RESERVES

We have three reserves totalling 130 acres, Magdalen Hill Down & Yew Hill near Winchester & Bentley Station Meadow adjoining the Alice Holt Forest, near Farnham. They are open to the public all the year round, without charge. Forty of the county's forty-six butterfly species may be seen on these reserves & their sensitive management is recognised by Countryside Stewardship Agreements. All reserves have educational access agreements.  Visits are welcomed from other conservation bodies, photographic societies, U3A, WI's and children's groups like Brownies and Cubs. Please contact our Reserves Officer, whose details can be found in the Committee section.

If you would like to know more about the management of our reserves, then please contact our Reserves Officer, Lynn Fomison, whose details can be found in the Committee section. Lynn is employed by the branch to oversee policy regarding the management of our reserves and to ensure that they provide a suitable habitat for the conservation of butterflies and moths. From time to time she has announcements to make to the members of the branch and this web site is one of the suitable mediums to ensure that these quickly reach those with computers.

Click on the links below for more information on our reserves.

• Bentley Station Meadow
• Magdalen Hill Down
• Yew Hill

Friday 24th October

Bentley Station Meadow

Three cows arrived last Tuesday. And a most welcome sight they were too! In the 2007/8 season it had not been possible to graze the reserve because NE Hampshire was affected by many months with restrictions arising from the Foot & Mouth outbreak in Surrey.   They are a rare breed called Irish Moiled.   Conservation work starts at BSM soon. Why not come & help us for an hour or so on Wednesday 5h November.  
Lynn Lynn Fomison Reserves Officer Hampshire & Isle of Wight Branch 01962 772251

Thursday 2nd October

Magdalen Hill Down

Not only is the cooler weather signalling an end to Summer but we are moving into winter season mode on the reserves. Cattle have started to arrive at Magdalen to graze both the original reserve, where they are currently in the western section and on MHD North where they are next to the road. Those ones are British Friesian cross Simmental. Further cattle will be arriving to graze the extension. This autumn/early winter graze is important in all sorts of ways. This year growth of grass has been excessive & the cattle will enjoy eating it. They help to create bare ground which gives diversity on the reserve. Their droppings will become habitat for hornet robber fly larva & also support many other invertebrates which in turn will feed the reserves healthy bird population. Talking of which at the moment there are many seeds and berries and the birds are having a feast. Skylarks, meadow pipits and wheatears are being regularly seen. It is our last walk of the season on Sunday 5th October so do join us if you can. Given some sunshine Commas and Red admirals should be good.   Just to return to the topic of the season to finish, on 1st October we had a work party tacking winter type work. It was convened by email - once I had seen the forecast was for a fine day! Five of us spent about three hours digging out buddleias & other woody scrub on MHD N roadside field. Our operations proved to be very intriguing to the cattle! We enjoyed cake, apples, sunshine and seeing a few butterflies, plus the satisfaction of knowing we had done a worthwhile job on flower rich grassland. Do contact me if you would like to come along to work parties.
PS. Whilst working we found two cowslips in flower. Colin Matthews commented that it is an unusual sight at this time of year.
Lynn Fomison  Reserves Officer

Wednesday 10th September

Magdalen Hill Down

Butterfly Conservation hosted a corporate conservation day for 15 staff from the Research Dept of Ordnance Survey in Southampton.   The main tasks they undertook was clearance of wild clematis - an ongoing problem which we have and weeding out ash seedlings in the chalk corner to prevent them from growing & out-competing the rockrose, kidney & horseshoe vetch specially planted there.   We met in light rain at 9.30am, but thankfully this cleared by 11am & we even got some sunny spells. Each group of about 5 people had a guided walk around the reserve with Lynn Fomison while Arthur Greenwood, Colin Matthews and Pat Fleet (all members of Reserves Sub committee) supervised the practical work.   12 species of butterflies were seen and 4 wasp spiders and of course lots of birds, possibly including a Whinchat.   If you are reading this & work for a company that gives staff a day off to go out & do voluntary work do contact Lynn Fomison as she will be VERY pleased to arrange such a day for you.   Lynn Fomison Reserves Officer

Wednesday 17th July

Magdalen Hill Down

The upper half of the extension was  cut on Sunday for haylage.  It was baled on Tuesday to be taken back to the farm where it will be fed to the cattle in late winter when they are not here grazing the reserve.   However the reason for the cut was not to provide the cows with nice food! It was done for conservation reasons, namely:-

• The wet weather had made the grass grow really tall & thus the flowers and larval food plants were less accessible to the butterflies.
• The flowers will grow up again really quickly and will flower later in the summer just when the ones on the uncut areas are starting to go over. This will prolong the presence of flowers supplying nectar to butterflies – important if we get a sunny September & October.
• Taking away the cut grass will lower the fertility and this means conditions will be more favourable for the flowers that thrive on chalk downland and need low fertility.
• The cattle would have struggled to eat all the grass when they come in the autumn and again it is important to the growing conditions of the flowers that the area is grazed to a short height.
• There are a few ‘undesirable species like wild clematis and dogwood growing in the flowery area and because the grass will be shorter it will be easier to find the problem plants and dig them out in the autumn.  

