Summer 2021 between small fragments of ancient woodland and for estimating the impact of Ash dieback on connectivity for these species. I am also interested in whether the amount of connectivity between ancient woodlands influences moth diversity, so I hope collect data on moth diversity in some of these woodlands during the summer.
My study sites include Suffolk Wildlife Trust sites, awaiting approval from Natural England, RSPB Wolves wood, the woodlands at Euston estate (Sapiston Grove and Fakenham Magna) and a couple of Woodland Trust sites.
Yellow-spot tortrix by Trevor Goodfellow
Ash-bud moth by Trevor Goodfellow
Burgh House Farm for Wildlife Bill Mayne
Jacqui and I bought Burgh House in 2006 which included 35 acres of ancient water meadows. We were able to acquire another 70 acres of arable land from the Estate of Lord Belstead shortly afterwards.
support if they perform a public good and improve the environment or encourage biodiversity and wildlife conservation so we decided to change the way our small farm operates. Over the next few years, we intend moving away from an arable rotation towards more grass. We are already working with Lee Byam and his partner Becky Spry who have a herd of Limousin beef cattle, and they are interested in expanding their herd as we increase the area of grassland in the farm rotation.
Until a couple of years ago we ran our own herd of Red Poll cattle on the water meadows producing our own beef which we sold locally. The arable land was farmed with an arrangement with local farmer John Taylor who carried out all the cultivations and harvesting. The water meadows in particular, are rich in wildlife and plants. We have a number of rare plant species including Southern marsh orchids and mammals including Water voles and Otters. Bird life is abundant with nesting Barn owls, Kingfishers, Skylarks and Yellowhammers to name but a few.
Unfortunately, DEFRA have yet to publish the new farm stewardship scheme, but we decided to press ahead with our plans. So, this winter we have started by planting 2.5 hectares of woodland in several blocks across the farm supported by the Woodland Trust. We have divided the big arable fields into a number of smaller fields and planted 1 kilometre of new hedging. Two of the larger woodland blocks have areas for rewilding where we have planted grass and Millet for birdlife and small mammals and wildflowers such as Birdsfoot trefoil, Vetches and Oxeye daisy. Hopefully as
The changes in farming policy by the government mean that farmers will no longer be paid simply to farm their land and the single farm payment system is already being phased out. In the future farmers will only receive 9
