All posts by mike

Farm payments, money for nothing?

Farming with Wildlife, Norton Suffolk

Payments to farmers and land owners is a news story that is repeated every year and often has negative spin. Farm payments were first started to increase food production and decrease reliance on imported food. In the first half of the 20th century huge amounts of land were left unfarmed because it was cheaper to import food.

Farmer’s payments used to be linked to production and they got a guaranteed price for their products. This led to over production; the infamous grain and Butter Mountains were one of the results of this policy.

Farmers now get market prices for their products, these prices change dramatically depending on world production. In low price years many farms loose money on their crops and the farm payments keep them in business. This is especially true for smaller and upland farms.

The payments are now linked to environmental and landscape management, these include; controlling water pollution, soil quality, maintaining hedges and wildlife protection. Even the simplest “Basic Payment Scheme” has to be applied for every year and the farmers must show they are following the rules. Many farmers and landowners apply for higher payments including “Countryside Stewardship” which has different “Tiers” and further rules. These can include flood management and restoring wildlife habitat.

For most farmers the payments they get are an essential part of their income. Making sure the “Basic Payment Scheme” application is made correctly is vital but complicated and many farmers employ consultants to make their applications.

The compliance rules include the width of field margins, when hedges can be cut, which type of crops can be grown and water used for irrigation. If these rules are not kept payments can be withheld.

The compliance rules are there for good environmental reasons however, many farmers and landowners just see them as hurdles that have to jumped. Without a commitment to the spirit of the compliance rules many of the environmental benefits are not being delivered.

To get an understanding of the complexity of the compliance rules have a look at some of links below. Farmers and landowners are not getting money for doing nothing!

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/countryside-stewardship-get-paid-for-environmental-land-management

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546336/BPS_2016_scheme_rules_FINAL__DS_.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-countryside-stewardship-facilitation-fund

 

 

 

Otter bringing fish out of the water. Kylerhea Skye lutra lutra

Otters of Kylerhea

Life in the British landscape, Life in wild Scotland

The tide is funnelled through the Sound of Sleat between Skye and the mainland twice a day. The tides bring abundant new food for the birds and animals at the narrow section of Sleat near Kylerhea. Kylerhea is one of the most reliable places to see otters I know, a few hours watching the rapidly rising and falling tides almost always rewards with  the sight of at least one otter feeding close to shore.

These photographs where taken during a week long stay at the “House on the slip” at Kylerhea. Otters can very often be seen early morning from bed through  the picture window in the spectacular sea view bedroom.

http://www.houseontheslip.co.uk/

Osprey 2nd try at leaving the water almost clear. Sept Cairngorn NP Pandion haliaetus

Last Osprey of summer struggling with large trout

Birds in the british landscape, Life in wild Scotland, Ospreys in the Caingorm Landscape

By the end of August most Ospreys have started their migration south from the Scottish Cairngorms. Some of the adult males birds wait to make sure this years young are able to catch fish. This Osprey has caught a trout at Rothiemurchus and needed two attempts to pull it out of the water.

http://rothiemurchus.net/osprey-photography/

Brown hare lerveret running and looking. Sunny August evening Suffolk Lepus europaeus

August hares close, August Suffolk

Brown Hares, seasons at Norton Suffolk, Farming and wildlife Norton Suffolk
Grey Heron coming out with brown trout. May Cairngorm NP. Ardea cinerea

Grey herons in the the Rothiemurcus landscape

Birds in the british landscape, Life in wild Scotland

Rotheimurchus Fishery is a hotspot for herons. The loch side hides allow really close views

For more information click on the link..

http://rothiemurchus.net/osprey-photography/ 

Osprey pulling large trout from a Cairngorm loch. Pandion haliaetus

May Ospreys behaving at Rothiemurchus

Birds in the british landscape, Ospreys in the Caingorm Landscape

Rothiemurchus fishery is the place to watch ospreys fishing a few metres away. The water level hides are perfect for photography.

