October 2004
Clive Thomas writes:
This year there have been encouraging developments in an application, co-ordinated by Isabel Buckingham, for a Living Space grant which would be used to reinstate, as part of the Reserve, newly-acquired meadows above the Park.
With the help of councillor Chris March and through contact with the Environment Agency, there have been moves to resolve the long-standing problem of extraction of water from the Were to top up the Boating Lake – the Were being a tributary of the Wylye, a vulnerable chalk stream/river.
Funding from the Trust was provided for urgent fencing repairs, path and bridge restoration and tree surgery along our boundaries.
July storms brought down mature ash and willow trees along the path to Wylye Pool and winter rains caused the Big Pond to overflow into a flooded Were.
Four kestrel chicks in a k. box were ringed by Nigel Lewis. Red Poll, little grebe, a shoveler, flocks of seven redwings and six song thrushes and little egrets were amongst our regular callers, with ten or more snipe in the winter furrows. This summer brought yellow-winged and brown hawker dragon-flies. Other visitors, including a June Open Day, were groups from the U3A, Wiltshire Entomologists and Warminster Junior School. The Warminster & Westbury Standard sent a reporter.
It is felt that the Visitor Centre portacabin, if not repaired, should be removed.
Lesley Balfe of the WWCV expressed the view that there is a general decline in the number of volunteers. Sadly, this seems to be the case.