Welcome and Unwelcome Visitors

Sorry we’ve been a little quiet on the blog in recent weeks there have been a few practical jobs to do and writing has had to take a back seat. However, this week we’re back with lots to report.

We’ve enjoyed a spell of glorious weather which alongside a bit of rainfall has pushed the meadows into the second of their three phases. Oxeye daisy and clover are gradually turning the meadows from vibrant yellow to cool white. Two types of orchids, early purple and heath spotted, are now abundant in the North and South Paddocks.

In wildlife news, a favourite was spotted in Kate’s copse two mornings in a row this week. A visiting red squirrel had a great time scampering up and down the caledonian pine feeding from pinecones. It caused a flurry of alarm calls from sparrows and blackbirds with young. This added to the usual uproar made by the noisy rook and jackdaw populations. We’re definitely seeing more red squirrels around during lockdown, we think they are travelling in wildlife corridors between Tulloes and Whigstreet woods, via Greenhillock.

Around the homestead, Mrs Duck is back sitting on a second batch of eggs. She has chosen to remain tucked away in the raised bed again this time. Not the most comfortable spot for her but it does offer some protection from predators and egg thieves such as magpies and foxes. It will mean another heart stopping plummet for the ducklings once they are ready to leave the nest.

Also at the homestead, the first of two puzzling discoveries of dead moles above ground, with a second in the North Paddock a day later. A common cause of death in moles is drowning but given the low rainfall this seems unlikely. The first mole had no visible signs of injury and its body was completely intact. The second discovery was grizzlier, with only the stomach, intestines and fur remaining – no bones or other indigestible bits were left. Moles may surface to die rather than risk polluting their network of tunnels. We think this may be what has happened here, with the second mole then being predated by crows, jackdaws or given even a feral cat. Moles secrete a musky scent to mark their territory and this is made in a gland in the stomach; possibly this renders the stomach and intestines unpalatable.

A most unwelcome visitor has been confirmed in several ash trees around the site. We have suspected ash die back since Tom spotted dead branches in one of the trees in the Home Paddock back in 2018.  Yesterday, following a visit from a tree surgeon it was confirmed. The received wisdom is to cut down any affected trees immediately to try and halt the spread but further research has revealed that the spores which transmit the fungal infection are air-born and therefore transmission could already have taken place. Sadly, there is currently no cure for ash die back so we may lose all our ash trees over time.

Whilst out on a walk last weekend we spotted loads of tadpoles with legs in a local pond and topped the sighting with a fully grown frog. Our own ponds have been so low on water we seen little evidence of frogspawn at all this season. Normally we would be expecting to have froglets, toadlets and newtlets by now. They could be there, just hiding away in the centre of the pond where there is still a layer of water and thick wet mud. Fingers crossed.

On site we have been beavering away getting ready for what we hope will be our opening date on 15^th July. Stig has been doing sterling (if not glamourous) work reinstating The Hutties, reinstalling loo seats and buckets and carrying out repairs. Kate has been wielding her trusty paintbrushes and Anne continues to beautify The Hub, creating a welcoming reception for guests. We think Bryan is somewhere in the polytunnel but the courgette and bean plants are so large they may have absorbed him.

Take care, stay safe and hope to see you soon!

NB we weren’t quick enough with our camera so photo credit for red squirrel picture goes to Kathleen Fotheringham‎ via Darren’s Ginger Ninjas

 

In Celebration of Dusk and Darkness

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The first week of June has, as is often the way, offered us four seasons in as many days. We’ve been changing outfits more often than Kylie to keep up. Hats and gloves one minute and shorts and t-shirts the next. I have literally been hailed on and sunburnt whilst repainting the pitch name signs this week. A little rain has slightly eased our worries about water levels in the ponds and brought the raised bed planting on a bit but really, we could do with a lot more.

We’ve been enjoying evenings on the deck at the Tiny House and noticing clouds of flies, midges and moths emerging from the meadows, following the rain showers. These provide welcome food for swallows and later in the evening, pipistrelle bats, which we love to see skimming the tops of the buttercups, taking their fill.

