The dusky clearwing is an unusual moth which until 2021 was thought to be extinct in the UK, and there were no records of the Dartford warbler in Oxfordshire from 2013 to 2022.
After an absence of almost a hundred years, a single male dusky clearwing was recorded in Tubney in June 2023 by long-term WildCRU collaborator Martin Townsend. In September WildCRU visiting researcher Jan Kamler recorded the call of a Dartford Warbler in a gorse patch next to the Tubney estate.
These records add to the growing list of rare and threatened species being observed in the area. On its own land, WildCRU has transformed previously sheep-grazed agricultural land into a valuable area for nature recovery. This already appears to be having positive impacts on wildlife and habitat.
WildCRU is thrilled to be nurturing conservation in its own backyard!