Cattle grazing on Bucklebury Common after more than 80 years

Ten Belted Galloway heifers were introduced to the Common in September 2025, which marks the first time cattle have grazed the common in over 80 years. The heifers quickly settled in and learnt the ‘NoFence’ collar system – an innovative GPS based system which allows for fenceless grazing. Members of the public can see the live location of the cattle using a QR code, enabling them to either avoid or seek out the cows.

The Common would originally have been grazed by wild herbivores and was then grazed by cattle. But since cattle grazing stopped after the Second World War the heath became overgrown with invasive birch, willow and bracken. These invasive plants have been cut back, allowing the rich flora that was once characteristic of our heathlands to recover and improving the wood pasture habitat. Young trees have also been pollarded as part of the project – trees are cut above the reach of livestock and deer, and they resprout with lots of fresh growth. This increases their longevity and provides useful resources for people and wildlife.

Image: Belted Galloway cattle at Bucklebury Common with ‘NoFence’ collars, Alex Cruickshank

New homes created for adders

Bucklebury Common is home to a small but very important population of adders, an increasingly rare reptile. The adder is the UK’s only venomous snake, but its venom is generally of little danger to humans. Adders hibernate during the winter in structures called hibernacula. These are often natural, formed of narrow cracks in the roots of old trees, or rodent burrows. To increase the population of adders, artificial hibernacula have been built using logs and soil. These will provide additional spaces for them to hibernate safely through the winter.

There are already encouraging signs of success, with a young adder being recorded in an area they had not been seen for many years.