As dusk sets in our night cameras start to wake up. With the campsite closed, we are definitely seeing more nocturnal visitors. The big excitement this week has been the return of hedgehogs. Over the years Anne and Bryan have fostered lots of hedgehogs and mostly they have been released so successfully that they have never been seen again. Campers on the grown-ups pitches have occasionally seen hedgehogs, last year one lucky group even saw a mother with babies or hoglets, but for the most part the Greenhillock hedgehogs have been quite shy.

It was a delight therefore, to spot this night-time visitor coming down the side of the Home Pond. Bryan industriously built a hedgehog feeding and watering station for it but we still haven’t captured footage of it going inside to feed. The jury is out on whether it’s the hedgehog or a regular feral cat visitor that’s benefiting from the special hedgehog food.

Other nocturnal visitors this week have been foxes, badgers and roe deer including a buck with splendid antlers! The foxes remain quite wary but the badgers seem very much at home munching on the peanuts that Anne leaves out for them.  The same can’t be said for the roe deer hind which is more easily spooked, shown here being seen off by a single rook.

In meadow news, the yellow phase continues to dazzle but with more stunning, purple orchids popping up everywhere. We are starting to see the first clover and ribwort plantain flowers in the South Paddock, reminding us that soon the yellow will start to give way to white. The Home Paddock, which is a Hay Meadow and therefore has never been sown with wildflowers, has lots of self-set yellow rattle flowers especially beside the paths. We are drawing the conclusion that the seeds are travelling on the deck of the mower.

Take care and stay safe!

New arrivals and returning friends

Its incredible what changes a week can bring. Both the North and South Paddocks are a sea of yellow thanks to a bumper showing of buttercups and yellow rattle coming into flower. Since we spotted our first early purple orchid flowers on Tuesday, they are now springing up everywhere providing little jewels of contrasting colour during the ‘yellow phase’. Later in the summer the meadows will transition first to white and then to purple. There is something comforting about the way this pattern repeats year on year.

The new fedge is really shaping up with almost all of it showing vigorous growth. One or two of the stakes at the far end have failed, probably due to water competition with the large willow tree next door. Water management in general, has been a real challenge this week trying to balance a meagre supply between the two ponds so neither dry out completely. So much wildlife relies on these ponds for food and shelter it’s a big responsibility.

Our most exciting wildlife spot of the week came completely out of the blue. Kate and Stig were headed out to shop for provisions and spotted a roe deer hind close by, in the field next to the track. Closer inspection revealed a recently born fawn lying in the grass at her feet. We watched for ages while she looked warily at us and eventually began to move the fawn to a safer distance. It was very wobbly on its new legs so it was a slow escape. This will change quickly as the fawn will need to be completely independent by the time the rut begins in Autumn.

Fortunately, Bryan managed to capture the long lens shot as (typically) we had no cameras with us in the car!

In birding news, the rooks in Kate’s copse are making their presence felt, calling raucously as they go about feeding their young. Campers may not be missing this particular Greenhillock wake-up call! This week, we spotted our first moorhen chicks on the pond. We’re hopeful these will do well as our moorhen parents are very experienced and defend their young ferociously.

We now have nearly our full range of warblers on site – willow warbler (arrived just this week), chiffchaff, blackcap and whitethroat. Sadly, no sign of sedge warblers which used to be a distinctive sound around the house pond but have been absent for a few years now.

Since most departed for the Arctic a month ago, we were surprised to see and hear a skein of pink-footed geese flying North . Our list of bird species spotted on site since lockdown began now sits at 50 – not bad for armchair birding! In the last couple of days, we’ve been particularly enjoying colourful male siskins on the feeders.

More familiar but no less welcome, a brave blackbird is sitting on eggs in our bird food store. Since we are in and out of there constantly throughout the day, she’s proving to be a very dedicated mum. Bryan was delighted to discover a ‘secret’ blue tit nest hidden in a gate post, again somewhere we are all passing multiple times a day. Despite spending much time to trying to capture the parents nipping in and out with caterpillar food, we still have no photos which shows how good these tiny birds are at being hidden in plain sight.

This time of year is marked by the brief emergence of the swarms of mayfly, with their characteristic dangling back legs, as they mass over the ponds before laying their eggs. Insect highlight of the week, however, has been the appearance our first damselflies. These colourful indicators of early summer are a joy to watch as they dart between plants before settling to mate.

