SongBird Survival is a UK charity focused on helping to save the dramatically declining populations of songbirds across the country.

Their new research delves deeper into the well-known impact of flea and tick treatments on the environment. Their article offers suggestions of how we can help protect those environments whilst still caring for our pets.

Read on to find out more and to join in their campaign.

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Toxic pesticides from pet treatments contaminating songbirds in UK gardens

Many of us use spot-on flea and tick treatments for our dogs and cats every month without really thinking about what’s in them. But a number of these products contain pesticides that are banned for agricultural use as they are considered too toxic.

New research, funded by SongBird Survival and published today by the University of Sussex, has found these pesticides – fipronil and imidacloprid,ingredients in products such as Frontline and Advocate – in bird feathers, eggs and chicks. One study found them both in the feathers of five common garden songbirds: blackbirds, blue tits, chaffinches, dunnocks and goldfinches. The second study revealed the pesticides can transfer from contaminated fur-lined nests, sadly being found in dead chicks and unhatched eggs.

Research also continues to show widespread contamination of waterways with these pesticides, far beyond the pets they were designed to protect.

Read the full report.

Pet owners should be able to trust that the products they use protect their pets without impacting the wider environment. That’s why, together with conservation organisations Buglife and WildFish, we’ve coordinated a letter to government, signed by over 30 scientists and conservation groups, including the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts, BTO, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace calling for urgent action.  

Read the Open Letter

UK Government ministers are currently investigating whether these products, which can currently be sold anywhere and do not require any professional advice from vets or suitably qualified persons on their use, should be restricted to distribution only by veterinary practitioners or pharmacists. We are urging the government to move them to prescription-only. This would ensure vets provide tailored advice for each pet, and unnecessary use is reduced.

What you can do right now to protect pets and save songbirds

1. Don’t put fur outside if you treat your pets for fleas and ticks
2. Check the product label for usage instructions
3. Speak to your vet and get advice tailored to your pet

Veterinary medicines are vital for protecting animal welfare and human health. The more people understand the issue, the more people can help protect pets AND save songbirds.

Get involved in protecting songbirds from toxic pesticides. Sign up to support urgent action, receive practical advice, and help us push for safer regulation.

Sign up to SongBird Survival’s campaign.

These two butterfly species have not been recorded on the Quantocks since 1996 and thus may be extinct, however they are both small and easily confused with moths and could be easily missed and under-recorded.

We would like to make a point of specifically looking for these butterflies, as well as continuing to look for White-letter hairstreak (rediscovered after an 18-year gap in 2025 under our Elm & Hairstreak Project).

Dingy Skipper

Habitat – Grassland (particularly Chalk grassland), woodland clearings, heathland.

Flying- May/June, early July, late August

Foodplants – Common & Greater birds-foot trefoil, Horseshoe Vetch

Possible sites – Bromfield Hill, Great Hill, Marrow Hill, Firebeacon, Triscombe.                

Grizzled Skipper

Habitat – Unimproved grassland, woodland clearings

Flying- May/June & August

Foodplants – Wild strawberry, Agrimony, Avens, Dog Rose, Tormentil

Possible sites – Bromfield Hill, Great Hill, Marrow Hill, Firebeacon, Triscombe, also Enmore Road, Durleigh.                         

These are the two main areas that we understand that previous records exist for ~

Please report any sightings to us on the following email

wildlifewatch@friendsofthequantocks.org

Include the date, location and species, and a photograph (if you managed to get one!).

Thanks!

These tiny creatures glow in the dark under UV light and so armed with special UV torches, the team discovered 16 caterpillars in their search around the village. Later that same evening, six more caterpillars were spotted in East Quantoxhead.

22 sightings is a hugely encouraging increase on last year’s total of three and also means we have now discovered WLH in three villages – two of which never had official records for the butterfly before we started. 

We are now aware of some further flowering elm in other locations including Enmore (last sighting 1954) and will be looking out for butterflies at these sites too later in the year. 

