Bucklebury Common Surveys
- Bob Lyle
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Work started in the winter of 2024/5 on Bucklebury Common on a massive clean up to eradicate areas of overgrown holly and birch etc which had remained untouched since WW2. In addition to the general clearance, areas were scraped to the topsoil to increase the size of open heathland. Other areas were converted into woodland pasture for cattle to graze on. Ten Belted Galloways were introduced in December 2025.
West of the Village there are a number of small stream valleys. These have been cleared exposing the waterways and a number of leaky dams have been nstalled. Hopefully these will yield a good number of birds during drier spells. Full details of the strategy and scale of works can be found on the following websites:
As many of you will know and indeed have participated in them, the Club has been carrying out a series of simple surveys on the Common on both sides of Upper Bucklebury. The method was to follow existing footpaths through the recently cut woodland and recently scraped heathland. The area was split into different zones according to habitat. All birds were counted mostly by sight but a few times by sound. The surveys also covered the four seasons.
The route also took us along the main road through Upper Bucklebury (Broad Lane) where we encountered species that we would not expect to find on the Common, eg. House Sparrows. These have been included. The records include sightings from the Berksbirds website, my own BTO garden bird count and other members’ records. All the birds you would expect to find in open heathland and woodland were there albeit with some recent additions, eg Stonechat, Woodlark and Dartford Warbler.
An obvious increase in Nightjars has been noted since the opening up of new heathland areas. The largest count was 19 but reduced to 15 as there were possible duplicates. In addition, there were 2 pairs west of the village. The list does include a number of flyovers which were mainly Swallows and Ravens.
In 2026, already new and possibly unexpected species have been noted, such as Green Sandpiper and Crossbill. We look forward to some of these becoming fully resident in future years.
Looking back on previous (to 2025) records, I would hope we will find some of the following which really should have been seen in 2025: Rook, Brambling, Fieldfare, Kestrel, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Raven, Redwing, Snipe and Moorhen. Other outliers seen on the Common prior to 2025 that might reappear are possibly Yellowhammer, Little Owl, Redstart, Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover.
The full list of species seen in 2025:
Blackbird, Blackcap, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Stock Dove, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Jackdaw, Jay, Red Kite, Magpie, Nuthatch, Tawny Owl, Pheasant, Woodpigeon, Robin, Starling, Stonechat, Swallow, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Marsh Tit, Treecreeper, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Dartford Warbler, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler, Woodcock, Woodlark, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Wren, Nightjar, Cuckoo, Firecrest, Sparrowhawk, Spotted Flycatcher, Whitethroat, Tree Pipit, House Sparrow.
Many thanks to all those who participated in the counts, and particularly those who struggled through the flood and mud early on. Please check the programme pages or www.newburybirders.co.uk for the dates of the next surveys.
