The Chiltern Rangers have been awarded a grant of £4,381 to manage scrub and rough grass at a special site outside Bicester owned by the Ministry of Defence. .
The site provides ideal breeding habitats for birds including 7 species of warbler, turtle doves and is last remaining stronghold for nightingales in the region. This is the fourth grant from TOE since 2016, with grants now totalling £23,000.
Garden Warbler
The Chiltern Rangers have been monitoring this site for over seven years on behalf of the British Trust for Ornithology through regular bird ringing. Active management to ensure a diversity in the height and age structure of scrub and grassland is required to maintain ideal breeding habitats.
The site is also important for butterfly populations with all five species of hairstreaks, purple emperor and white admiral recorded by volunteers from Butterfly Conservation’s Upper Thames Branch.