There are always projects for volunteers to get involved with in and around the city of Oxford, says BBOWT's Wendy Tobitt

Helping to look after places for wildlife is a great way for people to enjoy the Oxfordshire countryside and urban green spaces in Oxford city.

At the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust more than 1,400 volunteers are actively ‘doing their bit for wildlife’ in many ways — and 550 of them are out and about in Oxfordshire. Some nature reserves even have their own group of volunteers.

Chimney Meadows, one of the Trust’s flagship reserves, is a special site for wildlife, and much loved by the volunteers who work there every month.

Over the last 10 years BBOWT has restored wildflower meadows on land that was previously under intensive arable cultivation. The Friends of Chimney Meadows volunteer group plays a key role in managing and maintaining the hedgerows, ditches and fencing to give more space for wildlife.

Last autumn, they renovated a wildlife pond that had become so overgrown that very little wildlife could be seen from the nearby bird hide.

Maggie Collins, one of the volunteers, said: “At first the pond renovation looked like a seemingly impossible task as it was so overgrown, but the results are really pleasing.”

Under the leadership of Mark Bradfield, Community Wildlife Officer for Oxfordshire, the group built a basking mound for grass snakes and created a large area of open water for birds, dragonflies and other insects.

Within a few weeks, large red damselflies had laid eggs in the water, while grey wagtails and moorhen were feeding in the margins. This spring the area has been a haven for frogs and toads spawning, and grass snakes will soon be basking on the south-facing bank. The open water attracts a multitude of insects, which in turn provide food for the summer songbirds such as the whitethroat and chiffchaffs. At dusk bats skim the pond and bordering vegetation in pursuit of midges and moths.

Oxford Mail:

A pondside mound for grass snakes to bask on

In addition to the pond, the volunteers put up a screen next to the boardwalk so that birds are not frightened away as people approach the hide.

The boardwalk gives wheelchair access to the pond and bird hides so that everyone can get deeper into the reserve and have a close experience of wildlife. “It is so satisfying to know that I have contributed to this worthwhile project,” said Maggie Collins.

There are always new projects for people to get involved with, and several of them are in Oxford.

The Wild Oxford project, run by BBOWT in partnership with Oxford City Council, is running conservation taster days to give people the opportunity to discover the city’s unique fens. There will be guided tours of each of the reserves when people can find out about the work that’s planned to make more space for wildlife, and then have a go with some simple tasks.

The Conservation Taster Days will be on Saturday, May 24, at Chilswell Valley, South Hinksey; on Saturday, May 31, at Rivermead in Rose Hill, and on Saturday, June 14, in the Lye Valley, Headington.

BBOWT is also looking for volunteers to carry out survey work at Sydlings Copse, near Barton.

This is a special wildlife site with a variety of different habitats, including heathland, fen and woodland, which is likely to be impacted by the development of almost 1,000 houses just 500m from the reserve.

Currently there is no useful published research on the impacts of large residential developments near to protected wildlife sites, which is why BBOWT is going to monitor Sydlings Copse.

Surveys carried out now will help the Trust to have a better understanding of the impacts that visitors have on wildlife and their habitats.