Dear Editor

I am coordinating reports about wildlife sightings in the grounds of the Chase Hotel.  Since July 2019, our supporters have observed 49 different species of birds, two badgers with a cub, and a colony of Tawny Mining Bees nesting in the lawn.

Last week a pair of Canada Geese glided over the lawn to land at the edge of the ponds, a Tawny Owl was heard hooting in the early evening, and the visits of the Little Egrets continue. The egrets come to eat amphibians - frogs, newts and so on, that still live and breed in the historic ponds. We’ve also identified 47 different varieties of trees, including Oak, Elm, Scots Pine and Hornbeam.

The grounds of the Chase Hotel are an important wildlife habitat in the natural environment of our town and we expect there are many other animals, amphibians, insects and birds living or visiting there.

I encourage everyone to report sightings to ‘[email protected]’ so that when a planning application is submitted, at least we’ll know what we may lose.

Paul Seville

Save The Chase 2020