Going Wild With Walters -- Archive 3

This is a cumulative archive of the nature column published in the Cambridge Weekly News, from December 2003.
For earlier entries see Archive 1 and Archive 2.

The text is by Martin Walters, and the pieces are usually illustrated by the work of local wildlife artists, notably Michael Wood (mainly birds and other animals) and Stella Tranah (mainly plants).

Last weekend I had the pleasure of a tour round a local nature reserve, but not the usual type of protected area. This was local farmer Robin Page's land, Lark Rise Farm, Barton, which forms part of the Countryside Restoration Trust (CRT), a charity dedicated to the protection and restoration of the UK countryside. Many will remember Robin as the former presenter of One Man and His Dog. He is unusual, eccentric even, and famously described himself as a "revolting peasant", but there is no doubting his enthusiasm for natural history and his yearning for a bygone age when farming and wildlife went hand in hand. He started the CRT himself, and aims to create a network of farms which will demonstrate how farming can be sustainable, and profitable, but at the same time wildlife-friendly. Recent visitors to Lark Rise Farm have included Prince Charles, who is very sympathetic to Robin's aims.

But what is the farm like, and is it working as a refuge for flowers and birds? We trudged through the cold wind and mud, but even in the depth of winter I could tell that the birds at least were benefiting from fallow fields with broad margins, properly tended hedges, and ponds. As we crossed the first (damp) field, snipe rose from under our feet, a pair of grey partridges whirred off into the distance, and a few yards on a hare bolted frantically away. Barn owls breed here in specially constructed boxes, and hunt over the ditches and meadows. Our return walk took us back alongside a stream, swollen and rapid, and reputedly home now to otters, and a heron laboured against the wind. A pair of green woodpeckers chased each other in an early breeding display, bounding between the ancient willows alongside the stream.

Later on, an active flock of small birds caught my eye. They flew further away, but quickly settled again on a ploughed field. On scanning the field with binoculars the first impression was of dozens of bright sulphur-yellow blobs standing out against the drab grey-brown soil. I have never seen such a large flock of yellowhammers before, the males (which seemed to be in the majority) all in splendid fresh breeding plumage. There must have been at least 70, with a smattering of equally smart looking reed buntings, and the odd chaffinch. I sought in vain for bramblings, but I expect they also appear from time to time. Another field nearby was being carefully patrolled by fieldfares and redwings.

Intensive farming has been responsible for huge losses of habitat from farmland, especially in our region, with hedges and copses being removed to make way for ever larger fields. At the same time, increased dependency on chemical fertilisers and pesticides have reduced invertebrate numbers and diversity, with a knock-on effect on flowers, mammals and birds. The methods used at Lark Rise Farm include spring drilling, planting of grass margins, provision of beetle banks, sensible set-aside management, and leaving wildlife strips and headlands. The result is that wildlife has returned in abundance to the farm, which appropriately now has one of the highest densities of skylarks in Cambridgeshire. In spring and summer flowers such as cowslip, yellow rattle, oxeye daisy, and bee orchid can be seen here.

Visitors are welcome, by arrangement, and there are more details on the CRT website.

Drawing by local wildlife artist Michael Wood

Every year some 6 million or more Christmas trees are bought as cut trees in the UK. The choice of tree is now much wider than in my youth, when most of us had to make do with good old Norway spruce, then spend ages removing all those dropped needles. The basic choice now is between Norway spruce (Picea abies), and a range of firs (Abies), of which the most needle-fast is probably the Nordman fir (Abies nordmanniana). Some others species offered are: Korean fir (Abies koreana), noble/silver fir (Abies procera), Fraser's balsam fir (Abies fraseri), and occasionally Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta).

A good tip with Christmas trees is to leave them out in the cold until as close to Christmas Eve as your children or grandchildren will allow. The less time they have to endure the high temperatures and low humidity of a centrally heated home the fresher they will appear, and the longer they will retain their needles.

Of course rooted trees may be planted out and re-used each season, but the Cambridge soil is not ideal, and many get sickly and perish. Recycling schemes are now widely available, and cut trees may also be shredded and used as compost or mulch.

Nature-friendly gardeners should always try and look after their local wildlife over the Christmas and New Year holidays, and there is a lot more to this than just putting out a few scraps for the birds. Nowadays every garden centre and many pet shops stock a bewildering range of feeding stations, bird tables and food holders, with many different kinds of tasty items, such as peanuts, seed mixtures and fat balls. But it is just as important to realise that many garden plants are vital as sources not just of shelter, but also of food.

Here are some tips aimed at making your garden more wildlife-friendly during the winter, when birds in particular are stressed by the cold and lack of food:
1) Leave seed-heads on perennials - particularly plants such as sunflowers, teasels, Michaelmas daisy, Achillea, and Sedum spectabile. Species such as grasses and perennials with long-lasting stems and foliage will increase the survival rates of beneficial invertebrates such as ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies and spiders, as well as many species of bird and small mammal. Dead teasel shoots attached to the bird table may attract goldfinches, and when the original seeds have been eaten, the spiky heads can be topped up with 'Niger seed' (Guizotia abyssinica).
2) Grow berry-bearing plants such as holly, ivy and Berberis. As well as providing edible berries for birds and small mammals, they also encourage a wide range of insects and other invertebrates.
3) Pieces of dead wood and log piles make good garden ornaments and features, and these will benefit invertebrates, fungi, birds and mammals.
4) A compost heap, rich in leaf litter, provides valuable shelter and warmth for over-wintering insects and other animals, including hedgehogs and toads.
5) It is now possible to buy hedgehog and bat boxes, nests for bees and solitary wasps, and even homes for ladybirds and lacewings.
Oh, and don't forget to put out water for the birds - they need it even in the cold weather. Don't use additives to prevent freezing - just break the ice and remove it regularly.

Drawing of goldfinch by local wildlife artist Michael Wood