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Description
RSPB Winterbourne Downs nature reserve, a working Wiltshire farm, is set in the rolling chalk country. Former arable fields are being transformed into flower-filled chalk grasslands, rich in butterflies and birds.
More than 200 hectare of new chalk grassland has been created on former arable fields - it is interspersed with open cultivated ground to maximise opportunities for farmland wildlife. This includes wild bird seed mixtures providing nectar for bees and other insects in the summer followed by seeds for finches and buntings in the winter; cultivated margins for scarce arable plants and fallow plots to provide nesting sites for birds such as Vivak, Poljska ševa, Velika strnadica, Strnadica žutovoljka and Jarebica.
Winterbourne Downs also holds Ćurlikovac, but presence is seasonal, from June to September. Migrating individuals, passing through, can boost numbers substantially. To find these birds a spotting scope is essential.
Hedgerows, shelterbelts and scrub offer opportunities for woodland wildlife such as Crnoglava grmuša, Grmuša čavrljanka, Obična grmuša and Kukuvija. Also keep an eye out for the Lastavičar.
Details
Access
By train: Grateley is the closest station which is 6 miles (9 km) away. You can cycle from here - take the B3084 towards Cholderton and the A338 towards Allington.
By bus: Take the 67 from Salisbury to Tidworth, stopping at Newton Tony. From Amesbury, get the 8 to Tidworth, changing to the 67 to Newton Tony (check with Traveline, tel: 0871 200 22 33). From the Newton Tony bus stop, walk up Station Hill. Take the public path to the reserve car park. The bus stop you need to get on and off at is near the primary school in Newton Tony.
By bike: The nearest Sustrans route is route 20 on the Wiltshire Cycle Way.
By road: From the A303, follow directions to Newton Tony. Drive through the village and turn right at the Allington sign into Station Hill. Reserve car park on right at brow of hill. From Salisbury, take the A338 north to Allington. Turn right at the Newton Tony sign. Follow the road through Allington and along the single track road towards Newton Tony. The car park is on your left at the top of the hill.
There are two trails you can explore in the reserve. The short one (1,2 km) leads past the Ćurlikovac viewing screen. The long trail (2,4 km) will take you through the yew woodland and past the wild bird seed mixture. In winter this acts as a giant bird table, attracting hundreds of small finches and buntings.