Roundbarrow nature reserve update
The RSPB provided an update on the Roundbarrow Nature reserve at a public meeting last November. The RSPB are contracted by Wiltshire Council to manage the reserve, and a 5 year habitat plan is being developed. To provide structural diversity, grazing by sheep will be used to control the ragwort and thistles, whilst limited cattle grazing will turn the ground for annual plants to establish and the manure will benefit beetles and birds. To reduce the level of nutrients in the soil, a crop of barley was sown during the spring of 2025. Nutrient levels need to be depleted before the sowing of wild flower seeds that are native to chalk downland can take place.
The wild flower seed that will be sown has been harvested from the RSPB reserve at Winterbourne Downs near Newton Tony. 23 acres were sown early in 2025 in the field by Badgers Belt. Last autumn a further 7 acres were sown in the field to the left of the start of the permissive path from the Byway in Firsdown – see photograph for this article. The field will be cut in early summer to control invasive grasses and thistles. Wild flower meadows typically take about 5 years to mature. When nutrient levels fall in the fields elsewhere in the reserve, additional fields will be sown with wild flower seed.
During the summer of 2025, stone curlews were spotted on the reserve. This species is rare and the birds were almost certainly visitors from the established colonies at Porton Down or Winterbourne Downs.
Although the reserve will not be open to the public – apart from the permissive path – there are plans to set up a steering group that will involve local residents. There will be guided walks and volunteers are sought for work parties and flora and fauna surveys.
