Life in the Landscape Archive

Farming and wildlife Norton Suffolk

Farming and wildlife Norton Suffolk, Farming with Wildlife, Norton Suffolk

Four Barn owls and two Short-eared owls hunting a meadow at the same time, a large flock of Yellowhammers taking off in a golden swirl, watching brown hares from a track and loosing count because there are so many. These are a few of the high lights that stand out for me so far this year. These incidents were not the result of visiting nature reserves or responding text message alerts, I saw all of them on the same intensive Suffolk arable farm a few miles from where I live.

I have visited Halls farm Norton owned by the Honeywood family for many years to get horse food produced on the farm from chopped straw. Father and son team Robert and Stephen are passionate about the wildlife on their farm, this is typified by the large modern barn used for straw for the Honeychop feed production. The back of the barn is filled with old worthless grey straw bales contrasting with new bales at the front, this is because a pair of Barn owls and Kestrels live and nest here, the old straw will not be moved until the bales disintegrate or the birds leave.

The Honeywood family intensively and profitably farm 900 acres including neighbouring Little Haugh Farm, run a feed business and employ more than seven people. Intensive arable farming has a strong impact on wild life, some farms near me are almost wildlife deserts compared with Halls and Little Haugh Farms. In these pages I will show you some of the birds, animals and plants living on the farms and describe the management used to maintain the high wildlife population and diversity.

Untidy and neglected?

Farming and wildlife Norton Suffolk, Farming with Wildlife, Norton Suffolk

 

Halls farm, Thick untidy hege full of berries and nuts

Halls farm, Thick untidy hege full of berries and nuts

Untidy and neglected is probably the reaction of some people seeing Halls and Little Haugh farms for the first time. Field margins are uncut, hedges large and unruly and some fields are un-cropped with long grass, thistles and nettles. This is particularly noticeable after harvest when many neighbouring farms closely trim their hedges and field margins before stubble is cultivated and next year’s crops are sown.

But the apparent untidiness is a deliberate management choice. Walking around the farm early September to take these photographs I saw dozens of swallows, house martins and dragonflies hunting insects over the un-cropped fields. Linnets and yellowhammers were feeding in the field margins, a large group of brown hares panicked when I appeared, and hundreds of partridges exploded into flight around my feet. Of course the management of both Halls and Little Haugh farms is partly influenced by the game bird shooting that takes place autumn and winter but whatever the motivation, the sheer quantity of wildlife living on these farms is striking.

Over-wintering birds need to be able to feed every day and find shelter at night. Uncut field margins contain seeds and insects and uncut hedges are heavy with berries. Farms where margins are cut back and sprayed and hedges tidily trimmed provide little food and shelter for overwintering wildlife. Public financial support for farms over recent years has shifted from supporting production to an environmental focus with most farms receiving payments depending on the level of environmental work they do. However the effectiveness of these environmental payments can be compromised by unsympathetic management, with field margins of non-native rye grass having a similar wildlife value as domestic lawns.

The very neat and tidy farm near my village is a complete contrast to Halls and Little Haugh farms. However, this comes at a cost that does not increase production and reduces profit. The contractor who cuts the field margins and puts neat corners on the edge of the few hedges presents an invoice of thousands pounds a year and the spray that kills the ”weeds” at the base of the trees and telegraph poles on the farm costs well over £100 litre. The result is a wildlife desert, and when the farmer does want a days shooting there are no game birds on his farm so he pays to shoot a few pheasants on “untidy” neighbouring land. Excessive tidiness is expensive whichever way you look at it; perhaps we should get more comfortable with the “neglected look”.

Roe Deer in the British Landscape

Deer in the British landscape, Latest and favourite photos, Life in the British landscape

Beavers at Knapdale, mid Argyll

Life in the British landscape, Life on the wild west coast

The Beaver absent from the UK for over 400 years has been reintroduced to trial sites in Scotland. One of these sites is Knapdale Forest mid Argyll where the Beavers are been monitored carefully to assess their impact on the environment before a possible permanent reintroduction is considered.

It is possible to see the beavers at Knapdale especially in the early morning and in the evening. There is an excellent visitor centre and walks are organised by staff round the lochs where the beavers live.

