Kent Wildlife Trust is urging visitors to Hothfield Heathlands nature reserve to keep a safe distance from its highland cattle, following a surge in visitor numbers linked to viral social media content.
It’s all happening, and unlike February, this month you can see and hear the signs, including the welcome trickling of water thanks to leaky dams and, yes, an awful lot of rain, so the squelch of mud on paths as well. Birds are calling, to defend territory, attract a mate, claim their space in roosts or just celebrate the dawn.
Long-time volunteer Margery Thomas explores the wildlife at Hothfield Heathlands in February, where reedmace tells a story...
If December was a merry berry month for humans celebrating mid-winter festivities, January and February are serious berry months for birds and mammals aiming to survive winter...
In our December instalment about Hothfield we focus on mosses and lichens on the reserve. Read on to find out more.
Long-time volunteer Margery Thomas explores what Hothfield Heathlands is like on a crisp November day.
Area Manager, Ian Rickards, takes a moment to reflect on the work at Hothfield Heathlads throughout the summer months.
Pigs and tree pipits have returned to Hothfield Heathlands. Long-time volunteer Margery Thomas explores more in this blog.
Hothfield Heathland's bogs are one of only a handful of wet heaths in the Southeast, supporting a variety of dragonflies...
We have had the driest spring since 1956, with river and stream flow already well below average for the time of year, a worry for everyone. Area Manager Ian Rickards reports that “this crazy weather has been beneficial for some insects, but the vegetation is already struggling, which will have a knock-on effect other insects later in the year. Water levels are dropping dramatically, with ponds and water bodies drying out very quickly.” The livestock have water troughs but the thin layer of peat in the bogs can dry out easily and be eroded by wind when exposed as plants adapted to damp conditions wither. The successive broods of nestling birds mostly eat insects and larvae, which provide moisture as well as protein, so they are also at risk.
