Appleton Mill Farm

I’d been watching the weather forecast, expecting today’s work day to be called off, but it went ahead anyway. It was snowing when Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s field officer picked me up this morning for our day at Appleton Mill, near Pickering. He’d had a report that the Hebridean sheep at Jeffry Bog nature reserve were being worried by a dog. It was on our way, so we called in there first to check on them. The sheep were settled when we arrived and all seemed to be OK. We moved them onto another field, where the grazing was better for them.

Thankfully, the sheep were OK

We reached Appleton Mill farm, at about 10:30, to find a good turnout of volunteers busy planting trees to fill gaps in a hedge. The farm is the Trust’s base for the sheep and cattle that carry out conservation grazing on many of the reserves. It’s a working farm, but managed in the most wildlife friendly way. The fields are planted up with wild flower mixes that not only provide excellent cattle fodder, but are good for invertebrates too. Our job for the day was to fill in gaps in the hedges, with a mixture of native tree species.

Volunteers at work

We had our coffee break in a blizzard, sheltered behind a dry-stone wall, taking our cue from the sheep. After the coffee break, we moved on to another field and then to a third one after lunch. There were sleet and snow showers throughout the day, but with periods of bright sunshine in between.

Coffee break behind a wall

Trees with bamboo stakes and plastic tree guards
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Collecting Tansy Seed

Image
Today I’ve been to Fulford Ings, to collect seed from tansy plants to sow next spring. Each plant produces dozens of flower heads and each flower contains hundreds of seeds, so the small amount I’ve collected will have no effect on the natural spread of the plants. I’ll aim to produce another 1000 tansy plants next year. Dead flower heads now contain ripe seed   The seed will be left to dry out in my kitchen   The new generation of tansy beetles that emerged from pupae in the summer have now gone underground for the winter – except for one, which was still wandering around! The last tansy beetle still active I was concerned that the tansy we planted in August was being nibbled by rabbits (see Helping Barn Owls and Tansy Beetles ). Today I saw that new growth has appeared at the base of the plants, which the rabbits haven’t touched, so I think they will be OK in the spring. The wild flower meadow is now being grazed by sheep. They eat tansy plants too, but the plant
Read more

Fen Bog

Image
It’s difficult to pick a favourite nature reserve, as they’re all so different and vary so much with the seasons, but one of my favourites must be Fen Bog, on the North York Moors. It’s in a hidden valley surrounded by moorland, with a boggy mire in the centre. Volunteers pulling bracken I usually only visit once a year, when Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have a conservation volunteer work day there. This year we’ve had two days, cutting back the bracken on the valley sides which threatens to engulf the reserve. The denser patches are cleared with brushcutters while thinner and steeper areas can be pulled by hand, minimizing damage to the surrounding vegetation. It’s one of those reserves where the results of our work can be clearly seen from one year to the next. Areas of dense bracken we brushcut last year just needed a tidy up by hand this year. Small pearl-bordered fritillary Large skipper sipping nectar from a thistle This is a great place to find some interesting in
Read more

Maldives 2016: Wildlife on the Island

Image
The two most common birds on the island of Dhigurah are the Asian koel and the Maldivian house crow. The koel, being a type of cuckoo, is a brood parasite and the crow is its host - the koel lays its eggs in the crow's nest. The koel is a protected species in the Maldives, whereas the house crow is regarded as a pest. Both are noisy birds. The koel is more often heard than seen, as they tend to perch in the densest vegetation and betray their presence only by their extremely loud calls. The house crow is a bolder bird. It will call loudly at passing humans, apparently in defence of its territory. Call of the Asian koel Call of the Maldivian house crow The Oriental garden lizard is often seen around the village. They are large lizards, up to 37cm in length, including a very long tail. They can move each of their eyes in different directions, like chameleons, and change colour to match their surroundings. During the breeding season, the male's head and shoulders turn
Read more