been able to support more animals throughout the winter but nowadays with the heaths all being fragmented up by roads, railways and housing they are too small to support the cattle on their own throughout winter.

So how comes we still have cattle on site if the sites cannot support them on their own? I hear you say...the answer is by reducing the number of cattle on site in the winter months and by supplementary feeding them what are known as mineral blocks or licks. these take many forms but a re generally a plastic bucket full with what looks like a big oxo cube. They are made up of a variety of things including ash, and seaweed (for a full list of ingrediants check the side of the bucket) and act in the same way as any vitamin or mineral tablets that you or I may take throughout the year. We would not necessarily die if we did not take them but it certainly cannot hurt us to take them and hopefully keeps away and colds or infections and makes sure we are all fit and strong come springtime and raring to go.

Well now that I seem to have endorsed all vitamin and mineral supplements I should counter that by saying we should all eat an healthy balanced diet of meat and two veg, 5 glasses of water a day, 5 bits of fruit and veg a day and so on blah blah blah.

So hopefully that has explained a little bit more about how we manage to keep animals on the heaths over the winter months.

Elliott

Cattle onto Caesars Camp

2008-11-14T12:01:00.001Z

Hello everyone.

Having closely monitored the cattle that managed to stay on site, I am pleased to announce that we and the grazier are now happy to go ahead and increase the numbers to roughly their original number on Caesars Camp.

This afternoon the grazier is going to be re-introducing another 31 cows onto the site via the Beacon Hill Road entrance. This means there will be 36 cattle in total. They will all be Hereford and Aberdeen Angus Cross and hopefully will stay on the site all through the winter.

Our assumption is that they will wander all over the site as a herd to begin with but will generally stay in the 'tail of the whale' for the first few weeks as it is much quieter at this end of the site. This is the end of the site nearest to Beacon Hill Road.

As always if you have any problems or questions please call us on 01256 381190 where you can get all of our mobile numbers in the case of emergencies. Please remember to leave a message and the member of staff on call will get back to you ASAP.

Elliott

Site checks and updates

2008-11-11T16:35:00.002Z

Hello everyone,

Today I was down to visit all of the sites with our new Conservation Trainee, Lisa Ferguson. Lisa has taken over from Oliver Hine and will be working with us closely for the next year. I am sure you will see if not hear from lisa in the coming months.

All of the cattle were found on Caesars Camp which was really nice to see and they very behaving quite calmly considering what had happened. This is the first time since the lead episode since all has been quiet and believe you and me it is lovely to see.

After Caesars we visited Long Valley and again found all of the cows and dropped off some mineral blocks for them.. We had plumes of smoke going over our heads from the fires where the contractors are burning the scrub. Both scrub being burnt on a heath and scrub being eaten on a heath are soooo nice to see and will really really improve the site for wildlife, especially the birdies.

Leaving Long Valley we completed our cattle lookering hatrick by finding the Velmead Common three grazing very nicely and calmly in the heath. I assume that the news that they are about to be joined by hopefully another twelve cows has not got to them yet otherwise their reception may have been a little bit different.

Although I did not get to visit Pondtail I did manage to speak to a contractor from heathland Managament Services who has started work on the site to....you guessed it....clear scrub. He anticipates being on site for 2 weeks at which point he will head over the Norris Hill Road onto Velmead and start to clear the scrub from there.

All in all a very successful, problem and stress free afternoon and a good introduction to the Project for Lisa.

see you all soon

Elliott

2008-11-05T16:09:00.003Z

Cattle back onto a snowy Caesars Camp

2008-10-29T11:40:00.000Z

Well, despite mother nature’s best efforts to delay our re-introduction of the cattle onto Caesars Camp I can now confirm that 8 cattle (all Hereford/Aberdeen Angus Crosses 5 black and three red) have been re-introduced onto the site, via the entrance at Beacon Hill Road.

This initially small herd will be very closely monitored by the grazing project team by using a radio transmitter fitted to a collar on one of the cows. We will monitor where the cattle are and in particular if they re-visit the area where the contaminated lead (which has now been removed) was discovered.

When everyone (The Grazing Project, the grazier and the MoD) are happy to, we will increase the numbers to a level which is required to get back on top of the grass and scrub re-growth which has enjoyed a few months of being un-grazed.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience, understanding and co-operation with what has been a particular troubling time and a huge thank you goes out to all of those of you who helped us ‘clean up the camp’ a few months back.

We look forward to the few remaining months of 2008 being trouble free at Caesars Camp and the rest of the Grazing project sites.

Elliott

Let Sleeping Cows Lie!

2008-09-30T13:09:00.000+01:00

A few of you have noted that you have had difficulty in raising your cows when you have encountered them resting. It is certainly important to know that our cows have no limb injuries and can walk normally. At the same time, attempting to get a group of cows onto their feet can be dangerous, especially if you come between individuals in the herd. It can also be stressful to the cows.

So, I would suggest that if a group of cows are found lying down resting and they are all chewing the cud, bright-eyed, breathing normally, with no discharge from either end, they can safely be left and there is no need to try and get them to their feet.

In fact, if you do force a group of cows to their feet, they may even give false indications of injury as they may exhibit stiffness and pins-and-needles and appear lame. Within a few, minutes, just like us, they will have walked it off.

So when should you report a cow lying down? When should you try and get a cow to its feet? Well, the place and position a cow is lying in is important. A cow lying in a ditch, on its own, is a very different situation from one amongst a group simply having a rest in the shade. I would suggest that any cow lying on its own, some way off from the rest of its herd, is worth a closer look. In this situation, when approached a healthy cow will quickly stand and rejoin the herd. If it does not, do not ‘make’ it get to its feet; if it is injured, you are likely to stress it out, which may cause it to injure itself further.

Instead, any cow in this situation should be reported to us. We can then monitor it and, if necessary, inform the grazier. A cow which has not risen for a day or more obviously becomes more of a worry. However, cows are notoriously stubborn. I seem to remember a James Herriott story about a cow which had lain prone in its byre for two days. It was about to be shot with a suspected broken pelvis when it rose languidly to its feet, none the worse for wear!
So I hope that helps to clear things up about when to help and when to let sleeping cows lie!

Oliver

The art of lookering!

2008-09-30T12:58:00.000+01:00

Hello All,

It’s been great to see how well you have all adopted the looker blogs; hopefully this will make it easier not only for you to communicate with us and each other, but for the graziers too, who can now get an immediate update on their animals.

With cows on three of our sites, and the prospect of cows returning to Caesar’s Camp in the not-too-distant future, I thought this might be an opportune time to reaffirm the things to look out for when lookering (although judging by your posts few of you need any reminding!).

If you have time, it is good practice (and quite rewarding) to watch your cows from a long way off for a minute of two, if possible before they are aware of you. This way you will get a good idea of how they behave naturally, when they are completely relaxed, and will get a good idea of the herd dynamics. Once you know how cows act when they are healthy, you will be able to pick up on any change in their behaviour much more quickly.

As soon as cows are aware of your presence (or even moreso, the presence of a dog) they begin to behave differently. This is true even of cows that are ‘used’ to people. They may bunch up, the cows may move to protect their calves, or their breath rate may increase.

Furthermore, cows as herd animals instinctively try to ‘hide’ signs of illness or injury from potential predators, including humans. It is sometimes easier to check for signs of injury or distress in a group that is relaxed, rather than one that is on edge and aware of your presence.

What should you look for? Breathing is an important indicator. Is it laboured, rasping, or is it very shallow and fast? Both can be danger signs. Problems often manifest themselves at each ‘end’ of a cow: its head and rear end. All cows drool, but excessive amounts of coloured drool may indicate a problem. Cloudy eyes, or any discharge from the eyes, will also be worth noting.

If a cow has an injury or illness, it will soon lose interest in cleaning itself. Therefore, a mucky rear-end can be a danger sign. At the same time, it is perfectly natural and normal for a cow to take a mud bath occasionally!

Conversely, persistent licking of the same spot could be a sign of a skin infection or ringworm, and again this should be brought to our attention.

Some signs of illness are subtle. Yet it can be very clear when a cow is unwell. I encountered a number of cows affected by lead poisoning at Caesar’s Camp. They were separate from the herd, listless, with their heads down, but not eating or foraging, and could be approached, even touched, without showing any interest at all in you. In short, here was every danger sign that the lookering course teaches us to look out for. Even had I not known about the lead poisoning, I would have known something was wrong.

To make sure you check every part of a cow, it may be helpful to adopt a pattern which you use every time, checking first the ears and head, then neck, then front feet, underbelly, back legs, rump and back, before repeating this on the other side.

Keep up the reports, and many thanks for your continued help!

Oliver

Velmead Common School Visit

2008-09-26T09:48:00.002+01:00

Last Friday a class from Church Crookham Primary School spent the morning discovering the wildlife on Velmead. The trip was organised as part of their "Adventure Week".

The morning started with a plant survey of the heath, the children found many different plants to draw and learn about, including; common heather, gorse, bog myrtle and sundews! Then the group moved onto a bug hunt, everybody's favourite activity! The kids were really enthusiastic and quite proficient at finding all of the creepy crawlies hiding in the undergrowth. Some really interesting insects were found, including a fox moth caterpillar (a hugh hairy and slightly poisinous one!) and bog bush crickets.

All in all it was a really fun morning, and it was clear that the children learnt a lot about the heath and the wildlife present. A few children commented that it was the most enjoyable visit of the week and that they would drag their parents to Velmead at the weekend to look for more minibeasts. It was great to get local children involved in the fantastic heathland on their doorstep.

Mike M

A glorious day in the life of a reserves and grazing project officer.

2008-09-20T11:15:00.006+01:00

Hurray! The sun is shining again!

Yesterday I set off to Noar Hill to meet with a contractor who will be cutting invasive bushes, to stop them from invading the grassland.

What a glorious day to be out. While walking through the old chalk pits we saw many butterflies.

A crisp glow of orange and brown caught my eye, with ragged wings, it had to be the comma, the first I have seen this autumn. The first commas come out in April and May after hibernating through the winter camouflaged on branches and in old leaves. If you see one now it is probably from a 'second brood'. As you may have noticed there are fewer flowers to nectar on, so they will often feed on overripe fruit such as fallen apples and blackberries.

The meadow browns were looking a bit tatty. Not surprising since this single brood first appears in May and continues through to October, even flying on cloudy days and suffering the occasional spot of rain. They are one of our most widespread butterflies, a lovely dusky brown with orange upper wings.

One of my favourite butterflies is the speckled wood. Now this is one of those appropriately named anaimls, since it is indeed speckled, with creamy flecks on a chocolately brown background. And you find them on the edges of woods, in shady hedgerow paths, flitting in front of you as you walk along.

After Michael, the contractor, had left I went to check on the six short legged dexter cattle who graze Noar Hill. The perfect way to check on their wellbeing is to sit a little way off and watch them. They soon settle down and ignore me and I find it facinating to watch the way they eat, nuzzling into the best bits of greenery. Taking delicate bites of spiny blackthorn and stripping the leaves from brambles. They are connoisseurs of conservation land! They soon get bored when in a flat field with just grass and clover. Going back to the blog about ragwort, the dexters easily eat around the hoary ragwort which we allow to grow at Noar Hill. When we bought the dexters from their breeder in Newbury, we did so knowing they had been raised in grassland and had learned what to eat from their mothers. I suppose it doesn't take long to learn not to eat what doesn't taste good.

After a while the dexters moved off into the beech woods, where they had a satisfying scratch on the various structures avaialble: the dense twiggy epicormic growth for brushing their backs; a nice solid fallen limb for rubbing the chest. What a life!

