Page 16 - jan2024

January 2024 January 2024
WILD WOODBURY FIRST THURSDAY CLUB

A smashing day! (AUTUMN LEAVES)
It sure has been a wet What is it about first Thursdays another appalling
winter, and Wild Woodbury wet afternoon when the heavens opened and
has reaped the benefits of local roads closed? About 28 members did make
the rainfall. In the winter, we it to the scout hut and while the wind and rain
had a corporate group from lashed down we were entertained by Barry
London come down to Wild Graham from the rare breeds society.
Woodbury. It was a very wet
start to the day, with Barry has worked in Agriculture all his life and ended up trying to save many of our
sideways rain as I arrived on rare breeds of farm animals. Some of which have already become extinct such
site. Despite the soggy conditions, the team did a fantastic job helping us with the as “the Somerset Sheeter” a cow with a white sheet marking on its back and “the
hydrological restoration. After a short wander across the fields, we arrived to curly haired pig” . What surprised me was that even our traditional breeds such as
begin work. Spades in hand, we started to locate the field drains. Our landscape Aberdeen Angus and Hereford were also on the at Risk list. This is because of
is so heavily modified and drained, and the land at Wild Woodbury has historically cross breeding and hybridization has changed the original breeds so much that
had a lot of modification to remove water. About a metre beneath the ground, the modern commercial versions of these animals are now very different beasts.
clay pipes run down the site, removing water and directing it into ditches and Pure bred Aberdeen Angus beef is now a rare and precious thing. There is a
culverts. These drains are laid 10m apart, running parallel to one another. The special type of cheese only made from the milk of the Red Poll cow.
team began to dig down to find the pipes – this was no easy task! Covered in
clay and water, the sun began to shine and one by one, the team began to find One cow was a tri-use for milk beef and draft. These animals provide beef and
the clay pipes. Now came the fun part. Once we had dug deep enough to milk and transport. One wonders why we would need a draft cow these days? It
locate the pipes, it was time to smash up the pipe and block the inflow and would take a long time to get to Wareham by Ox cart. Wild pigs and old sheep
outflow as much as possible using any debris possible. The holes we had dug were breeds are needed for conservation of our native habitats to preserve ancient
backfilled. Repeating this process multiple times will allow the water on site to stay landscapes.
within the soil, both locking up carbon and creating lush wetland habitat. Next month we

are meeting on
4 January (lst
th
Mammals Thursday) and
Small mammals are prolific across Wild Woodbury! Previously, I’ve written about we have the
the increasing number of reptiles on site. Their diet consists of many prey items, Weymouth Sea
including small mammals. Within just a few metres, we shanty choir
had spotted three species of small mammal: a harvest entertaining us.
mouse, a water shrew and a field vole. Incredibly, the I hope the
harvest mouse was swimming through the water weather will be
restoration we have undertaken on the River Sherford. a bit better as I
This was only my second ever sighting of a wild harvest am sure this will
mouse, and a new discovery for me to learn about be an excellent
their swimming abilities. Zooming through the water, a f t e r n o o n
we watch the harvest mouse and notice it’s prehensile complete with
tail which it can use to nimbly climb through tea for only
vegetation. Next up, a first for the site: the water shrew. £3.00.
Another incredible small mammal, the water shrew

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