SUSTAINABILITY

SANCTUARY
Around the regions
Wiltshire
Larkhill and Westdown
increasing numbers including small
blue, chalkhill blue, adonis blue and
dark green fritillary.
Marc Arbuckle led several successful
BeeWalks on the Plain during 2015 in
collaboration with the Bumblebee
Conservation Trust (BBCT). The
bumblebee population took a while to
get going but in the height of summer
several hundred were recorded from 12
species including the broken-belted
bumblebee and Barbut’s cuckoo bee.
Phil Deacon and our ornithology group
had another productive year ringing
4,125 birds, reflecting good breeding in
2014. 66% of the birds ringed comprised
seven species of migrant warblers
which make use of the Westdown scrub
habitat to breed or as a stop-over
feeding station, including garden
warblers, reed warblers and sedge
warblers. One of the latter was killed in
Ayr, Scotland and another trapped in
Loire-Atlantique, France a few days later.
Sadly the nightingale population
continues to dwindle significantly; only
five males and one female were trapped.
A freshly emerged marsh fritillary Euphydryas aurinia © Marc Arbuckle
In January 2015 Mark Khan and our
archaeology team surveyed the
remains of two Mk22 Spitfires on
Salisbury Plain. They also located the
remains of a rare Fairey Battle aircraft
and a De Havilland Mosquito. In April,
they assisted with the excavation and
recording of an extensive set of WW1
trenches on Perham Down as part
of Op Nightingale. This was followed by
Ex Tell Alliance at East Chisenbury
which was a Bronze and Iron Age site
dig organised by DIO archaeologist
Richard Osgood.
bias towards the south of our area;
unfortunately no conclusions could be
drawn. A party of Dutch scientists was
shown around our area in June and
were deeply impressed by the extent
and quality of the chalk grassland of
which there is little in Holland.
During the year, Mike Lockwood
monitored three UK Butterfly
Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) transects
across various different habitats around
the Larkhill area. An impressive 37
species were recorded.
2015 has been a mark time year for
raptors, principally due to a shortage of
their staple diet, the short-tailed field vole.
Nigel Lewis reports that tawny owls are
holding their own. After a successful year
in 2014, barn owl numbers were stable
and close to the ten year norm, but the
shortage of food prevented any second
broods and there is an increasing threat
from ravens, red kites and buzzards.
Sadly the little owl continues to struggle;
it needs abundant cover to avoid
predators; this is in short supply on the
Plain but better within Army camps.
Although declining nationally, kestrels
had a good year with growing numbers.
Tony Rowlands conducted a survey of
flowering blackthorn in March. 131
records were generated and plotted on
a range map to explain an apparent
The highlights of the year were
sightings of the elusive brown
hairstreak, white-letter hairstreak and the
marsh fritillary. Several species show
Lt Col (Retd) Richard Clayton
Secretary
Larkhill and Westdown
Conservation Group
92
SANCTUARY 45 2016