After Noar Hill I headed to Caesars Camp to check the fence. We hope to return the cattle to this site soon, so I was making sure the fences were intact. There were only a few slack places, and a couple of spots where the stock mesh had been pushed down under the barb. Without too much to fix I made it round the entire fence, finding no cow shaped holes. It is very heartening to find the fence becoming an accepted part of the landscape. If you ever find a problem, do get in contact so we can fix it speedily.

Finally, on the return leg of the trip back to the office a quick stop at North Warnborough Greens to replace a missing chain for one of the gates and affix signs on the entrance gates about the New Forest ponies which graze the greens. All was well, crystal clear water flowing through the ditches, the ponies settled and the rights if way recently cleared for walkers and riders.

Yes, that was one of my favourite work days.

Caesars Camp clean up on TV

2008-09-19T13:27:00.002+01:00

For those of you who could not make the clean up on site a few weeks back it was a very good success. Television crews were present and the news piece that went out a week or so later can be seen on

http://www.itvlocal.com/meridian/news/?player=MER_News_15&void=231468

You can scan through the news piece upon where our article starts at 4.50 mins

Thanks again to everyone who turned up and for all of you showing your support, patience and understanding over these past few months.Happy viewing

Dung, glorious dung!

2008-09-17T20:52:00.004+01:00

Grazing cows on heathland helps it, and the wildlife on it, in lots of different ways. Cows eat aggressive, fast-growing scrub species such as bramble and even holly, which can shade out delicate and rarer plants. By creating bare patches with their hooves, cows create opportunities for heathland plants such as Bog Asphodel to set seed. By ingesting plants and using some of the energy stored in them to heat their bodies (and move around) cows help to reduce the nutrients found in the soil. This actually helps specialist heathland plants which need nutrient-poor conditions.

Another brilliant thing about cows is the dung they produce. Because plants are so tough, it takes a lot of effort for herbivores to extract all the goodness from them. This is the reason cow stomachs (and therefore cows) are so large; the plant needs a long gut to travel through before it's properly digested. In fact, cows have four stomachs, or at least four compartments to their stomachs. (If you're wondering, rabbits and hares, which eat similar things to cows, also have trouble getting all the nutrients out of their food. They solve the problem in a different way, by simply eating their droppings, almost literally getting two bites of the cherry!).

Even after it's passed through four stomachs, a cow's dung has enough goodness in it to support a whole host of animals. Dung beetles eat the partly-digested plant material found in it, and they in turn get hunted by carnivorous rove beetles. The fermenting plant material provides a perfect incubator for the larvae of yellow dung flies to develop. They in turn get hunted by bats and birds such as swifts and nightjars

A single cow pat may therefore support thousands of individual creatures. In fact, a single cow can produce enough dung each year to support an animal community a quarter of its bodyweight!

Just think of that the next time you tread in a cow pat!

Ragwort - kill it, or keep it?!

2008-09-03T16:22:00.008+01:00

Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is a tall plant with yellow flowers. It is a member of the daisy family that normally lives for a couple of years. In the first year it forms low-growing 'rosettes', and then in the second year it grows into the tall plant with the yellow flowers and seeds.
It grows in areas with very short turf or bare ground, such as heavily rabbit grazed, or disturbed areas.
It is poisonous to livestock if ingested, causing liver damage even in small doses. Over a longer period this will build up causing severe illness and even death.
Ragwort is classed as an injurous weed, so allowing it to spread onto neighbouring land is unlawful.

However: it does support lots of wildlife. It is one of the few plants that is flowering at this time of year, and so is an important source of nectar for many insects. In addition to this the actual plant is eaten by over 50 species of insect, 30 of which don't eat anything else! If we were to eradicate ragwort it would have a dramatic effect on all this wildlife as well as everything that eats, or is a parasite of, the insects that feed directly on ragwort.

So what do we do? Kill it, or keep it?

We say: "do both!" Were it is likely to cause a problem with livestock we either spray it with selective herbicide, or we pull it before it is able to set seed. It is very important to remove any dead or pulled plants from the grazed areas as it is much more likely to be eaten once it is dead, it is still toxic. I have seen some areas where well-meaning people have pulled ragwort and dropped, This is the wrong thing to do as livestock are much more likely to eat it!

Where ragwort is not in areas with livestock, we tend to leave it. As mentioned above, ragwort only grows on disturbed ground or where there is very short vegetation. If grazing land is managed correctly, there should not be a problem with ragwort spreading.
There are also many, non poisonous, plants that are easily confused with ragwort. These include the St. Johns Worts, Hawkweeds and Tansy.
Next time you see a field of ragwort, have another look - it may be a different plant altogether but it will be buzzing with insects!

For more inormation, have a look at:
Buglife, Ragwort fact file
DERFA Farming: Ragwort and injurious weeds
British Horse Society, Ragwort - The Problem, The Law and Control Techniques

Here Be Monsters!

2008-08-07T20:29:00.005+01:00

A soft rustle in the vegetation, and the sight of a disappearing tail, is usually all one sees of a Common Lizard. So it was a special treat to get such a close view of one on a recent visit to Ancells Farm Wildlife Reserve, a wet heathland near Aldershot within the Trust's Grazing Project.

Common Lizards are found all over Britain but they generally prefer areas of well-drained soil such as dry heathland or moorland (although curiously they also take to railway embankments). It might seem strange, therefore, that they should feel so at home at Ancells Farm, one of the wettest of our wildlife reserves! However, there is plenty of small invertebrate prey for them to eat, in the form of spiders and crickets, and the raised paths and boardwalks which meander through the reserve provide perfect basking spots.

Common Lizards are often troubled by parasites and this one seems to have picked up a few ticks, which can be seen clinging between the scales of its foreleg. However, they are unlikely to cause it much harm.

A recent visit to Ancells Farm also produced a rare sighting of the huge and impressive Raft Spider. This is our largest species of spider, with a legspan of 7 cm or more, and it is quite capable of taking prey as large as a tadpole.

Sometimes, it is the little things in conservation which leave a big impact and it was a real priviledge to get such a rare and intimate glimpse of these two fascinating predators.

Oliver

Conservation Trainee
Grazing Project

Another new team member on the Grazing Project

2008-07-30T09:23:00.001+01:00

There is another new face on the grazing project team, this time the new person weighs a little more than 7 lbs! His name is Mike Morton and he has joined us as the Assistant Grazing Project Officer. He has come to us from BBOWT (The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust), where he was working on a site called Chimney Meadows, which is made up of wet grassland and hay meadows. Mike is setting up a new volunteer team that will carryout practical work on the project sites. If you are interested in getting involved then you can contact him via mikem@hwt.org.uk . I’m sure that in time you will all get to meet him as he settles in and gets to know the project sites.

The Grazing Project Team

Latest update from Caesar's Camp

2008-07-25T17:33:00.002+01:00

Dear all,

I thought you might appreciate being given an update on the latest news from Caesar's Camp, following the recent outbreak of suspected lead poisoning amongst cattle on the reserve.
As a precautionary measure, it has been decided to remove all the cattle from the reserve for the time being. This will provide time to investigate the causes behind the recent incidents. It is hoped that we will be able to restore grazing to the reserve in due course, however you will understand we would first want to make sure that all risks of possible contamination have been identified and removed.
The Grazing Project Team have already conducted a search of the site and removed a number of objects of concern, however Caesar's Camp is a vast site and there is always the chance that more remains.
Visitors to the reserve can help us by reporting any suspicious objects that they see, which may have contributed to the recent incidents, such as car batteries, tins of paint, or 'sludge' in ponds or puddles.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Grazing Project Team on 01256 381190.

Finally, we would like to thank you for your support during this time.

Oliver

Grazing Project Team

Dragonflies on our heathlands: Guided Walk at Ancell's Farm

2008-07-22T12:09:00.004+01:00

Our heathlands are important habitats for ground-nesting birds, but they suppport a range of other species too, including a variety of dragonflies and damselflies. Where ponds have been created on heathland by man, either incidentally through peat digging or through gravel abstraction, or purposefully by 'scraping' with a digger, many species will flock to them. The Four-Spotted Chaser Dragonfly can be seen on Caesar's Camp, near Aldershot, hawking for mosquitos amongst the scrub, and it is itself often preyed upon by hobbies. Look too for the large and impressive Emperor Dragonfly, which will lay eggs in ditches and small ponds, using floating vegetation as a raft.

One of our smaller heathland sites, Ancells Farm, near Fleet, is notable for its population of Small Red Damseflies. This is a nationally rare damselfly but it is quite common at Ancells Farm. It has a rather weak, fluttering flight and tends to fly low over vegetation. Look for it amongst the Bog Myrtle on the fringes of the pond between June and September.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust are running a guided walk at Ancells Farm on Sunday 10 August, which will explore the hidden lives of these fascinating insects. The walk will run from 10.30am - 12pm. For further details, please contact Oliver Hine on 01256 381190. Suggested donation £1.50. Dogs on leads are welcome!

Oliver

Grazing Project Team

More Bad News at Caesar's Camp

2008-07-11T18:17:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone,

More bad news I am afraid.

Another Luing cow has been found dead on Caesar's Camp, up by the top of Beacon Road. The Grazier has been informed and the cow has been removed. It is unknown whether this case is related to the other dead cow but the suddenness of it all would suggest it may well be.

To be on the safe side it has been decided that the Luing cattle be taken off the site with immediate effect and so have been moved to a field near Minley.

This leaves 26 Hereford X and Aberdeen Angus cattle still on site. At present they will remain on site until further testing has been carried out.

We will be visiting the site and looking for any suspicious objects or spills in the hope of finding a possible cause of these two deaths. In the meantime, as always, if any of you find or see anything suspicious, or untoward, please do call us and let us know.

Thank you all for your continued support with this and fingers crossed.

Elliott

Lead poisoning

2008-07-10T17:35:00.002+01:00

Hello all. Alex here.
Sorry to be the bringer of bad news after the last couple of posts, but...
One of the cattle at Caesar's Camp has unfortunately succumbed to lead poisoning and died.
This is one of the commonest forms of poisoning in cattle and causes many deaths around the world.
It is normally caused by material containing lead being dumped on the site which the cattle can ingest. It is unlikely to have been caused by land contaminated by lead, as the levels in the dead cow's kidney were extremely high.
It would be very helpful if anybody visiting the area can keep their eyes peeled for any of the following:
Used oil, discarded batteries, grease, piles of metal, paint, putty, painted surfaces, roofing materials, plumbing supplies, asphalt, linoleum.
For more information about lead poisoning, please have a look at
http://www.defra.gov.uk/vla/diseases/dis_lead.htm

Many thanks

New team member for the Grazing Project

2008-07-06T11:57:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone,

Well the grazing project can now officially announce the latest member of its team. Maya Eden Willing Fairs joined the team on Wednesday 25th June at 23:40 weighing in at a healthy 7lb 14.5oz.
After some initial weight loss she is now up to her full birth weight again and is fighting, feeding and sleeping well.

Mum and dad are coping well and getting lots of rest, cards and presents, all of which make the whole new parenthood thing that much easier.

Maya is booked in on her first lookering course in August so it will not be long before she is out with all of you guys checking the animals or fixing the fences.

I have attached a picture for all of you who asked for one.

Elliott, Laura and Maya.

Fires on heathland

2008-07-04T12:18:00.002+01:00

The warmer weather we have enjoyed over the past few weeks has also led onto a less welcome development; there have been several incidents of fires on our heathlands at Pondtail and Long Valley, both near Fleet.

Heathland fires are a real challenge, both for us, the fire service, and the wildlife on our reserves which can be seriouisly affected by them.

