A Common Resource - Gower - page 220

Thissuggeststhatthereisshortageoftraditionalnestingsites,asstudieselsewherehaveshownthatifone
site becomes unsuitable the birds revert to another location within their home range. The existing local
populations need to be linked through the erection of nest boxes at abandoned traditional sites and where
there are suitable habitats. The remaining nest sites include Cheriton church and Stouthall. A study of the
bird's pellets has revealed that they feed mainly on short-tailed vole, with common shrew Sorex araneus
and wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus featuring as the most common secondary food sources. Interest-
ingly, as the animal is a localised species that occurs sporadically, the remains of water shrew Neomys
fodiens have been found in pellets at some sites. There are no other records of the shrew in Gower, but
little mammal recording has been undertaken.
In the past one of the most common and conspicuous animals on the commons was the brown hare,
but it is now much scarcer. Foxes are important predators of young hares and where foxes are common
there are likely to be few hares. Adult hares normally live to 3 or 4 years, but very rarely do they survive
much longer.
ACID GRASSLAND
Lowland acid grassland is typically found on nutrient-poor, generally free-draining soils overlying acid
rocks and, as in Gower, often forms a mosaic with lowland heathland. As with other lowland habitats,
there has been a substantial decline in acid grassland during the twentieth century, mainly due to agricul-
tural intensification, and it is estimated that less than 30,000 hectares now remain in Britain. It is char-
acterised by a range of plant species, especially grasses such as common bent Agrostis capillaris and
sheep's-fescue, and is maintained by regular grazing, especially by sheep. If the grazing is reduced the
grasses are replaced by heather, cross-leaved heath and bell heather. Two of the commonest plants associ-
ated with this bent-fescue grassland are tormentil and heath bedstraw Galium saxatile , which occur along
with harebell, bird's-foot-trefoil, milkwort Polygala serpyllifolia , common dog-violet and often wood
sage.Thepresenceandabundanceofthesespeciesdependsonthecommunitytypeandthespecificlocal-
ity, acid grassland being very variable in terms of species richness. The habitat can range from relatively
species-poor (with fewer than 5 species per 4 square metres) to species-rich (having in excess of 25 spe-
ciesper4squaremetres).Itcansupportahighdensityofbryophytes,whileparchedacidgrasslandcanbe
rich in lichens. The coarse grassland also provides a suitable habitat for butterflies and moths, including
the small heath Coenonympha pamphilus and green hairstreak Callophyrys rubi .
COMMONS MANAGEMENT
TheGowerCommonersAssociationwasformedin1957withaviewtoprotectingtherightsandinterests
ofallthecommonsinGower.Priortothistimeindividualinformalassociationsexistedforeachcommon,
but the commoners felt that they could protect their interests better if they united under one organisation.
The Association's principal objective is to ensure that there is effective management of the commons.
One of the key concerns of commoners, especially on the larger commons, is the number of animals
killed in traffic accidents. Due to the increasing numbers of deaths many animals have been withdrawn
from the commons and a consequent reduction in the amount of grazing is changing the structure of the
vegetation. It is not generally realised by motorists that the road is legally part of the common and the
animals therefore have as much of a right to be there as their vehicle (Fig. 123). In general visitors to the
areadriveslowlybecausetheyareunfamiliarwiththeroadsandthecommonsanddonotkillmanyanim-
als;unfortunatelyitislocalpeoplecommutingtoandfromSwanseawhocausemostoftheaccidents.The