One year on: Wild Woodbury rewilding project has recorded 1300 species - Dorset Wildlife Trust
A year into Dorset Wildlife Trust's Wild Woodbury community rewilding project at Bere Regis and surveys have recorded an uplift in the biodiversity and abundance of species moving onto the 170 hectare site.
A year into Dorset Wildlife Trust's Wild Woodbury rewilding project at Bere Regis and surveys have recorded an uplift in the biodiversity and abundance of species moving onto the site. Over the last year, the land has been allowed to naturally regenerate which has increased the biodiversity and abundance of wildlife. Staff and volunteers have recorded over 1300 species in this summer's surveys and eight Red List birds of conservation concern have been confirmed to be breeding at Wild Woodbury.
A dry spring coupled with the increase of invertebrates attracted by the fast-emerging pollinators in the former arable fields has led to a very positive breeding season for birds. A rising number of juvenile birds has been spotted across the site including cuckoo, whinchat and nightjar. Skylarks have gone from two singing males last year to 18 in 2022; 28 yellowhammers have been recorded (no data for 2021); No tree pipits were recorded in 2021 but a breeding pair has been sighted raising juveniles this year. All three are on the Red List Birds of Conservation Concern, compiled by a coalition of the UK’s leading bird conservation and monitoring organisations including RSPB and the British Trust for Ornithology. Red List birds are classified as an endangered species facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Butterfly transects have tracked 200+ meadow brown butterflies as well as silver-washed fritillary and newly-hatched painted lady on the wing. The hot weather in July and August increased moth activity too, with traps holding hundreds of individuals and attracting some rarer species such as dingy mocha. In just a few sessions, invertebrate specialists have amassed over 300 species of beetles, bugs and spiders, some of which only have a handful of previous records in Dorset.
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Posted On: 13/09/2022