Much as we would like to, we cannot maintain a constant presence on our reserves and therefore we rely on members of the public to report fires or suspicious activity as soon as possible to the fire brigade, or police service. This ensures that the fire can be brought under control before it takes more serious hold.

One more positive outcome to the recent fires has been the close co-operation it has encouraged between us and the fire bridage. Hopefully this will speed up the response to any future incidents. This is important as heathland fires can be a real logistical challenge; heathlands are often difficult to access for the fire brigade with few vehicle access points.

Some fires are undoubtedly started deliberately, but it is just as easy to start a fire accidently, for instance through a carelessly discarded cigarette butt, so it is worth taking extra care when out on the heath at this time of year.

The Grazing Project will be attending both the Aldershot Army Show, and the Alton Agricultural Show this weekend, so we may see some of you there! Lorriane, one of our graziers who owns the Dexters at Velmead Common, will be showing some of her stock at the Alton Show, so look out for them too!

Bye for now!

Oliver
Conservation Trainee
Grazing Project

sheep shearers at Herriard

2008-06-17T12:23:00.006+01:00

Today the shearers arrived to clip the fleeces from the flock of sheep which graze the estate where our office is based.

Most days I marvel at what a fabulous job I have. I travel to work on the train and bus with my backpack while other commuters head to their office in their suits. Five years ago the Wildlife Trust office was based in Eastleigh in the middle of an industrial estate, what a relief it is to be out in the working countryside at Herriard Park.

This morning I walked up the drive to find the shearers had arrived. They have sheared 19,000 sheep over the past seven weeks, and have two more weeks of work to go. They are a team of four, three shearers and one roller, who rolls and bags up the fleeces. They are fast, one of the two Swedes took one and a half minutes to shed the sheep of its fleece. You can work your way round the world, with New Zealand apparently holding appeal: snowboard the mountains in the morning, shearing for work, and down to the coast for a dip when you're done!

So why do sheep need shearing? Well at one time, wool was a key commodity, used for clothing, shoes, blankets, carpets and coats. Sheep were bred to grow good fleeces (their coat) which could be cut away and then sold. With the advent of cheaper artificial fibres wool's value has decreased to the extent that some farmers will burn their sheeps fleeces because they get so little on the market for them. The wool quality differs from breed to bred, and also by species, with Cashmere, taken from goats fetching high prices due to its lightweight, smooth and warm properties. Even if you can't get a decent price for your sheeps fleeces you still need to shear them. The wool keeps them warm in winter and they begin to shed it at this time of year. Primitive sheep would have had a dense layer of wool close to their skin, with the sparser outer layers falling off by itself. By shearing, the sheep are relieved of the bulk of their coat and are less susceptible to heat stress and flystrike in the hot summer months. Search the web under 'why shear sheep' for more info.

If you would like to support sheep farmers to get a better price for their sheeps wool you can buy woollen clothing, which has the advantage of keeping you warm when it's cool and cooling you down when you get hot, I find merino wool great for this. You can even get sheeps wool loft insulation to keep your whole house warm!

Ollie took some photos of the shearers in action. I bet they're looking forward to standing up straight at the end of the day!

Cattle return all over north Hampshire!

2008-06-02T12:05:00.003+01:00

Hello
Now that summer is officially here, cattle are back onto nearly all the Grazing Project MOD training areas:
Pondtail: 2 Hereford Cross (brown and white) and 3 Aberdeen Angus (black) Total 5
Long Valley: 14 Aberdeen Angus (black) Total 14
Caesar's Camp: 22 Aberdeen Angus/Hereford Cross (black and white/brown and white), 10 Luing cows and 11 Luing calves (reddish brown) Total 43
Velmead Common: 1 bull (red), 6 steers/young males (5 black, 1 red), 3 cows (all black), 2 calves (both black) Total 12

I hope that you can keep track of what is going on!
Please let us know if you have any concerns about the cattle or fences etc and we hope that you have a good summer on the heath!

Update for Velmead Common

2008-05-21T17:08:00.002+01:00

Hello
The cattle have arrived at Velmead and have settled in well.
There are 12 animals in total at the moment. These include:
Max, the bull (red)
6 steers (castrated males) (5 black, 1 red)
3 cows – Kiwi (with the collar on), Wembley and Alison (all black)
2 calves (both black)

Please keep an eye on them and let us know if you have any concerns.
Thanks, Alex

Cattle return to Velmead Common!

2008-05-09T16:05:00.002+01:00

After a winter relaxing back at the farm near Eastleigh, the Dexters are due to return to Velmead Common on the 13th May.
Some faces you will recognise such as Wembley, the black cow, and Max, the red bull, but there will be a few new ones too!
After the success of last years introduction we will be increasing the numbers so that they have more of an impact on the heath - that's the job they are there to do!

We are not sure how many we will be bringing up on Tuesday; it depends on how many we can coerce into the trailer on the day, but we will let you know how many there are so that you can help us keep an eye on them.

It would be really great if you could let everybody you see on the Common know so that nobody is taken unawares and we don't get a repeat of the excitment we had last year!

Many thanks, and see you out on the heath!
Alex

The big three: Nightjars, woodlarks and Dartford Warblers

2008-05-06T15:34:00.006+01:00

Our heathland sites are important places for a range of wildlife, not least of which are three rare bird species: the woodlark, Dartford Warbler, and nightjar. At this time of year, our native Dartford Warblers will be joined on the heaths by nightjars from tropical Africa and woodlarks from continental Europe.

The nightjar and woodlark both nest on the ground, which means they are particularly at risk of disturbance from people and especially, dogs. A bird which is forced to flee the nest may leave her eggs exposed to cold or predators. If she is flushed too often, this may delay the egg-producing period so that when the chicks do emerge, the grubs and caterpillars which form their early diet are already far advanced or are even pupae. This means that there is not enough suitable food for the chicks and they may die.

Walkers can help by keeping their dogs on a lead in these sensitive areas between the crucial nesting period of March to September each year. It has been estimated that if left free from disturbance a heathland species such as the woodlark could increase its population by 19%. Keeping dogs under control is therefore a small but important step towards helping the recovery of these wonderful birds.

The lilting, melodic song of a Dartford Warbler, or the quiet churr of a nighjar at dusk, are both sounds which epitomise a British heathland in summer. By being sensitive to wildlife and avoiding causing disturbance on the heaths, we can all do our bit to ensure these sounds are heard for generations to come.

Summer is on its way...

2008-04-24T11:41:00.003+01:00

Photograph by Steve Blacker, Looker at Caesar's Camp

Its that time of year – it’s been such a long time since last summer that it’s easy to forget what our countryside looks when everything is green and lush. We have lots of spring flowers out along the road sides and some of your vegetable seedlings will be growing in your cold frame or green house, but the overwhelming sense of greenness is still a distant memory.

Well, underneath the ground and in the tight buds on the trees all the energy is just waiting for the perfect conditions to burst out and begin its proper growth for the year. Any time soon, the grass will be growing like mad and the birch on the heath will be in full leaf and the familiar green feel will sweep across our sites once more.

This is the time of year when we are also waiting and watching the grasses and leaf growth too, as any day now we can put the cattle back out on the sites. It’s a fine line between wanting to get them back on our sites as soon as possible, and not have enough for the cattle to eat and not wanting to damage the sites if they are too wet. So we wait and watch and as soon as those cold frosty nights pass and the grass begins its full growth, we are ready to go.

We also have to make sure the farmers are happy to put the cattle back out too and at the moment some of our sites are in the Bluetongue Protection Zone, but the cattle are on their farms which may be outside of this zone. This adds complication as you can’t move animals from a high zone into a lower zone without a special license and the last thing farmers want is for their animals to be stuck on a site and not be able to move them back to the farm should they need too.

So for now we do no have exact dates for the return of many of our cattle, but it really it is a case of planning, responding to the weather and working with the constraints of the current movement restrictions. But you can be assured that the animals will return to a heath near you soon.

Events on your local sites this spring and summer time

2008-04-08T13:44:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone,

Now that the winter has (supposedly) passed it is that time of year when we put together our list of spring and summer events on the wildlife reserves in your local area. Listed below are all of the events which are being run by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust over the coming months.

Details of the event, its location and contact. More information can be found on www.hwt.org.uk or by calling 01489 774400. Please feel free to pass this information on to any friends or family that you think may also be interested.

We look forward to hopefully seeing you at some of these special events.

The Grazing Project Team

April

Fri 11th
Noar Hill near Selborne (Map ref. SU 737 324). Join the reserves officer on this magical site and help to move the cattle and sheep and their electric fencing. This is a great way to see the site on a regular basis throughout the summer months when it is looking at its best. The task runs from 10am-2pm. Full training will be given. Please wear suitable sturdy footwear and old clothes that can get a bit muddy. Please also bring along a packed lunch. For further details, please contact Elliott Fairs on 01256 381190 or elliottf@hwt.org.uk.

Sat 12th
Caesar’s Camp 10.30am. Join Alex Cruickshank, Wildlife Trust Grazing Project Manager, to look around Caesar’s Camp at the heathland and its wildlife, followed by a picnic. Meet at the lay-by opposite the garage on the A287 Odiham Road in Upper Hale (Map ref. SU 843 509). This walk is subject to cancellation due to MOD training, so for further details and to book your place, please contact Alex on 01256 381190. Please bring a picnic for lunch.

Sat 19th
Hook Common – Our Plans for the Future 10am–12noon. Join Alex Cruickshank, Grazing Project Manager, and Elliott Fairs, Reserves Officer, to discuss our proposals to introduce conservation grazing to Hook Common. We will discuss the benefits to wildlife of this type of management and how you can continue to enjoy the site. To be held at Hook Common. Meet in the lay-by on A287 (Map ref. SU 719 532). For further details, please contact Alex on 07789 096330. Please wear suitable clothing and boots. Dogs on leads welcome.

Sun 20th
Spring Stroll 10am. Join the Trust’s Loddon and Eversley Project staff for a walk around woodland and farmland at Lyde Green near Rotherwick, looking out for the spring wildlife we may see on route. Parking is limited so booking is essential. Meet and park at Lyde Green Farm (Map ref. SU 699 572). For further details and to book your place, please contact Amanda Bassett on 01256 381186. Wear stout footwear. No dogs please.

Sun 20th
Work Party Building ’looker’ paths at Ancells Farm. The site is wet and lacks formal paths so getting around the site to check the cows can be a battle. We will be making use of some of the logs we have cut over the winter to build informal paths for visitors and lookers to use to get around the reserve. Meet at 10.30am the field gate at the entrance to the reserve, off Ancells Road. Postcode GU51 2XB. Grid Reference of meeting place – SU823557. Please bring suitable footwear (wellies are best but boots are suitable too) and wear clothes you don’t mind getting muddy! Please also bring along a packed lunch.

Thur 24th
Bramshott’s Bats 7.30-9pm. Join in an enjoyable and informative walk around Bramshott Common looking into the silent and secret world of bats. Bat detectors will be provided but please bring your own if you have one. Meet at the MOD car park at Bramshott Common (Map ref. SU 855 334). For further details and directions, please contact Laura Fairs, Grazing Project and Reserves Officer on 01256 381190 or 07833 387319 or email lauraf@hwt.org.uk. Please wear warm and waterproof outdoor clothes and bring along a torch. Dogs on leads welcome. This event may be subject to change due to military training, so please contact Laura to book your place.

