Our Tup is cleverer than he looks!

Last November we bought five pedigree Jacob sheep and earlier this year we managed to buy a nice tup from ProCo a small animal care college near Wigan. Being with the College he has already been named by the students and he is called Rambo! Having a very small herd the dilemma is always should we keep Rambo with his ladies? After consulting farming family and friends we came up with the plan that Rambo should stay with the ewes until it was time to take him out and then we would put him back in with the ewes at tupping time. This is normally around November to get Easter lambs (sheep gestation period is 152 day or around 5.4 months).  

After some happy weeks with the ewes we decided in July it was time to move Rambo to the end paddock. This was not an easy task in its self, but Andrew and Ray managed to split them up. Rambo then seems to go into depression, to start with he did a lot of pacing and then he seemed to sleep a lot. A week a so a go we had a very stormy night and the next day on animal checks I had to do a double take, Rambo was not in his field, the fences were not down and then I realised he was back with the ewes! I came to the conclusion that human intervention must be at play here and the gate must have been opened for him. However later that day we managed to get the sheep in again and split them up, but to our astonishment we then watched Rambo jump the fence! So back to the drawing board, we either get deer fencing or is there something else we could try. Deer fencing is not an option so we bought Rambo a ‘ram apron’ (I will let you google this!) but all I can say is it lasted 48 hours, before Rambo somehow broke the straps.

So now we have concluded that we are going to let nature take is course and have a happy tup instead and expect early lambs. We are not a fell farm we just have five ewes after all!

Rambo getting his raddle maker put on, so hopefully we can predict when the lambs will arrive! 

Putting the Meadow back into Ellers

As I write this the firsts ever National Meadows Day has passed on the 4th July and as I read the media coverage about the day I thought it was about time I write my blog about our new meadow. The plan had always been to have a traditional meadow back at Ellers, but over Easter when we dug out the wildlife pond we were left with a lot of bare ground and this gave us the push to start the process of recreating a meadow.

Cornflowers are out! July 2015

As meadow is in our fields name we think there must have always been a meadow at Ellers, but it must of been a few decades since a meadow has been seen here. We have an old stone drain running the whole length of the land that channels a spring through Ellers and putting my curators hat on I am convinced that at some point we had a traditional water meadow. The stone culvert is lined with 1 metre long by 50cm wide cut limestone and at the time of its construction it must have taken some man power to get all the stones in place. There is also some redundant metal work left over adjacent to the river that indicated that there must have been some sort of sluice gate in place.  The aim of a water meadow was not to flood the land, but to keep a trickle of water running through the meadow to keep the grass roots warm and protected them from frost. This resulted in good spring growth and an early meadow crop (http://www.farm-direct.co.uk/farming/history/watermeadow/). 

Since the Second World War agriculture has changed dramatically through the need to produce more food. Many hay meadows were ploughed for crops and others have changed to now produce silage, which in turn for examples enable farmers to produce higher milk yields and means there is enough fodder to overwinter livestock indoors. According to a recent report from the charity Plantlife over 97% of wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s, which equates to 7.5 million acres (3 million hectares).  In addition, species-rich grassland now only covers a mere 1% of the UK’s land area (http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150702-why-meadows-are-worth-saving).

So considering the history of Ellers and the fact that we strongly believe that meadows play a key role in the UK ecosystems it was one of our main aims to get a meadow back at Ellers. First thing we did  back in the winter was to get some soil samples completed to see if the PH levels were suitable for meadow species and ideally you need a soil PH of between 5 and 6.5 (http://bumblebeeconservation.org/images/uploads/Bumblebee_seed_mix_for_neutral_soils.pdf ) . We were please to find out that our soil averaged out at PH of around 6.5 and also the levels of Phosphorus (P) Potassium (K), Magnesium (Mg) were on the low level.

Fern trying to help chain harrow! April 2015

Once the pond works had been completed we chain harrowed the ground to break up the soil sods and made a good bed for our meadow seed. Our dog Fern thought this was particularly  good fun as she got to run with the land rover!  

After chain harrowing  we could start seeding  and we used a hand seed spreader, which made light work seeding an area just over 1 acre. We have gone for a mix of traditional meadow grass seed and a wild flower mix from Boston Seed and Germinal Seeds. We have also used a damp ground seed mix for the pond edge. The ideal time to sow seeds is either in the spring or the autumn and we just got there in time!

It took a few weeks before we started to see the seeds germinating, but the meadow is now starting to take shape! Not sure if we are going to get many flowers this year, but I think next year we will really see a difference and we will be able to say we have a 1 acres species rich meadow back in our Parish! 

Seeds Germinating - May 2015

Really starting to grow - June 2015

Meadow taking Shape July 2015

 

Grand Designs For Sand Martins and Kingfishers - A Step by Step Guide

I must admit I have a bit of a passion for the wildlife of rivers and Sand martins and Kingfishers are two of key species of our UK waterbodies. Most people know what a Kingfisher is but I have learnt recently that Sand martins  are it seems a little bit unknown and I have found many people  looking puzzled when I have explained we have built them an artificial nesting site.

