Stratford sub Castle Village Website
Salisbury, Wiltshire UK

I think this is a Flower Crab Spider. Misumena vatia... The Wildlife Trust gives the following information: Unlike many spiders, flower crab spiders don’t spin webs to trap insects. Instead they ambush their prey, often laying in wait on foliage for unsuspecting bees, moths and other insects that come to feed on flowers. The flower crab spider has a globular abdomen, sometimes with spots or lines. They can change their colour to match their surroundings but often appear white

Last time I reported my first hearing of the year, it was a St George's Day, but this year it is 4 days earlier. Lying in bed this morning - there it was, the other side of the river, but loud-and-clear and repeated several batches of 3-or-4 calls. Spring is here! Richard Death Ed: The Common Cuckoo ( Cuculus canorus) is famously heard but rarely seen. So we must be content to use a library image to illustrate this newspost - unless one of our readers is fortunate enough to

Now that the groundwater has drained away and the paths have dried out along the walking route from Stratford sub Castle to Five Rivers Leisure Centre through the eastern part of the Avon Valley Nature Reserve, the route is walkable without wellingtons! Some of the scrub-land has been cleared by volunteers from the Salisbury Wildlife Group who manage the Reserve, leaving open areas where swathes of bluebells and cowslips are in flower. Using the material from the clearance,

Dates for your diary - News from RIchard Death I will be leading two free Guided Nature Walks this summer. Saturday 6 June: Devenish Nature Reserve, Little Durnford. Starts 2pm, expected to last approx 2 hrs. Includes steep climb up approx 90 steps. Meet in Reserve carpark off Beech Walk SP4 6AJ What3Words valley.regard.constants Image Google Maps Monday 29 June: Avon Valley Nature Reserve close to 5 Rivers Leisure Centre. Starts at 2pm, expected to last approx 2 hrs. More-o

These images were taken this morning near Castle Keep by Lesley Brown who has kindly agreed to share them with the village website. Are they Roe deer or Muntjac? How to distinquish Roe deer and Muntjac Source Cairngorm Reindeer ( text & images below ) Roe The dainty roe deer is another of our native deer species, and perhaps the one you are most likely to spot in woodland and gardens right across the UK, with some individuals becoming incredibly tame due to living in close

Image: Richard Death 12 March 2026 Little Egrets first bred in the UK in 1996 on Brownsea Island but they have extended their range and we have hosted a pair in Stratford for many years. However, I was amazed to see a small flock of 9 Little Egrets on Thursday 12 March. One or two Egrets are no longer a surprise, but 9 was totally unexpected. Has anyone else seen this number? As soon as I realised what I was seeing I dashed to get my camera and tried to hurry gently (?) to av

One of our readers has sent these two images to the website with the comment: " While by Stratford Road we saw an enormous bird being mobbed by a persistent and angry sea gull which was dwarfed in size by the larger bird. The larger bird then flew out over the river and on towards the opposite side of the valley towards Devizes Road, still noticeable in the sky with the naked eye even over such a large distance. The sheer size of it along with the long and slow wing movement

A notice displayed near the boardwalk gives details of a Conservation Group that has been formed to help with maintenance of the Avon Valley Nature Reserve. The Salisbury Wildlife Group would welcome volunteers over 18 years old to their planned activity days in January, February & March. See the notice at the bottom of this page. Whilst working at the Reserve, volunteers have the opportunity to observe and record wildlife for example this saprophytic fungi Variable Oysterl

KMOC 3 January 2026 News from 2 January 2026 2 January 2026 Image KMOC Tonight a 99% full moon rose over Old Sarum. Tomorrow, is “the Moon after Yule” a full moon and a “wolf moon” as it’s supposed to make wolves howl. The next supermoon, when it is at its closest approach to earth, is in November. Look up tomorrow night, Saturday 3 January 2026.

One of our readers captured these peaceful scenes around Stratford sub Castle just after sunrise today 21 December, the shortest day of the year, and has kindly shared them with these comments: " I went for a walk just after sunrise and wondered if folks would appreciate seeing how beautiful our village looks on the shortest day? The pockets of mist provided a lovely background to the foreground of the village. The mist followed the route of the river as if it were travelling

Image Facebook 12 December 2025 At the annual Wiltshire Wildlife Trust's annual award ceremony on 5 December, Richard Death received an award for his volunteering work at our local Devenish Nature Reserve - where he is the Warden - and for his volunteer involvement at other WWT sites in the area. This year the awards were presented by the High Sheriff of Wiltshire, Martin Mye, pictured here with Richard. Congratulations Richard! Well deserved! More details about the Deveni

Looking towards Old Sarum 4 December 2025 This is just a 'snapshot' taken at 4.30pm today, to remind you to look up at the sky this evening to witness the third (and last) Supermoon of 2025. If anyone has a better image that they are willing to share, please send it to sscvillagewebsite@gmail.com It's the December 'Cold Moon', signifying the arrival of winter and marking the final full Moon of the year. There were three supermoons in 2025, all of which came at the end of the

This view of the lunar eclipse was taken from St Lawrence Close by Henry Burnside and sent to the website to be shared with other...

The website has received a heads-up from local resident David Mills that four Little Egret were seen perched in the tree of a garden...

June 2025 KMOC The Black Poplar , Populus nigra , is scarce (about 7,000 in UK, mostly in the south). It likes having wet feet so it is...