Sat 26th
Bartley Heath Spring Wildlife Walk 10.30am-12.30pm. A chance to see the Heath’s special spring flowers, including petty whin, heath violet and lousewort and, weather permitting, early damselflies, butterflies, green tiger beetles and other colourful insects. Meet at Bartley Heath Wildlife Reserve, parking in the Reserve car park off B3349 (Map ref. SU 726 533). For further details, please contact Peter Vaughan on 01256 764225.

May

Fri 9th
Noar Hill near Selborne (Map ref. SU 737 324). Join the reserves officer on this magical site and help to move the cattle and sheep and their electric fencing on a monthly basis. This is a great way to see the site on a regular basis throughout the summer months when it is looking at its best. The task runs from 10am-2pm. Full training will be given. Please wear suitable sturdy footwear and old clothes that can get a bit muddy. Please also bring along a packed lunch. For further details, please contact Elliott Fairs on 01256 381190 or elliottf@hwt.org.uk.

Sun 11th
Scary or Just Hairy? 1.30-3pm. Ever wondered how to walk through a reserve with cattle in it? Or how best to behave when you come across a cow with calf on your walk? Let the Grazing Project staff ease your fears by introducing you to the cattle at Velmead Common. Learn about attitudes (yours and the cows), how to overcome your fears and adapt your behaviour to negotiate a herd safely and confidently. To be held at Velmead Common. Meet and park at the car park off the Aldershot Road, to the east of the Foresters Pub (Map ref. SU 827 527) – please do not park in the pub car park. For further details and to book your place, please contact Laura Fairs on 01256 381190 or 07833 387319 or email lauraf@hwt.org.uk. Admission £2. Cattle friendly dogs on leads are welcome. This event may be subject to cancellation in the event of MOD training.

Sat 17th
Cow Pat Day 10am–12noon. Join the Grazing Project Team to meet the infamous Noar Hill & Pondtail Dexters. Learn how the cows live on Noar Hill and what they are there for. Discover the range of creepy crawlies that live in their cow pats and help treat the cows to some special cow nuts. If everyone is good we may even be able to pat them! Meet and park in the lane north of Charity Farm, near Selborne (Map ref. SU 737 322). For further details and to book your place, please contact Oliver Hine on 01256 381190. Admission £5 per person or £7.50 per family. Please wear suitable clothes (you are likely to get muddy) and sturdy footwear.

Sun 18th
Petty Whin Survey at Ancells farm. Today’s task will be held in conjunction with the Hampshire Flora Group to survey the site for this rare plant. We will have a brief introduction to the plant to familiarise ourselves with what we are looking for, then we will search the site to find any plants. We will use hand held GPS mapping machines to record any that we find. Meet at 10.30am the field gate at the entrance to the reserve, off Ancells Road. Postcode GU51 2XB. Grid Reference of meeting place – SU823557. Please bring suitable footwear (wellies are best but boots are suitable too) and wear clothes you don’t mind getting muddy! Please also bring along a packed lunch.

June

Sun 1st
Cows and Conservation 10am–12noon. Alex Cruickshank and Laura Fairs from the Trust’s Grazing Project will be leading a walk to look at some of the wonderful wildlife at Longmoor. They will discuss some of the changes that will be happening to make the site even better for wildlife – including the introduction of conservation cattle. Meet at the car park on Forest Road, north of Liss Forest (Map ref. SU 781 293). For further details, please contact Alex on 07789 096330. Please wear suitable clothing and boots. Dogs on leads welcome.

Sun 8th
Orchids and Butterflies at Noar Hill 2.30pm. Join Mike Sharman in a walk to discover the rich wildlife of the chalk grassland, including orchids and butterflies. This is a joint event with North Hampshire Orchid Society. Meet at Noar Hill (Map ref. SU 742 319). For further details, please contact Mike on 01189 816104. Parking is limited so car sharing is advised.

Tue 10th
Farm and Wildlife Walk 7pm. Join the Wildlife Trust’s Loddon and Eversley Project staff for a walk around farmland in Well. Learn more about the farming and environmental stewardship of the land and look out for farmland wildlife on route. Booking essential. Meet and park at Well Manor Farm, Well (Map ref. SU 762 465). For further details and to book your place, please contact Amanda Bassett on 01256 381186. No dogs please.

Fri 13th
Noar Hill near Selborne (Map ref. SU 737 324). Join the reserves officer on this magical site and help to move the cattle and sheep and their electric fencing on a monthly basis. This is a great way to see the site on a regular basis throughout the summer months when it is looking at its best. The task runs from 10am-2pm. Full training will be given. Please wear suitable sturdy footwear and old clothes that can get a bit muddy. Please also bring along a packed lunch. For further details, please contact Elliott Fairs on 01256 381190 or elliottf@hwt.org.uk.

Wed 18th
Wildlife Walk at Noar Hill 10.30am-12.30pm. Join in a guided walk with a warden at this magical Wildlife Reserve to see butterflies, orchids and other flora. Meet and park in lane north of Charity Farm near Selborne (Map ref. SU 737 322). For further details, please contact Peter Adams on 01329 287 653. Admission £2.

Wed 18th
Orchids on Noar Hill 7-9pm. Join Nigel Johnson and Rosemary Webb for a stroll on the slopes of the old chalk pits searching for scarce orchids. Park in the lane north of Charity Farm, near Selborne (Map ref. SU 737 322). For further details, please contact Nigel on 01489 877324.

July

Sat 5th
Orchids & Wildflowers at Noar Hill 10.30am–4pm. Noar Hill is a wonderful site bursting with many different orchids and interesting wildflowers. This Hampshire Flora Group event, led by Tony Mundell, is aimed at beginners so we will potter very slowly and find out what plants are there and how they are identified. There will be plenty of time to take photographs. Meet on grass verge near Charity Farm, Noar Hill (Map ref. SU 737 321). For further details, please contact Tony on 01252 614516. Please bring a packed lunch.

Tue 8th
Farm Walk and Cream Tea 7pm. Join Alison Cross of the Wildlife Trust and local dairy farmer James Hague for a farm walk around Lyde Green Farm, Rotherwick. Alison and James will point out some of the wildlife on the farm as well as talking about running a dairy farm. The evening will be rounded off with a cream tea using cream from James’ herd of British Holstein dairy cows. Booking essential. Meet and park at Lyde Green Farm, Lyde Green near Rotherwick (Map ref. SU 699 572). For further details and to book your place, please contact Amanda Bassett on 01256 381186. Admission £3. Please wear stout footwear. No dogs please.

Fri 11th
Noar Hill near Selborne (Map ref. SU 737 324). Join the reserves officer on this magical site and help to move the cattle and sheep and their electric fencing on a monthly basis. This is a great way to see the site on a regular basis throughout the summer months when it is looking at its best. The task runs from 10am-2pm. Full training will be given. Please wear suitable sturdy footwear and old clothes that can get a bit muddy. Please also bring along a packed lunch. For further details, please contact Elliott Fairs on 01256 381190 or elliottf@hwt.org.uk.

August

Fri 8th
Noar Hill near Selborne (Map ref. SU 737 324). Join the reserves officer on this magical site and help to move the cattle and sheep and their electric fencing on a monthly basis. This is a great way to see the site on a regular basis throughout the summer months when it is looking at its best. The task runs from 10am-2pm. Full training will be given. Please wear suitable sturdy footwear and old clothes that can get a bit muddy. Please also bring along a packed lunch. For further details, please contact Elliott Fairs on 01256 381190 or elliottf@hwt.org.uk.

Sun 31st
Marsh Gentian Count and Picnic 10am–12.30pm. The recovery of the rare and beautiful marsh gentian flower has been a major success story for the Wildlife Trust at Bartley Heath Wildlife Reserve. Help take part in this important annual event to count and record the flower’s numbers and distribution across the reserve, with the chance to see other wildlife. No plant surveying skills are required, training will be provided on the day. Please bring a picnic for lunch after the count. Meet and park at Bartley Heath car park off the B3349 (Map ref. SU 726 533). For further details, please contact Elliott Fairs on 01256 381190 or Peter Vaughan on 01256 764225. Wear stout footwear as there is some uneven
ground. No dogs please.

The end? No – only the beginning!

2008-03-31T14:46:00.001+01:00

At the end of March the Grazing Project as we know it comes to an end as we have run out of money. (Don’t panic – keep reading!)
The Wildlife Trust obtains a lot of its funding from external sources, especially for large projects like this one. This funding tends to be for a restricted period and for implementing specific projects. In our case we were successful in gaining funding from Natural England (part of the government) through their ‘Countdown 2010’ scheme. This funding lasted 2 years and paid for our salaries, the project vehicle, sign boards and other running costs.
This 2 years has now come to an end and so we have been busy ensuring that all the hard work that we, and you, have put in continues.
We have successfully secured further funding in the form of a Higher Level Stewardship agreement with Natural England. This will last for 10 years, which makes things much more long term than we would normally hope for.
Things will not change much to start with, but in the future we will be responsible for carrying out more practical site management work on the heaths such as scrub control and heather mowing, as well as making sure that the cattle carry on munching!

Why not sponsor a cow this easter?

2008-03-25T10:00:00.004Z

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is inviting people to participate in a unique gift idea this Easter. Members of the public are being asked to sponsor its six short-legged Dexter cows which graze its Noar Hill Wildlife Reserve, near Selborne in Hampshire.

Noar Hill is one of the most interesting and precious chalk grassland sites in Britain, full of rare wildlife, including over a dozen orchid species. However, it suffers from scrub and trees growing all over the site, which can shade out these delicate plants. The cows do a wonderful job for us by eating this scrub, such as bramble, giving rarer wildlife a chance.

Why Dexter cows? Well, Dexter cattle are a hardy yet good-tempered breed, which make them excellent conservation grazers. The areas they clear and even the dung they produce all help to create habitats rich in animals and plants, for everybody to enjoy. By supporting our cows, our sponsors will be giving a helping hand to all kinds of wildlife which benefit from their grazing, from birds to butterflies and bats.

Sponsorship would make the perfect Easter gift for a friend or family member. As an antidote to all of the chocolate eggs they will likely eat, let them visit and climb Noar Hill, enjoy the wonderful views and see for themselves their cows and the wildlife they are helping.

For less than two pounds a month, sponsors will be provided with a certificate, a fact sheet on Noar Hill Wildlife Reserve and a special letter from the cows themselves!

For more information or to request an application form, please contact Oliver Hine of the Grazing Project at oliverh@hwt.org.uk, or telephone 01256 381190.

Not 'goodbye' more of a 'see you later'

2008-03-20T11:32:00.000Z

Hello everyone,

I can now confirm to you all the bad news that the cattle have now left Pondtail and headed back to their summer home of Selborne. Upon arriving yesterday morning, the boys were very good and we had them loaded into the corral and then into the trailer within 10 minutes so we were well ahead of schedule. Then we got the trailer stuck! 2 Hours later and we were moving thanks to Laura coming to the rescue in our other 4x4 truck.

We arrived at the field, known as Tawny Barn field, where they will be for the next 4 weeks before we walk them onto the neighboring wildlife reserve called Noar Hill (http://www.hwt.org.uk/wildlife_reserves/reserve5.htm then click Noar Hill).
They were all very excited about their new lush field and set to exploring it straight away followed by lots of eating (see attached photo).

Now that they have gone I would like to say one final thank you to you all for all of your help with checking the health and welfare of the animals over the past few months and keeping an eye on the site. Everything, from beginning to end, went very smoothly and successfully and this would not have been possible without all of your help and enthusiasm so once again thank you.

Just to keep you up to date we are in discussion with another grazier who is interested in grazing pondtail during the summer months so we hope that the site is not empty/cattle-less for long. We will of course keep you up to date with how this proceeds and hope that you would all be interested in helping us out again, in a similar manner, in the future.

