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Congratulations to our competition winners who correctly guessed the age of our Oak tree at our Nature Detective Days this summer In return for their efforts, the eight winners all won their own slice of a tree with a certificate of authentication that gave details of the location where the tree fell on Banstead Commons earlier this year It was lovely to see our young Nature Detectives again when they collected their prize in...
Read More30 September, 2024 Dear Volunteer, I hope this email finds you well What terrible wet weather we’ve had over recent days, the temperature has also dropped, winter coats will be out soon Whilst Autumn and Winter are meant to be the seasons when we can carry out most of the habitat improvement work on the Commons, sometimes the weather can scupper our plans, especially when using agricultural machinery Thankfully, weather...
Read MoreBanstead Heath has a network of nine ponds found across the site Rich in biodiversity, they support many rare species that rely on an aquatic ecosystem to survive These include many different types of invertebrates, like dragonflies and damsel flies, as well as the UK’s rarest amphibian, the Great Crested Newt In a recent ecological survey of the ponds on the Heath it was identified that all nine require - to a greater or lesser extent...
Read More10th September, 2024 Dear Volunteer, I hope this email finds you well and you are enjoying the sunshine, what a lovely treat! Whilst it may still feel like summer this week, our butterfly recording season is drawing to a close and Autumn is in the air, especially in the evenings Autumn and Winter are the seasons when we can carry out habitat improvement work on the Commons without work impacting...
Read MoreSummer has arrived at last and more visitors are out on the Commons exploring the great outdoors Butterfly numbers have increased during the warm spell and whilst it was an abysmal start to the UKBMS recording season, it looks like numbers have improved in recent weeks I have certainly enjoyed observing burgeoning numbers of Six-spot Burnet moths on Park Downs and Chalk Hill Blues on Banstead Downs – simply a joy to watch and a testament...
Read MoreOur first Nature Detective Day on Banstead Downs was a huge success Families came along to explore the wonderful chalk grassland habitat, learning about its wildlife and how help conserve its natural beauty Activities included a Bug Hunt, Nature Walk and an opportunity to Meet the Sheep Our team of staff and volunteers were on hand to help, and they were all impressed with the curiosity and enthusiasm everyone showed in finding out about...
Read MoreBanstead Commons Conservators are working together with Surrey Wildlife Trust to develop 10 year Site Management Plans for each of our four sites: Banstead Downs, Banstead Heath, Burgh Heath and Park Downs A Site Management Plan details how we intend to prioritise resources and organise our land management for the benefit of people and wildlife over a period of ten years Commencing on Saturday 1 June and running until Sunday 30 June we...
Read MoreOur small flock of twenty seven sheep, a mixture of Herdwick and Beaulah Speckled Face breeds, will be introduced to Pen 3 on Banstead Downs on Thursday 11 April The grazing enclosure is highlighted in red on the map below Visitor access to the enclosure is not permitted at this time We estimate the sheep will be grazing this section of grassland for approximately ten weeks depending on the vegetation growth The grassland areas of...
Read MoreMarch is peak time for frogspawn Even though, with global warming, it is sometimes sighted nowadays as early as December, now is when you are most likely to see it Although frogs turn up almost anywhere damp and sheltered on land throughout the year, they have to lay their eggs (the spawn) in water because they are amphibians, creatures that can exist in both elements, depending on the circumstances So, at this time of year, they travel from...
Read MoreSkylarks are one of the UK's most iconic songbirds but did you know they nest on the ground The uniform habitat of the Mill Field on Banstead Heath is an ideal breeding ground for Skylarks and the meadow supports a healthy breeding population of birds During the nesting season you can enjoy their song-flight above nesting territories as the birds pair up and build their nests Skylarks will raise two to three broods of young each year simply...
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