Pamber Forest Quarterly Newsletter, October - December 2025 | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

This autumn, most of the practical work was centred on ride edges and coppicing. In October the cutting of ride edge scallops (small clearings along the ride edges) was completed, then in November more general ride edge coppicing was completed, before, at the end of the month a coppice block was started in Heath Copse. This area was finished by the Christmas break. Ride mowing by a contractor was carried out at the end of November, somewhat later than usual.

While carrying out one area of ride coppice a great crested newt was seen emerging from a cavity under a coppice stool. Although we have recorded this species, mainly as eggs in the ponds, this is the first adult I have seen on the site in over thirty years, a significant record.

One of our volunteers carries out reptile monitoring on the site using tins or felt mats. This year there was a significant increase in the number of grass snakes recorded and a very welcome rise in the number of young snakes. For the past five years we have been constructing grass snake refugium and egg laying sites and working on hibernacula for adders. Both of these areas of work now seem to be working for us with around 50% of the records of both species being juveniles or young snakes.