New Bird Species at Honeydale

4/24/2018 04:28:00 pm , 1 Comments


Richard Broughton was at Honeydale this weekend conducting a bird survey, with very pleasing results - two new species were recorded at the farm: A pair of coots have arrived and are building a nest on the pond and a Sedge Warbler was seen singing next to the pond. This is further proof that the creation of the wetland area is really paying off; the number of breeding species has increased by around 15% in the few years it’s been there. Canada Geese are sitting on eggs on the small island, and there are at least two (maybe three) pairs of Reed Buntings nesting around the pond area. Moorhens are still present (Richard heard one calling from the sedges) and Mallard feathers are on the water, (and have bred in previous years). None of those species were present before, and their arrival is purely down to the wetland creation.


Elsewhere, there's a pair of Kestrels nesting in a broken Ash tree at the bottom of the sheep field (opposite corner from the pond). Also a pair of Red Kites are very much at home (probably non-breeding first-years - they don't generally breed until 2 yrs old), 4 Buzzards, 2 Yellow Wagtails and at least three Lesser Whitethroats (the highest total so far). Two Willow Warblers were also recorded - only the second sighting - although they were silent and probably passing through on migration.


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Sowing Trees at Honeydale

4/19/2018 01:36:00 pm 0 Comments

Yesterday, Ian and Danny, Champion of Trees, were busy at Honeydale sowing half an acre of tree seeds, a project being run in conjunction with The Woodland Trust, Jenny Phelps from FWAGSW and Forestart, which specialises in seed collection from sources throughout Britain.


Jenny Phelps’s father and the Woodland Commission have previously experimented with this novel way of growing trees, which has several advantages over the traditional method of planting saplings. Firstly, seeds are collected from a wide genetic base, making the trees hardier and healthier. We’re also keen to find a different way of growing trees that doesn’t require plastic tree guards and gives a more natural scattered growth pattern, rather than the man made lines in which trees are usually planted.


A full list of the native species of tree seeds sown at Honeydale:
  • Common Oak (Quercus robur)
  • Mountain Ash/Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)
  • Common Beech (Fagus sylvatica) 
  • Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
  • Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
  • Crab apple (Malus sylvestris) 
  • Dog Rose (Rosa canina)
  • Field Maple (Acer campestre)
  • Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus) 
  • Hazel (Corylus avellana)
  • Silver Birch (Betula pendula) 
  • Wayfaring Tree (Viburnum lantana) 
In preparation, the field was ploughed in the winter and rotavated before the seeds were broadcast by hand and then rolled in. A magic ingredient is buckwheat which has been sown with the seeds and will act as a nurse crop. An annual plant, the Buckwheat will grow very quickly providing an umbrella shelter for the tree seedlings underneath. Predators will be deer and rabbits but we have deer fenced the area and will may have to put up a rabbit guard. 


At Cotswold Seeds we’re all about grass seed, so it’ll be wonderful to see trees grow from seeds too. We’ll be watching this space and reporting back on how they are faring.

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