Our work on the estate at Mottisfont

The vegetation in these areas are often the most ecologically diverse and they attract a huge variety of wildlife. In fact, the first 10 metres of any woodland edge can be home to more species than the rest of the woodland in its entirety. These rides also act as vital ‘wildlife corridors’ for animals – in particular bats. 

'The scrubby woodland fringes here provide sanctuary for butterflies like the white admiral and silver-wash fritillary, which feed on honeysuckle and violets. The central grassland areas on the rides are just as important – they attract invertebrates such as weevils and click beetles and I'll often see treecreepers, blackcaps and nuthatches here too.’
– Ranger Ryan Scott

Giving bats a home

The Mottisfont estate is part of the Bat Conservation Trust’s national monitoring programme (NBMP). In 2003 the woodlands here were designated a Special Area of Conservation for rare barbastelle bat maternity roosts – one of only six known UK breeding sites at the time.

We carry out barbastelle bat surveys between July and September, along three known wildlife corridors on the estate. We're also working to protect eight other species that have been recorded at Mottisfont, including noctules and brown long-eared bats.

Individual trees are also surveyed, for features that indicate their potential as a bat roost. This could be woodpecker holes, branch splits, a hollow section, or dense ivy cover. We sometimes use aerial surveys, too, and an endoscope to look for cavities invisible from the outside.

Managing trees

Trees with no bat activity but which are favourable in other ways may be considered for monolithing (cut back to the trunk) or a crown reduction. This is done by an experienced arborist, who creates cuts that imitate natural damage, providing favourable conditions for all sorts of wildlife. 

Other trees may be ring-barked to encourage dead wood – an important part of a woodland’s ecological process. A small number of low conservation value trees might be felled to help maintain the wildlife corridors. 

These techniques don’t just provide more wildlife habitats, they break up the canopy cover and introduce more light along the ride edge. This encourages ground flora, which in turn attracts invertebrates like bees, hoverflies and butterflies. 

Encouraging dormice

Ranger Ryan Scott says: 'It’s really important that the various landscapes within woodlands support each other. For example, we need to make sure that tree-dwelling mammals like dormice have connectivity between the different woodland ‘compartments’ and don’t become isolated.

'We aim to create a mix of habitats; grassy swards and ‘herby’ edges, scrub and coppice areas. One of the ways we do this is by cutting on rotation. This is carried out in winter when the trees are dormant, so that we cause the least disturbance to wildlife.'