Our fantastic army of 140 surveyors helped undertake 225 planned priority surveys on 75 of our nature reserves this year. The data collected will continue to help inform our habitat management work as well as contribute to regional and national recording schemes.

Without the help of our surveyors, we would have far less knowledge of the species present on our reserves, how their populations are changing over time as well as the condition of our key habitats. 

In 2023, we undertook 31 butterfly transects, 29 bird transects, 10 dragonfly transects, 54 habitat condition assessments as well as many other surveys and monitoring projects such as dormouse box checks, orchid counts, badger activity monitoring, groundwater level measuring, newt bottle-trapping, reptile refugia checks, bat monitoring. 

There were many highlights this year, including the following: 

• Linda Murphy and volunteers repeated their annual census of glow worms at Whitecross Green Wood. The team have been monitoring the species since 1999 and it is great to report they recorded 303 glowing females this year, which is the highest ever annual total.
• At Whitecross Green Wood, the very rare southern migrant hawker dragonfly was proven to have bred on one of the newly created ponds. This is currently the only known breeding site in Oxfordshire for the species.
• Many of our breeding birds suffered during the poor spring weather, however, there are still a few highlights to mention. Dartford warblers were confirmed to have bred for the first time in many years at Snelsmore Common. Hopefully they will now establish a viable breeding colony.
• Goshawks bred at Foxholes Wood and it is worth noting it is thought this apex predator will continue to increase and could have a profound impact on the ecology of sites. In the New Forest, where there are now annually 30+ breeding pairs, their main prey items are jays and grey squirrels!
• At Chimney Meadows, a pair of curlew again bred on the National Nature Reserve (NNR) and after the nest was protected with an electric fence, two young successfully fledged.
• At Homefield Wood, Phillip Pratt and his team counted 1,111 military orchids, which is a record count for the reserve for this very rare orchid.
• Just down the road, a further 515 military orchids were counted at our Swains Wood reserve. The species is only known to grow at a handful of sites in the UK.

All of this is testament to the fantastic work of our nature reserve volunteers and work parties, wildlife trainees and staff. 

At this time of year, we are busy collating of this year’s survey data. Our Ecology Trainees, Dave and Sam, as well as our office volunteer Bob, are inputting the data into various spreadsheets, access databases and online recording schemes ready for analysis.

In January next year, we will feedback the results to the various BBOWT Land Management Teams as well as contribute our data to several ongoing external recording schemes such as the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.

Five surveyors completed their 10^th year of volunteering for the Reserves Surveying Programme this year. Since the programme started, 88 surveyors have completed 10 years and a further three surveyors have completed an incredible 20 years!

At this year’s AGM, it was great to be able to present Lifetime Achievement Awards to Phillip Pratt and Jan Legg, and Outstanding Achievement Awards to John Dellow, Kathy Warden, Simon Cousins, Brian Crathorne and Sylvia O’Brien.

All of these fantastic volunteers have contributed to the Reserves Surveying Programme over many years as well as to many other aspects of BBOWT’s work.

Time is flying and it is just over two months before planning will begin for the 2024 survey season! Many thanks in anticipation to those existing and new surveyors willing to help.

If you haven’t been involved in the Reserves Surveying Programme and you have wildlife identification skills, please get in touch with Senior Ecology Officer, Colin Williams, to find out more. 

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