Other news - we are having regular work parties to clear ragwort. If you would like to help please ring Lynn 01962 772251.

Tuesday 1st July

Last Friday we held the first work party for this season to clear ragwort on Magdalen Hill Down. We removed almost twenty bags from the western end of the original reserve and there is still more to clear so if you can spare an hour or two this coming Friday 4thJuly we are there from 10am to 1pm. Park inside our entrance opposite St Swithun's school. We will be having a series of these work parties through the summer & YOUR help would be appreciated. Please bring gloves.

Thursday 26th June

Magdalen Hill Down - Help needed with ragwort clearance  

We have a work party planned fro Friday 27th June lasting from 10am to 2pm clearing ragwort on original reserve - Tumuli area & the hillside  below. Use entrance opposite St Swithun's School & park on grass.   Please contact Lynn to go on the email list for impromptu ragwort work parties which we frequently arrange through the summer.   You can combine good butterfly watching with giving us some much needed help. See you there!
Lynn Fomison Reserves Officer Hampshire & Isle of Wight Branch 01962 772251

Tuesday 24th June

Not much magical about the figure 30 you might be thinking. But if I were to tell you I had counted 30 Pyramidal orchids on a 50 yard stretch of chalk grassland it starts sounding slightly fascinating. But when I add this was on the Extension at Magdalen Hill Down - an area that was an arable field until it was sown with native grass & wild flowers in 1997 then the magic can be appreciated. The orchids were not sown but colonised from nearby ancient chalk grassland. It really was some thing special to find just so many this morning in one small area & I guess if I had walked further I could have found more. I am always stressing that our reserves are not just good for butterflies and moths but for all wildlife. We see time & time again that the grassland management - mainly winter grazing - that so benefits butterflies is great for many plants & other insects too & the wild life that depends on them. Those orchids are a lovely bit of proof of that.

Lynn Fomison

Thursday 19th June 2008

Magdalen Hill Down Conservation News

On Wednesday 11th June members of the Wednesday Conservation Volunteers helped with a variety of tasks at Magdalen Hill Down. They undertook clearance of long vegetation on paths to make access more pleasant for butterfly watchers and also to enhance the habitat for butterflies. They did light trimming in a sensitive way to a hedgerow overhanging an access path & helped with clearance of wild clematis which is a real pest on our fence lines.   Wednesday Conservation Volunteers have been giving us valuable help for a number of years and they are always interested in new members joining them. See the web site  for more details or contact Mac Millington on 01730 829454 http://www.wednesdaycv.org.uk   They will be with us again at Magdalen Hill Down on Wednesday 16th July so do join us. Butterfly Conservation will be arranging some gatherings to pull ragwort whilst enjoying a walk around the reserve so if you are not already on the email list that I write to please contact me & ask for your name to be included. These are friendly gatherings and new faces are always most welcome. It is necessary to wear gloves.

Magdalen Hill Down Educational Visits News

John Arnott ( 3rd from the left) is a tutor at Merrist Wood College who has been bringing groups of students to Magdalen Hill Down and Yew Hill for a number of years. 2008 is however John's last visit with a college visit. John has long recognised that our sites are ideal for demonstrating a range of management techniques and their impact.   Butterfly Conservation has an educational access agreement with Natural England & we welcome groups of all kinds for specially themed and guided walks at our three reserves. Enquiries welcomed by Lynn Fomison.

Monday 12th May 2008

Magdalen Hill Down North

The 200 sheep moved from the roadside field onto the top field on 1st May. I just loved this photo showing some of them against the Winchester landscape. I would like to have lived a hundred or more years ago when the city was encircled with natural downland with rotational sheep grazing. What butterflies we would have seen!   You can see the M3 with St Catherine's Hill to the right and in the middle of the horizon to the right is our Yew Hill reserve. Look below that to see St Cross Hospital - a picturesque old building almost in the water meadows.   Sheep will not be there for many more days - we have just used them to take the vegetation down a bit as the ground is still pretty fertile being an ex arable field.