As this newsletter goes ‘to press’, we’re getting ready to host an Elm & Hairstreaks project talk in Bicknoller on Monday 15th June. Everyone’s invited and there’s no need to book. Come and hear about the latest findings, the forward plan for tree-planting and how you can get involved in surveying elm trees and the White-letter Hairstreaks (and other butterflies) throughout the coming seasons.

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Become a Friend of the Quantocks and help us develop this and other projects that will help survey and protect threatened species and habitats.

This part time, home-based, flexible role will take the charity into a new phase focused around conservation of habitats and the wildlife of the Quantocks, as well as engaging with more communities in and around the area.

It’s an exciting time for the Friends as our Elms and Hairstreaks project becomes more established and is generating lots of interest locally and further afield. Our land holdings across the hills are diverse in nature and hold huge potential for engaging more people in understanding and protecting that biodiversity. Our teams of volunteers are growing in strength and we’re keen to be able to host more events that encourage direct action and involvement in the natural landscape.

If you think you can help, we’d love to hear from you. Here’s the full job description and details of how to apply:

The deadline for applications is 31st May.

We have a fantastic line-up of speakers for our first ever Nature of the Quantocks conference. From experts on rare birds and butterflies, to community-led conservation projects and wider connection initiatives, there is something for everyone. Come and listen, learn and meet like-minded people. It’s FREE and it’s happening on Saturday 21st March in Stogursey. Book your ticket here.

Meet the speakers – Nigel Phillips

First up is ecologist and author Nigel Phillips. Nigel joined the FotQ committee in 2024, whilst he put the finishing touches to his new book The Nature of the Quantocks (which is also the inspiration for this conference).

Nigel worked for the Wildlife Trusts as a nature reserve manager and ecologist for more than thirty years. In 2016 he received the ‘Marsh Award for Marine Conservation’ in recognition of his outstanding contribution to marine conservation work being carried out by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. Living in Nether Stowey, on the lower slopes of Quantock, has given Nigel the opportunity to explore the hills on an almost daily basis. ‘The Nature of the Quantocks’ is the product of thirty years of in-depth research and photography and was written to support the work of the charity the Friends of the Quantocks.

Aidan Meighan

Illustrator and author Aidan Meighan lives in Somerset. His most recent book ‘The Folklore of Trees’ celebrates the folklore, mythology and anthropological relationships shared with trees across Earth and time. He is joining us to share stories of the elm and other native trees of the Quantocks.

“This book reminds us of the enduring power of stories to connect us to our history, to nature and hopefully to an ever-greener future” – Chris Packham

Kevin Palmer

Lecturer in Conservation Biology, Kevin Palmer, will share his ‘Deeper Insights into Adder Ecology on the Quantock Hills’.

Kevin is also a PhD candidate within the School of Natural Sciences. His research focuses on the ecology and conservation of reptiles and amphibians (collectively known as herpetofauna). With over 20 years of experience working with adders in both academic and applied research contexts, Kevin brings extensive field expertise to his teaching and scholarship. He has trained students, ecological trainees, and citizen scientists in adder survey methods, safe capture, and handling techniques, helping to strengthen field skills and capacity across a range of organisations.

As part of his doctorate studies, Kevin is currently investigating the ecological and life history consequences of adders across England, including the Cannock Chase, Mendip Hills and Quantock Hills National Landscapes.

Fiona Jackson & Beth Riches

This is the story of how two Parish Councils worked together within their communities and were each awarded, by Somerset Wildlife Trust, ‘Wilder Community’ status – firsts for Somerset!

Come and hear how they did it.

Paul Rutter ~ ‘Reconnecting the Landscape’

Our countryside is one of the most nature depleted on the planet. Diverse and unique landscapes have seen serious consequences through fragmentation over the last century. In essence we have removed many vital components that the natural world relies on, because everything in nature is connected.

Fragmentation threatens the way plants and wildlife can move freely across landscapes to colonise or to find food and shelter.

Using experience gained over 50 years, Paul has mapped the vegetation and land use changes, which have and are still occurring between the Quantock Hills and Exmoor. His talk explores how and where we can reconnect the landscape, give space back to nature, while also producing sustainable food, to make the countryside richer in nature and more resilient to climate change.

