A great read!

That’s a Whitethroat

Amazing record!

Looks epic! Will have to go there!

Yes, I told them I won’t be getting the insurance and therefore won’t do the survey. They gave me permission and the license in the following email.

Thank you

Hi Darren, what’s a good modern book on Dinosaurs please? More for reading than looking at pictures.

Yes, both correct

Wow!

Great work! English Nature described the ground flora of Wistman's Wood in 1964 as 'characterised by areas of Bilberry, Creeping Soft Grass, Great Woodrush and Bramble.' Would be good if they let those species re-establish too. The majority of the understory is grazed out these days.

I would be really interested in your decisions. Presumably they could be a case for accepting some European species but managing ones from other continents.

Looks fantastic. Are their any non-native plants colonising it? If they did would the plan be to intervene and remove them or just monitor to see what happens?

I don’t think Holm Oak will need assistance, it’s growing wild all over parts of Hampshire. I’ve seen it growing wild in Somerset and the Chilterns too. It’s established and here to stay.

I’m in south Hampshire and the woodlands are changing here already. Holm Oak, Turkey Oak, Bay trees and other Mediterranean species are radically spreading.

Male Common Frog numbers increased to 19 in our pond, just when I thought they would be lonely until next year, two clumps of frogspawn has appeared! @arc-trust.bsky.social #frogspawn

I don’t like controlled burns. I helped the National Trust carry some out in 2019, the next day I was disgusted by the amount of dead reptiles, charred caterpillars & spiders, a burnt wood ants nest, dead shrews & voles on the burn site. It’s awful for wildlife, yet they will argue it the other way.

You could ringbark the bigger ones with a hammer and chisel.

Quite old, old grows about 20cm a year, probably less on a nutrient poor heath I would think.

Sounds like a brilliant project Ian.