Take care and stay safe!

Creative Fencing, Ducklings and Tree Sparrows

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Since we changed the use of our paddocks from horse pasture and grazing for sheep we no longer need our fences to be animal proof. For ages now we’ve had plans to start replacing our wire fences with more creative, aesthetically attractive and green options. Finally, in these strange times we have the time to work on some of these.

Early in the Spring, we got to work extending the ‘fedge’ around the Wildlife Pond. A fedge is a living hedge. It is created using freshly cut willow ideally harvested and replanted on the same day. Willow is a fast-growing tree and produces flexible, straight stakes perfect for making ‘fence posts’ from. You simply cut branches at a 45 degree angle, push them about nine inches into the ground and wire them together into a lattice. A drop of rain and our fedge is now starting to sprout vigorously.

The amount of fedge we can make is limited by how much willow we are able to harvest on site, so to replace the unsightly orange netting around the solar tower we deployed a different technique -hurdle making. We used traditional hazel combined with some of the older more twisted willow not suitable for fedging.  A hurdle is not living so will not grow and will need to be topped up each year. Ours is a bit rustic looking due to the shape of our branches but its much more appealing than what it replaces!

In birding news, we have seen increasing numbers of swallows flitting over the meadows and think we have at least two nesting pairs. We briefly disturbed a pheasant’s nest in the long grass in the Home Paddock hopefully not for long enough to prevent the hen from returning to her (surprisingly large) eggs.

At the Home Pond, at least three duckling survive from our first brood of mallards and mum is decidedly more organised about looking after them these days so fingers crossed they will all make it through to adulthood. The bird feeders are buzzing with diligent parents feeding young in the nest, species spotted include greenfinch, yellowhammer, chaffinch, blackbird and robin. We’ve had several good sightings of great spotted woodpeckers who are also nesting.

We’re delighted to have a flourishing population of tree sparrows at Greenhillock all busily nesting and feeding young. Between 1970 and 2006, numbers of tree sparrows declined by a massive 93 per cent in some areas of the UK. This was largely due to changes in farming practices which reduced seed and insect food sources and places to nest. Reduction in the amount of land left fallow over-winter, thus providing vital seed food throughout the year was also a factor. Through our conservation efforts we are proud to be part of the drive to halt and reverse the decline of tree sparrow and other seed eating farmland birds.

Take care and stay safe!

 

More reasons to love dandelions

Spotted in the South paddock this week were both male and female bullfinches and a pair of swifts, the latter returning to the meadows from their wintering grounds in Africa. Distinguishable from swallows by the distinctive sickle shape of their wings, swifts are rare and especially welcome visitors to Greenhillock.

At the beginning of the week the dandelion flowers in the North Paddock began to go over to seed heads and we were treated to the delightful sight of goldfinches balanced on them, feeding away. Amazing to think something as flimsy as a dandelion stalk can support the weight of a bird, they are incredibly light.

We caught our first sight of Mrs Duck’s much awaited ducklings last Sunday afternoon, Bryan counted eleven. A slightly impatient mum moved them all over to the pond during the course of the afternoon, with some of the smaller ones reluctant to make the giant leap from the raised bed to the ground. Unfortunately, we haven’t managed to see all eleven chicks since and have had to conclude that Mr Fox has been doing his worst but we are still hopeful of a successful brood.

Stig has had his work cut out keeping on top of mowing in all the paddocks and the car park this week. The hay meadow is really coming away. Flowers in the North and South paddocks are a little slower to appear mostly due to the dry April weather. We were delighted to spot large quantities of self-set yellow rattle in the South paddock. This has migrated from the North paddock where we sowed it in 2014. Yellow rattle provides strong competition for the more vigorous grasses and helps us keep the flowers prevalent in the meadows.

In domestic news, courgettes and cucumbers planted out in the new raised beds at the Tiny House and in the polytunnel all succumbed to the cold snap at the beginning of the week. Even some of the nasturtiums have been zapped! The propagator has been fired up once again for batch two and hopefully we will be more successful second time around. We celebrated Radley’s eighth birthday on Saturday with presents and treats for him and Islay and some fizz for the grown-ups. All very civilised!

Take care and stay safe.