 

Sand Martins (Riparia riparia) are the smallest member of the European hirundines or martin and swallow family and if you wondering why they have ‘sand’ in their name it because they nest is sandy banks on riverbanks, coastal cliffs, gravels pits and in recent years artificial breeding sites that us humans have made for them. Being a summer migrant Sand martins are an international bird spending the winter in Africa and the summer in Europe.

 

This presents two issues for this species, firstly they need a good winter in Africa and unfortunately due to drought they have been some noticeable population crashes in the past. The second issue Sand martins have had to deal with is the habitat loss of their breeding sites. Gradually over the years many rivers, streams and becks have had their banks altered and made more like Roman roads (or canalised). In theory this makes water travel faster from A to B along stone or concrete walled channels and not as it once was a meandering waterway with sandy banks. Other issues for Sand martins have been listed as livestock eroding riverbanks and the law that is there to protect nesting birds means that many developers and gravel pit extraction companies will now not leave unused areas suitable for Sand martin as they fear prosecution for disturbing  any nesting Sand martins which take up use (Sand Martin Artificial Breeding Sites by Edward Cowley 2009).  Sand martins are now listed as Amber Species of European Concern.

 

Thankfully ornithologists and conservationist have stepped in and now on may disused gravel pits that have become nature reserves and other areas where we know there is a gap in nesting habitat they have made artificial breeding sites. We know the River Bela once had Sand martins nesting and therefore when we were planning the pond it just seem like an interesting idea to add an artificial bank for Sand martins and Kingfishers. The River Bela is a tributary of Morecambe Bay and the nearest Sand martin nesting site that we know of is 3.5 miles away on a nearby river which is also flows into Morecambe Bay. Knowing this in theory Ellers should be an ideal place for such a grand design! It is too early to say but the Kingfisher has already been seen checked out the pond and on the 29^th April 2015 Sand martins were seen feeding along the River Bela! Sand martins have continued to feed along the river and have been checking out the new pond, but as yet we have not seen any signs of nesting. We may not get them nesting this year, but at least we know they have clocked their new nesting site for next year!

Sand Martin and Kingfisher Artificial Breeding site – Our step by step Guide!

 

What we came to call the bible! 

1.       Firstly you need to get hold of what we have called the bible - Sand Martin Artificial Breeding Sites by Edward Cowley 2009 from www.sandmartintrust.org.uk . There also have some links to youtube films, which are really useful. All material were sourced from our local building merchants.

 

2.       We have gone for a mix of artificial nests in pipes for Sand martins and a natural earth bank so both Sand martins and Kingfishers can build there own nests.

 

 

The Plan (Only in Andrew's head at time of building)!

 

 

 3. Foundation. Made of concrete with reinforcing bar.

 

 

 4. Walls made of concrete block 5m by 2m.

 

 

 

 5. Once the walls are up, cement rendering started.

 

 

 

 

 

6. With the front board tempoaryly on a template could be draw around the block holes. Then we we could cut out the randon located nesting entrances.

 

 

 

 

7. Nesting pipes 70cm long and 127mm in diameter. Pipes backed with plastic bags and attached with cable ties. Once pipes are in place they can be half filled with sand and then the front board bolted in place.
 

 

 

 

8. Once the artificial nesting site was complete, we filled up the natural nesting bank with a layers of 50/50 sand/soil at a ratio of 50:1 dry cement. A temporary front board was put up to  support the back filling of these layers of sand, soil and cement. We then left the front board on for about a week to allow the dry cement to go off, which has left a really hard bank that we hope is similar in structure to a riverbank.

9. Once all the bank was in place, we set to and painted the rendered walls and front board  to give it a more natural look and I finished it off with a Sand martin silhouette painting.   

 

 

 

 

The Honey Bees Are Here!

A few months ago when we were in the depths of winter I suddenly realised Andrew has some bee keeping books. ‘Are we getting bees I asked?' And the reply came back ‘YES!' Anyhow, by Christmas I was instructed that a good present would be a bee hive and the kit that goes with it. Such items were purchased and although I knew we had ordered some honey bees, it was still a bit of a surprise when we received the email to say they were coming this week!

Ash Blossom - great bee food!

Well I don’t know why I was so apprehensive as thankfully it all went very smoothly! The bees arrived in a buzzing green cardboard box, which we left  for 24 hours so they could acclimatize to their new home. Our bees came up from Gloucestershire and this box of bees is a family  or nuc of bees with a queen, comb and other bees at different life cycles including worker bees, larvae and eggs (http://www.bshoneybees.co.uk/ or https://twitter.com/BSHoneyBees). It was a tense moment as Andrew opened the door to let them out, but gradually they calmly emerged and it was great to see they were happy to explore their new home. They were bringing pollen back within 30 minuates!