All these images where taken over a couple of days in July. On one beaver tags can be seen so that it can be tracked as part of the monitoring program.

More information on the beavers can be found at this website:

http://www.scottishbeavers.org.uk/

Ospreys fishing in intimate detail

Life in wild Scotland, Ospreys in the Caingorm Landscape

These images were taken at Rothiemurchus fishery during May 2013. Although Ospreys dive very close to the hides I used a 500mm lens to try and capture the action close up and in intimate detail.

This year Rothiemurchus fishery has built new low hides and this has reinforced its reputation as one of the best places any where to watch and photograph fishing Ospreys.

To get more info on Osprey watching at Rothiemurchus click on the link below and then click “On Land”

www.rothiemurchus-activities.co.uk/Activities.aspx

Otters in the Norfolk Landscape

Life and Landscape in East Anglia, Life in the British landscape, Otters in the East Anglian landscape

I saw an otter on the Blackbourne river in Suffolk 25 years ago and there have been signs and sighting of otters living in North Suffolk and south Norfolk since then. In the last few years the otter population has increased but seeing them has always been a challenge, usually involving getting up ridiculously early and standing about for hours with only a small chance of success.

However, recently in Thetford a group of around four otters has been seen regularly in the rivers that flow through the town centre. Otters can be seen during daylight hours fishing, playing and on the river-banks. The following images were taken in and around Thetford.

Bears & life in BC Coast Mountains

Whales and Bears in the BC Landscape

The Bella Coola Valley lies at the head of a 100km inlet in the BC Coast Mountains. Pacific Salmon run up the Bella Coola river to spawn, they also provide food for many animals and birds in the valley including Grizzly & black Bears, Bald eagles and kingfishers. Part of the valley is in the Tweedsmuir Provincial Park and is one of the best places in the Great Bear Rainforest to watch and photograph wildlife.

All of these images were taken in the Bella Coola valley where we stayed for the 2nd time at the excellent Suntree Guest Cottages . Stephen and Cheryl Waugh who run Suntree provide a peaceful base and invaluable local advice. Many thanks!

http://www.suntree.ca/

Ospreys fishing and missing at Rothiemurchus

Ospreys in the Caingorm Landscape

July and August are critical months for breeding Ospreys in Scotland. If young Osprey chicks are going to be strong enough to migrate back to Africa at the end of the summer they need to be fed constantly by the adults.

The Rothiemurchus Estate in the Cairngorm National Park has for many years encouraged local Ospreys to take fish from their fishing Lochs near Aviemore. Rothiemurchus has a loch that is for the sole use of the Ospreys where the birds can fish undisturbed.

The hides on the edge of this Loch are one of the best places anywhere to watch and photograph fishing Ospreys. All the images on this page were taken over two days in mid July.

To get more information on Osprey watching at Rothiemurchus click on the link below and then click “On Land”

www.rothiemurchus-activities.co.uk/Activities.aspx

Ospreys In the Cairngorm Landscape

Ospreys in the Caingorm Landscape

Ospreys can now be frequently seen in the skies of the Spey Valley and Cairngorm National Park and there are now well over 200 breeding pairs in Scotland. Ospreys travel north from Africa because the long Scotish summer days allow them to provide enough food for their very fast growing and demanding young.

Ospreys feed on fish, which they catch with spectacular dives into lochs and rivers. Breeding birds have to have a reliable source of fish if their young are going to survive the challenging Scottish weather. Increasing numbers of landowners and Estates are stocking their lochs with fish for fishing and for the local ospreys, this helps more young survive in difficult summers.

The Rothiemurchus estate has had ospreys taking fish from their fishing lochs for many years and have actively encouraged the birds. In 2012 Rothiemurchus opened a small loch exclusively for ospreys and stocks it with fish of the right size for them to catch. This is one the best locations anywhere to watch these spectacular birds diving for fish.

Many of the photographs below were taken at the Rothiemurchus fishery. Visiting the fishery not only gives the chance of seeing ospreys fishing in exhilarating close up it also helps ensure the birds continue to have a reliable source of fish for their young.

To get more info on Osprey watching at Rothiemurchus click on the link below and then click “On Land”

www.rothiemurchus-activities.co.uk/Activities.aspx

Butterflies in the British landscape

Life in the British landscape