Creating a deer haven in Wiltshire

[jall55]

Hi Sid
I would suggest having shelter belts against the hedges

Try and get the "flow"

I have done a similar type project on my 270 acre game shoot

We have clear felled and netted over 7000 tonnes of timber

I bought a 360 excavator and have built over 15 ponds and splashes

Me and my syndicate have planted circa 40000 trees/shrubs and i now have extensive flower meadows and wild bird strips

The wildlife is increasing rapidly not only in numbers but diversity

It has also seen massive increases in the shoot returns and we have just had our best day ever today !

 

[Sidders243]

Congrats that jall55 sounds like a really great project. Do you have any photos you can share?

 

[Sidders243]

We are a particularly windy spot so shelter belts are a very good idea

 

[jall55]

Congrats that jall55 sounds like a really great project. Do you have any photos you can share?

Hi Sid
Better on a digger than a computer
Happy to send you some on whatsapp if you PM me

 

[25 Sharps]

Thanks Willie, that south border is in fact the canal. The good news is that the other side is a nature reserve so we are getting good birdlife from there.

This is my current plan, although I have done this staring at a screen and need to actually head down there and picture it in the flesh:

View attachment 182463

The only opposition I face is my finances (!) and my parents really love the open flow of the land. The blue next to the U wood will be a pollen rich meadow and the blue strip to the right is the chicory strip which we need to re drill.

I had Wiltshire Wildlife Trust come to look at the pond and ditch and the lady thought we could widen the ditch at the bottom before the canal and create a marshy reedbed. Only problem is we are on quick draining sandy soil. I have also stuck some willow cuttings along the ditch.

Anyway, lots of fun planning this. The variations are endless!

You’re not too far from me, easy to find you now you have said the canal is the southern boundary.

One piece of land I shoot looks a lot like Teyhan’s photo and hold muntjac and roe a plenty, the other Neighbouring piece which is 9 miles from you as the crow flows is big open arable land with a couple of corpses and areas of set aside. The rough cover of the set aside always holds deer, roe aren’t fussy, provided they have cover they’ll settle in.