Robin Stamp ~ Elm & Hairstreak project

Robin initiated the Elm & Hairstreak Project for the Friends of the Quantocks when he became the chair of the charity. Raising funding and gathering together a team of hardy volunteers to plant trees in winter and to survey the lives of caterpillars and butterflies throughout the year, it’s been a huge success story. He’ll talk about the challenges and unexpected delights of the work and what’s being planned for the future.

The full line-up

Book your place!

Come for the morning, the afternoon, or the whole day (bring your packed lunch!).

Get all the details and reserve your FREE ticket here – Nature of the Quantocks Conference 2026

The Nature of the Quantocks Conference brings together a team of people involved in the conservation and protection of the Quantocks and the wildlife you can find there.  

The conference is free to all and is brought to you by the Friends of the Quantocks. We are a charity who own 400 acres of the Common and we’ll share own conservation successes over the past year. This includes a project that led to the re-discovery of the rare and elusive White-letter Hairstreak butterfly, after a gap of 18 years, and the planting of over 400 disease-resistant elm trees. We’ll also share a number of ways in which you can get personally involved in conservation work. Could you be a species champion?

BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET HERE

You will hear from local naturalist and wildlife author Nigel Phillips, who will share from his new book The Nature of the Quantocks. The book will be available to buy on the day and Nigel will be on hand to sign your copy. We also have author Aidan Meighan, who will be sharing some tree folklore and on hand to sign his new book The Folklore of Trees.

There will be talks on the rare Lesser-spotted Woodpecker and the heathland birds nesting just feet away from the paths you walk on. In addition, you will hear about an important scientific research project starting this year on our local Adder population.  

National Landscape manager Iain Porter will share the management plan for the hills over the coming years, whilst Paul Rutter will talk about the importance of wildlife corridors. Fiona Jackson and Beth Riches will explain how community projects can play their part in conservation and nature recovery.

It’s going to be a day of discovery and learning, amongst like-minded people, and we’d love you to join us. The event is free, but you need to book your ticket in advance.

Come for the morning, the afternoon or the whole day (bring your packed lunch!).

BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET HERE

The Programme

MORNING SESSION

09.30 refreshments and book signing

10.00 The Nature of the Quantocks, with author Nigel Phillips

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, with Dr Gus Robin

The Quantock Hills National Landscape Management Plan, with Iain Porter

Time for questions

Hidden Nests of the Heath, with Lara Nouri and Waheed Arshad

The Green Blueprint, with Paul Rutter

Questions and a break for lunch (please bring your own). An opportunity to stretch legs and do some networking and buy books.

AFTERNOON SESSION

Begins at 13.30 with the Friends of the Quantocks review, AGM and voting for new trustees

Followed by The Folklore of Trees, with author Aidan Meighan

The Elm and Hairstreak Project, with Robin Stamp

Deeper Insights into Adder Ecology on the Quantock hills, with Kev Palmer

Wilder Enmore & Goathurst, with Fiona Jackson and Beth Riches

Final Question time, and conference ends at 16.30

Refreshments

Refreshments will be served on arrival and over lunchtime. Donations are very welcome. If you’re coming for the whole day, please bring lunch with you.

BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET HERE

In 2023 a concerted effort by members of the Somerset Ornithological Society found a probable nine territories and five nests. In 2024 three nests were found but then only one in the 2025 season, albeit with six chicks – which is the joint largest successful brood in UK history.

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers are most commonly found by recognising their characteristic calls and drums which differ from their larger cousins the Great Spotted Woodpecker (GSW). LSW are smaller than GSW, just the size of a sparrow. LSW don’t have red under their tails or a white stripe down either side of their back. The drums of GSW are louder and tail off at the end, whereas LSW sound like a sewing machine with a sudden start and end. There’s an excellent guide to telling them apart, complete with videos of calls and drums here: Woodpecker Network – Home

Technology and Partnerships

Recent technological advances have allowed recording devices to listen for these drums and calls which have shown that these birds may be more widespread than we thought, although still declining.