The Grass is always greener ...

2008-03-05T17:38:00.002Z

They say the grass is always greener on the other side, and Joshua, our short-legged Dexter cow, certainly proved this when he escaped his enclosure at Pondtail, near Fleet, to graze the grass along the Basingstoke canal towpath! A concerned passer-by called the Trust, and the adventurous cow was finally coaxed back into his field, at the dead of night, using a bucket of cow nuts, none the worse for his adventure!

Joshua is one of six short-legged Dexter bullocks which currently graze this important heathland site. Originating in Ireland in the 1800's, Dexter cattle are a mountain breed, which makes them perfect for grazing uneven terrain and steep slopes. They also love invasive plants such as bramble which can quickly crowd out the rare plants found on heathland. They are as hardy as goats, but unlike goats they can usually be contained by fences! This makes them perfect conservation grazers.

Joshua and the gang have done a wonderful job in opening up the heathland at Pondtail. They will be returning to their home turf of Noar Hill Reserve, near the village of Selbourne, later in the Spring.

That's all for now!

Oliver

Conservation Trainee
Grazing Project

Coughs and sneezes...

2008-02-21T09:30:00.002Z

Hello, Alex here.
I'm sitting here writing this with a bit of a sniffle - we are all prone to more illness at this time of year and the same can be said of our cattle. We keep a close eye on them to ensure that they are fit and well, and they are kept in excellent, healthy conditions. Even so, all herds are prone to some form of illness from time to time.
If they are put in a barn for the winter they are more prone to mange, which is caused by a mite that spreads easily from cow to cow. Mange is usually mild and causes itchiness and flaky skin. The cow licks the itch, often causing hair loss around the neck and tail.
'The staggers' is caused by not enough magnesium in the diet, especially after calving because producing milk requires a lot of magnesium. This can be very serious and result in the death of a cow. Our farmers make sure that this does not occur by providing magnesium-rich licks for the cattle.
Ringworm, contrary to its name, is a fungal infection that causes thickening and flakiness of the skin. Again this is more common in the winter because cattle are often house together in the barn. It can also affect people who come into close contact with the cattle, but is not too serious.
A cow producing excessive tears and with a closed eyelid may be suffering from New Forest Eye - a bacterial infection found throughout the world. In its later stages, the disease causes a cloudy eye and an ulcer that may rupture leading to blindness.
Other, more serious, diseases that have been in the news recently include Foot and Mouth Disease - a highly infectious virus that causes ulcers at the feet and in the mouth. This has now been eradicated from the UK - and much of Europe. Blue Tongue, spread by biting midges, causes swelling in the head and neck and lameness. The cattle are tested for Bovine Tuberculosis on a regular basis despite the disease being very rare in Hampshire - TB leads to severe coughing and swelling.
I hope that hasn't put you off your dinner! All of these illnesses are thankfully uncommon, but are worth looking out for if you see the cattle. Please let us know if you see anything unusual or that concerns you! Many thanks.

Cattle on and off sites

2008-02-15T09:02:00.002Z

From: Laura, Grazing Project & Reserves Officer

Hello - It’s been all change on the MOD sites this week with cattle coming off and going on various sites.

At Velmead Common the last remaining four cattle were loaded up and taken back to their farm on Monday as the female cows are due to give birth very soon. As they are Dexter cattle, the calves are very tiny when young and the farmer who owns the cattle, is keen for them to calf at home so she can keep and eye on them and make sure they get the best start in life. Giving birth and milking can be a testing time for the mums and it’s important they have plenty of good food to eat as well. At this time of year the grasses on the Common can be low in nutrients until the spring growth starts properly. Also – Max the bull is needed to do what bulls do best with some other female cows back at the farm.
Some other individuals will return to Velmead soon but we do not know the exact date at present. It is likely that there will be no animals on site for at least a few weeks.

At Long Valley all the cattle came off site on Wednesday. They have been moved to one of our ‘layback’ fields which are over on some of the MOD land at Minley. Long Valley has been well grazed by the herd this year and this is often the hardest time of the year for animals grazing these kinds of rough heathland sites. The fodder is low in nutrients and the nights are cold and harsh. At Minley they will have some fresh grass which is left over from the summer (we rest the fields in summer to save the grass). The herd will return to the site as soon as the conditions start to pick up and there is some more fresh growth on the plants, probably in about a month.

Up the hill at Caesar’s Camp we have actually had some more animals back on site after the numbers were reduced at the end of January. An additional 14 animals arrived on Wednesday evening bringing the total herd size up to 25 animals. The new cattle haven’t grazed this site before so they may take a few days to settle into their new surroundings. There are still 11 of the original cows on site so they should join up with them and settle down soon.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Please pass this on to anyone who you know who uses the site and may be interested.

Rare Visitor Thrills Twitchers

2008-02-05T14:34:00.000Z

An exciting visitor to land within the Wildlife Trust’s Grazing Project is drawing flocks of twitchers.

A Great Grey Shrike (lanius excubitor), a thrush-sized bird more commonly seen in northern Europe, has been seen showing regularly to delighted bird-spotters, as it perches high in the branches of hawthorn tress on the lookout for its prey, which consists of insects as well as mice, shrews and small birds.

Its appearance is particularly significant as it has occurred on land close to the Wildlife Trust reserves of Foxlease Meadows and Ancell’s Farm.

It is a handsome and distinctively marked bird with a white underside, pearl grey upperparts, mostly black wings and tail and a striking black ‘bandit’s mask’ running through the eye.

It is sometimes referred to as the ‘butcher bird’ for its somewhat grisly habit of impaling its insect and small-mammal prey on barbed wire and the thorns of trees. This store is referred to as a ‘larder’. Other tricks this resourceful bird will employ include mimicking the calls of small birds to lure them closer. It is a passerine, rather than a true bird of prey, and it has a pleasant, warbling song; its alarm call is a harsh, jay-like croak.

It favours open heathy areas with scattered bushes from which it can hunt, and it assumes an upright posture as it surveys the ground from the topmost branch of a tree or fencepost.

A handful overwinter in the UK every year.

Oliver Hine

Conservation Trainee
Grazing Project

What happens to all the cows in winter?

2008-02-01T13:58:00.000Z

From: Laura, Grazing Project & Reserves Officer

Hello

We’ve recently had a few of our cattle move off the heaths and back to their farms for the winter.

At Long Valley, the ten Aberdeen Angus calves (which were as big as their mums by the time they left) were taken away by their farmer just after the New Year. This farmer is building up her number of Aberdeen Angus so that in a few years she will have solely this breed in her herd, so some of the male calves will be kept to become bulls and the females will become her future breeding stock. The nine cows and bull now remain on the site next to Tweseldown racecourse and will stay out all winter. We hope that all the cows should be in calf (meaning they are pregnant) as they’ve been ‘running with the bull’ all year. We anticipate that they may start to calf around the end of April/May time.

Up the hill at Caesar’s Camp, just this week the herd of 32 Hereford crosses and Aberdeen Angus crosses was reduced to just 11 individuals, as the food supply on site is not so good in the winter. All of these cows are heifers (young female cows) so they will return to their farm for now. The 11 that remain are being given supplementary mineral licks to ensure they don’t lose condition on the rough forage. In the spring, when the grasses really start growing fast - more cattle will return to graze this huge site.

At Pondtail, where our own six Dexters are staying for a few months, we have now opened them up to the main part of the site which extends right down to the Canal. They are really embracing their new heathland life, and have been reported eating gorse, heather and birch buds!

On our reserves - some of the Belted Galloways at Ancells Farm are still in their winter ‘layback’ fields where they’ve got grass left over from the summer months – and the farmer who owns them can give them supplementary food such as hay or silage as the fields are not part of the sensitive SSSI land.

At Bartley Heath in Hook, some long awaited Highland cows finally arrived last weekend to join the New Forest ponies that have been grazing there for some years. There arrival marks the end of a lot of work by Rachel and Elliott to get the fence suitable for cattle as well as just the ponies. The owner of these animals is a local commoner who has age-old commoner’s rights to graze the land.

Skittles and Supper

2008-01-11T13:31:00.000Z

From: Laura, Grazing Project & Reserves Officer

The Hart & Rushmoor District Group of the Hampshire Wildlife Trust is holding their annual skittles evening on February 8th 2008, at 7.30pm. Why not join them for an evening of skittles, chatting and supper at the Jolly Miller public house in North Warnborough. (Grid ref SU733519) Catch up on all the goings on in and around our reserves and projects and find out the groups plans for the coming year. Parking is available at the pub.

For further details, to book a place or to find out more please contact Jane or Peter Vaughan on 01256 764225. Costs only £9 including the supper. (Vegetarian option available please let them know when you book).

2007-12-17T15:06:00.000Z

Hello everyone,

I thought I’d update you on the latest goings-on at the Grazing Project over the last few weeks.

Our six short-legged Dexter cattle have now settled down together on the heathland reserve of Pondtail, where they’ll spend the winter. This is an important heathland habitat and their grazing will make a vital contribution to controlling the scrub on the site.

We’ve had a really positive response from people in the local area volunteering to help ‘looker’ them. Their help makes a really important contribution to helping us carry out our daily welfare checks of the animals.

In early December we were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief when the TB testing of our Dexters passed without incident!

In mid-December, we had the chance to give our thanks for all the help of our volunteer ‘lookers’ with a mince-pie get-together at the Tweseldown Pub in Church Crookham. The turn-out was extremely high and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves!

We are always grateful for extra volunteers and should anyone be interested in participating in the ‘looker’ scheme for Pondtail or any of our other grazed sites they can contact the Grazing Project Team for more information. Full training and a starter-pack is given to all our new recruits.

Many thanks and a Merry Christmas to you all!

Oliver

Conservation Trainee

Free logs - now all gone

2007-12-11T15:43:00.000Z

From: Laura, Grazing Project & Reserves Officer

All the logs have now been taken. Thanks to those of you took some, sorry if you were unable to get any this time.

Laura

Free logs

2007-12-06T15:05:00.000Z

From: Laura, Grazing Project & Reserves Officer

Hello

I have a load of logs (birch) cut into approx 2ft lengths which is going free if anyone would like some. It is stacked at the entrance to one of our reserves so easy to get to.

Please let me know if you are interested in taking some of it as I need to get rid of it as soon as possible and I'd like it to be used by local people if you can use it. Please contact me via the blog comments below, or email LauraF@hwt.org.uk or phone 01256 381190.

Laura

A new member

2007-11-27T12:59:00.000Z

Hello everyone,

My name’s Oliver and I would like to introduce myself as the new conservation trainee working with Elliott, Laura and Alex on the Grazing project.

These first few weeks have been quite a steep learning curve. I’ve been trying to familiarise myself with the layout of our sites and have had the chance to get on with some practical tasks on our reserves.

In the last few weeks I’ve assisted in the installation of interpretation boards which can now be seen in four positions on the reserves. The aim of these is to provide some more information on the flaura and fauna to be found in the area, to add some interest and context for visitors and enhance their enjoyment of the sites.

I’ve also had the chance to participate in a guided walk around Caesar’s Camp. This provided me with my first glimpse of the cattle grazing the site – which had previously been quite elusive – and gave me the chance to meet and talk to some of our lookers and volunteers.

One of the most important jobs has been to check the stock fencing on the Velmead, Long Valley and Caesar’s Camp reserves for areas of damage. On several occasisons we’ve had to repair areas where the fence has been cut. I’ve found patrolling the perimeter is a good way to get to know the layout of a site.

Unfortunately, the fence is still purposefully damaged by people entering the sites on occasion. Although we make repairs as soon as we can such work is time consuming and does divert us from more constructive conservation work.

