Letham Shank Farm - Crops, Machinery and Livestock

Wildlife on the Farm

This is not intended to be a definitive guide to British Wildlife, merely an insight into my 'wee' bit of the countryside. I am not a 'wildlife manager' but do everything to encourage and preserve the birds, mammals, insects and plants that are resident on the farm. Like every farmer I know, I enjoy working in such a rich environment and would never knowingly do anything to cause harm to it, and indeed get quite indignant if someone else, knowingly or unknowingly causes damage.

In direct contrast to the erroneous propaganda broadcast by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and other fund raising bodies, the bird population and number of species has most certainly increased on the farm over the last 50 years, but then again if the RSPB said that there had been no significant changes in bird populations, where would their money come from? The most noticeable increase has been over the last ten years, in spite of a major road being constructed through the farm which accounts for the loss of hundreds of birds per year to traffic. Predators such as foxes and magpies have also increased which indicates a readily available source of food for them.

No major 'wildlife plans' have been undertaken to encourage wildlife, merely leaving mother nature alone without disturbance, is a huge first step. Insecticide use on the farm is kept to an absolute minimum and is generally avoided even when pest thresholds have been reached. Being a 'small' farmer I can also tailor any crop treatments on a per field basis whereas many of the large farming companies take a blanket approach and apply whether the field requires it or not. A small, ancient elm wood which suffered the ravages of Dutch Elm Disease has been left with dead trees both standing and fallen to encourage insects. This has been sufficient to encourage woodpeckers to take up residence on new territory.

An Elm stump left for insects and birds.

The dead trees are now also full of holes providing a multitude of nest sites for tits and other small birds. This wood, while not looking 'tidy' is the most heavily populated part of the farm. A stream running through it along with hedges and tracks running into it allow easy travel for wildlife.
Elm was the predominant variety of tree on the farm but after Dutch Elm Disease, they have been replaced with Wytch Elm, Oak, Ash, Beech, Horse Chestnut and Sycamore in the main with a few Alder (near water) Birch, Whitebeam, Poplar, Crab Apple, Willow and Cherry for variety.
Hedges, which are very old, consist almost completely of Hawthorn, but there are parts of Blackthorn, Crab Apple and Elder. With an average field size of about 16 acres we have many miles of hedging, the majority of which are in good condition, being trimmed annually to provide a dense cover right down to the ground.

Until the 1960s hedges were 'laid' regularly but it became too expensive and mechanical trimming in the Autumn was used. If our hedges are not trimmed annually, the growth is so excessive that the machine cannot cope the following year; this leads to the hedge becoming top heavy and the base (where all the shelter is) becoming open and exposed.
To receive EU subsidy farmers were obliged to plough right up to the hedge or were penalised (financially)by field inspectors, but now it looks as if the rules will be reversed, indeed we may be forced to leave 2 metres uncultivated on each side of a hedge.

One annoying aspect of farming now is that there are so many overlapping regulations that many force farmers into carrying out operations they know to be wrong. A simple example is a grain store; birds are no longer tolerated - which is good for public health, but that instantly cuts off a food supply to many birds and owls can no longer catch mice in the building. No vermin are allowed, so mice and rats must be poisoned before they reach the store - so as far as an owl is concerned, the farm steading is not a food source any more.

Bird Species on the Farm include:
Barn Owl	Suffered when regulations insisted that stores be made bird proof and assurance schemes insisted on zero vermin around the farm.	Little Owl	Another recent arrival. Unique as it can be seen hunting in daylight during the summer.
Blackbird	Very common in the scrubby wooded areas now.	Magpie	This species was never on the farm until 15 years ago and is now becoming a pest by sheer numbers.
Blue Tit	Very shy but numbers increasing year on year.	Mallard	There several pairs nesting by the river but two pairs nest in the same location close to the farm buildings every year.
Bullfinch	This species has only become resident in the last 10 years but is breeding here now.	Pheasant	Is enjoying a gradual increase in numbers, simply due to the fact that we don't shoot them.
Carrion Crow	Numbers have steadily increased as control has relaxed over the last few years, also there is a greater range of food for them now.	Pied Wagtail	Very common round the farm steading and adjacent to streams.
Chaffinch	Has always been very common in the hedgerows and scrubby areas.	Red Legged Partridge	Unknown until about 5 years ago, there are now at least two pairs on the farm
Coal Tit	Another recent arrival; they are fairly common but I'm not sure if they are nesting on the farm.	Robin	Most noticeable round the buildings where they are very territorial.
Collared Dove	Another species whose numbers have quadrupled over the last 10 years.	Rook	An explosion in numbers over the last 20 years.
Dunnock	Loves to inhabit any scrubby bit of ground.	Sand Martin	Common on one part of the farm where the river has a sandy bank.
Goldfinch	These birds were a rarity 30 years go but now there are flocks on the farm.	Shelduck	Only one pair nest regularly here, but in the most unlikely place.
Great Tit	Not common as it has only appeared in the last 5 years.	Skylark	A bird whose numbers have steadily increased over 40 years.
Greenfinch	Very common, both in open land and woods.	Song Thrush	Easily heard during the evening, sitting high in a tree.
Grey Partridge	We don't shoot the farm, and although there is some poaching, numbers steadily increase.	Sparrowhawk	Numbers have steadily increased, due mainly I think to availability of prey.
Gt. Spotted Woodpecker	A new arrival, probably due to decaying elm trees being left in situ.	Starling	Numbers round the buildings have decreased, probably due to food not being available now. Flocks still inhabit the fields.
Tree Sparrow	Simply hundreds!	Swallow	Many pairs return each year to the same nest sites. Old buildings are left open to allow ingress.
Heron	Heron do not actually nest on the farm but large groups spend their days here, especially in winter.	Mute Swan	Spend their time mainly on the river, but the population is now so great that they have to visit fields for food during the winter.
House Martin	Relatively low in numbers but some do nest here.	Tawny Owl	Has always been rare here but can be heard more often than seen.
House Sparrow	Any hole in a wall or cavity in a roof has a nest, with numbers increasing steadily.	Wood Pigeon	Omnipresent bird which has benefited from winter cropping and is now at plague numbers.
Jackdaw	Another species of the crow family which has flourished.	Wren	Can be seen almost anywhere on the farm, but very shy.
Kestrel	There have always (>70 years) been about two pairs on the farm and numbers stay static.	Grey Wagtail	Another rare new arrival; I assume it must nest here but have never found one.
Kingfisher	Always have been quite rare but enjoy Sticklebacks from the brackish tidal streams.	Yellowhammer	Can be seen and heard on almost any hedgerow.
Lapwing	Only a few have ever nested here but large groups congregate at certain times of year. Seem to be a favourite of the Sparrowhawk.


