Wildlife

The Winchester Downs Farm Cluster Group is a group of farmers and land managers working together to improve wildlife and biodiversity on a landscape scale.

In order to do this, we need to baseline to find out what we already have on our farms, so carrying out surveys is an important part of the work of the group. This enables us to plan future projects and identify where there are successes or areas of opportunity.

Bird Surveys

These have been carried out over the past few years with grateful thanks to volunteers from the Hampshire Ornithological Society This involves 4-6 visits between April – June.

 

In 2023 17 farms were surveyed and 76 different species of birds were recorded.

A number of these are red listed species which have shown a 50% decline over recent years and also amber listed which are 25%-50% in decline.

 

In 2024 we are surveying 21 farms, these results will be available later in the year.  

2023 Results

Red Listed 
Amber Listed
Green Listed
Bird Count No. Sites Bird Count No. Sites Bird Count No. Sites
Corn Bunting 4 1 Bullfinch 20 12 Barn Owl 4 4
Cuckoo 1 1 Dunnock 97 17 Firecrest 35 9
Greenfinch 48 15 Grey Wagtail 1 1 Woodlark 9 5
Grey Partridge 0 0 Kestrel 18 13
House Martin 68 10 Mallard 27 9
House Sparrow 88 9 Moorhen 2 2
Lapwing 10 2 Reed Bunting 0 0
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 0 0 Rook 693 13
Linnet 223 12 Song Thrush 96 17
Marsh Tit 11 4 Sparrowhawk 4 3
Mistle Thrush 53 14 Stock Dove 163 14
Skylark 198 16 Tawny Owl 2 2
Spotted Flycatcher 14 6 Whitethroat 98 14
Starling 67 8 Willow Warbler 4 4
Swift 48 10 Wood Pigeon 1450 17
Tree Pipit 1 1 Wren 274 17
Yellowhammer 96 13

Source: HOS 2024

BioBlitz 

In June 2024 a BioBlitz took place at the Holt Estate. This is a 24hr observation of all things wildlife and plant life, which provides a snapshot in time of the local environment and species found. 

 

A total of 413 different species were observed, of which some included: 40 bird species, 117 insect species, 15
mammals species, 180 plants species.

For more information on what is a BioBlitz? 

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