On the whole though, my experiences of the first two weeks have been overwhelmingly positive. It has been great to see just how many people from the local area have volunteered to become involved in this project. After all it is the enthusiasm and dedication of our volunteers which offers the best hope for the success of the Grazing Project and the wildlife it supports.

I hope to see some of you out and about on the reserves in the next few weeks!

Oliver

2007-11-20T11:19:00.000Z

From Alex Cruickshank, Project Manager

As winter draws in there is less food for the cattle on the heaths than during the summer months.

Purple moor grass (the straw coloured tussocky stuff that covers much of the heathland) is one of the few deciduous grasses. This means that it does not stay green over the winter, like your lawn does, but each year it 'dies' back, forming the tussocks of dead grass. These tussocks can be an important place for wildlife - snakes like to bask on them in the spring and harvest mice will make their nests using the dead grass. However, the dead grass is not very nutritious for the cattle.

Another food that comes into short supply are the birch leaves which are shed by the tree in the winter. This protects the tree from frost damage and allows the tree to reabsorb some of the nutrients in the leaf.

Other plants may still be green, but growth slows right down over the winter and the gorse and heather are not very tasty as they become tough and chewy!

In order to cope with these changes we have to adjust the way we manage the cattle. They will get a bit thinner or 'lose condition'. This is a natural process that can be beneficial, especially for cows that will calve the following spring. In some cases we remove them to more suitable pasture or barns for the winter. We can also provide supplementary feed for them in the form of feed blocks. These blocks are less damaging to the site than hay, which can introduce unwanted plant species and they will encourage the cattle to continue eating some of the vegetation on the heath.

On your local heath we will probably be doing a combination of all of these, so don't be suprised if you see some of the cattle disappear for the winter, or strange brown blocks appear! We will of course keep you updated with how many cattle are on each site.

Keep warm and enjoy the changes that will happen over the next few months.

Alex

Grazing onto Pondtail - at last!

2007-11-02T12:55:00.000Z

Post by: Laura, Grazing Project and Reserves Officer

Hello

It may come as a surprise to you all but we have some cows which we are able to put out on to Pondtail at last!

The Trust own some short legged Dexter cattle that normally live on our wildlife reserve near Selborne. They need to come off the reserve for the winter so we thought we would try them out at Pondtail for a couple of months to see how they get on.

We need to organise an ‘official’ rota to ensure they are checked at least once a day each day, but we also are interested to hear from you if you can’t make a rigid commitment but sometimes visit the site and would be willing to keep an eye out for them. We will meet up with you to meet the cattle and talk about what to look for in the animals if you are unsure.

The cattle will go on in the next couple of weeks so please let us know if you’d like to be involved.

We look forward to seeing some cows out on the site once again!

Besoms, Bashing and Brash

2007-10-04T15:32:00.000+01:00

From Laura, Grazing Project and Reserves Officer

Hello

I lead regular volunteer work days where local people can get involved with practical conservation and habitat management works on our wildlife reserves. Until now we have been working on our reserves that we own in and around Fleet and Cove.

However, for the first time this month our team is going to extends its work for the first time to a new site one of the MOD sites in our Grazing Project! We will be working at Pondtail, at the end of Fleet Pond - a lovely patch of heathland. The site has been grazed in the past but some of the birch and gorse has grown up out of reach of cattle and needs clearing back.

The day will be a work party and learning experience combined as we plan to carry out heathland scrub clearance and trying our hand at making besom brooms. We’ll learn about how the tough people of the heath would have survived in the past and made their living from the plants around us.

If you would like to join us please find the details below.
Date – Sunday 21st October 2007
Site – Pondtail Grazing Area
Meeting Time – 10.30am – 3pm ish
Meeting Place – Meet on the heath at the end of Pondtail Road, Fleet. Postcode GU51 3JG
Grid Reference of meeting place – SU826542

Our work days usually consists of one task that we all work on together. Any training or tools you might need, and explanation of what we are doing and why is all provided. You really don't need any previous experience as you can work at your own pace and there is always support if you are learning or unsure. The only thing you really need is a willingness to work outside and sometimes get a bit messy (old clothes are advisable!). All the tasks are obviously outdoor based and some sites get a bit wet, so wellies or boots and a pair of gloves are also a good idea. Also best to bring a drink and some food as we stop for breaks and lunch throughout the day. It’s a really good team, very friendly and a good way to get involved.

Please let me know if you think you'd like to come along to this or future dates.

Laura

LauraF@hwt.org.uk or 01256 381190 or 07833 387 319

FMD strikes back!

2007-09-12T16:04:00.000+01:00

Hello all. Just when we thought it was safe to go and visit the cows!
This is a copy of the email that we have sent out to all of our lookers and other interested parties:

Dear all
DEFRA have declared a Temporary Control Zone centred on Egham, Surrey. This is in response to suspected foot and mouth disease being found in cattle in this location. The livestock have been culled and a national movement restriction has been put in place.
As far as the sites within the Grazing Project are concerned, they are all outside of the Control Zone, so we do not have to take immediate action and we ask that our volunteer lookers continue as usual.
We do, however, ask that if you have been in contact with livestock within the new Control Zone in the last fortnight that you let us know and do not visit further sites with livestock on them. If you are unable to avoid visiting the Control Zone area, please let us know and do not visit the sites with livestock
We hope that once the laboratory tests have been undertaken they will prove to be negative (they have now been confirmed as positive) and we can quickly get back to normal.
Many thanks for your continued assistance, we will be in touch with any changes to this policy.
Yours
The Grazing Project Team.
To see a copy of the map with the new Zone please click on http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/default.htm and click on the map on the far right hand side of the page.

New boy joins the herd

2007-09-06T13:28:00.000+01:00

*************************
This blog was originally written just before the outbreak of foot and mouth, so its posting on the blog has been delayed. Now we are starting to get back to normal I thought it would be a good time to post it
*************************

Hello Everyone,

My name is Elliott Fairs and I am the new Grazing Project and Reserves Officer on the Grazing for Wildlife Project. I started at the beginning of July and will be acting as Rachel Remnants maternity cover over the next few months. For my first blog entry I thought I would give you a run down of the type of tasks I have been carrying out since I joined the team.

Week 1
This week was mainly taken up with an induction and introduction programme to all of the new sites and other member s of staff based at Herriard.

On Friday 13th I had my first volunteer event planned at Noar Hill nature reserves near Selbourne. The task of the day was to move some electric fencing that was keeping the cows and sheep penned in to a specific area, to a new area which was ready to be grazed. The task itself is not very difficult but is very labour intensive and time consuming. Fortunately we had four volunteers to help Alex and I carry out the task.

The reason why we use electric fencing in this way is because it allows us to target the grazing onto specified areas which can be moved around the site as the year progresses. It also allows us to fence out areas which are not suitable for the grazing animals. In the case of Noar Hill this is small copses of yew trees whose foliage and berries can cause poisoning and fatality in livestock if eaten.

Using the electric fencing in this way is working well at Noar Hill but is very time consuming for staff and volunteers. Because of this our eventual aim is to allow the stock free range to the whole reserve but this can only be done once all of the yew trees have been fenced out.

On the weekend of the 14th and 15th July, the Grazing Project team attended the Aldershot Army Show. This is an annual event which draws in thousands of people, from all over the country, to come and see what the army is involved in. We attended because of the projects close working with the Ministry of Defence and because Aldershot is where the majority of the sites that are in our project are found.

The weather stayed (mainly) dry and the attendance figures were high. We had many people come up to see our display, ask us questions about our project and to try and ID the different grazing animal’s poo which we had on show.

Week 2
Having been handed over all of the notes telling me what I need to do in the next few months I got my teeth right into it this week.

At Bartley Heath I liaised with Scottish and Southern Electric to allow then to clear some of the trees which were growing too high, directly beneath the powerlines. At Noar Hill I needed to check the fenceline to see if was all still up and working and after one very painful electric shock I could definitely confirm it was. I had to collect a bowser (a mobile container filled with water) and take it to Velmead Common where the cattle were temporarily dependant on us bringing them drinking water on a daily basis.

The Trust’s Northern team held a volunteer day at our Herriard office where people came up from our headquarters in Botley to help us build our workshop, with tool racks, shelving and work bench. By the end of the day it was like something out of Grand Designs, Kevin McCloud would have been proud of everyone – very rustic!

The Grazing for Wildlife Project team attended another public event this week, this time at Hale Primary School. It was the schools open evening and, because of its closeness to Caesar’s Camp, was seen as a good opportunity for the team to come and inform people about will be happening on the site in the next few weeks. Many parents came to see their children’s work and listen to entertaining performances from the schools orchestra (Blueberry Hill was my favourite) and all were very interested to talk to us about the Grazing Projects work. We even managed to recruit a few new lookers and offer the school a ‘meet the cows’ day for next year’s pupils.

On Thursday 19th, Laura carried out a guided walk at Caesar’s Camp, which I helped her with, looking and listening for the weird sounds of the nightjars which live and rely heavily on the site. The walk was well attended with 25+ people coming along and at least four adult nightjars were heard by everyone which is a very good turnout, on both accounts. The walk ended just in time as the thunder, lightening and rain began which was to flood many areas locally.

Week 3
Despite all of the rain that had fallen, my first task of the week was to fill the trough at Velmead Common for the cattle that were still unable to be released back onto the site. This task was a daily occurrence which Alex, Laura and I split between us, and fortunately it was no longer needed after Thursday 26th as the cattle were allowed back out onto the main site. It was great to see them all back out in the open, free to roam where they wish, rather than being contained in a much smaller coup. They all trotted off, straight out onto the heath, and did straight away what cattle do best, eat.

On Monday afternoon I had to brave the rain that was still continuing to fall, and check a list of work that a contractor had carried out. The work was the felling of hazardous trees along public rights of way and road sides. I eventually managed to find all of the felled trees but had become absolutely soaked along the way and headed home, looking forward to drying out with a nice warm cup of tea.

Tuesday saw me host another volunteer day with the Trust’s Conservation Trainees all coming up from Botley to help me upgrade the fencing at Bartley Heath. We need to upgrade the fence as we wish to put cattle out on the site as soon as possible but cannot do so until the fence line has been made more stock proof. We hope that this task will be finished in the next few months and then fingers crossed, cattle can be returned to the common to help the ponies keep it open and amazing for a wide range of wildlife.

Wednesday saw us move cattle from one half of Long Valley (also known as the TAG site) to the other half with the help of the grazier Carol. We needed to do this as the MoD wanted to chemically treat some of the bracken in the compartment which contains Brock Hill. The advice given from the chemicals manufacturers states that cattle should not be allowed to graze the area which has been sprayed for two weeks, just to make absolutely sure that the chemical has become inert. The cattle merrily trotted into their new compartment and after a few moo’s and head butting duals amongst themselves, got back to work restoring the heath.

So that was my first three weeks in a nutshell. In between all of these tasks there was lots of other meetings, site visits and paperwork, all of which is not as exciting to tell you about but nonetheless essential to being successful in my job.

I look forward to meeting you on site, speaking to you on the phone or seeing you at one of our events,

Elliott

The show must go on!

2007-08-20T18:48:00.001+01:00

Hi folks, Alex here.

The last two posts have focussed on our efforts to reduce the impact of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) on the farming industry. A big 'thank you' to everybody who has helped us out. We hope that things will be back to normal soon.

We have asked a number of volunteer lookers to start up again and provided them with information on how to spot FMD and some disinfectant to reduce the risk of the disease spreading. When the government removes the 'surveillance zone' designation from the area we will ask everybody to spring into action once more. If no more cases are discovered then this is likely to be the start of September, but we will have to wait for the government to lift the restrictions.

