Ground Nesting Birds, Bees and Leverets.

[DrWazzock]

It’s quite noticeable now the extent to which SFI options including over winter cover crops, bird seed mix and pollinator mix require the wholesale obliteration of thousands of acres of ground cover at this time of year followed by redrilling / rotating to another option or spring crop. I can’t even imagine the scale of destruction wrought to skylark nests, ground dwelling bees, and young hares just as they are most vulnerable. These creatures are actually safer in my winter sown cereals and grassland.
Did anybody think this through? Even the old style setaside was better than this for any creature on or in the ground as it was maybe sprayed off early but wasn’t generally cultivated till later in the summer. Looks like a massive own goal to me.

 

[tullah]

It’s quite noticeable now the extent to which SFI options including over winter cover crops, bird seed mix and pollinator mix require the wholesale obliteration of thousands of acres of ground cover at this time of year followed by redrilling / rotating to another option or spring crop. I can’t even imagine the scale of destruction wrought to skylark nests, ground dwelling bees, and young hares just as they are most vulnerable. These creatures are actually safer in my winter sown cereals and grassland.
Did anybody think this through? Even the old style setaside was better than this for any creature on or in the ground as it was maybe sprayed off early but wasn’t generally cultivated till later in the summer. Looks like a massive own goal to me.

They wear shiny wellies taken from a bag out of their car boot and haven’t a clue.

 

[DrWazzock]

Well it strikes me as ironic that they are growing all this food for nature while driving over the things that are supposed to eat it. There’s been no thought for continuity of habitat whatsoever. Farmers are just following the money - I don’t blame them for that - but it’s simply not been thought through ecologically. I could see many pollinator and bird seed options actually doing more damage than good by encouraging at risk species on to land where they’ve been provided with a food source and cover then unfortunately those rare species being destroyed along with option as it is rotated or re established. Some of these “direct drills” seem to move every square inch of the surface then give it a good rolling. I can’t see much surviving that. It’s a farce.

 

[steveR]

Interesting post from the good Dr...

I have about finished my planting of the various Bumblebird mixtures, under my Severn Trent scheme. Similiar to SFI, but better, albeit not as well funded now...

I try and get as much area after cereals, established in the Autumn, but this year, I opted for planting Westerwold on 10-12ha as an experiment, then round-upping it off and baling it, then DD the Mix in. So far, looking good. Good in that it avoids disturbing wildlife and they can now crack on and be unbothered....

However, this year has been hugely disappointing, in that many of my older B&B mixtures fizzled out over the wet winter, and I am having to do just what he describes now... 2 months later than optimum, because of the wet. I have just finished 12ha of stiff clay, disc, roll and drill. The peewits have had their first hatch and the chicks were running about, with me watching and avoiding them from on high in the cab! All successfull I am pleased to say. When I started 10 day ago, there were 9 running about. When I drove by yesterday, there are still 9, and 2 pairs of the adults are looking at a 2nd sitting

I always try and leave areas alone for any leverets, chicks etc to shelter in, and preferably I leave 10-12m strips uncultivated and left, BUT I have to have enough interest for a visit even a 3m strip is very benficial in my view.

 

[Wooly]

They wear shiny wellies taken from a bag out of their car boot and haven’t a clue.

They all come with a degree, but fudge all common sense !

 

[DrWazzock]

Interesting post from the good Dr...

I have about finished my planting of the various Bumblebird mixtures, under my Severn Trent scheme. Similiar to SFI, but better, albeit not as well funded now...

I try and get as much area after cereals, established in the Autumn, but this year, I opted for planting Westerwold on 10-12ha as an experiment, then round-upping it off and baling it, then DD the Mix in. So far, looking good. Good in that it avoids disturbing wildlife and they can now crack on and be unbothered....

However, this year has been hugely disappointing, in that many of my older B&B mixtures fizzled out over the wet winter, and I am having to do just what he describes now... 2 months later than optimum, because of the wet. I have just finished 12ha of stiff clay, disc, roll and drill. The peewits have had their first hatch and the chicks were running about, with me watching and avoiding them from on high in the cab! All successfull I am pleased to say. When I started 10 day ago, there were 9 running about. When I drove by yesterday, there are still 9, and 2 pairs of the adults are looking at a 2nd sitting

I always tru and leave areas alone fro any leverets, chicks to shelter in, and preferably I leave 12m strips uncultivated and left, BUT I have to have enough interest for a visit

That’s commendable and doing it for the right reasons … as well as the money!
How many even think about these things though? I was about to disc up some failed OSR but having walked it and seen the number of skylarks in it I decided to just spray off as late as I dare and not disturb till just before autumn drilling when everything has had a chance to fledge, migrate etc.

