Trip reports

AGM / Manor Farm RSPB Reserve

Tuesday, 5 June 2007

After the completion of AGM business Patrick Cashman gave us an update on the development of Wiltshire's latest RSPB reserve. First we learned that Patrick was a Swindonian and formerly worked for English Nature (now, of course, Natural England). Then we were told that renaming the reserve Winterbourne Downs would explain its new status - it would not be run as a normal farm operation but would be developed to suit the requirements of farmland birds, particularly stone-curlew.
This would entail the return of much of the arable farm to close, sheep-grazed chalk grassland with just four small fields kept under a rotational arable regime in order to provide for a richer bio-diversity.
Patrick finished by explaining that the site was quite sensitive as it surrounded the village, so it is unlikely to become an "open" RSPB reserve and would need to have controlled visiting arrangements.