FMD has affected the project team in ways we never imagined! We have decided not to work from our new office near Basingstoke because of the sheep on the estate, so I am penning this from home.

Our other work is, of course, continuing. We are nearly ready to install some signs explaining the importance of the sites that we are working on and why we are helping the MOD manage them for wildlife. I am applying for funding to ensure the future of the project and we are working with consultants who are writing our business plan for the future. Laura has emailed a few questions to our lookers, we are very grateful if you have replied, and look forward to your response if you haven't yet! The Project is also looking to expand its work in the east of the county. We will be working with people near Bordon to work out how best to manage sites local to them.
Life goes on despite FMD!

One of the cows at Long Valley eyeing up a pine seedling.

Update on Foot and Mouth situation

2007-08-13T10:40:00.000+01:00

Hello

Just a note to keep you all updated as to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) current position on both Hampshire Wildlife Trust and Ministry of Defence sites within the Grazing Project. This includes:

Caesar’s Camp entire fenced area
Velmead Common fenced area
Long Valley fenced area (next to Tweseldown racecourse and the test track)
Ancells Farm reserve
Foxlease Meadows reserve
Whitehouse Meadow reserve
Weavers Down Bog reserve
Greywell Moors reserve

The Foot and Mouth Protection and Surveillance Zones set up by DEFRA are still in place around the sites in Surrey involved in the outbreak. Sites with livestock inside these zones are still required to have vigilant checks on stock for signs of FMD, as the incubation of the disease can take 14 days.

We are still asking lookers NOT to carry out their regular checks on the livestock for the time being. All stock is being checked by Trust staff or the graziers. This is to minimise the amount of people visiting the livestock and therefore reduce the risk of spreading the disease should it occur on these sites. The decision to ask Lookers not to check has been made in discussion with the farmers who own the cattle, and obviously have a lot to lose should their animals become infected. The disease is highly contagious and can be spread via dung etc on shoes, paws or bicycle tyres!

The Hampshire Wildlife Trust is also asking people not to walk on the sites that have livestock on them if they can possibly help it. It is especially important to try not to visit different sites with different livestock on. If you can walk elsewhere outside the fenced area then please do. We will only be asking this for as minimum amount of time as possible.

We are reviewing the situation every day and want to get you all back on site carrying out your checks and walks as soon as we can, in line with other national developments in this outbreak of FMD.

Thank-you so much for your continued support – we really do appreciate your co-operation.

Laura

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak

2007-08-04T07:20:00.000+01:00

Following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Surrey, there is a nationwide ban on the movement of cattle.
There is, as yet, no control on the public accessing the countryside but this may happen in the future.
Because much of our project is within the 10km 'surveillance zone' we, or the farmers that we work with, will be checking the cattle for signs of foot and mouth.
If you are a volunteer looker, or a member of the public visiting the sites where the cattle are please do the following:

Becasue we are checking the cattle, the lookers do not need to do so until further notice.
Consider visiting another area that does not have livestock on it to walk your dog.
If you have been to another site that has livestock on it please do not visit any sites.
If you do visit the site please ensure your footware is clean (and preferably disinfected) and do not approach the cattle.
If you see the cattle and are concerned about their well being please get in touch with us immediately.

More information can be found at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/

Thank you for your understanding and your care.
Alex

Cattle on the march at Caesar's Camp

2007-07-31T14:36:00.000+01:00

Hello, Alex here

Following the completion of the bracken spraying at Caesar's Camp - the large area of heathland to the north of Sandy Hill estate near Hale (see photo below)- we have released 32 cattle onto the 260 hectare site!

This is our biggest project so far (biggest heath and most number of cattle), so it is a really exciting milestone.

The cattle are actually a mixture of Hereford crosses (black with white faces) and Aberdeen Angus crosses (all black). They are heifers, which are young female cows that have not yet had a calf. They are owned by a local farmer who has a farm shop near Odiham.

Today we went to check on the cattle and they seemed fine; a couple of the lookers were concerned about some kids that were following them about, so we had a word and explained why the cattle were there and why they should be nice to them. The boys seemed to take this on board and wandered off.

The rumour mill seems to have been at work in the surrounding area, saying that this project is a prelude to the building of houses. I can only say what I say to everyone - that this site is one of the most protected areas in the country (because of the rare birds found here) and so it is extremely unlikely that this area will be developed. The Wildlife Trust would not be involved in this project if there was any hint of destroying the wonderful heath and all its wildlife.

Talking of birds, there are concerns that the cattle will cause disturbance to ground nesting birds such as the nightjar and the woodlark. Whilst I cannot guarrantee that this will not happen, it is my point of view that it is vital that we manage the heaths as a whole for all flora and fauna. The best way of doing this, according to lots of literature, is with a suitable grazing regime. We are hoping that bird experts will be able to continue to monitor the success of the breeding birds in order to see if the grazing has any effect.

Thats all for now, thanks for reading!

Cattle going out at Caesar's Camp, Aldershot

2007-07-20T16:19:00.000+01:00

From Laura, Grazing Project and Reserves Officer

Good news! The spraying of the bracken on the land at Caesar’s Camp has now been completed and so we are ready to put cattle out on the site.

We have a local farmer who is going to put his cattle out on the site, they are Traditional Hereford cattle – a traditional, rare beef breed which is medium in size and excellent at converting rough forage (such as that found on heathland) into meat. The breed is on the Rare Breed Survival Trust watch list – for more information about them why not check out their website http://www.rbst.org.uk/watch-list/cattle/hereford.php. There will be approximately 40 animals.

We are planning for the cattle to arrive on the 30th July, but the farmer may have to change the date due to his harvest, which is very reliant on the weather. As you all know the weather is very changeable at the moment so we will obviously confirm the exact date to you nearer the time.

For those of you who have offered to be an official looker for this site, we will send a separate email confirming your allocated time slot for each week - please check these and let us know if it still suits you and you’re able to start when the animals arrive. If you’d still like to be a looker, but haven’t returned your forms then let us know and we can add you to the rota.

Thanks for your continued support – we really do appreciate it.

Any questions – please let me know and we look forward to the cattle arriving.

2007-07-05T10:16:00.000+01:00

From Alex, Grazing Project manager
Hello all
Unfortunately the planned introduction of cattle to Caesar's Camp will not be happening this week.
This is because the control of bracken by herbicides, which should have taken place already, has had to be postponed because of the bad weather. The cattle cannot go on the site until at least a week after the bracken has been sprayed in case they eat the chemical covered plant.
The MOD undertake this work because bracken (a type of fern, see photo below) can cover large areas of heathland, stopping other plants from growing. The herbicide that they use is very specific - it only effects ferns and docks - and it breaks down fairly quickly. The herbicide goes down into the roots and reduces the growth in the following year, so you won't see any effects this year.

Anyway, we will let you know when things are happening on Caesar's Camp - hopefully in the next week or so.
Last week we had the 'grand opening' of our new northern office, based at Herriard Park, near Basingstoke. The Deputy Mayor of Basingstoke and the local MP, along with 60 other people, joined us to celebrate the cutting of the ribbon!

Another busy day

2007-06-20T19:14:00.000+01:00

From Alex, Grazing Project Manager

Hello again.

Today a cow died on one of the MOD sites, Long Valley.

It was one of the Aberdeen Angus cows that we introduced to the site on Monday. We don't know why it died, but it was 10 years old and the stress of being transported may have been too much. The body has now been removed from site.

This incident showed us the value of our band of volunteer lookers. We know that the cow was fine yesterday, and it was found early this morning by another volunteer. There was nothing that anybody could have done as it obviously died suddenly, and we were able to remove it from the site quickly. We hope that the calf will suckle one of the other cows - we will make sure that it is okay over the next few days.

I would like to thank the people who contacted us about this; it is upsetting and I hope that it hasn't disturbed them too much.

Here is a picture of the cattle on Velmead Common to cheer everyone up!

An eventful few days

2007-06-19T17:06:00.000+01:00

From Alex - Grazing Project Manager

It's been a busy few days for the Project team!
On Saturday, Laura got married at a gorgeous outdoor ceremony. The guests were treated to lots of lovely local food, we all had a great time and I would like to wish her all the happiness for ever.
Yesterday, Monday, we introduced 10 cows, 10 calves and 1 bull to the area of Long Valley next to Tweseldown Racecourse. This area has been grazed in the past, but not for long and by not many cattle. Despite local concern about the felling of the trees for the airfield this area is now inhabited by lots of special plants and animals. Yesterday we were treated to a beautiful male stonechat and saw plenty of sundews. The cattle on this site are Aberdeen Angus, owned by a farmer near Eastleigh.
After meeting and greeting the cattle we met up with Tom from the BBC. He was filming a story about cattle being let out of a Hart District Council site near the M3, and wanted to find out more about why we are using the cattle to graze all these heathlands. You can see the story at: www.bbc.co.uk/southtoday/ and click on 'watch now', at least until the next edition arrives!
Today we had to move the cows on Velmead Common into the old sewage works. This is because the MOD will be using herbicide on the bracken and birch, and we don't want the cow eating the treated vegetation. The use of herbicides is common in conservation as it is often the only way to control unwanted plants.
After we had moved the cows, Laura, in her capacity as a licenced bat warden, received a phone call asking for help with a bat that had been found in someones bedroom! We made a trip to the vet in Fleet, where the bat had been left. Laura made an assessment of the bat and will release it tonight. You can find out more at: www.hants.gov.uk/bats

Swotting up on cattle for conservation

2007-06-15T13:59:00.000+01:00

From Sarah Clark, Conservation Trainee

Hello,

As a trainee with the Grazing Project, I recently got the chance to go on a 'Stock Management' course run by the Grazing Animals Project (GAP). Two of the Trust's other trainees and I made our way up to lovely Derbyshire at the end of May to learn all about the practicalities of managing cattle and sheep on conservation land.

There was a fair bit of theory, covering welfare regulations, grazing ecology, managing lookers, animal movement licenses and health plans amongst many other things. This took up both mornings of the two day course. In the afternoons we went on two site visits to carry on our discussions and to thrash out all the issues and questions we still had. It was great during this time to meet staff from Sheffield Wildlife Trust and to hear about their efforts on their very similar Heathland Project - a good chance to exchange ideas and experience!

My favourite activity was the practical exercise on the second day on a farm in the Peak District National Park. We learnt how to condition score cattle and sheep (an assessment of their weight) as well as how to handle them for jobs like giving them injections, replacing ear tags and spraying to protect against fly strike. It was very interesting to get the chance to listen to a cow's rumen (one of their 4 stomachs) where food is broken down by microbes. It sounded just like a bubbling cup of a fizzy drink!

I now feel much more informed and able to help Alex, Laura and Rachel with the Grazing Project during the remainder of my trainee year.

Bye for now

Sarah

Carnivores, cows and clubmoss at Velmead Common

2007-06-13T20:15:00.000+01:00

From Alex Cruickshank, Project Manager

It was great to be joined by 15 people on a walk around Velmead Common on the 2nd of June. We organise these walks because we want to share our understanding of the wildlife, so that people who visit these sites will understand and, hopefully, enjoy them even more.

We started the walk from the car park on the Aldershot Road and went through the gate at the east end. Turning left onto the main track we wandered through the dark woodland, until we met a wet, grassy track on our right.

Here we stopped to look at some of the most special plants found on the common, including carnivorous sundew (right), tormentil and lousewort.

Carrying on, we entered the open heath and turn right down the hill to find a clump of the wonderfully fragrant bog myrtle surrounding a small pool over which a pair of large red damselflies were mating.

