Conservation Thread

Kevtherev · May 12, 2019

Direct drill them minimal disturbance

Princess Pooper · May 12, 2019

Kevtherev said:
Direct drill them minimal disturbance

sorry but still a waste of a potentially great waterside site. Always look at what nature would do with it.

Cab-over Pete · May 12, 2019

The barn owl trust folks told me rough grassland is ideal stuff for loads of species, but that rough grassland is definitely NOT rough grazing.

Apparently it needs to be ungrazed

Kevtherev · May 12, 2019

See a lot of barn owls along the banks of our local light railway.
Uncut long scrubland and grass.

AvonValleyFarmer · May 12, 2019

Love this thread. This is one of the ponds on my little bit.

Home to these beauties

AvonValleyFarmer · May 12, 2019

Before any anti-farmer keyboard warriors read this, the Greater Crested Newts above where not handled or disturbed by myself, but by trained professional zoologist doing a survey

holwellcourtfarm · May 12, 2019

Cab-over Pete said:
The barn owl trust folks told me rough grassland is ideal stuff for loads of species, but that rough grassland is definitely NOT rough grazing.

Apparently it needs to be ungrazed

If we really get our planned holistic grazing going well then we should be going in to graze herbage over 2 feet high and coming out leaving over a foot. Combine that with it being very diverse it would probably suit the wildlife, especially ground nesting birds, very well.

Cab-over Pete · May 12, 2019

We had newts when we first moved here 15 months ago. In the lounge!!!!!!!

It must be a bit damp at times!

We have HS2 coming here regularly overnight making great efforts to accurately survey what habitat they are going to obliterate in the future.

I would like to see the results of their surveys sometime, just to see what was here before they fukked it all up. And we’re not even on the route, just 800m away from it, but they’ve got to bury the pylon wires apparently.

Princess Pooper · May 12, 2019

AvonValleyFarmer said:
Before any anti-farmer keyboard warriors read this, the Greater Crested Newts above where not handled or disturbed by myself, but by trained professional zoologist doing a survey

And you and I know that in Leicestershire most ponds are heaving with them!

Brisel · May 12, 2019

AvonValleyFarmer said:
Before any anti-farmer keyboard warriors read this, the Greater Crested Newts above where not handled or disturbed by myself, but by trained professional zoologist doing a survey

They aren't rare in Britain anyway, just Europe, hence their protection.

Coming to a site near you applying for planning permission soon!

Longneck · May 13, 2019

Cab-over Pete said:
I was just sitting out in the garden an hour ago lazily gazing around and watching the Swallows dipping and diving, when into view swooped our Barn Owl with something clutched in its talons.

Chuffed to bits because I haven’t seen it a while, I watched whilst it gently landed tight into a hedge to enjoy its meal.

Within 20 seconds, four fecking thieving crows had scared it off, meal left behind. One chased it for maybe 200m across the field before returning. None of them were interested in the meal.

A message to Packham and his bunch of feckless, fawning eejits: I don’t hold a shotgun licence or own a gun of any sort, but I would gladly have marched into the house, took the gun out and had a blast at the filthy thieves, legal or not, and I reckon most people would have done the same despite this lame excuse to swell Packhams ego and business interests.

He’s had a hand in fragile species having, at the very least, their food taken, if not their lives and it’s a scenario repeated many times across the country, no doubt.

Within seconds, no barn owl and no swallows . I know they could most likely be back soon, but why make it more difficult for them whilst protecting vermin?

You, Mr Packham and your sycophants are a bunch of total cockwombles. I despair that this country is taking any notice of your type at all.

In other news, I saw a pair of weasly/stoaty critters earlier, playing around in the sun having a right great time.

Sorry I couldn’t be more specific, I’m not the most knowledgeable countryman. But at least I know what’s important.

It’s easy to tell the difference......

A Weasel is weasily recognised and a stoat is stoatally different.

.... I’ll get my coat.

holwellcourtfarm · May 13, 2019

Brisel said:
They aren't rare in Britain anyway, just Europe, hence their protection.

Coming to a site near you applying for planning permission soon!

Like water voles. They are endangered in some rural areas but many urban areas around here are heaving with them.

Pond digger · May 13, 2019

AvonValleyFarmer said:
Love this thread. This is one of the ponds on my little bit.
View attachment 797740
View attachment 797742

Home to these beauties
View attachment 797744 View attachment 797746 View attachment 797748

But you did look! Isn’t that capital punishment in itself?

