The Lincolnshire Bird Club

I was down at Worlaby tonight and the hot topic of conversation was the possibility that the 'owl' area will be ploughed over to arable in October. There are many rumours about the details but one thing struck me, this change of land use is in the hands of the land owner. It will be a business decision in the end and those watchers of wildlife will have to accept things.

It is therefore extra comforting that Nature reserves exist. Sometimes nature reserves are regarded as a peculiarity of nature, an oasis that does not comply with general land use, a place where things are preserved in isolation. This may be true but it is also true that they will be around for a long time. They should not be ploughed up for business purposes and those wildlife watchers can feel comfort that a reserve that gives them so many memories will be there for generations to come.

We must treasure our nations reserves and remember how helpless we are as we look on at that tractor taking away such a fabulous place.

I agree with all you say, Andy but in addition there are a growing number of farms throughout the UK which are "LEAF" farms (Linking the Environment with Farming) - see www.leafuk.org/leaf/home.eb My Barn Owl Monitoring Programme site is on Sir Richard Sutton's Settled Estate based at Hall Farm, Stainton-le-Vale is a LEAF farm and the whole 5000 acres are farmed with wildlife in mind. Vine House Farm in the Deepings is another excellent example and more and more farmers are joining LEAF. It is well worth going to the Hall Farm Open Day which is usually in June every year and you will see that farming enhances the environment.

Hi Stuart

While I agree that the farms you quote are fine examples (and I attended the Hall Farm open day last year), surely you meant to say in your final sentence farming CAN enhance the environment. We all know many cases where ploughing land up and spreading nitrogen on old grassland has destroyed the environment. Unfortunately at the moment farming does not enhance the environment per se.

Phil,
My point is that the type of farming undertaken at places like Hall Farm DOES enhance the environment. I agree that there are too many instances of bad farming practices adversely effecting the environment but let us praise those that don't!

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Andy,

I remember one of our members telling me a couple of year back that the "owl" field was going to be ploughed up. I only visited a couple of times last year and that field had more ragwort than I've ever seen before anywhere.

Although I'm not in agreement with it being ploughed up, it is after all the farmers land not ours. I don't know who the farmer is but other members do. I remember when the scrapes were done there was talk of an hide being erected but that has never happened as far as I know.

There is similar habitat only a long stones throw away to the north of Worlaby so if the field is ploughed up it's to be hoped the owls use this.

On a slightly different subject wasn't there going to be a wind turbine/s at Worlaby, if so it wouldn't be too healthy for the owls would it, even though they hunt low to the ground.

I'll check out for epetition, I've done them before.

Good subject matter Andy.

Cheers

Max

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

I fully appreciate the pressures of land management and especially for farmed land. I also appreciate those farmers who actively try to work for some benefit of wildlife. These people are priceless as they command large areas of land and have a true impact on the more common species. There are also farmers who turn land into a sterile production process. These tracts of land speak for themselves as it is very apparent that there are very few species sharing this space.

As wildlife watchers we too are guilty of hypocrisy in so much as we expect farmers and the like to consider their actions but we support the infrastructure of corporate businesses within our lives. Large scale businesses dominate our shopping, energy supplies and transport and we embrace it. Farmers are no different. Machinery and science push capabilities of scale and efficiency in all corners of life.

It is these vulnerabilities to the global culture which is focused on financial growth at speeds that are not conversant with natural cycles that hang heavy. We watch an environment that shouts out its plight but we are small, even collectively.

It is therefore wonderful that nature reserves survive and we should make every effort to support their work and long term presence. Reserves allow us all that rare state of mind that can dare imagine a safe place for generations of wild things not yet born.