Several other species visit the farm, either seasonally such as Redwing, Fieldfare, Warblers and Flycatchers or just roaming for food such as Buzzard, Oyster Catchers, Snipe, Curlew, Ducks and numerous Gulls.

Some Mammals commonly found:
Bat	There are many Pipistrelle bats living in the old buildings and trees in woodland.	Pygmy Shrew	Very difficult to see; very easy to hear.
Fox	Numbers remain pretty constant despite some control by shooting.	Rabbit	In the past some control has been exercised but currently fox population appears large enough to control them.
Mole	Mole numbers never seem to vary - although I really only assess the number of molehills.	Rat	Only ever seen in the field now, generally close to water.
Long Tailed Field Mouse	This mouse has always been a bit of a rarity but is still occasionally seen.	Common Vole	Very secretive but inhabits almost all the streams.
Hare	Hare numbers are increasing very slowly but have never been 'common' here.	Harvest Mouse	Never common this far north, it is fairly rare to see a nest constructed in a crop of wheat.
Roe Deer	Never seen on this farm until about 20 years ago. Now very common.	Otter	More common than most people think - most losses occur on the road.
Mink	An arrival from the South of the country where many were released - a bit of a pest.	House Mouse	Now almost extinct round farm buildings as regulations do not permit them near stored grain.
Badger	For many years there was one large sett on the farm - now there are five. The main road accounts for around 25% of the population in a given year.	Weasel	Small and secretive, but here in numbers.
Stoat	Generally just seen as a rapid sprint across a road, but common and help with rabbit control.	Toad	The common toad can be seen all over the farm but finding spawn in the spring can be difficult.
Hedgehog	Always secretive but numbers seem to be static.	Frog	The common frog is found in a couple of breeding areas and judging by amount of spawn each year there are a good number.

I think that the efficiency and safety of modern herbicides and pesticides has a great deal to do with the explosion of wildlife as these bear no resemblance to what many people expect of a 'pesticide' (or Plant Protection Products (Pflanzenschutzmitteln) as the Germans more correctly call them). Various bodies use emotive language such as 'a countryside drenched in chemicals' when an application rate of less than 200 grammes per hectare is common. (That is 200 grammes over 10,000 square metres, with around 250 cereal plants per square metre....that's about 0.00008 grammes per plant.) Many people can still remember the days when DDT was promoted to farmers as a safe and efficient way of dealing with pests but turned out to dangerous to operators and the environment. (Click Here for Comparative Toxicity of Pesticides)

Now the pendulum has swung the other way and unless a product can be proved to be completely safe, it will not be allowed to be sold.
Also, as pesticides become safer, legislation and inspection becomes ever more onerous, so the likelihood of any damage being inflicted on the country side approaches zero probability. Also, if my soils are now 'sterile and contain no life' why do so many seagulls follow a plough?

Seagulls are always quicjk to find an easy meal.

I am not convinced by the argument that winter cropping is a 'bad thing'. Historically here, land had to be ploughed for spring crops in the autumn, well before Christmas, to allow frosts and weather to break the soil down for a spring seedbed. Winter cropping now replaces the acres of brown, bare earth with plants which provide cover and food for many species.

I have over the years created ponds and planted trees but my feeling is that if a species wants to be here it will arrive, there is no good trying to artificially introduce non native species or one that left decades or centuries ago. Also the phrase 'managing wildlife' annoys me; mother nature does not need to be managed, she needs to be left alone as she has been for millions of years. It is only man's influence on the environment in general that needs to be 'managed'.

An example of this is the crow or rook; traditionally it was controlled as a pest with farm workers even climbing trees to remove nests and it's numbers remained constant, now it is considered incorrect to control any species, numbers of rooks have grown to the extent where thay are a real pest to both crops and other birds.
I have feeling that agriculture is having to 'pick up the tab' for the excessive effects elsewhere in the country such as house and road building, vehicle emissions, energy waste and water pollution. Politicians currently use the term 'sustainable agriculture'; why single out agriculture when it is patently obvious that our whole modern lifestyle is totally unsustainable and as people become more affluent, the environmental effects become worse each year.

The British countryside is probably one of the most beautiful in the world, but has been created by, not in spite of, working farmers, over the centuries, whose prime function was to grow food and maintain the wildlife which on the whole is beneficial to a farm. Now the choice is straightforward; do we make the British countryside a museum and allow third world countries to produce our food with consequent damage to their wildlife and environment or do we continue as we have done for centuries, growing food, looking after the soil and providing a species rich wildlife habitat.

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