A fundraiser has been launched to help continue the vital work of a group that supports owls and kestrels in Wiltshire.
Justine Hadfield, who lives in Warminster, travels across the county to monitor the birds and ring their young, as part of work carried out in line with the British Trust for Ornithology. She also advises landowners with any queries about owls and kestrels.
However, the van she uses now urgently needs replacing.
Justine explained, “It now requires work on it, and it will be more expensive than it’s worth. To this end, we need a more substantial vehicle that can transport equipment, owl boxes, and allow us to access sites confidently across farmland and rough terrain.”
Justine’s work is carried out through the Salisbury Plain Ringing Group, also known as the Lewis Raptor and Owl Group, which was founded by the late Nigel Lewis MBE.
When Nigel was posted to Warminster in 1983, he set up the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Raptor and Owl Project on the Salisbury Plain Training Area at the request of the MOD’s Conservation Officer.
The project aims to monitor, ring, and gather valuable data on owl and kestrel populations, using nest boxes installed in trees and barns.
Justine first met Nigel by chance in 2019, after taking up photography using a camera she had bought to photograph her stained glass art.
She said, “A random meeting with a chap on Salisbury Plain, followed by a chance encounter with a little owl, led me to Nigel Lewis. I sent him a photo of the owl, and he asked if I wanted to see the chicks being ringed… I said yes!
“Nigel had won many conservation awards, including an MBE, and started putting up kestrel and barn owl boxes on Salisbury Plain 40 years ago.
“Word then spread, so he began installing boxes in the Wylye Valley, which later extended to the Nadder and Till Valleys.”
When Nigel died in 2024, Justine and her friend Mark Fisher inherited his vehicle and continued his work.
They hope to raise £7,000 for a replacement van and have so far raised £3,000.
To donate, visit: https://gofund.me/9fbef999
Pictured top: Mark Fisher (left) and Justine Hadfield with young owls