The Quantock Hills National Landscape team invested in two Song Meter Mini 2 devices which have been deployed in various locations on the Quantock Hills from the 6th of April this year until late April. During this time Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers were detected in the majority of sites, despite only recording for three weeks of the 8 week drumming/calling season. The best time for lesser spotted woodpecker calling and drumming is from February to late April, peaking in late March. Early in the morning on clear and still days gives you the best chances of hearing them, although they will often drum on the other side of the tree or branches and can be a real challenge to see.

Once birds have paired and laid eggs (typically 4 to 6 eggs in late April) they become very quiet and difficult to find until late May early June when young may be heard calling from the nest sites (a 3 cm hole, often 10-30 feet up and usually in a dead tree limb or stump). Nest examination using a bespoke camera can count the number of young, useful data that is combined with observation of the nest to see what feeding items are brought in: sometimes caterpillars peak earlier and so aphids or other invertebrates are caught by the parent birds instead.

The Woodpecker Network are working with Quantock Hills National Landscape, the National Trust, the RSPB, the wildlife trusts and Natural England to better assess this rare bird’s declining population and look into the reasons for this.

In 2026, we intend to use the acoustic recorders to assess more Quantock sites from February until late April, hopefully discovering further sites in which these birds may be present.

Sincere thanks go to the QHNL team (Iain Porter, Owen Jones, Andy Stevenson) as well as the National Trust and Somerset Wildlife Trust teams too. Thanks also go to the many birders who have helped with the effort to find these fantastic birds.

Thanks to Ewan Flynn for his excellent photographs.

Dr Angus Robin, SW woodpecker network co-ordinator

www.woodpecker-network.org.uk

X/Twitter: @lesserspotnet

Bluesky: @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

~ by Mary Taylor, South West Society of Botanical Artists

We are a group of members of the South West Society of Botanical Artists (SWSBA) from Somerset and Devon. For a long time, we have mulled over the idea of forging links with local wildlife organisations and were seeking a ‘painting project with a purpose’.  We were inspired by the botanical art project set up by SWSBA members in Hampshire and Dorset, in partnership with the New Forest National Park Authority, to create an archive of pictures of the flora of the New Forest. In the spring of 2024 we approached the Quantock Hills National Landscape Team to discuss ideas for a joint project.

Raising the profile of plants

The Quantock Team would like to raise the profile of the plant life on the Quantock Hills and tell the stories of links between the plants that grow and the animals that live here. Our aim is to get the message over that by managing the habitats and plant life, the animal species will survive. After joint site visits with the Quantocks team and SWSBA members, the Quantock Project was established in the summer of 2024 and is expected to last several years.

We hold monthly painting days at Fyne Court where the National Trust is very kindly allowing us to use the Music Room. We are not aiming to produce a florilegium, but all the work will be botanically accurate. The Quantock Partnership prepared an initial list of species of interest for us to paint. In the long term they would like to have an archive of prints of our paintings that could be used for promotional work. We also hope to hold an exhibition of the paintings at Fyne Court and possibly at other venues in Somerset.

What have we painted so far?

In the first year we have painted over 40 different species, with our main focus being the plants growing on Quantocks Common including heather species, Western Gorse, Cow-wheat, Bilberry and Tormentil. In the autumn of 2024, we had a wonderful day painting the waxcap fungi growing on unimproved pasture near Fyne Court. A couple of us have started to paint lichens growing on the sessile oaks in Holcombe and were surprised by the number of different species growing on an oak tree; we have also made a start on the fern species. One of our painters is keeping a monthly picture record of the species of interest.

Community engagement

In March this year we held the first of our free open workshops at Fyne Court, promoted by the Quantocks team. The aim of these workshops is to raise the profile of the project and to introduce people to botanical art. The ‘Primroses in Pen and Water Colour Wash’ session was very successful. Some of those who attended were new to painting, others were experienced in other types of painting but wanted to explore botanical painting. In September we held our second free workshop: ‘Autumn Fruits and Berries’. Eighteen people attended this workshop and some of them are now joining our monthly painting days at Fyne Court. We have also started painting the small species that grow on the grass rides, including heath bedstraw, heath speedwell and grass species. This year has been challenging as the exceptionally hot summer meant the flowering period for many of the plants was early and very short.