 

[DrWazzock]

It’s similar with my farmyard and garden. The rougher I leave it within reason the more habitat it provides.
SFI has focussed on food sources for at risk species but completely ignores the need for stable habitat. It’s poor value in that respect and won’t achieve much.

 

[Dry Rot]

^^^ this. One of the most helpful things we can do for wild birds is to leave long stubbles over winter. And plant more root crops. I say that as someone who has been training pointing dogs for decades. Game birds won't lie if there isn't sufficient ground cover to make them feel safe. Ground cover that is too thick is almost as bad as chicks get soaked and chilled with no open spaces to dry out. Those narrow strips of cover are just perfect for ground predators to hunt out! I've been saying that for years.

 

[Flatlander]

Almost like farmers have been set up for failure in the public eye. Plant a cover with tax payers money then destroy the wild life it lures Great government anti farmer PR

 

[Jackov Altraids]

The amount of harm any farmer can do is insignificant.
The amount of harm a government can do by manipulating every farm across the country, is massive.
The most important thing for flora and fauna is having a huge variety of different options at different times.
I'm sure the new hedge cutting rules have only considered birds and have been detrimental to other things. You don't see foxgloves like you used to.
I hate seeing dead stuff, but leaving it lying around is wonderful for insects.
RT assurance was very particular about not having stagnant water anywhere at one time, which is vital for insects.
Protecting badgers was catastrophic for hedgehogs and ground-nesting birds.
I'm sure forcing everyone to direct-inject slurry will have repercussions.
I'm sure tree-planting will decimate the existence of certain other habitats.

And like draining land, removing hedges etc.
It will all be the farmers fault.

 

[DrWazzock]

The fact is here, across the cereal growing regions, that any arable option not sorayed off in May at the latest risks black grass setting seed and multiplying x 1000. Spraying off in itself kills off any flowering regrowth from the option and brings nectar sources to an abrupt halt just when they are needed before redrilled sources have got going. That’s bad enough, but the habitat destruction involved in redrilling the option or putting in a spring cereal is even worse.
I make no apology for saying that this approach looks like an ecological disaster on an industrial scale. We are simply following the government money with no thought for the consequences in any jkined up kind of way. These SFI options look like schemes designed to suit corporate arable farming and seed suppliers with little concern for the nature they are supposed to be helping. Full blown rewilding would actually be much better. From what I can see trying to fit nature into an arable rotation, by obliterating it every spring and starting from zero is an incredibly stupid idea but nothing now surprises me given the calibre of those in charge.
This isn’t a cheap shot at farmers who have businesses to run and families to feed. It’s an observation of what I see as an ill thought out incentive and very poorly designed SFI scheme particularly with regard to rotational or annually reestablished arable non food production options.

 

[MrNoo]

An interesting one certainly, I have drilled 3/4 of the farm into AB8 so far and was very mindful re leverets etc. I sprayed off well in advance with a lot of hares present, however when I came to disc it/drill it etc there weren't any in the given areas and no sign of any leverets either. Also helpful has been the weather were I have only been able to work several fields at a time, so plenty of green cover nearby to fields I was working in.
Field in front of my house here is not in a scheme but I have drilled Crimson Clover and it's growing well, hares love it, sat here and I can count 16 as I type.

 

[DrWazzock]

Really the payment for just leaving a block of land alone should be much higher than the £80 an acre for scrub reversion.
But we seem to have this obsession with “having to do something for the money”.
I have left a 12 m strip alone for 5 years voluntarily and it really is incredible how things sort themselves out without needing any help whatsoever.
There’s early nectar from gorse, tussocky grass, broom, silver birch etc, all sorts of plants.
It’s getting a bit wild but I really am loathe to do something to restore it to agricultural use. I only left it as it was as I’ve a long term project sorting out the drainage on it. I think we are barking up the wrong tree trying to include nature in the arable rotation though some options are of some benefit, I agree. Much more benefit could be had by just leaving things alone though.
Here I see the best way as leaving some land completely alone for nature, and farming the rest of it as benignly as I can but with efficient commodity production as the priority. I don’t think that trying to mix arable farming and nature conservation in the same rotation will really benefit food production or nature very much, yet that’s what attracts the biggest payments.

