Saving England's most threatened species from extinction
Archive:
21st November 2017
In our last two Willow Tit blogs, we introduced the project itself and then looked at why it’s been chosen for Back from the Brink. In this blog piece, we’re focussing on how you can spot a Willow Tit and what you can do when that happens.
Read more17th November 2017
I can’t begin to tell you all how thrilled I am to be given the opportunity to be the new Pine Marten Project Officer in the north of England with The Vincent Wildlife Trust for the Back from the Brink project.
Read moreStarting this project has been an exciting time for me. Not only because the whole idea of Back from the Brink is so innovative, with conservation organisations working collaboratively at this scale, but because this project is so close to home.
Read moreHaving grown up around coastal sand dunes I believe it is the most interesting of all UK biotopes. Sand dunes are such unique environments existing only where a particular set of conditions allow. Their uniqueness allows species which tend to thrive in much warmer climates, exist on the Sefton Coast way beyond what many would have thought their natural range.
Read moreThe start of the Barberry Carpet Project has been a good learning curve for me in many ways. I have been getting to know my way around North Dorset and North Wiltshire, the main strongholds for the moth, and meeting many people who have been involved with conservation of the moth for many years. It has been a new direction for me as I was previously a ranger for many years so this post comes with fresh challenges.
Read moreThe diggers are out as I write. They’ve started creating new channels and spurs at RSPB’s Pulborough Brooks reserve to provide habitat for a small snail with a long name; the Little Whirlpool Ramshorn snail.
Read moreTickling Field Crickets is always a game of patience. This strange behaviour was first described by Gilbert White in his book “The Natural History of Selbourne” as the method used by local lads to catch them. Today you need a licence to do it as Field Crickets are a protected species, having declined to fewer than 100 individuals in the 1980s.
Read moreThe much anticipated Back from the Brink project has finally started, and I am lucky enough to be a part of it! Rockingham Forest is going to be my stomping ground for the next four years, providing a large area of over 200 square miles for me to explore and discover.
Read moreThese are early days for me as Outreach Officer for Back from the Brink, I joined in September, however I am already feeling the buzz of enthusiasm surrounding this project from the outset. Sophie and Caroline, the Project Managers, have already had a very busy summer visiting the key heathland sites for the project, speaking to the land managers about the conservation work on the ground and getting baseline botanical surveys underway.
Read more16th October 2017
In the last few weeks we’ve been getting ready to survey rabbits on five grass heath SSSIs in the Brecks, and had our very first rabbit census outing this week! This process involves counting and mapping the number of active rabbit warrens on each of our nature reserves.
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