What are our future plans?

In 2026 we hope to paint the significant species growing on the coastal strip and the Orchid species growing on unimproved pasture.

Another area we’re exploring are the plants linked with the different species of Hairstreak butterflies. For example, Elm trees and the White-letter hairstreak that has now been rediscovered on the Quantocks. We are planning another workshop in the late spring of 2026 focusing on painting leaves.

We hope to include paintings from the project at our annual exhibition to be held in Taunton Library in the autumn. If you are interested in finding out more about our project, come and visit us at Fyne Court, our final painting day for this year is Wednesday 19^th November.

We have now completed our third full season of weekly butterfly surveys on a specified route across the Common. Four or five of us have taken it in turns to walk the route on the sunniest day we can find each week. Along the way we count all the butterflies that are near to the path, and the results are then collated. They are sent into the UK butterfly monitoring group which uses them to add to the national picture, not to mention the keen interest taken by our Chair and former Chair, Robin and John. 

In designing the route we tried to take in different habitats on the Common which are relevant to the types of butterfly that we can expect to find. So we have dry heathland, woodland and marshy ground (mire), amongst others in the 3 km route. The route was also designed to ensure that the option of a visit to see the Styles ice cream van is not forgotten.

The year was slow to get going but numbers were beginning to rise quickly by late May.

This was the warmest year we’ve formally counted butterflies on the Common

• In 2024 we had 4 butterfly walk days in the 20’s (centigrade): 3 in 2023. There were 11 this year!
• Based on cloud cover assessments on the two-hour walks, we had an average of 69% sunshine in 2025 with an identical figure in 2024. Perhaps surprisingly this was 80% in 2023
• We counted a total of 809 butterflies (645 in 2024 and 1,285 in 2023)
• In terms of butterfly diversity, 147 of 18 species was our best day this year (91 of 11 species in 2024; 161 of 14 species in 2023)

We hit a new species total of 27 this year

We saw all the species seen previously bar two (Dark green fritillary and Brimstone) and with two new species, Purple Hairstreak and Clouded Yellow added to our list.

Can we extend that further in years to come? It will be difficult, but we will be out looking! 

Over the years the pond had slowly filled up with sediment and in 2024 the grazing livestock, mostly Highland cattle, had breached the pond’s bund so that this year all that remained was a muddy puddle. We approached the land owner and farmer to see if they would like the pond repaired, which they did.  A contractor with a digger was engaged and the pond was reinstated digging down to its original depth.  These works took just over a morning to complete.

Losing ponds

Two thirds of ponds present in England and Wales during the 19^th Century have gone.  For centuries ponds played an important part of the farming landscape.  All livestock farms unless access could be obtained from a stream or river had a pond to drink from.  Sadly as time progressed and with the advent of mains water more and more ponds fell into decay.  To maximize food production, at one stage the Government even paid for ponds to be filled in.  Many farms also changed from livestock to just growing cropped foods so the pond became redundant and hindered food production. 

And reclaiming them

Luckily ponds are now being appreciated for their wildlife value.  Ponds are a very important habitat and contain such a rich variety of life that supports local biodiversity.  They support an amazing range of species from invertebrates, wetland plants and amphibians, and provide an important drinking and bathing spot for birds and mammals.

If you have a back garden one of the best ways to benefit and increase local biodiversity is to create a pond.  Even an old washing up bowl can be turned into a mini pond habitat. Please always remember when making your pond to have a piece of wood or stone so that any animal that falls in can climb out safely.

After the Fire Beacon pond was restored the three supervising members of FotQ and the digger driver had a sweepstake (a drink at the Carew Arms, Crowcombe) as to when the pond would be full. By Christmas, end of January, April or May…?  Who will be right?

Our wildlife and habitat conservation work is only possible due to the support of our membership and you can help by becoming a Friend of the Quantocks –

Membership fees help to fund pond restoration and similar conservation efforts. Annual membership is £25 and you’ll be making a valuable contribution to protecting the special habitats and wildlife of the Quantock Hills. Become a Friend of the Quantocks