Nature on your farm.

Lady Haywire · 31-08-2019 5:01pm #1

As the title says, how is the nature looking on your farm? On the large animal side we have a lot of hare, pheasant, pine marten, fox, & badger.
Littlies are more difficult to measure, but as my visit to the bog this month went, there's plenty of those too.

So fire away, if you're not sure of ID,I'm sure there's loads here to offer suggestions

Elephant Hawk moth caterpillar today

Newt/Mankeeper a fortnight ago.

ganmo · 31-08-2019 7:22pm

Found this lad last week

feartuath · 31-08-2019 10:56pm

Pheasants are plentiful thanks to the feeders that are filled year round.
Wild bird cover holds them as and other smaller birds.
No rabbits since the 8o's.
Wild deer that I could do without but with all the forestry they have plenty of cover ,they come out a night to feast on the grass.
Bats are plenty along with most insects.
Hares are very scarce the past few years I wounder has the buzzard population anything to do with this.
Larsen traps keep the magpie and grey crow numbers down.
Song birds are plentiful with feeders filled 27/7.
Pine Martin also around and the mink have every water hen and young duck killed.

Genghis Cant · 31-08-2019 11:17pm

We have a couple of stands of Rosebay Willowherb here. We leave them grow on every year. There's a particular moth associated with them , very like the elephant hawk moth, called the bedstraw hawk moth. The Willowherb does be crawling with them , around August. Oddly enough none this year for some reason.
We have a low lavender hedge or verge here too. The amount of bees it supports is unreal. A great smell off it too.
Another thing we done here that worked well is this, the neighbour is a tillage farmer , he has 1HA of WBC beside us. We bought phacelia seed when he was sowing it and he stuck them in the mix. It's unbelievable the bees in it the last few weeks. The hives are full of a bluey purple pollen. It would do you good to walk through it on a good day.

Farmer Dan · 31-08-2019 11:18pm

Seen these the other day.
Not sure what they are.

Birdnuts · 01-09-2019 1:02am

Farmer Dan wrote: »

Seen these the other day.
Not sure what they are.

Caterpillars of the Peacock butterfly

80sDiesel · 01-09-2019 7:01pm

A hare and 2 Sparrowhawks which were hunting something on the farm.

Capercaillie · 02-09-2019 5:14pm

In NPWS Corncrake Farm plan. This year had 5 calling male corncrake. Management bascically is provision of early cover plants such as extensive nettle beds, hogweed and iris. Late mowed meadows. Management also assists skylark, meadow pipit, hare. Having breeding chough in nest box and up to 15 birds winter in farm. In winter 400+ barnacle geese graze intermittently on farm along with greylag geese and occasional whooper swans. Flocks of 100+ golden plover winter. Wheatear breed in stone walls, snipe in fen, grasshopper warbler in the nettles. Species rich hay meadows dominated by red clover, yellow rattle and a lot of orchids.

Thargor · 02-09-2019 9:13pm

Capercaillie wrote: »

In NPWS Corncrake Farm plan. This year had 5 calling male corncrake. Management bascically is provision of early cover plants such as extensive nettle beds, hogweed and iris. Late mowed meadows. Management also assists skylark, meadow pipit, hare. Having breeding chough in nest box and up to 15 birds winter in farm. In winter 400+ barnacle geese graze intermittently on farm along with greylag geese and occasional whooper swans. Flocks of 100+ golden plover winter. Wheatear breed in stone walls, snipe in fen, grasshopper warbler in the nettles. Species rich hay meadows dominated by red clover, yellow rattle and a lot of orchids.

Whereabouts is that?

Capercaillie · 02-09-2019 9:28pm

Thargor wrote: »

Whereabouts is that?