Andrew all suited up to let the bees out

The next day Andrew moved them to the bee hive after using a bit of smoke to keep them calm, again this went really smoothly and the bees seemed to have settled really well, and at the moment I think they are collecting the local tree pollen. Our large Ash has just started to blossom, which was perfect timing for the bees. We are also feeding them with special sugar (like cake icing sugar) to give them a head start whilst flowers start to bloom in spring. Bee keeping can be viewed as complicated but like anything if you break it down you gain an understanding. We are now looking forward to the honey which should be ready for harvest around September.  

Bees getting some extra food in their new home

So why have we decided to have bees?

In the UK we have at least 1500 species of insects pollinations our plants, which in turn plays a huge role in the success  of our crops and wildlife or as may say now our biodiversity. These insects include bumble bees, honey bees, solitary bees, hoverflies, wasps, flies, beetle, butterflies and moths. Last year there was quiet a lot of media coverage about how we need to look after our insects as they have been in decide in recent year. Even the government (DEFRA) with the Wildlife Trust has launched a strategy called the ‘National Pollinators Strategy’. The plan is to encourage people to grow more flowering plant species, keep more wild areas, cut grass less, keep areas for hibernating insects and think about whether you need to use chemical on our farm and in our gardens.

Our bee hive made of polystyrene, giving extra warmth in winter

We are working hard to do all of the above at Ellers and by having honey bees we are adding an addition insect population to the local area, which we hope will have a positive effect for all.

We all became landscape architects overnight!

We have been talking about our wildlife pond for over six months now, so now we are finally building the pond we are suddenly starting to have to make decisions.  

Two big diggers!

From Tuesday we had two big diggers going and by the end of Wednesday we had broken into the beck that had been hidden below ground by a concrete culvert. 

Found concrete culvert

As we all stood around looking at the hole we had dug now filling up with water we could not help but compare it to a square silage pit!

Looking a bit too square

So on Thursday we all became landscape architects overnight! Straight lines became wavy, shallow areas for reeds were made and hard lines became softened and less steep.

With a bit more work on Friday morning we all agreed we had got it back to looking like a wildlife pond. What a great week and the glorious weather meant all this work was able to be done in one week! 

Diggers finish!

Diggers finished, water settling nicely after the work

 

Again well done team Gardner-Raby! (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raby-Contract-Services/200162633343692?fref=ts)

All of this work was complete via a planning application and also we needed Flood Defence Consent from Cumbria County Council.

 

 

The Digger has arrived!

Yes we have a VERY BIG digger and have started the pond and NO we are NOT open cast mining!

So we were not expecting to start the pond so soon, but our contractor Chris Raby (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raby-Contract-Services/200162633343692?fref=ts) had some free time and on Good Friday he made a start and we cannot believe the difference two days later. 

The piles of soil need to be moved at least three times so the area of excavation looks huge at the moment, but over the next few days it should take shape and hopefully by the end of the week we will have something that resembles the new pond.

Andrew, Ray and I (sometimes!) have also been working on the artificial Sand martin and kingfisher nesting bank, which is also starting to take shape! Here are some pictures of the work so far, two days of big digger and four days of labouring. Well done Team Gardner-Raby!

Summer 2014. Just a pasture field.



3 April 2015 and the big digger started! We had already made a small scrap pond in
2014 as we needed to repair an old stone drain, so we were already starting with a
rough outline of a pond.

 

4 April 2015. Getting on well and the Sand Martin wall is taking shape.

 



6 April 2015. Sand Martin wall getting bigger!

Making the Sand martin entrance holes, which need to be 39mm wide.

 

 

 

 

 

If you build it, they will come!

‘If you build it, he will come’ is one of my favourite quotes from the eighties film Field of Dreams.

Wildlife especially birds and bats are the opportunists and entrepreneurs of the natural world and if you make a space for nature it makes every effort to use it. We already have some great wildlife at Ellers including Kingfisher (which I still have not seen!), Dippers, Little Grebes, Goosanders, Little egrets and we also know there are Barn owls and Otters in the area.

Barn owl box made of recycled plastic and some simple bat roosting boxes

There are two projects we are doing to encourage wildlife to become resident at Ellers. The first is to simply put up bird and bat boxes along the river trees and we have gone for a mix of normal bird and bat boxes and also some duck boxes and one barn owl box. Hopefully this will provide plenty of new opportunity for birds and bats.
 



Duck box, but could also be used by other birds such as Little owls



The second project is making a wildlife pond, which we thankfully gained planning permission for a few weeks ago. We know Sand martins are in the area so we are planning to add an artificial Sand martin and Kingfisher nesting bank and in addition have a pond dipping platform for our local school to use.

If you build it, they will come – well we shall see! Hopefully the birds and bats are already checking out the boxes and now we just need to build the pond!

My artist impression of the proposed pond!