 

[steveR]

Really the payment for just leaving a block of land alone should be much higher than the £80 an acre for scrub reversion.
But we seem to have this obsession with “having to do something for the money”.
I have left a 12 m strip alone for 5 years voluntarily and it really is incredible how things sort themselves out without needing any help whatsoever.
There’s early nectar from gorse, tussocky grass, broom, silver birch etc, all sorts of plants.
It’s getting a bit wild but I really am loathe to do something to restore it to agricultural use. I only left it as it was as I’ve a long term project sorting out the drainage on it. I think we are barking up the wrong tree trying to include nature in the arable rotation though some options are of some benefit, I agree. Much more benefit could be had by just leaving things alone though.
Here I see the best way as leaving some land completely alone for nature, and farming the rest of it as benignly as I can but with efficient commodity production as the priority. I don’t think that trying to mix arable farming and nature conservation in the same rotation will really benefit food production or nature very much, yet that’s what attracts the biggest payments.

The downside with doing this sort of thing, is that sooner or later NE or some similar busybodies will decide that the block of land is of vital importance to saving the planet, and it will be safeguarded for future generations by having an Order placed on it, preventing you from ever farming it again....

I have land that that is probably not as "far gone", but that is because 50% is topped every Autumn, and the land is perfect for Barn Owls hunting.

 

[Vader]

It’s similar with my farmyard and garden. The rougher I leave it within reason the more habitat it provides.
SFI has focussed on food sources for at risk species but completely ignores the need for stable habitat. It’s poor value in that respect and won’t achieve much.

Also ignore why lot of species are at risk, food is not the problem.
It's predators, cats people walking dogs, etc.

 

[Vader]

That’s commendable and doing it for the right reasons … as well as the money!
How many even think about these things though? I was about to disc up some failed OSR but having walked it and seen the number of skylarks in it I decided to just spray off as late as I dare and not disturb till just before autumn drilling when everything has had a chance to fledge, migrate etc.

Most of our conservation blocks I redrill 1/2 of each block each year. So always cover and habitat on 1/2 of it.

The pollen and nectar rarely need redrilling.

 

[DrWazzock]

The downside with doing this sort of thing, is that sooner or later NE or some similar busybodies will decide that the block of land is of vital importance to saving the planet, and it will be safeguarded for future generations by having an Order placed on it, preventing you from ever farming it again....

I have land that that is probably not as "far gone", but that is because 50% is topped every Autumn, and the land is perfect for Barn Owls hunting.

Agreed it’s a tricky one. Surely the law needs looking at to preserve landowners rights? Until that is sorted out a lot of potential is wasted, much like the permanent pasture designation rule. We are all busy topping and ploughing stuff up every 5 years just to stop the bureaucrats taking control. It’s needs a complete rethink.

 

[yellow belly]

I have been in stewardship for 6 years here
grass buffers for ditches ( most sprays now have buffer so that is covered
grow a rotation with April planted crops following winter cover with early planted wheat with notill
Do not use any insecticide
the wild life has increased on all levels except now all land has cover there is less bare ground and less lapwings (this May be because of preditors or most likely they have a bigger area to nest in the county

all blocks now have grey partridge with higher numbers on the longest stewardship
skylarks are in abundance particularly on the larger fields they prefer open treeless land scape although watch a sparrow hawk chase an adult skylark the sparrow hawk never gets near

hare numbers have increased considerably this I believe is because they have some tall grass cover for the leverates to hide from the buzzards when field operation move them
there is also food available in most fields compared to the usual cultivated brown desert from July to October
and overwintered cover giving plenty of food

on a soil level the mixed spring and autumn cropping with notill has encourage all manner of soil surface invertebrates to survive the usual barran cultivated desert in the late summer autumn with no where to hide

As a farmer i do have to be careful not to interprete the rules to the letter and to do operations with wild life in mind

imho good farmers are custodians of the countryside which includes the wild life

 

[Regenerator1]

It’s quite noticeable now the extent to which SFI options including over winter cover crops, bird seed mix and pollinator mix require the wholesale obliteration of thousands of acres of ground cover at this time of year followed by redrilling / rotating to another option or spring crop. I can’t even imagine the scale of destruction wrought to skylark nests, ground dwelling bees, and young hares just as they are most vulnerable. These creatures are actually safer in my winter sown cereals and grassland.
Did anybody think this through? Even the old style setaside was better than this for any creature on or in the ground as it was maybe sprayed off early but wasn’t generally cultivated till later in the summer. Looks like a massive own goal to me.

Yes all of us in CS knew all this info but we were ignored by those who know better when we told them...

 

[DrWazzock]

Is there even any baseline data from which to monitor numbers as these schemes progress? We seem fo be surrounded by a “brown desert” from April to July as the arable “evnvironment” options are rotated here. I would hardly think it’s helping wildlife numbers but don’t blame those for partaking in the gold rush one little bit.