Belmullet, NW Mayo

Cattlepen · 03-09-2019 8:46pm

Pine Martin, buzzards, badger, fox hawks pheasant. There was one grouse a couple of years ago where ever he came out of. Deer from time to time. Stoats, such a hardy Little animal. You’d have to admire them. Notice dragon flies coming back around and starting to hear crickets again. I’ve stopped topping until this time of year. Think that is helping the insects

Birdnuts · 03-09-2019 8:58pm

Cattlepen wrote: »

Pine Martin, buzzards, badger, fox hawks pheasant. There was one grouse a couple of years ago where ever he came out of. Deer from time to time. Stoats, such a hardy Little animal. You’d have to admire them. Notice dragon flies coming back around and starting to hear crickets again. I’ve stopped tipping until this time of year. Think that is helping the insects

I assume you mean "Grasshoppers"

- crickets are now very rare in this country. Only ever heard one myself during the peak of last summers heat. Used to be much more common pre-1950's according to my late grandmother. Grasshoppers have declined a lot too but if given the chance by maintaining old meadows you will still get them calling - I think we have about 5 species in this country but open to correction on that.Love the Dragonflies too, a couple of species have recently colonised the South and East of the country including the big daddy of them all - THe Emperor DF!!

atlantic mist · 03-09-2019 10:40pm

grey squirrel, white owl, hawk, foxes, hares, badger, field mice, crows, seagulls, 2 pigeons every winter, honey bees

favorite has to be the swallows arriving and leaving the country every spring and autumn, they line up on ever esb line and shed in the place

dodderangler · 03-09-2019 10:43pm

feartuath wrote: »

Pheasants are plentiful thanks to the feeders that are filled year round.
Wild bird cover holds them as and other smaller birds.
No rabbits since the 8o's.
Wild deer that I could do without but with all the forestry they have plenty of cover ,they come out a night to feast on the grass.
Bats are plenty along with most insects.
Hares are very scarce the past few years I wounder has the buzzard population anything to do with this.
Larsen traps keep the magpie and grey crow numbers down.
Song birds are plentiful with feeders filled 27/7.
Pine Martin also around and the mink have every water hen and young duck killed.

Buzzards aren’t really a threat to hares. Buzzards aren’t even good at catching rabbits which are a lot smaller. Even leverets are just as large as a rabbit.
Could have you plenty of foxes around. Sometimes hares will just up and leave an area and head for higher ground or new feeding areas. Hares don’t burrow so they will often be on the move once the leverets are grown.

Danzy · 03-09-2019 10:47pm

Genghis Cant wrote: »

We have a couple of stands of Rosebay Willowherb here. We leave them grow on every year. There's a particular moth associated with them , very like the elephant hawk moth, called the bedstraw hawk moth. The Willowherb does be crawling with them , around August. Oddly enough none this year for some reason.
We have a low lavender hedge or verge here too. The amount of bees it supports is unreal. A great smell off it too.
Another thing we done here that worked well is this, the neighbour is a tillage farmer , he has 1HA of WBC beside us. We bought phacelia seed when he was sowing it and he stuck them in the mix. It's unbelievable the bees in it the last few weeks. The hives are full of a bluey purple pollen. It would do you good to walk through it on a good day.

Got a massive
Kick out of seeing all the phacelia pollen in the brood frames in my hives this year.

dodderangler · 03-09-2019 10:47pm

Not a farmer but the land I hunt on is plentiful with rabbits atm. A lot of rabbits with mixxy though. Plenty of deer about but also a lot of poachers by the looks of it. Discarded body parts during the off season.
Seeing more buzzards about lately also and the mixxy rabbits make for it easier to take them on. So they’re feeding well.
Sparrow hawks and kestrels in good numbers. Bats around too. Few snipe although I thought it quite early for them.
No pine marten but one mink around. Spotted a badger on the hillside last week moving towards a massive dog fox. Plenty of foxes around. Never seen so many.
Good sign that the land is healthy though.

uck51js9zml2yt · 03-09-2019 10:55pm

Had foxes, rabbits, bats and pheasants in the back of the house. There's a den in a copse at the back of my field.

Sparrow hawk reserve also near me but not seen any.
Also seen badgers and birds of prey (not sure what type ) nearby.

Lady Haywire · 05-09-2019 7:24pm

Was mooching about the lower fields today & see lots of badger activity in the old cow poops. Also a fox the other morning on the front meadow so better watch my hens :pac:

feartuath · 05-09-2019 10:10pm

dodderangler wrote: »

feartuath wrote: »

Pheasants are plentiful thanks to the feeders that are filled year round.
Wild bird cover holds them as and other smaller birds.
No rabbits since the 8o's.
Wild deer that I could do without but with all the forestry they have plenty of cover ,they come out a night
Bats are plenty along with most insects.
Hares are very scarce the past few years I wounder has the buzzard population anything to do with this.
Larsen traps keep the magpie and grey crow numbers down.
Song birds are plentiful with feeders filled 27/7.
Pine Martin also around and the mink have every water hen and young duck killed.

