Peak District

jimred

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Pennines
Now please don’t get me wrong I’m asking to learn not to criticise.
we have been up here for six days now and the weather whilst usable has been quite varied and windy at times. The views are amazing and there is stock everywhere especially sheep.
now to my questions which maybe have been affected by the weather or maybe just stupid questions
So here goes. Where are your song birds and butterflies? Have heard very few song birds and haven’t see any insects especially butterflies all week despite being out and about in nature for at least 6 hrs. Day.
here to learn
Lazy
Wild exposed ground at 1000ft or more on Pennines doesn't see a great variety of wildlife or plants. It's tough living even sometimes in summer.
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
We are not far from Rusty, and we've got plenty of bird life. Always blackbirds, sparrows, Robins, wrens, tits and finches of all types around the farm yard. Even get the odd woodpecker. In the fields often see skylarks, the odd curlew etc. Even got a breeding pair of buzzards and often see barn owls and little owls, so there must be plenty of small animals and invertebrates to eat.

If you do call in to see rusty, pop up the road and buy a Blonde bull 😉
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
Not enough hedges and lots of stone walls, animals always eat up to the bottom of the walls
I was just thinking, the wildlife corridors in stock areas are usually the hedges (unless there is a single fence between fields), but I am guessing the peak district is all stone walls, so it looks wonderful, but is missing that habitat. I have planted some hedges here with a grant, and they insist 3m between fences (which I think is too wide, 2m or 2 1/2m at most is fine), but anyway, at least it gives a wide wildlife area.
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
I'm from, and my parents still live, in the next village up in Sheen. Hopefully I'll get back one day.

I think there has been more curlews up there this year than for a few years. Parents bird feeders are always full of finches and tits of all varieties.

On the other hand, I was ploughing 15 acre on Butterton moor on the road to Onecote the other week. I was probably doing for about 8 hours, don't laugh, it was wet crappy pasture.
I didn't see a single bird in those 8 hours, not 1.
I think, a lot of songbirds are killed by cats too, so domestic cats and badgers, poor birds have a pretty rough time of it.
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
I farm about 5 miles away from Hartington. We are on the Limestone plateau that stretches from just north of Ashbourne up to Buxton. It's mostly around 1000' above sea level and all classified as severely disadvantaged ground. However it's very productive Grassland with not a lot of trees and mostly quite exposed. The high ground is generally more productive than the low ground in the valleys. There is still quite a bit of dairying around. We are 320 cows autumn block calves and paddock grazed if you want to call in for a look around.
most of the farm here is severely disadvantaged too, I wonder if that is ever going to mean anything again?
 
You won’t find much arable up there… the odd field of whole crop cereals for dairy cows maybe. Do you not think you would have seen more 2 months ago before the hay meadows were all cut? All around Buxton is covered in wild flowers through into June. But then the hay gets made and the sheep go on the aftermaths… just a thought…
Also it’s mid August. You’re unlikely too see ground nesters on the ground now. That’s a spring job. (When there’s long grasses for hay about)

Get out on the heather moors. You’ll see plenty of insects and wee brids up there. 👍
We were up on stanage edge today( looking for Elizabeth Bennett )and I was delighted to see some bumble bees on the heather 👍
 

Grassman

Member
Location
Derbyshire
We are just on the edge of the peak district near chatsworth.
Plenty of wildlife here but we have lots of small fields with hedges and lots of trees.
We have had more butterfly's and moths than normal. The mower has to be cleaned off in the field as there are thousands of ladybirds and other insects on the top.
Some areas in the Peak are quite bare as it is high ground and nearly all walls.
 

