COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING
Adders
Spring lambs
March and April are busy months for the
sheep farmer. Please take extra care when
walking in the countryside that you leave all
gates as you find them and if walking with
a dog, you keep it under control. Pregnant
ewes and ewes with young lambs will quickly
become stressed in the presence of a strange
dog which can cause the lambs to die.
April is the best time of year for adder
spotting! As they come out of hibernation
they can be found sunbathing in an effort
to rejuvenate their bodies. Ground cover is
still low so sighting them can be relatively
easy. Look for them in woodland glades, on
downland even along roadside verges.
Squirrel
Watch
Naturalist and TV Broadcaster,
Chris Packham, visited
Osbourne House for a day in
March, leading two red squirrel
expeditions, whilst helping
launch the start of a new
Red Squirrel survey at Queen
Victoria’s former home.
Chris, who lives just over the
water in the New Forest, told me
of his life long, love and interest
in all things wild. As a very small
child he would go out for hours
searching for creepy crawlies,
bring them home and keeping
Bats, Newts and
dormice can
breathe easy
Bats, newts and dormice, now have even
more protection under new European
legislation, following amendments to
the European Protected Species Habitat
Regulations. If you are planning any
woodland management, improving a
building or de-silting a pond be aware of
any implications that may be present. More
information
www.
naturalengland.
org.uk tel:
0845 6014523
Island Life - www.isleofwight.net
life
The Cuckoo
You can almost guarantee that you will hear
the cuckoo long before you see it. About
the size of a dove it is happy in almost any
habitat; woodland, farmland even coastal
edges. Known as a ‘nest parasite’, the female
will lay her egg in another birds nest, letting
the hostess bring the young cuckoo up as her
own.
them in aquariums and boxes in
his bedroom.
He first came across red
squirrels on a family trip to
Brownsea Island and refers to
them as a ‘conservation icon’ for
the Isle of Wight.
A lot of his time is given freely,
something he refers to as a
‘vocational job’, educating and
encouraging people, especially
youngsters to get out and about
and be part of the countryside.
Chris, goes on to explain the
importance of their habitat
and that it is our duty and
responsibility to safeguard these
environments for generations to
enjoy.
For the ‘Spot a Red Squirrel’
survey, visitors are given a
postcard when they enter the
grounds and are asked to mark
on the map where they see
any ‘reds’, posting their results
in a red post box on the way
out. Chris said of the new
project that ‘this is a fantastic
opportunity of engaging young
people with wildlife’.
The survey will help English
Heritage locate the favourite
haunts and monitor their
behaviour with the information
being shared with the Isle of
Wight’s Red Squirrel Trust – as
well as raise awareness of the
plight of one of Britain’s most
delightful, but most threatened
native species.
Giving Wildlife a Reprieve for rare
woodland
helping hand
Gift to Nature,
the Island-based
charity which
supports wildlife
through a range
of innovative
projects, has
joined the fight to
save the Spotted
Flycatcher. Gift to Nature is distributing
200 special nest boxes to its business
members and the Island community to help
get this early summer visitor off the RSPB’s
endangered Red List. If you would like to
become a member of Gift to Nature, please
call 01983 296037.
The fight to save St Lawrence Undercliff
Nature Reserve from destruction by
roadbuilding has paid off.
Despite being home to red squirrels,
dormice, as well as Bchstein and barbastelle
bats, the Site of Special Scientific Interest has
been placed under a Compulsory Purchase
Order (CPO) by the
island's council as part
of their plans to realign a
collapsed section between
Ventnor and West Wight.
At a recent meeting the
council withdrew the CPO
saying instead it would
look at other options.
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