Would you like to help us with some unique habitat creation work? Then why not join us on one of our volunteer work parties?

Thursday 9^th October and Thursday 16^th October – meet at the farmyard at 10am (Finish approx 1pm)

Creating species rich chalk grassland at RSPB Winterbourne Downs.

Be part of the UK wide Save our Magnificent Meadows project! We have been out on the plain collecting seeds of chalk grassland…

This weekend is the last of the Winterbourne Downs stone-curlew walks.

The walks, lead by Community Engagement Officer, Lindsey Death, have been a big success, with demand greater than spaces available. But although spaces on the walks are now fully booked, for anyone who is keen, there is still time to see them!

This is the third year in a row that we have a had a stone-curlew roost on the reserve – a group of post…

Salisbury based knitting group Knit ‘n’ Knatter have teamed up with the RSPB Stone-curlew Recovery Project to create what we believe to be the first ever knitted Stone-curlew!

This stunning bird was created by several members of the knitting group getting together to adapt a pattern originally for a pigeon (!) and sharing out the parts before stitching together to produce the unique end product. We just…

If you have ever visited Winterbourne Downs, I wonder whether you can remember our old, sagging, slightly decomposing and a little bit mouldy, reed stone-curlew viewing screen? It were second hand when we acquired it, and the holes had been cut in the wrong place for our needs, so it was very much a make do and mend job.

Well, those of you who remember it, and those who used it, might be pleased to learn it has now been…

We are right in the middle of the busiest period for the Stone-curlew monitoring staff, with new nests being discovered and chicks hatching left right and centre. Recently I spent the day with Craig, one of the seasonal project assistants, to see what a typical day monitoring Stone-curlew plots involves.

We set out in the morning, with the intention of staying out until last light, however work is always weather dependant…

While temperature soared this weekend, a pair of peregrines, who have nested at Salisbury Cathedral for the first time in over 50 years, welcomed three new arrivals. Cathedral and RSPB staff have been eagerly waiting for the day when the eggs would hatch, checking regularly on the monitor which has been installed inside the tower so as not to disturb the birds.

On arriving at the cathedral early this morning, with…

Tuesday 17th December at 10am

Just becuase its cold and drab outside, doesnt mean you cant enjoy being outdoors! If you fancy a day out on your local nature reserve, helping us with some important habitat management work, with maybe a sneaky christmas mince pie or two, why no join us on Tuesday 17th December for our annual coppicing work party.

We will be heading to part of the reserve not usually accessable to the public…

In December 2011, a group of volunteers came out to the reserve to help coppice an area of scrub along the disused railway embankment. Certain areas of the scrub are becoming over mature and leggy, or are dying off. Coppicing is a good way of re-invigorating the trees, while also helping to increase biodiversity by creating diversity in structure and age.

Coppicing an area of scrub looks dramatic, but the little stools…

Would you like the opportunity to be part of our new butterfly habitat creation at Winterbourne Downs?

We have spent the past couple of weeks creating the large chalk banks that will mimic the steep slopes of the Wiltshire Downland. Now we need to sow them with butterfly food plants and other chalk grassland species. This is where we need your help! We have organised two dates for collecting and sowing seed. If you are…

At Winterbourne Down, its not just people that manage the reserve (although I think we do our fair share!) We also get plenty of help from some friendly farm animals. And this week has seen the arrival of hundreds of new recruits!

On Monday, we had a delivery of 18 Dexter cattle. We are borrowing these teddy bear like creatures from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. They are really important in the chalk grassland management…

Next time you come to visit us, you wont fail to notice the rather large chalk structure that has appeared in the middle of our wild flower meadow. This is part of our butterfly landscaping works that is underway this autumn.

This chalk bund will provide habitat that we currently lack on the reserve – steep, south facing banks. These are the sorts of conditions that suit many chalk downland butterflies, and their associate…

RSPB Downland Discovery Day

Saturday 17 August 2013, 09:30-16:30

Winterbourne Downs carpark, Newton Toney, Wiltshire, SP4 0HE

Free event...donations welcome

Come and join us at the RSPB’s nature reserve in Wiltshire to discover more about our beautiful downlands. The day will include family crafts and activities, a programme of guided wildlife walks, a chance to discover all about our work in the area and bring…

On 6 July, outside a supermarket in Wiltshire, a disorientated young stone-curlew was found by a member of the public, who thought it was a young bird of prey. 