Pond digger · May 13, 2019

holwellcourtfarm said:
Like water voles. They are endangered in some rural areas but many urban areas around here are heaving with them.

That’s interesting. Do you think it’s because there just isn’t enough cover for mink?

Pond digger · May 13, 2019

Princess Pooper said:
They often need re-drilling and disturbing soil so close to a water course not a good idea. I would leave as rough grassland (or sow a suitable grassland mix) that will be permanent, possibly plant some aquatic margin plug plants if the water table is high. Let a few shrubs get established eg goat willow and you'll have some nice stream margin habitat which will encourage water voles, otters etc. Coarse grasses great for the meadow butterflies and many farmland birds will nest in a tussocky sward too. Just top if every few years (not every year), ideally not all in one year. .Some useful info here https://farmwildlife.info/how-to-do-it/wet-features/streams-and-rivers/

Otters and water birds are not a good mix unfortunately. Well, not for the water birds anyway.

Pond digger · May 13, 2019

Princess Pooper said:
Some of the beneficiaries of the habitat work I put up earlier...

harvest mouse emerging from a straw bale in winter, we have seen several nests about in rough coarse grasses like cocksfoot in the margins
View attachment 797538

grass snakes enjoy the rough grassland areas near to ponds and stream, often lay eggs in the cattle yards after turnout. Found this one in the porch when I opened the kitchen door one afternoon...View attachment 797540

These chaps like the margins too, never used to see any on our mainly grass farm, although local cereal farmers got plenty.

View attachment 797558
Plenty of tree sparrows about.... View attachment 797542

White legged damselflies (a farm speciality)View attachment 797544

Female banded demoiselleView attachment 797546

Male of the same species
View attachment 797556

Emerald damselfly - they can be very fussy which ponds they breed in.
View attachment 797564

Bullfinches thrive - I think they like the hawthorn blossom, we have a rotational hedge trimming policy and a lot of actual shrubs (photo possible thanks to our collaboration with local BTO ringer).
View attachment 797548

Was great to see this kingfisher fly over when I was hosting a farm walk - caught by ringer less than a minute later!

View attachment 797550

Wish I had more time to wander round enjoying what we have created.

V nice. I do like harvest mice.

Richard III · May 13, 2019

Pond digger said:
V nice. I do like harvest mice.

They are easily found in our fields at night with a thermal imaging camera.

AvonValleyFarmer · May 13, 2019

Pond digger said:
But you did look! Isn’t that capital punishment in itself?

Medium rare sirloin for my last meal please

Goweresque · May 13, 2019

Cab-over Pete said:
The barn owl trust folks told me rough grassland is ideal stuff for loads of species, but that rough grassland is definitely NOT rough grazing.

Apparently it needs to be ungrazed

One of the barn owl boxes I have, about 8 in total. We get regular breeding pairs, a bloke comes and checks the boxes every year and rings and records any young ones. I think the arable margins are very good for the barn owls, I often see them flying down the margin, I think looking for mice and voles who are moving from the crop to the hedge and vice versa. Especially after the margin has been mowed for hay later in the year, it opens it up for the owls to find prey.

bumkin · May 13, 2019

Cab-over Pete said:
I was just sitting out in the garden an hour ago lazily gazing around and watching the Swallows dipping and diving, when into view swooped our Barn Owl with something clutched in its talons.

Chuffed to bits because I haven’t seen it a while, I watched whilst it gently landed tight into a hedge to enjoy its meal.

Within 20 seconds, four fecking thieving crows had scared it off, meal left behind. One chased it for maybe 200m across the field before returning. None of them were interested in the meal.

A message to Packham and his bunch of feckless, fawning eejits: I don’t hold a shotgun licence or own a gun of any sort, but I would gladly have marched into the house, took the gun out and had a blast at the filthy thieves, legal or not, and I reckon most people would have done the same despite this lame excuse to swell Packhams ego and business interests.

He’s had a hand in fragile species having, at the very least, their food taken, if not their lives and it’s a scenario repeated many times across the country, no doubt.

Within seconds, no barn owl and no swallows . I know they could most likely be back soon, but why make it more difficult for them whilst protecting vermin?

You, Mr Packham and your sycophants are a bunch of total cockwombles. I despair that this country is taking any notice of your type at all.

In other news, I saw a pair of weasly/stoaty critters earlier, playing around in the sun having a right great time.

Sorry I couldn’t be more specific, I’m not the most knowledgeable countryman. But at least I know what’s important.

very well said but what can we do to stop people like pekem ?

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