Rewilding

We joined a group from our local Wildlife Trust this morning to visit a farm that is being "rewilded" near Henley.  Oakingham was a stud farm until lockdown and has since been left largely to its own devices.  Paddock fences were removed, no fertiliser applied, nothing mowed or harvested, hedges allowed to grow, "weeds" everywhere, a small herd of longhorn cattle to disturb the ground... The local environmental organisations are starting to measure the impact.  The strange device in the photo is a solar powered moth census.  After dark, a small lamp comes on which attracts moths.  Any that land on the white board are photographed.  More than a hundred different species have been recorded so far!