Yellow Rattle, an early flowering plant, helps in meadow creation

Deer Visitor

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Writing this, hunkered down in the Tiny House on a rainy Saturday afternoon it definitely feels like we are in for a change in the weather. It’s funny to think how frequently in our normal lives the weather is an irrelevance but now as it impacts our outside time it is all important. Wandering in the North Paddock between storms the smell alone made it worth the rain. A heavy floral scent bursting with new life and incredibly uplifting. Its almost like Mother Nature knew we needed a bit of cheering up!

Spring continues at pace this week beginning with welcome return of the first swallows of the season. A pair have been prospecting various nest sites at the Tractor Shed and down by the Hub. Doubtless they will ignore all the purpose-built nest boxes in favour of making their own! I look forward to watching them flitting over the meadows catching midges with a G&T in hand soon (my hand not theirs!).

Other bird highlights this week have included numerous sightings of oystercatchers and a hearing, no sighting yet, of a lapwing. Both species used to be prevalent on farmland in the area but numbers have sadly dwindled along with the hedgerows and fallow nesting grounds. We are ever hopeful of adding them to our family of ‘ground nesting birds’ here at Greenhillock.

Queen carder bees have been out and about in large numbers. Easy to distinguish from other bumblebees from their fluffy, all-ginger appearance, carders are often the first to emerge in Spring. Bumblebees are classified by the Genus ‘Bombus’ which I love. It always makes me think of the ‘bombastic’ way they appear to defy gravity by being able to fly!

Our trio of Roe deer have been making themselves at home with one spotted snacking on the duck food down by the Home Pond in broad daylight. Speaking of ducks, we are eagerly awaiting the slappity slap of little duck feet. Mallard female, Mrs Duck, who elected to nest in one of the raised beds at the front of the house is on day 27 of incubation which we understand is the last day before hatching. She has been incredibly steadfast while sitting, refusing to leave the nest in spite of curious dogs, the robo mower and even a visit from the window cleaners.

Hope everyone is keeping well and safe!

Lapwing (left) and Oystercatcher (right) images from RSPB as we haven’t managed to take our own… yet

 

 

 

Spring in the Meadows

Welcome back to Bryan’s blog, this week guest edited by Kate. Four weeks of solid sunshine last month were lovely for us as we cleared up the many cuttings left after our hedges’ severe winter haircut. However, a few days of rain have been wonderful (and much needed) for the meadows which are finally springing to life after a late start.

The birds have been busy pairing up and nest building, they are very appreciative of Radley moulting and providing a lovely fur contribution to their comfort! We have been much amused by the antiques of the pheasants as they squabble over mates and nest sites. The bird highlight of the week was a close sighting of a buzzard catching a vole in the North paddock.

Huge queen bumble bees began to appear in early April, quickly followed by Peacock butterflies. We were a bit concerned there wasn’t much for them to eat but fortunately the good old dandelions have seen them through and everything is beginning to come into flower. We have been enjoying regular visits from a trio of young roe deer, two hinds and a buck and badger-cam tells us we are having regular nocturnal visits down by the Home Pond.

Spring has definitely sprung!

Patience – virtue and necessity

After the earlier wet and cold spell and the more recent hot, near-drought-like weather, the long wait for the wildflower meadows to grow is finally bearing fruit. At the end of last week we saw the very first of this season’s wild Orchid flowers and over the weekend they have begun popping up in ones and twos all over the North and South Paddocks.

Literally the first Orchid of 2018 – a real cause for celebration!

Apart from a few Field Buttercups, these provide virtually the only food for meadow insects just now and the grasses are still stunted and, with the exception of Timothy,  lacking their seed heads. However, it’s all there in waiting – Yellow Rattle, Ox-eye Daisies, Yellow and Purple Vetch – hanging on for a much needed drop of rain. Despite the dry, dusty nature of the paddocks, we are finding both frogs and toads in secluded places around the camping pitches.

Butterfly and bee numbers are still low but we did enjoy a special treat yesterday when we spotted both sexes of the lovely Orange Tip Butterfly around the Wildlife Pond- a first for Greenhillock. Even better, they were accompanied by the first Damselflies of this year (again, both sexes) and some pretty Green-veined White butterflies.