Buzzards aren’t really a threat to hares. Buzzards aren’t even good at catching rabbits which are a lot smaller. Even leverets are just as large as a rabbit.
Could have you plenty of foxes around. Sometimes hares will just up and leave an area and head for higher ground or new feeding areas. Hares don’t burrow so they will often be on the move once the leverets are grown.

Foxes are under control in this valley so are the lurched community with the transit Van's.
Buzzards have been seen eating the carcase of foxes who have lost their tails
I am just curious where the hares have disappeared to.
They have gone with the increase of buzzards which had been noted by many herem
I was 6 last year in the skies at once last summer.
On a brighter note 7 swallowed nests around the house this year and more up in the yard.
There are still chicks in one nest whether they will fly or not remains to be seen.

Ard_MC · 05-09-2019 10:12pm

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Was mooching about the lower fields today & see lots of badger activity in the old cow poops. Also a fox the other morning on the front meadow so better watch my hens :pac:

Mr fox got 4 of my hens 2 weeks ago! So back to the run for the rest!

feartuath · 05-09-2019 10:17pm

Ard_MC wrote: »

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Was mooching about the lower fields today & see lots of badger activity in the old cow poops. Also a fox the other morning on the front meadow so better watch my hens :pac:

Mr fox got 4 of my hens 2 weeks ago! So back to the run for the rest!

As I posted earlier this year in another thread winny and ruby my elderly mothers hens were taken also.
Although with no rabbits or hares around here you have to admit the fox has to eat also.

Lime Tree Farm · 05-09-2019 10:47pm

Shield bug on Raspberry.jpg
Saw this one today, a gardener's nightmare, vine weevil grubs.

Common Blue Butterfly.jpg
My first time getting a close up of the Blue

Lime Tree Farm · 05-09-2019 10:50pm

Hedgehog evening in May.jpg
Spotted him again in June, as he was out on the public road, I managed to turn him around to head back into the field.

Leveret.jpg
Spotted this little fellow, while tidying up an area which had been reclaimed last February. He sat there motionless.

SmartinMartin · 05-09-2019 11:09pm

Huge amounts of deer here. I also discovered we have jaybirds, didn't even know they were in Ireland.
This lad outside my kitchen window this evening :

Buford T. Justice XIX · 06-09-2019 9:42pm

https://twitter.com/rtenews/status/1169690813481279488?s=19

dodderangler · 07-09-2019 2:03pm

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Huge amounts of deer here. I also discovered we have jaybirds, didn't even know they were in Ireland.
This lad outside my kitchen window this evening :

Lovely six point stag.

Waffletraktor · 10-09-2019 5:54pm

Bit of a story to this....
Neighbouring farm has our old game keeper on for a shoot, and they leave out various species of birds for rich toffs to come and vapourise them with shotguns on driven shoots. They use dug out ponds store drain water/springs for ducks but don't feed them too much, so one of the lads was a bit sneaky and tipped out a few loads of cleaner screenings beside on of ours to attract some(long story but keeper has a court order of baring access to our farm) that would be hard to re-attract them.
This pond is fed by drains rather than stream/spring and is a bit low, so decided to drop out a few loads of water as nothing else better to do as caught up on cults waiting a few weeks to go drill.

Lady Haywire · 10-09-2019 6:22pm

Very sneaky, I approve!

Waffletraktor · 10-09-2019 6:31pm

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Very sneaky, I approve!

Wouldn't expect them all to be there next winter as no wild adults to guide them but the base reality is in 6 months most would have been shot/at and wounded and carcass dumped in a hole in the woods as no market for game birds anymore.

Doctors room ghost · 10-09-2019 6:32pm

Foxes are fierce plenty this year.
I’m meeting an awful lot of them in my travels

keepalive213 · 11-09-2019 9:51am

I notice rabbits making a comeback this year, I haven't seen any here really since they all became infected.
I've lately seen wild geese grazing and a few cranes in the last while and the odd stoat flashing from ditch to ditch.
Corncrake has taken a big hit here in deepest darkest mayo this year.
A few days ago I found a large dead otter outside a field gate with no obvious marks on him. The next morning the side was eaten out of him but I don't know by what, maybe a fox.

Nature on your farm.

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