On this Page
- Composting
- Silchester Common
- Hedgehogs
The Natural Environment
Hedgehogs
We have hedgehogs in Silchester! Scroll down for how you can help encourage them into your garden.
Bat Walk
Nearly 60 people enjoyed our recent Bat Walk. Read all about it: Bat Walk 2023
Glow Worm Hunt
Read about our recent hunt for glow worms on the Common. Spoiler Alert: we found some!
Wildlife on the Common
Silchester Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of some of the rare wildlife that it supports. Find out more about the birds, insects and reptiles that you might see on the Common at Silchester Wildlife
Silchester Common Working Parties
Working Parties run approximately monthly during the autumn and winter. The 2023-24 working party dates are:
- 16 September
- 14 October
- 18 November
- 9 December
- 27 December
Clearing old gorse and birch is essential to maintain the Common as a breeding site for rare birds such as the Nightjar. The RSPB explains more.
Contact Us if you would like to be added to the mailing list for reminders and details of the location for each working party.
Composting
Composting is a great way to cut the food waste that otherwise goes in your grey bin, and to save money on buying commercial products. For hints and tips, read our blog on Getting Started with Composting. We are doing a group purchase scheme to take advantage of Get Composting’s multibuy discount, so if you live in Silchester or Pamber Heath please get in touch, or to buy independently go to www.getcomposting.com and enter your postcode.
Local Activities
The many rare species that make their home on the Common do so because the heathland has been managed for hundreds of years. Left to itself, the birch and gorse would take over, and we would lose our nightjars, nightingales and newts. The Commons working party volunteers meet approximately monthly during the autumn and winter.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust have lots of information on how to make your garden more wildlife friendly. See Hampshire IoW Wildlife Trust
About Biodiversity
Silchester Common
Silchester Common is one of the few surviving tracts of heathland in North Hampshire. It supports many rare species, making it one of the best sites of its size in Hampshire.
Insects
Insects are the foundation of all terrestrial ecosystems. Without insects and other invertebrates, human life on this planet would be impossible.
Helping our Hedgehogs
Do you have hedgehogs in your garden? They are nocturnal so you may not have seen them, but they are out and about in Silchester. They are consistently voted one of Britain’s most popular animals, and they are great at keeping slugs under control, but sadly their numbers have been in decline so we need to help them.
How can you tell if you have hedgehogs in your garden? Look out for hedgehog poo! It’s black and about 5-15cm long with slightly pointy ends.
To encourage hedgehogs:
Avoid using pesticides and slug pellets in your garden – not only can they harm hedgehogs but also damage their foodchain.
Make sure hedgehogs have easy access to your garden by putting a 13cm x 13cm gap in the bottom of walls and fences to allow hedgehogs to pass through.
If you do spot a hedgehog (or hedgehog poo) in Silchester, please let us know using Contact Us. Sandi is mapping their movements.
For more details on how to help hedgehogs, visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society