A Wild Year

Marsh clubmoss reintroduction

This unassuming primitive plant, which is endangered in the UK has been reintroduced to Tadnoll Heath, Upton Heath and Sopley Common. Along with that the surviving population at Winfrith had its highest count for many years.

Species Recovery Grant 

In September, we were delighted to receive a share of a  £14.5 million grant by Natural England . This forms part of the government’s commitment to reduce species at risk of extinction in the UK. It will enable us to recover some of Dorset’s most threatened species through practical interventions, creating and improving their habitat across our nature reserves.  

At Upton, Higher Hyde and Tadnoll & Winfrith Heaths, that means the creation of dry heathland scrapes where the sand lizard can lay its eggs. It also means wet scrapes for pillwort to establish itself as well as the re-introduction of the marsh clubmoss.  

Over in west Dorset, ponds will be created and restored at Kingcombe and Powerstock Common to benefit the great crested newt.  

In the north of Dorset, woodland management will aim to provide more habitat for the fly orchid. 

First record of down shieldbug

We had the first record for the scarce down shieldbug at Fontmell Down. This bug lives on bastard toadflax, a rare plant restricted to chalk grassland.

Launching Our Podcast 

We were very excited to launch our new podcast series, Wildlife Matters, in 2023. From river restoration at Wild Woodbury to the Dorset Beaver Project, listeners can enjoy hearing expert voices as staff, volunteers and trustees cover topics close to their hearts. So far, Wildlife Matters podcasts have been downloaded 2,571 times – to everyone who tuned in, thank you! Keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for the launch of the next season of Wildlife Matters in 2024. 

Listen to all episodes now on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher, or on our website. For National Marine Weeks, we spoke to award-winning videographer Doug Anderson about filming marine wildlife:

Second highest count of silver-studded blues

This year was our second highest count on record of silver-studded blue butterflies at Higher Hyde Heath, only beaten by a few more in 2022.

Brownsea Island: Bird Flu and Avocet Chicks 

2023 was not without its challenges and the outbreak of avian flu on Brownsea Island was heartbreaking. It struck at the height of breeding season and took the lives of 600 birds - mainly Sandwich terns, common terns and black-headed gulls.  

It’s difficult to predict the long-term effects of the outbreak on the colonies next year, but we will monitor the lagoon islands carefully once the birds return for 2024’s breeding season.  

One positive development on the island saw reports of two avocet chicks fledging for the first time in many years on Brownsea. 

Bechstein's bats at Bracketts Coppice

The long running study of Bechstein's bats at our Bracketts Coppice reserve recorded the joint highest number of individual bats since the study began in the 1990s.

Hear Dorset Wildlife Trust's Steve Masters talk more about this study on the BatChat podcast:

Dorset Peat Project’s million-pound grant  

Dorset Peat Partnership, led by Dorset Wildlife Trust, was awarded a £750,000 grant from Defra's Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme. This was matched by £250,000 from other funders, for work on 16 sites across Dorset. 172 hectares of fragmented and damaged peatlands will be rewetted and restored as a result. Peatlands are England's largest land-based carbon store, yet most of them are currently too dry, degraded and emitting carbon. 

Listen to our podcast on The Power of Peat:

Adder's-tongue rediscovered

2023 saw the first record of adder's-tongue, a small grassland fern, at Kingcombe Meadows for over 30 years.

Wild Woodbury: Two Years On 

September 2023 marked two years since the start of our community rewilding project in Bere Regis and gave us many reasons to celebrate. A site-wide project to re-naturalise the headwaters of the River Sherford was one such success. Within the first few weeks the newly created wetland system attracted flocks of lapwing, golden plover and common snipe. In staff and volunteer surveys throughout the second year, over 1600 species were recorded, an increase of 300 from the previous year

Learn more about the incredible transformations of  Wild Woodbury two years on .

Beaver Baby Boom 

This summer, the Dorset Beaver Project team were delighted to discover the arrival of a second litter of beaver kits with two kits recorded so far. The growth of this family is another positive sign that the beavers continue to thrive at the secret project site in west Dorset.

If you’d like to support beavers in Dorset, why not adopt a beaver for a loved one? Your online adoption pack includes a certificate, fascinating fact leaflet and a high-res photo of your chosen adoption.  

Kingcombe Courses 

In 2023 the Kingcombe Visitor Centre team launched a fantastic range of courses and workshops for adults, held at the beautiful Kingcombe Meadows nature reserve. Courses ranged from spoon carving to butterfly identification, with people attending from across the county to enjoy learning new skills amongst like-minded individuals. The team are happy to announce a new timetable of exciting courses and workshops launching in 2024.  You can reserve your place now .  

Great numbers of violet helleborine

This year saw one of the highest counts of violet helleborine at Girdlers Coppice with this flower distributed across the whole site.

Inside Out Dorset 

In September, five days of live performances from incredible artists, art installations, self-guided walks and workshops took place at Wild Woodbury. Highlights included Baina[na], a fabulous mix of juggling, theatre, and dance, while The Pravaas promenade performances by Akademi explored the theme of climate migration through dance and vocals. Thanks to the organisers, Activate Performing Arts, for making this extraordinary event happen - and to everyone who came along to join in. 

Heath tiger beetles find new scrapes

Our heath tiger beetle population, one of only a handful in country, began using the new bare ground scrapes provided for them. Their distribution across the site has widened significantly.

Photography Competition  

In June we launched our brand-new photography competition – and the response was incredible. From busy back garden bumblebees to hunting herons, the range and standard of photos we received exceeded all expectations. The dazzling wildlife-themed photos, taken from across Dorset by our brilliant members and supporters, will help encourage and inspire more people to protect Dorset’s precious wildlife and wild places.

Firecrest breeding at Ashley Wood

The first confirmed breeding of this beautiful and tiny bird, similar to a goldcrest, was recorded at Ashley Wood nature reserve.

Nextdoor Nature 

The Nextdoor Nature programme, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, seeks to support people and communities to take care of communal areas that matter to them, with nature in mind. In February, Wilder Communities Officer, Anona Dawson, teamed up with Bournemouth and Poole College students, the Turlin Moor community, The College, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Homes, and Birds and Recreation Initiative to produce  The Creature from Gillman Lake . The short film highlights the consequences of not looking after the environment. 

Anona has also been involved with The Get2Gethers, a group of local craftswomen in Turlin Moor. They are highly skilled in sewing, embroidery, knitting and crotchet and meet weekly for their Community Map project. It has become a catalyst for talking about nature and what’s important to people who live on the Moor. 

Our Assistant Wilder Communities Officer, Mitch Perkins, also produced monthly blogs about wildlife gardening, full of tips to attract and help local wildlife to gardens and greenspaces.