Walking through the bog myrtle towards the fence at the eastern side of the grazed area and turning right we managed to see all three species of heather and two species of gorse found on the site.

After a small clump of pine trees we turned left, back across the open heath and heard a tree pipit singing loudly from the top of a tree. Meeting the main track again, we crossed over into the main area of the heath, where the cows spend much of their time. No cows, but we did manage to find one of the rarest (and least spectacular) plant in north Hampshire - marsh club moss.

Continuing past the dead pine tree full of woodpecker holes, we turned left onto the track and past the pond full of beautiful yellow flag irises and back to the carpark.

All in all, a very pleasant afternoon stroll, with a bit of everything - didn't glimpse the cows though! We will be organising more events like this on the heaths around Fleet and Aldershot - have a look on our main website (http://www.hwt.org.uk/) for details.

Grazing, grazing and more grazing

2007-06-12T09:03:00.001+01:00

From Laura, Grazing Project Officer

Over the last couple of weeks there has been a lot going on. This is the time of year where the grazing can really make a difference. The grasses and scrub are growing fast, but they are also at their tastiest to the stock so it’s the perfect time for conservation grazing to be in a win-win situation. The cattle get good fodder at this time of year, and this means they are doing an excellent job at chewing down the vegetation, and the variety in the sward height really starts to emerge.

At Ancells Farm wildlife reserve we had a calf born to one of the Belted Galloway’s from Millers Ark Farm (www.millersark.co.uk), on site last month. Florin, the mum, gave birth on a sunny Sunday after days of heavy rain. ‘Belties’ are so hardy and capable of looking after themselves that we knew nothing about it until Richard, one of our lookers found the calf on Monday, looking bright and well. Florin and calf have returned to the farm for now to ensure it gets the best start in life. This picture was taken by Richard the day he found them.

At Whitehouse Meadows, our northern most wildlife reserve, I’ve been working with lots of volunteers to get this site re-fenced. The old fence was just post and rail, and not strong enough to hold cattle so we’ve been putting up stock netting and wire, along with some of the old rails. This work was achieved by my local weekend volunteer team (we meet on the 3rd Sunday of every month), the Beechcroft Team (our week day team that runs out of the Trust HQ), the Conservation Trainees (full time volunteers who commit to a year of work with the Trust in order to get their first step on the ladder of conservation careers) and also a corporate team who came out from CIBA Vision, a business down near Hedge End whose staff give up work days to help on community projects.
At the end of May, following all this work by volunteers, we brought two of the new Dexters from our herd at Noar Hill up to the site. They’ve settled in well, with so much lush grass to eat its hard to see that they’ll ever need to leave! After a couple of months I’m sure we’ll see the difference they will make but when we first put them out they were lost in a sea of long grass!

At Weavers Down Bog wildlife reserve, the two cattle that went out on site at the beginning of May (they belong to a neighbour of the site) are also now nicely settled in having never grazed a conservation site before. Although Jersey cows; not a breed we normally recognise as being good for conservation grazing - they have done a great job on eating into the purple moor grass and opening up the ground with their hooves. The adult cow (the mum of the calf) was also tucking in to this years shoots on the Scots Pine (not normally grazed by cattle). This is something which puts a smile on every heathland manager’s face as Scots Pine is an unwanted invader of the heath so to see it disappearing down the cows throat is heart-warming!

We are also getting ready to put new cattle out onto Long Valley, another of our MOD sites. Our new grazier (farmer) for this site has just purchased some traditional Aberdeen Angus (10 cows with calves and a bull) so this is great news! We’re really pleased that this site can follow on so quickly after Velmead Common. Traditional Aberdeen Angus cattle are on the Rare Breed Survival Trust watch list – for more information about them why not check out their website http://www.rbst.org.uk/watch-list/cattle/aberdeenangus.php

Long Valley is part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area. An area protected by European law in order to protect three rare bird species: the Dartford Warbler, Nightjar and Woodlark, who rely on the heathland habitat to build their nests on the ground. The heathlands are also important for their landscape, historical and cultural values as well as having other rare wildlife species in the area. Long Valley is a good place to Dartford Warblers in particular as they perch on the gorse that is regenerating across the site.

To get involved as a volunteer at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust check out our website www.hwt.org.uk , email feedback@hwt.org.uk or phone 01489 774400.

Conservation cattle tormented by yobs

2007-06-12T08:20:00.000+01:00

From Laura, Grazing Project Officer

http://www.fleet-online.co.uk/news/2011/2011416/conservation_cattle_tormented_by_yobs

Cattle on duty to rescue heathland

2007-05-30T11:16:00.000+01:00

From Laura, Grazing Project Officer

Check out a local press release, in the Fleet News, about the cattle going out onto Velmead Common

http://www.aldershot.co.uk/features/community/2011/2011103/cattle_on_duty_to_rescue_heathland

Dexters Galore!

2007-05-24T16:00:00.000+01:00

From Rachel, Grazing Project Officer

Velmead Common and Noar Hill welcomed ten new team members to the Grazing project last week.

A family group of seven, had a welcoming committee of fifty folks meet at Velmead Common's cattle corral to watch the dexters take their first steps out on to the heath. They are owned and looked after by a Dexter breeder from South Hampshire. For most of the welcoming committee it was a long awaited dream come true. For others, perhaps not in attendance, there was the delightful calling card of a cut fence. However, Landmark fixed up the fence and then we could release the beasts! Incidentally, now the cattle are out, the Wildlife Trust has responsibility for the up keep of the fence. So every time it is damaged it will cost us time and money. With most of our staff working some evenings and weekends as it is, we don't have much spare time available, and as a charity, buying up more and more fencing materials is an expensive cost.

Meanwhile, in east Hampshire, Noar Hill took delivery of three extra dexters, swelling the original trio to a mini herd of six. We are lucky to have the full complement of colours - red , dun and black. This makes it much easier for us to tell them apart. The Noar Hill dexters are all 'steers' that boys without balls! They are affordable, at £250 each, and easy to look after, not calving nor trying to make them!

The Velmead Common dexters are a breeding herd, part of a farm where calving is in progress right now. The starter group of seven will eventually swell to twenty-five as cows give birth to their calves and are then ready to be taken up to Velmead Common. Female calves are usually kept as future breeding stock, while most of the males, who will be 'steered' (castrated), will go for meat at 30 months.

It is the hope of the Grazing Project that food production, meat, will be a cost effective operation for the farmers. After all, if it is financially viable to graze the MOD training areas and Wildlife Trust reserves there will be good reason to continue managing the animals. This has great benefits for the wildilfe which is reliant on conservation grazing. It also means for you meat eaters, you would be able to eat meat which has come from happy beasts, reared nearby.

Dexter cattle are an Irish breed and not so long ago were a 'rare breed' threatened with extinction. Look them up online to find out why they have become much more popular again.

If you would like to keep up to date with Dexter life why not sponsor the cattle at Noar Hill? Application forms are on our website www.hwt.org.uk

Will woodlarks rush in where cattle start to tread?

2007-05-17T15:07:00.000+01:00

From Laura, Grazing Project Officer

Check out an article on the main Wildlife Trusts website about our Project

Press News

Steering the good ship Grazing.

2007-05-14T09:26:00.000+01:00

From Alex, Grazing Project Manager
In order to make sure that our partners are happy with the work that we are doing, projects like this one often have a 'steering group' especially if the partners are contributing fiancially. Our steering group consists of the Ministry of Defence, Hampshire County Council, Natural England and Surrey Wildlife Trust, who are running a similar project in their county. These meetings give us an opportunity to provide an update on how the project is running and discuss any problems that we might be having.
Our quartely steering group meeting was last Wednesday (the 9th) at Longmoor Camp near Bordon. The Army has instigated a new security regime so we all had to have our photos taken before we were allowed in. This made us late, and so all the biscuits were gone by the time we got there!
A representative from Natural England gave an update about 'Higher Level Stewardship' - a government scheme which gives funding to people (normally farmers) managing land in order to benefit the environment. It looks like we will be eligible for some funding, which is great as it will help secure the project for the long term.
I spent Thursday picking up timber to make some signs. We are installing notices onto a lot of the project sites. These will let people know why the sites are important for wildlife and what is going on. Look out for these in the next month or so.
We hope to see you on Thursday when we introduce the first few cattle to Velmead Common. We will be meeting at the corral in the north east corner at about 11am.
See you then!

cattle out on sites...

2007-05-08T08:49:00.000+01:00

From: Laura, Grazing Project Officer

Hello, this is the first time I’ve posted on our Blog.

I got into our new office early this morning after the bank holiday weekend. At the end of last week I sent out an email letting all the people on our distribution list that we are putting cattle out on the first of the MOD sites (Velmead Common) next week on the 17th May, at 11am.

When I got in this morning I had loads of positive replies from our new lookers and other interested local people. Everyone seems to be really looking forward to the cows finally getting out on site and starting their work. Some people are going to meet up with us when we let them out for the first time to ‘see them off’. If you’d like to come along get in touch and I can send you more details.

Not to forget the smaller sites in our project too – we had 2 cows and a pony released on one of our Trust reserves called Weavers Down Bog, down near Liphook on Saturday too. This site is small and remote so has been neglected in the past. We’re really pleased to be working with one of our neighbours who owns a few animals to get this site grazed for the first time in years and years. It will be interesting to see the results unfold over the summer. There is a lot of birch scrub on this site which we need to reduce - fortunately the little Shetland pony will love to eat it at this time of year so he should be busy stripping away as we speak!

Today I’m off out to do some dragonfly surveying at Ancells Farm, put up some signs at Velmead about the cattle going out, then back to the office this afternoon!

Moving home

2007-05-04T11:49:00.000+01:00

From: Alex, Grazing Project Manager

Hello

We have moved office at last. We are no longer based down at Botley - miles from the project area and our reserves, having to spend an hour driving to get to meetings. Now we are almost on the doorstep.

Our new address is:

The Old Cart Shed
Herriard Park
Basingstoke
RG25 2PL
Phone: 01256 381190

Herriard is a really nice country estate just south of Basingstoke, we have peacocks wandering around the office and bats roosting in the roof! Come and visit us if you are passing.
We will be sharing the office with the FWAG team (The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group) so we will be a 'one stop shop' for all of your wildlife information needs!

I heard my first cuckoo of the year at Caesar's Camp on Tuesday the 1 May. It was calling from the woodland to the west of the covered reservoir. Cuckoos are in decline across the country, possibly because of the general decline in the other birds whose nests the cuckoo lay its eggs in. The work undertaken by the Grazing Project will help one of these birds, the meadow pipit, as we will be creating the ideal conditions for them to feed and nest.

First Post!

2007-05-03T16:10:00.000+01:00

From: Alex, Grazing Project Manager

Hello, and welcome to the 'Grazing for Wildlife' Project Blog.

The Grazing Project Team (Alex, Laura, Rachel and Sarah) thought that we should set up a blog because there is so much going on and we thought that this would be a great way to update you.

The Project is described in the panel on the right, but basically:
1 The MOD own lots of land which is great for wildife, but could be better
2 The right kind of grazing (low numbers of cattle) is great for wildlife
3 The MOD have asked Hampshire Wildlife Trust to help them out to get the right kind of grazing on the MOD land.
4 Hampshire Wildlife Trust (us!) are working with farmers and local people to sort this out.

That's it in a nutshell, but if you want to find out more please get in touch or visit our website at www.hwt.org , follow a link to 'wildlife conservation' and then 'conservation projects'.

We hope to be able to update at least weekly so please come back again soon.