Hazel Dormouse Project 2019 Part 1

Endangered species come in all shapes and sizes, one of which is the hazel dormouse and is key to the local eco-system and needs protecting. In today’s environment, it faces significant challenges, one being its habitat is disappearing and statistics show that numbers are in rapid decline. Recognising that we can help these small mammals, and in the process bring out the natural curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm in young minds, we set up the Hazel Dormouse Project.

We began by identifying areas of ancient woodland within our estate that would be suitable for the project, before our carpenter set to work creating wooden dormouse house kits that could be built by students together in groups at school. Once built, they would hopefully provide additional shelter away from predators and the temperamental British weather. Cont…

Hazel Dormouse Project 2019 Part 2

…Once built in autumn, the boxes were left outside to weather over winter, and then in spring the school groups brought their boxes with them on a visit to our farm and estate. Within the tranquil woods in Ramsbury, they first took part in a hazelnut hunt to try and identify through the teeth marks left behind what had eaten it. Hoping to find that they had been eaten by small mammals like the dormouse, or if very lucky one that had unquestionably been eaten by a dormouse. The session was spent identifying the types of trees and other food sources available in that area to them and assessing whether it was a suitable habitat. Then, together they put up their boxes in a fixed place, where we electronically recorded the site for future monitoring. The main aim of this is to get children outside, to learn and most importantly, to do something positive for nature.

Duke of Burgundy Butterfly Project 2018 Part 1

Critically endangered, we sought to bring these beautiful insects back to our corner of Wiltshire, with the help of 7 schools and 240 children our very first conservation and education project was born. First we brought the project to the classroom, giving the children a taste of the Duke of Burgundy’s habitat and looked to inspire them as to how we can all help them return to the local environment.

We set aside a dedicated area for each school on our estate and over a few weeks, each school visited and planted the butterfly’s preferred food: cowslips. An abundance of this food we hoped would draw back the butterfly to make these areas of natural beauty their home once again. We then arranged a return visit, where to our delight the project had worked and the butterflies had returned. Cont…

Duke of Burgundy Butterfly Project 2018 Part 2

…Thanks to this success, this is now a 10 year project where we will continue to grow butterfly corridors to further extend the habitat and hopefully grow the population even more so.

This connection with nature is hugely important for children, and often something that is forgotten in modern day to day life, and to see the children enjoying being in the fresh air, and learning outdoors is a reward in itself for us here at Ramsbury.