Durry cows

Member
Location
Derbyshire
I farm about 5 miles away from Hartington. We are on the Limestone plateau that stretches from just north of Ashbourne up to Buxton. It's mostly around 1000' above sea level and all classified as severely disadvantaged ground. However it's very productive Grassland with not a lot of trees and mostly quite exposed. The high ground is generally more productive than the low ground in the valleys. There is still quite a bit of dairying around. We are 320 cows autumn block calves and paddock grazed if you want to call in for a look around.
If you want another farm visit we are about 30 minutes from Rusty, on the other side of Ashbourne, (we’re trying to farm like Rusty!) :cool:
 

Ashtree

Member
I think, a lot of songbirds are killed by cats too, so domestic cats and badgers, poor birds have a pretty rough time of it.
100%. We are in west of Ireland. Low intensity suckler farming, with endless hedge rows, plenty scrub, small fields, stone walks etc, etc,. Absolutely teaming with birds of all types.
Without doubt the biggest challenge they face is from cats. Her indoors has three cats on the go. Their kills deposited on the doorstep almost daily. Three robins to date this week. Makes me want to wring their necks. barstewards have nine lives. Robin hasn’t even one with them around.
 
If you want another farm visit we are about 30 minutes from Rusty, on the other side of Ashbourne, (we’re trying to farm like Rusty!) :cool:
Very kind of you to offer but we are off home this morning.
would like to say thank you to @rusty for hosting me this morning at a little after 6am !milking was already almost complete and everything seemed to be running like clockwork. A very impressive set up and some very content looking cows and calves. Compared to my place this was high tech farming!
 

Bald n Grumpy

Member
Livestock Farmer
I was just thinking, the wildlife corridors in stock areas are usually the hedges (unless there is a single fence between fields), but I am guessing the peak district is all stone walls, so it looks wonderful, but is missing that habitat. I have planted some hedges here with a grant, and they insist 3m between fences (which I think is too wide, 2m or 2 1/2m at most is fine), but anyway, at least it gives a wide wildlife area.
Surely the walls just offer something different for other types of wildlife?
Didn't that bloke in born mucky on TV have to get permission to rebuild a wall because of a newt.
Agree about the fencing being to wide and hedges need management to be any good not just let go
 

rusty

Member
Very kind of you to offer but we are off home this morning.
would like to say thank you to @rusty for hosting me this morning at a little after 6am !milking was already almost complete and everything seemed to be running like clockwork. A very impressive set up and some very content looking cows and calves. Compared to my place this was high tech farming!
It was great to see and speak to another forum member in person. 6:00am is a new record for the earliest farm tour I have ever given!
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
100%. We are in west of Ireland. Low intensity suckler farming, with endless hedge rows, plenty scrub, small fields, stone walks etc, etc,. Absolutely teaming with birds of all types.
Without doubt the biggest challenge they face is from cats. Her indoors has three cats on the go. Their kills deposited on the doorstep almost daily. Three robins to date this week. Makes me want to wring their necks. barstewards have nine lives. Robin hasn’t even one with them around.
Depends on who you ask, mind, the RSPB say cats don't affect birds (I would prefer to rephrase that as "The RSPB have decided saying anything against cats would affect their donations", while others are more unequivocal, I guess they don't rely on donations!
 
We have a farm cat who on the one hand means we don’t have to poison stuff. It is noticeable since he’s been around the barn owls have returned and bred successfully but on the other I do see him with song birds occasionally. ☹️
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Now please don’t get me wrong I’m asking to learn not to criticise.
we have been up here for six days now and the weather whilst usable has been quite varied and windy at times. The views are amazing and there is stock everywhere especially sheep.
now to my questions which maybe have been affected by the weather or maybe just stupid questions
So here goes. Where are your song birds and butterflies? Have heard very few song birds and haven’t see any insects especially butterflies all week despite being out and about in nature for at least 6 hrs. Day.
here to learn
Lazy

butterflies and songbirds are not keen on windy condition - could that partly explain
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
Surely the walls just offer something different for other types of wildlife?
Didn't that bloke in born mucky on TV have to get permission to rebuild a wall because of a newt.
Agree about the fencing being to wide and hedges need management to be any good not just let go
I agree, the walls do offer a different habitat, but I have a feeling that there is a greater diversity of wildlife supported by hedgerows, but I stand to be corrected if I am wrong.
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Depends on who you ask, mind, the RSPB say cats don't affect birds (I would prefer to rephrase that as "The RSPB have decided saying anything against cats would affect their donations", while others are more unequivocal, I guess they don't rely on donations!

Yes,really annoyed with our cat who is semi feral however comes in the house.

Had caught a lovely little Wren by 9am and a sparrow by lunch!

Bad puss!:mad:
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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