Southwick Country Park Local Nature Reserve
My Local Nature Reserve originally began its life as a Country Park managed by Wiltshire Council. But through the dedication, determination and the hard work of a group of volunteers that kept the park tidy, recorded the numerous species that called the park home, and generally kept an on eye on the place, it was granted Nature Reserve Status in 2021.
Having started life as only a Country Park, it does have some problems that have a negative impact on the 150 acres of old farmland that makes up the reserve. One of these problems (and I know this is controversial) is dogs running off of the lead. I don’t believe that the blame here lies with the dogs, I believe that it lies with the dog owners and the County Council. There are no signs advising people to keep their dogs on a lead, or even within sight - as should be done according to the Countryside Code. And as far as the dog owners themselves are concerned, some of them don’t pick up after their dog, and quite a few of them clearly haven’t bothered training their dogs correctly as some of them don’t have recall. I will leave my complaining at that, as I am involved with volunteering in the reserve and do have regular discussions (as do the other volunteers) with the council and things are slowly improving. So on to something positive . . .
In spring and early summer the fields come alive with wild flowers.
If you put the time in and get to know the place, there is some good wildlife to be seen and photographed in the reserve. The list of species that I have seen is long, but some of my personal highlights have been: water vole, water shrew, weasel, kingfisher, and many, many invertebrates.
My favourite invertebrate species in the reserve has to be the wasp spider. I first discovered them during lockdown, and now every year I am excited when July rolls around, as that’s when the first young females start to emerge. They are very difficult to find when they are young as they spin small webs and are only a fraction of their adult size. But as an adult, they are our second largest spider, with only the raft spider greater in size, which makes them very easy to find.
The reason the reserve is fortunate to home a population of water voles is that the Lambrok Stream borders the north east boundary of the reserve. This small stream not only provides a corridor for the voles to expand their population, it also provides the perfect highway for Kingfishers to explore territories.
Protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, water voles have a home in the reserve.
Although not common in the reserve, I have been fortunate to have a few kingfisher sightings and even more fortunate to get a picture of one. It was hunting at the pond and I happened to be walking by the pond when it was perched in the willows. There’s no punch to the picture as you can see, it was such a dull day, but the shot still makes me happy, and that’s the main thing as far as I am concerned.
I couldn’t believe my luck when I found this juvenile checking out the pond.
The reserve often throws up little surprises, like the discovery of marsh, pyramidal and bee orchids in 2021. I saw a water shrew in 2022, which was another first for the reserve. And that’s the amazing thing about nature, you never know what it’s going to reveal to you when you spend time immersed in it.
All of the flora and fauna that populate the reserve’s species list played a pivotal role in the reserve achieving Nature Reserve status, and they will continue to play pivotal role in the future, as some of the land bordering the reserve has recently been approved by the council for development.
Watching the hearing the council held for the planning permission for the development was rather depressing. The reserve was barely mentioned and when it was, it was referred to as an ‘amenity’ not a Nature Reserve. There wasn’t even a single reference to the water voles that live in the Lambrok, and the new development will be only metres from them!
The highlighted area is has had planning permission approved.
But the plot thickens as it appears that there were breaches in the planning applications, which should have prevented them even being presented to a committee. The land closest to the reserve that is to be developed floods, and the flooding will only increase if the land is developed. Also, all surface water will be directed to the Lambrok, and I think it’s a safe bet that it won’t be just rainwater that ends up in the Lambrok.
So that’s an introduction to my local Nature Reserve. It means a great deal to me and has helped with my mental health, so I will be forever in its debt.
Despite the many challenges it faces, I know that there are many passionate people in its corner, so I am hopeful for its future.