Stone-curlews are one of the UK's rarest breeding birds and it is incredibly unusual to see one in a town.

Since it was returned to its rightful home, the young bird has been spotted by staff feeding in the area with other stone-curlews…

We reached a landmark in the reserves development yesterday as we found our first ever orchid growing in one of our chalk grassland reversion fields.

The common spotted orchid was found in Football Field, one of our oldest reversion fields, sown in the autumn of 2006. We are very pleased because this is a flower that can take many years to grow, but now that some of the reversions are coming in to there 7^th year we have…

On Wednesday 29th May we are holding a very special event - Creatures of the Night!

We will be meeting at the reserve at 8pm for what we hope will be an evening full of surprises! As the sun starts to set, we will take a walk around the reserve. At this time of day stone-curlew become active and very vocal - hopefully we will hear their eerie call. We have roe deer, barn owl, brown hare and bats too, so who knows what…

Spring has finally made it, and as the weather warms up, flowers now have a chance to push though the ground, and bees and butterflies are starting to emerge. Those of you who follow the news may have heard about how the prolonged winter has been effecting stone-curlew, and other wildlife. Stone-curlew start arriving in this country from mid march, usually when the weather is warming up and insect food is becoming available…

Hello it's Harriet again. I went for a walk around the nature trail to see what birds were active despite the chilly wind we've had this week. It was fairly quiet, compared to my last spotting trip a few weeks ago when it was a little warmer. For those that regularly walk the trail, you might be interested to know what I saw so you know what to keep an eye out for.....

In Beaumont's Wood, there were: Blue…

Hello! New blogger here....I am a volunteer at Manor Farm so I thought I'd introduce myself and update you on what I've been doing since I've started here. I have recently finished a master's in conservation and I wanted to keep building my knowledge and experience and this role allows me to do just this. I've been here about a month and a half now and beginning to get to know the reserve quite well. Part…

Like most places this week, we have had our fair share of snow these past few days. Not only does the snow create a beautiful landscape, but it also makes walking around the reserve very interesting as you can look for footprints and workout what has been out and about. Here are a few pictures I took while walking yesterday.

A wintry vista, looking over the Winterbourne in to Magpie Field where we have sheep grazing…

I went for a walk around the nature trail to see what was about. A little quiet at first, but once I got my eye in to the hedgerows, I noticed that there was quite a lot of stuff sitting quietly in there. The most active part was the dismantled railway line section of the nature trail. I also scanned the fields across the road to look for lapwing and golden plover, but did not see any today. The roe deer were in their…

It was a crisp morning with a clear blue sky - cold but at least sunny and dry, perfect for the days volunteer work party. With my hat and my gloves on, I actually felt warm as I stood in the car-park waiting for the volunteers to arrive, in the weak morning sun. It wasn't to last! As the final volunteer arrived, and I began to explain the proceedings of the day, a thick bank of cold fog rolled in from Porton Down and enveloped…

You may think winter is a time when there isn't much wildlife around, but you would be surprised what you might bump in to when you walking around the reserve. Walk along the disused railway, and you will probably come across flocks of chattering fieldfare and redwing. These birds, which are part of the thrush family, come over here in the winter from Scandinavia, to make the most of our berries and (relatively) milder…

Do you use the Green Walk in Newton Tony? If so, we have some important news for you. Several trees along the green walk need urgent work on them, in order to make them safe. The last thing we want is a large branch falling on someone, and this is a particular worry in this current weather we are experiencing. The work is due to be carried out between the 11th and the 13th December. Unfortunately, due to the nature of…

Hello all.

First of all I would like to start by saying thank-you to everyone who helped at our volunteer work party on Sunday. The weather was perfect for working, and we got all the allocated work completed. Well done team! I think we have already made a real difference to the nature trail.

The next work party is to be held on Tuesday 11th December and we will be meeting at the Winterbourne Downs Car-park for 10a…

On Sunday 18th November we are holding the first of our Volunteer Winter Work Parties.

We will be working on the nature trail, specifically in Beaumont's wood, where we will be clearing viewing areas, so people can enjoy the wildflower meadow as they walk through the woodland, The work will involve using bow-saws to cut and clear small trees and clearing old piles of brash, to open up the area, and make it more visitor…