Wednesday 5th April 2023
Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs @WiltsHuntSabs have tweeted:
Badger cull data for 2022 released today. 2983 is the total killed in the 6 Wiltshire licence areas. Please contact us if you want to get involved opposing this ongoing barbaric and pointless slaughter.
Wednesday 5th April 2023
Animal Advocate Alliance @animaladvocacy_ has tweeted:
Police costs incurred for the badger cull in Wiltshire during 2022 amounted to £209,409.
Wednesday 5th April 2023
Dominic Dyer @domdyer70 has tweeted:
Defra release badger cull figures for 2022, 33,627 badgers were shot last Autumn, bringing the total number of badgers killed under licence since 2013 to over 210,000. Almost 90% of those slaughtered in 2022 were killed by so-called ‘controlled shooting’ This is national disgrace.
Wednesday 29th September 2021
Warminster Town Councillor John Syme writes:
Wheelers Lane is a migratory route of toads from the north side to Smallbrook land. It is also an important area for bats. The loss of a mature hedge is detrimental to nesting birds some of which return each nesting season to the same nest. Help needed to monitor biodiversity in this sensitive area. I am not against development as long as it takes account of wildlife and habitats.
12th April 2020
Nigel Linge writes:
Last year I rescued a hedgehog in distress and took it from Swift Mead out onto the Common (with 2 x days of recovery in my garage with water and cat food). I built a hedgehog hotel for it on the Common. Today I found hedgehog droppings in my garden . . . .
Friday 28th June 2019
BBC News Online is reporting –
A farmer is calling for wild boar to be culled after spotting them in woods on the Longleat estate in Wiltshire. He first saw up to five of the animals huddled together in December at Cannimore Woods near the Longleat safari park. Farmer Michael Elce said: “They could quite easily kill a little dog. They are too near habitation.”
The Longleat estate said it was aware of boars locally but did not believe current numbers posed a risk. A spokesman added wardens were monitoring the situation to ensure there was no risk to users of the estate.
Mr Elce said boar could be dangerous, adding: “They could quite easily take somebody’s finger off. They’re worse when they’ve got piglets, the sows will charge at anything when they’ve got piglets.” Mr Elce said a cull was needed before numbers grew too high. “Where I see them, it’s only just across the A36 and they’ll be in Warminster,” he added.
Wildlife campaigner Matt Mellen said as the animals were shy, the risk of scavenging in Warminster was highly unlikely. He opposed any idea of a cull, saying wild boar were positive for ecology. “They root around and dig up tubers and open up forests so you get more butterflies and other tree species – they’re a great addition to the ecology of a forest or woodland,” he added.
Defra says it has no current plans for culls in Wiltshire and the responsibility of culling was with the landowner.
Wednesday 27th February 2019
Harriett James writes:
Another casualty on Smallbrook Road [Warminster] this morning. Near the speed de-restriction sign by Turnpike Cottage.
Wednesday 7th February 2018:
 A deer in Battlesbury Barracks. Photograph by Danny Howell.
This deer is confined to Battlesbury Barracks, Warminster. It probably wandered in when the back gates to the barracks, at Battlesbury Bridge, were open for military access but they are now locked shut. The deer can’t jump over the perimeter fence of Battlesbury Barracks because the fence is high and is topped with razor wire. The deer has grass and leaves to eat and can drink from the water-jump at the army assault course in the north-east corner of the grounds, but he/she looks like a lonely figure in the fenced-in landscape and is easily spooked and doesn’t know which way to run. More than one person who has seen it has said: “I do feel sorry for it.” Would be real good if the officer in charge of the barracks could have the back gates temporarily opened and maybe gain the assistance of some soldiers to show the deer the way out to the freedom it deserves.
Saturday 7th June 2014
Riparian Mammal Survey For Spurt Mead, Warminster:
Sample photographic record taken during riparian mammal survey River Wylye (Spurt Mead), by Pam Marshall-Ball, BSc (Hons), of Rookmarsh Ecology, 6th June 2014.
Photo 1. (Above) View of drainage ditch at present road access to site. View looking east alongside A36.
Dry in places, the entire ditch encircling the site showed sub-optimal habitat for water voles. The photo shows sluggish poor quality water – perhaps contaminated by run-off from road.
Dense overhanging vegetation overshading the watercourse and access to the water’s edge hazardous!
