31/07/2026
A Week in the Life of the Coulsdon Commons Rangers
One of the questions we're often asked is, "What do the Rangers do?" The answer is that no two days are ever the same. Alongside caring for some of London's most important chalk grassland habitats, our work ranges from looking after grazing livestock and monitoring wildlife to leading volunteers, restoring habitats, responding to incidents and helping people responsibly enjoy these remarkable open spaces.
Here's a snapshot of what we've been up to this week on Coulsdon Common, Farthing Downs, Kenley Common and Riddlesdown.
Every day begins with checking our cattle and sheep and, at the moment, we have grazing animals on each of the four sites. During this week's hot weather, those checks have taken a little longer, with the cattle sensibly sheltering deep within areas of scrub to escape the sun. Finding them can take some time, but their welfare always comes first. Thankfully, the GPS collars some of the cattle are wearing have helped us track them to some surprising locations! We also ensure water supplies, fences and gates are all in good order as part of our daily routine.
We were pleased to welcome our five conservation goats back to Riddlesdown Quarry. They have quickly settled back into grazing bramble and blackthorn, helping to keep scrub under control on the quarry slopes. Their natural browsing creates conditions that allow wildflowers and other chalk grassland plants to flourish. Their return also marks the start of another season for our volunteer goat checkers, whose regular visits play an important role in monitoring the herd from now until next Spring.
Our Countryside Ranger Apprentice, Victor, has continued his weekly butterfly surveys on Whyteleafe Bank at Kenley Common as part of his college course. This week's survey produced an exciting result, with more than five Clouded Yellow butterflies recorded. This striking migrant species is an occasional visitor to the UK and a welcome sight on our grasslands. Butterfly monitoring provides valuable information about the health of our habitats and helps us measure the success of our long-term conservation management.
Across the Commons, many of our hay meadows have also received their annual summer cut. Local farming contractors cut and bale the hay, which is stored to feed our cattle over the winter, creating a truly local, closed-loop system where the grassland helps sustain the livestock that help care for it.
Hay cutting is about much more than producing winter fodder. Removing the cut material reduces nutrients in the soil, helping to maintain the species-rich chalk grassland that supports orchids, fine grasses and a remarkable diversity of insects. As part of our Countryside Stewardship Scheme, approximately 10% of each meadow is intentionally left uncut, providing valuable refuge for grasshoppers, butterflies and other invertebrates as the seasons change.
Yesterday saw our monthly volunteer day on Farthing Downs, where the focus was removing ragwort from two hay meadows on New Hill before they are cut. While ragwort is an important native wildflower that supports many insects, it becomes harmful to livestock when dried in hay. Thanks to an outstanding team effort, a significant amount of work was completed.
Throughout July, alongside our regular volunteers, we have been joined by colleagues from across the City of London, including the Lord Mayor's team at Mansion House, staff from London Bridge, Business Apprentices and volunteers from several companies. Their enthusiasm and willingness to get stuck in made a tremendous difference, and we are extremely grateful for their support. Volunteer days like these achieve far more than practical conservation - they bring together people from different backgrounds with a shared goal of caring for our local green spaces and enjoying being outdoors! Despite best efforts to organise so many tasks this July, a few had to be cancelled due to the various heatwaves. Anyone out on Farthing Downs in full sun will know how hot it can get!
Unfortunately, one of the week's less enjoyable tasks involved several instances of fly-tipping, including removing two large tonne bags of fly-tipped household and garden waste from Coulsdon Common. Despite the unpleasant task of searching for identifying information, we were unable to trace those responsible. Fly-tipping is not only unsightly but expensive to clear, and as a charitable organisation, every pound spent removing illegally dumped waste is money that cannot be invested in habitat management, wildlife conservation, education or community events. This year alone we have picked and removed over 100 tonnes of rubbish. If you witness fly-tipping taking place, please report it safely to Croydon Council or the police, where appropriate.
As July comes to an end, our Conservation Ranger has also been preparing the latest edition of our monthly newsletter, bringing together stories from across all four Commons. This will be the 85th edition produced since he joined the team! More than 1,000 people now receive the newsletter each month, keeping up to date with conservation projects, volunteering opportunities and forthcoming walks and events. If you haven't already subscribed, we'd love to welcome you (You can subscribe via the Linktr.ee in our bio).
