News
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Spring 2016 on Kilkhampton Common
After the cold winter, the Common is starting to show signs of spring. The first butterfly surveys have been completed showing small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) and peacock (Aglais io) butterflies have already started to emerge. Within the next couple of months, the Common will be covered with butterflies and surveying them starts to get more…
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2015 Vita Bee Health Initiative Award Winners
It was exciting news to hear that the Devon Apicultural Research Group (DARG) was recently awarded the Pinnacle Winner of the first Vita Honeybee Health Initiative Award for research in the Done Laying Queen Survey in 2012. Westland Countryside Stewards played a significant part in supporting the project with a donation of £1000 which investigated…
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Kilkhampton Common – Autumn 2015
Throughout the summer, the Common has been awash with butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies. A total of 1186 butterflies were recorded this year, a 700 decrease from last year, even with the new transects, although this seems to be the case across the UK this year.
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Water vole trapping and relocation on Bude canal
If you are a frequent walker along the Bude canal you may have noticed a number of traps around the lock gate closest to the Weir. Westland Countryside Stewards are aiding Cornwall Council by relocating water voles in that area so necessary improvement works on the canal can take place.
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Event: Water vole field sign survey running from 29th – 30th October
We are happy to announce that we will be running our autumn water vole field sign survey in the Bude catchment and invite you to volunteer. Surveying will run on Thursday 29th and Friday 30th October from 9am till 4pm. The canal and riverbanks will be walked and the vegetation will be searched for field…
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Kilkhampton Common – Summer 2015
In the last few months, the common has awoken and flourished. Butterflies have started to emerge, small pearl bordered fritillaries (Boloria selene) have once again returned and the first recordings of small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) this year which brings the total to 22 species of butterflies on the Common so far. The fields at the…
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Kilkhampton Parish News 2014 Review
Looking back over the last few months, work on Kilkhampton Common may not be completely visible, but behind the scenes a lot has taken place from surveys to new signage. The excellent weather conditions this year have been beneficial for all flora and fauna.
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Water voles return to every county in England
Today the Environment Agency sent out this press release. Following on from the final water vole release we made in the Bude river catchment it has been confirmed that water voles has now returned to every country in England.
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Kilkhampton Parish News – Summer 2014
Work on the Commons since the Spring has been limited to general maintenance and the surfacing of the path at the top of the Commons alongside the pond and picnic bench.
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Kilkhampton Parish News – Spring 2014
Given the dreadful wet weather earlier in the year, we brought all the breeding ewes indoors towards the end of February and of course then the sun came out! Still, they are all happy enough feeding on Dennis’s prize winning hay