The Clee Hill Community Wildlife Group was launched in February 2012, through the LEADER funded South Shropshire Community Widllife Groups Project. The group cover the area surrounding Clee Hill  and you can join them to find out about the fascinating wildlife in this landscape.

The Clee Hill Community Wildlife group shares the core objectives of the other South Shropshire groups

1. Bring together people interested in nature to do something positive for local wildlife.
2. Give members training to help them record, monitor and conservelocal species, with particular focus on rare and threatened species.
3. Members decide what they’d like to survey.

This is a great opportunity to get out in the countryside to discover and
help local wildlife. 

For more information please contact Cath Landles (Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership).

TEL (01588) 674084 or email: cath.landles@shropshire.gov.uk

Lapwing and Curlew

There was a lot of interest at the public launch and 15 people signed up to help with the Lapwing and Curlew Survey – which is great!

The survey involves 3 walks around your chosen tetrad (2 x 2 km square), each lasting around 3 hours. You can do the survey any time within each defined two week period, but please try and do it as close as possible to the specified date.

 Nine of the 20 survey squares are covered so far, but the group still need volunteers to cover 5 squares around Cleedownton and Farlow. These are marked on this map as: 58Q & V, 68A, F & K, 57T & U and 67D, H & M.

If you can help, or would like more information, please contact Leo Smith on (01694) 720296 or email leo@leosmith.org.uk).

Full survey instructions and maps of your tetrad, for you to mark your observations, will be provided. Training can also be provided if required.

 The three survey periods are:-
1. 24 March – 8 April (as close as possible to 1st April)
2. 21 April – 6 May (as close as possible to 1st May)
3. 9 – 24 June (as close as possible to 18th June)

Clee Hill Big Butterfly Survey 

Volunteers are needed over the summer to help West Midlands Butterfly Conservation complete a butterfly survey of the Clee Hill area.  Clee Hill is very important for its butterflies, including several rare species, but they are generally poorly recorded.   The survey will run from April to the end of September and recording forms are available from Mike Williams who is co-ordinating the survey on behalf of Butterfly Conservation or can be downloaded from the West Midlands Butterfly Conservation website (www.westmidlands-butterflies.org.uk).   A leaflet is available to help with identification and a training day is planned for 3rd June.

Special butterflies to look out for include Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (May-June), Dark Green Fritillary (June-July),  Green Hairstreak (April-June), Wall Brown (May-June and  Aug-Sept) and Small Heath (May – Sept).  Many of these species are seriously declining nationally and the surviving populations on Clee Hill are regionally important.  By finding out more about where these butterflies are found, Butterfly Conservation will be better placed to safeguard the populations and work with commoners and other landowners to improve their long term prospects.

Already around 20 people have signed up to help with survey work but more volunteers are still needed.  If you would like to get involved please contact Mike on 07802 274552 or by email: mike@stagborough.fsnet.co.uk