Margery Thomas

Pigs and tree pipits have returned to the reserve. Hazel and Beech, the pair of Large Black pigs who in the winter made their mark on the small compartment below the concrete causeway, returned to that fenced-in compartment in mid-July continuing, as Area Manager Ian Rickards says, ‘their quest to snuffle across the site, creating bare ground, rooting up bracken and creating lots of opportunities for our wildlife to capitalise on’.

We have had the driest spring since 1956, with river and stream flow already well below average for the time of year, a worry for everyone. Area Manager Ian Rickards reports that “this crazy weather has been beneficial for some insects, but the vegetation is already struggling, which will have a knock-on effect other insects later in the year. Water levels are dropping dramatically, with ponds and water bodies drying out very quickly.” The livestock have water troughs but the thin layer of peat in the bogs can dry out easily and be eroded by wind when exposed as plants adapted to damp conditions wither. The successive broods of nestling birds mostly eat insects and larvae, which provide moisture as well as protein, so they are also at risk.

Volunteer Margery Thomas talks us through a fascinating species you can find on Hothfield Heathlands in May: toothwort! Read all about it and the recent bird counts at the reserve here.