Bel's Wood

Over the last weeks, while enjoying plenty of time at the wood and enjoying the display of blossom and flowers and managing the camera traps (see last blog) I have a clearer plan for creating a wood. I have had six areas of focus to enable the establishment of a new wood and they have all moved forward.  1. The new Woodland Creation Grants have been announced to replace those that came under the auspices of the EU. These are marginally more generous and I can now start the application process. I plan to plant about 3.5ha of land with about 3,500 trees. This has taken some plotting - working out where to plant to optimise planting and biodiversity by leaving some areas open. The plan is still very broad brush but the areas have been identified, measured and plotted so that feels like progress. I have given little thought as yet as to what to plant and that will be something I need to work on over time. It will be a mixture of broadleaf native decid...

  A curious young red deer Just a badger coming home I move the cameras regularly as I can see that some are worried about them and I have moved them away from setts - which means I have less footage now due to the bracken and grass obscuring their activity. This is one badger up close and personal:- I like to see the deer wandering around slowly - if I see them at the wood they are always running scared. Sensible as humans do shoot them in area. It is nice to see them more relaxed like this one in one of my favourite areas of the wood:- I like this shot of the young deer looking out into the open area beyond the trees Once again the beck has given good results from the cameras - these lovely new born fawns area a treat to watch Watch this one to the end and you can see that these are roe deer fawns There are teenagers about too This shows the benefit of the spots on the roe deer fawns And this still even more so - those spots work perfectly I did want to capture young badgers - th...

I was lucky enough to capture this really short snippet of a mustelid. Opinion is split between this being an otter, a mink or a polecat/ ferret. It was running parallel to the beck and there is a small tarn on my neighbour's land. My beck runs into the River Gilpin. A neighbour Andy Brown ( www.shepherdaerial.com ), who has taken the aerial photos of my land, has kindly loaned me two more camera traps and I have had 3 cameras trying to get further footage. Sadly this has not been successful. Circumstantial evidence would suggest that this is a mink. Mink have been seen in the River Gilpin and by my neighbours with the tarn to the East.  All opinions welcome! In trying to get footage and with 3 cameras available I have picked up some fabulous shots of badgers, deer, foxes and some birds. The camera was trained on an easy crossing point for humans and as it transpires for pheasants   for squirrels  for badgers for foxes for this little mouse who sets off to cross....

 When I first visited this plot it was engulfed with bracken so I knew it was coming. But it has happened so fast. My focus has been  Keeping key paths open so I can get to all areas. Keeping a few chosen areas open for use (Camp 1, Cook out zone, The Terrace & the entrance) Learning how to place camera traps to still capture wildlife despite bracken and deep grass I have some good friends who have helped by keeping paths open by walking on them and stamping, snapping, cutting and bashing bracken! These shoots appeared                   and soon the whole site was covered So I have got tooled up!   The hawthorn has come to an end And has given way to summer flowers   Dog roses               Vetch                                           ...

May has been cold and wet. The beck has refilled after an exceptionally dry April and the boggy areas are again sticky to walk over. Which is a relief. The blackthorn has finished and the hawthorn is now in flower with maybe a day of overlap. A few butterflies have emerged - I have spotted orange tip & red admiral. I first heard the cuckoo the morning after Beltane (1st May and the beginning of the Celtic year). A couple of friends joined me for a cook out and we jumped over the fire as it tradition!                                         The blackthorn & hawthorn keeping the bees well fed:               Blackthorn                                               ...