A Greenhillock first – the lovely Orange-tip butterfly (male)

Other animals and birds have been quietly getting on with things so we have fledgling Blackbirds, Tree Sparrows, Robins, Yellowhammers, Rooks and other bird species noisily clammering for food from their busy parents. Best of all has been the clever female Pheasant who has successfully reared up to eight chicks under a gorse bush in the Den Zone despite the busy den-building and bush-craft activity going on within feet of her!

Two of a batch of Pheasant chicks brooded and hatched under the noses (and feet!) of the many children enjoying Den Zone activities

I am sure that when I next put finger to keyboard, there will masses to add to the list of wild things to see and enjoy here at Greenhillock. Bye until then.

Surprise, Spring sunshine!

Well, I finally emerged from blog-hibernation a couple of days ago so welcome to this first post of the 2018 season. The sun is finally shining, we saw the first Swallows of the year yesterday and our early 2018 camping guests arrived over a busy Bank Holiday weekend so I am under some pressure to put fingers to keyboard to let you know about what’s happening on the wildlife front here at Greenhillock.

Winter is a tough time for raptors – male Sparrowhawk searching for a meal in a Greenhillock snowstorm

The cold winter (you might have seen our Facebook pics of a huge snow-plough digging us out!) and prolonged wet early Spring have impeded the growth of our wildflower meadows and slowed down the emergence of insect life and bird nesting. However, there is finally warmth in the soil and we expect the meadows to spring up at a pace so that can enjoy the first wildflowers very soon. Eagle-eyed guests have already spotted the first bats, found a tiny Toadlet and collected the first hatched egg shells – Blackbird and Starling.

Grey Heron feeding on first frogs to emerge for mating – what an opportunist!

Not many insects on the wing yet but we have seen Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies and numbers of queen Bumblebee are feeding themselves up and seeking out ground nesting holes, so nature is on the move. I recently heard a lone summer visiting Chiffchaff singing in its usual location at the Wildlife Pond and the dawn chorus is building daily in volume and variety. A treat just now is a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming on a Beech Tree in the North Paddock to attract a mate.

Tiny Toadlet found onsite this weekend – first of the year

As our rich and bio-diverse flora and fauna emerges with the warmer weather, we hope you’ll join us as camping and camping guests to share it with us.

 

To Everything There is a Season…

Turn, turn, turn…   As I write this (my last blog until next Spring), Autumn has fully arrived at Greenhillock and our successful 2017 camping season is drawing to a close. There has been much to celebrate and we want to thank everyone for their interest in our conservation efforts and for helping us to spread the word about the growing importance of bio-diversity.

Autumn colour palette – evening view from our front window

There are still a few Scabious and Knapweed flowers in the meadows, attracting a late butterfly influx, particularly Peacocks. Mostly, however, it is a mass of ripe seed-heads, ready to disperse and produce next year’s stunning scenery. We will wait until all this has set before giving the meadows their annual cut and clear. That will also give our seed-eating birds – Goldfinch, Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer and the like – the chance to feed up for the lean months over winter. The seed producing ‘weeds’ in the hedgerows – Willowherb, Dock, Nettles and Thistles –  will also be left to help with this essential task.

The other reason for delaying the meadow cut is to give all the small mammals and amphibians a chance to prepare for their winter hibernation. Frogs, toads and newts (in a variety of sizes) are still active in the meadows, feeding on slugs and other small invertebrates. Likewise the Short-tailed Voles which build lovely round nests of chewed grass at the base of tussocky native grasses and will be producing young for another month yet if the weather is kind. 

Wood Mouse sneaks into its local food bank!

Shortening days make us more aware of the activities of our nocturnal visitors. This week a pair of of Tawny Owls have been engaged in a ‘domestic’ near the Field Kitchen, noisily waking all the local dogs in the wee small hours. Our Hedgehogs are leaving tell-tale signs of night-time perambulations and Roe Deer are returning to graze on the pitch grass in the dark.  Best of all, the Badgers, which are one of our best-loved secrets, have resumed their foraging trips from dusk to dawn.

Visiting badgers caught at night on one of our infra-red cameras

 

Always plenty to see and do here! Thanks again and we look forward to seeing many of you here again in 2018 to share our wildlife delights.