For more information click on the link.

http://rothiemurchus.net/osprey-photography/

Indentifying the moths in the trap at Halls farm

Norton Moths

Farming and wildlife Norton Suffolk, Farming with Wildlife, Norton Suffolk, Surveys and counts, what is about?

Standing in the orchard at Halls farm on warm summer evening butterflies give way to many more moths as the sun sets. Some of these moths are big and colourful many more are small fast and very difficult to identify especially as it gets dark.

5 spot Burnet moth in Halls farm orchard

5 spot Burnet moth in Halls farm orchard

There are about 2500 species of moths in the UK, 900 of these are the bigger or macro moths many of which are large and beautiful. All these different moths need different habitats to live in and plants to feed on. The number of different species and total count of moths found give a good a good indication of the health and diversity of a local environment.

Because most moths come out at night they are hard to see. However, most moths are attracted by light, especially “blue light’. This summer we have running a moth trap at Halls and LLH farms Norton to record the moths living here.

 

Indentifying the moths in the trap at Halls farm

Indentifying the moths in the trap at Halls farm

We run the trap over night and the following morning identify the macro moths caught and the number of each species. On this page I will try to, post the recording we make through the summer. The trap is run once or twice a week and the moths released after they have been recorded. The moths settle on egg boxes in the trap and are usually quiet early morning before the sun warms them up.

 

Moths in the trap early July

Moths in the trap early July

Depending on how keen we get we will try to run the trap in different parts of the farms to get an overall picture of the moths living on the farms.

 

Barn Owl young in new Barn owl box

Norton Barn owls, 2016 a good breeding year?

Barn owls in Suffolk, Farming with Wildlife, Norton Suffolk, Surveys and counts, what is about?
Barn owl picking up vole from right foot. Cloudy June evening. Tyto alba

Barn owl picking up vole from right foot. Cloudy June evening. Tyto alb

Are the Norton Barn owls having a successful nesting season? The short answer is yes, we have checked over half the know nest site at Little Haugh and Halls farms and so far found six breeding pairs.

 

20% of the land on the farms is managed for wildlife as well as for the commercial game bird shoot. The wide rough field verges, woodland and grassland are all ideal for hunting Barn owls. However, lack of nest sites was a problem that we tackled in autumn 2014 by erecting 15 new boxes, this summer 10 of the new nest boxes show signs of Barn owl use and 3 have been used by Tawny owls.

Barn Owl young in new Barn owl box

Barn Owl young in new Barn owl box

Over the next few days we will be checking the older nest boxes on the farms. These boxes are higher up and more difficult to see into, I tend to put them off to last but, I will check them and let you know if we find any more breeding pairs.

 

The 2 broods in the photos have only two young owls. This may be due to the cold wet spring and that the adult Barn owls are young and inexperienced. However, the adults are now catching voles and mice in good numbers and the boxes are quite smelly from the voles waiting to be eaten!

Barn owl young in new Barn owl box 2nd brood

Barn owl young in new Barn owl box 2nd brood

 

The longest established Barn owl nest site on the farms is deep inside the Halls farm Straw barn. In the last few days Steve Honeywood has seen 4 young owls being fed on top of one of the bales. It will not be long before the young owls leave and it is probable that this pair will have a second brood, we will keep watching.

Barn owls boxes, good for hornets too

Barn owls boxes, good for hornets too

 

 

Red Squirrel pair having forward and back. May Cairngorm NP. Sciurus vulgaris

Red Squirrels behaving in the Cairngorm landscape

Life in wild Scotland, Red Squirrels in Scotland
Brown hare stepping forward out wheat. Sunny July evening Suffolk Lepus europaeus

Brown Hares Summer 2016 Norton Suffolk

Brown Hares, seasons at Norton Suffolk, Farming and wildlife Norton Suffolk, Life in the British landscape

After a long cold spring Summer arrived and the long bright evening s has made the Brown hares easy to watch. There are many leverets and younger hares around , they spend a lot of time interacting and chasing each other.