Photo 2. (Above) View of present vegetation along western margin of site. Tall un-grazed meadow grasses with dock, nettle, burdock and ranunculus.
Unusually, water vole feeding stations were found up to 20m from the watercourse in this dense cover.
Photo 3. (Above) Ditch conditions along the western boundary of site (dog for scale). Densely over-canopied with alder, ash, willow and hazel. Minimal bank-side cover – perhaps the reason for water voles foraging well beyond their ‘normal’ range from the watercourse.
Photo 4. (Above) Feeding remains collected from feeding stations up to 22.3m from nearest watercourse. Meadow grasses predominate in these remains but the stem size precludes field voles.
Photo 5. (Above) At other feeding stations, remains consisted of ranunculus (as shown here), sedge stems, nettle, and bramble.
Photo 6. (Above) Main river, camera pointing west along southern boundary of the site. Left bank over-canopied with insufficient herbage cover at ground level. Right bank displays good habitat with nettle, sedge, reeds, water mint. River bank composed of silty alluvium with some stones – good burrowing conditions.
Photo 7. (Above) Feeding station located 20m from watercourse (ditch) at the north-east corner of the site. Length of stems indicate possibly a juvenile water vole, and the thickness of the stems preclude field vole.
NOTE:
The survey has indicated that this water vole population is displaying unusual feeding behaviour in that they are venturing much further from watercourse than is ‘normal’.
One possible explanation is that the field vegetation affords cover and feed, while much of the watercourse margins of the ditch and the south bank of the main river has sub-optimal cover, increasing the risk of exposure and predation.
The implication of this is that on this site, water vole burrows extend a considerable way into the field and any use of heavy machinery (agricultural or otherwise) may constitute ‘deliberate and reckless destruction of habitat of a species under full legal protection.’
See below
– extract from Natural England document – ‘Guidance for Planners and Developers’
Legal protection makes it an offence to intentionally or recklessly:
* damage, destroy or obstruct access to any structure or place which water voles use for shelter or protection;
* disturb water voles while they are using such a place.
Summary of Findings:
1. Positive presence of water voles.
2. Sub-optimal ditch environment causes water voles to feed up to 20m from watercourse.
3. Over-canopying by trees on main river (south bank) and on ditch producing sub-optimal conditions.
4. Known vole colonies both upstream and downstream which raises disturbance and connectivity issues.
5. Meadow provides ideal food source for water voles.
6. Otter presence known both upstream and downstream of site (up to 40km) range raising disturbance and connectivity issues.
Implications:
1. An 8m wide environmental protection corridor will be insufficient to both protect and allow water voles to feed safely and sufficiently.
2. Planting additional trees and bushes as part of the visual screening of the site will exacerbate the problems already identified.
3. Disturbance during work on the site will lead to predation on water voles as they will become readily visible.
4. Improving the drainage capacity of the ditches will mean the destruction of water vole burrows as the ditches will in effect need dredging. Use of concrete channels will also prevent water voles from burrowing.
5. The process of development will drive water voles and otters away from this site to more protected ones hence losing these fragile populations.
6. The management plan for the site says it will seek to exclude pets. With cats this is not possible.
7. Artificial burrows and holts will not work for the reasons given above.
Pam Marshall-Ball, BSc (Hons),
Rookmarsh Ecology,
43 Castle View,
Westbury,
Wiltshire,
BA13 3HR.
Telephone 01373 859821
email: rookmarshecology@yahoo.co.uk
7th June 2014.
Pam Marshall-Ball, BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science.
* Riparian mammal surveyor for major BASC conservation project across Somerset and West Dorset.
* Riparian mammal surveyor for Halycon River Diaries BBC TV series.
* Instructor for riparian mammal survey training courses for BASC, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Avon Wildlife Trust, and Gwent Wildlife Trust and the Environment Agency.
* Member of the Southwest Riparian Mammals Forum.
* Keynote speaker on otters and water voles at the Southwest Wetlands Conference.
* Specialist wetlands surveyor for the Thames Gateway Project.
* Principal advisor to the River Allen Water Vole Recovery Project for Wessex Chalk Stream Rivers Trust.
The New Year 2013 issue of Working Together, the magazine for tenants and residents, of the Selwood Housing Society, notes:
Codford Nature Reserve. Last year we made a contribution of £1,000 to the nature reserve which was a joint project with Wiltshire Rural Housing Association. This has been a great success and a family of hedgehogs with babies have now made it their home.