Bentley Station Meadow
I have visited Bentley Station meadow a few times recently. Pretty quiet for butterflies but plants doing well. Bugle is just starting to flower well in the north meadow - remember last year - Broad-bordered Hawkmoths were seen nectaring on it on several occasions.   Sue Clark has made a very special discovery -  Adders Tongue Fern and also found a second patch of Herb Paris.

Monday 21st April 2008

Magdalen Hill Down

Lynn Fomison writes "If you have not seen Magdalen Hill Down at Cowslip time now is the time to go. They are looking splendid especially on the Extension. This photo was taken on 20th April.   The seed was sown in autumn 1997 so this is really their 10th Spring & they have just kept on increasing.   If anyone would like to bring a group to see them and other delights at the reserve please contact me."

200 hundred sheep arrived on Magdalen Hill Down North on Friday 18th April.  This area of the reserve was sown with wildflower seed in Autumn 2004 as part of an important joint scheme with Hampshire County Council of habitat creation on a grand scale. The cowslips are doing well and the sward is a mass of wildflower plants. Grazing is an important part of the process of establishing good wild flower meadows.   In the background the tree and shrub planting at the eastern end can also be seen. The lovely mixture of native species are getting well established and the clumps of "scrub" are interlaced with flowery glades. There is another similar area at the western end. Ideal butterfly & moth habitats.  We just need the sunshine!

Tuesday 8th April 2008

Yew Hill Update

Dan Hoare's photo of Yew Hill in the snow of Sunday 6th April reminded me that it's a good time to give an update of what we have done at Yew Hill this winter.   Work parties run by Colin Matthews have been very well supported & we had help on the big task of derelict tree maintenance on the bridle path and clearance of fallen trees in a hedgerow from Hampshire Conservation Volunteers wielding two chain saws.   A very large ash tree fell down into the field 'Hilltop' we rent from Southern Water as extra grazing land (and also to preserve it from 'agricultural improvement'). SW kindly arranged for this to be cleared but we had to pay for a new length of fencing.   On the 12th March in a very fierce gale! Colin & I planted just over 50 new hedging plants - hawthorn, buckthorn and holly - in the gaps in the hedge around Hilltop - the field we rent. There is no public access to this field but we do take any guided walks in there to show people how it is developing as a conservation sward. We have helped it on its way by spreading green hay & planting plug plants.   Both the reserve & Hilltop were well grazed by cattle this winter. The only problem we have is too many rabbits both on the reserve and the surrounding land.   Lets hope that we will get warm spring weather soon to encourage Yew Hill's butterflies to make an appearance. However it must be said it is not a good site for early sightings.  
Lynn Fomison Reserves Officer

Friday 7th March 2008 - Butterfly Conservations 40th Birthday

Magdalen Hill Down

On Friday 7th March we celebrated Butterfly Conservation’s 40th Birthday with a work party at Magdalen Hill Down Nature Reserve. Well over 40 people attended and were addressed by Dr Martin Warren, Chief Executive of the society, and by journalist, author and broadcaster Rosie Boycott. Rosie is a member of Butterfly Conservation who has her own West Country smallholding and champions closer links to the countryside. She spoke with great enthusiasm for the beauty and magic of butterflies and the importance of creating and maintaining habitats for them. 
Members and staff of Butterfly Conservation spent the day working alongside other friends of the reserve and volunteers from other conservation groups, cutting back and digging out scrub and striving to achieve the flower-rich grassland on which butterflies depend. Native shrubs and wild flowers were also planted.  The Wednesday Group was well represented and Butterfly Conservation is grateful to them for the regular work that they do at the reserve. 
Lynn Fomison reports that the work party on Friday was the last one for the winter season and we have achieved much of the work we set out to do. The reserve is in top class condition, just ready for the fine weather. Last summer butterflies everywhere suffered because of the continual rain. Hopefully we’ll have a better summer this year and there’ll again be a profusion of butterflies, particularly Chalkhill Blues, to provide a shimmering mass of blue over the down. It’s magnificent sight.
The Hampshire work party was just one of 15 being organised on key butterfly sites nationwide to mark Butterfly Conservation’s 40th birthday. They are the first of a series of activities throughout the year marking the anniversary.
Over the past 40 years Butterfly Conservation has grown from a handful of members to more than 13,000, many of them actively participating in conservation work and in recording butterfly numbers. Butterflies are much more sensitive to change than other wildlife. The monitoring of them on this large scale provides invaluable data about what is happening to our environment and about climate change.

24th February 2008

Bentley Station Meadow