Blog - owls

Barn Owls, rats and rat poison

Barn Owls, rats and rat poison

by Richard, 21 January, 2018, 3 comments

This Christmas I was given a felt rat. "Why ?" Well, my sister-in-law thought I’d like the sentiment behind the gift. We love barn owls but most of us don’t like rats! Rats (Rattus norvegicus) like most other organisms have their place in the food chain, they feed on virtually anything, clean up waste food, take our food, feed on birds eggs - almost anything they can find. Read more...

The national forest revisited

The national forest revisited

by Chris, 6 March, 2017, 0 comments

The National Forest scheme has celebrated its 25th anniversary. It was and is a bold project, focusing on some 500 square kilometers of central England (parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire). Whilst the area included farmland and some pockets of ancient woodland, e.g. Charnwood Forest to the east and Needwood Forest to the west, it also included many abandoned industrial workings such as opencast mines, quarries, clay pits and spoil heaps. Some 8.5 million trees have been planted to date and now the area generates income through tourism Read more...

Woodland types : Coniferous plantations

Woodland types : Coniferous plantations

by Chris, 15 July, 2015, 3 comments

Coniferous plantations are found throughout the U.K. There are some 300,000+ hectares in England, 900,000+ hectares in Scotland, and circa 106,000 hectares in Wales. Large scale conifer planting ‘took off’ soon after the First World War. At about this time, the woodland cover had fallen to 5% (in Britain) so the Forestry Commission was established. This had the aim of ensuring that there would be a strategic reserve of timber. Vast areas of ‘low grade’ land were pressed into service. Areas around Thetford and Kielder were used, as were some sandy coastal sites (e.g. Holkham in Norfolk) and many large tracts in Scotland (including the use of some natural peatlands). Read more...

Making nests for long-eared owls

Making nests for long-eared owls

by Angus, 27 June, 2013, 2 comments

The North Wales Wildlife Trust has reserves where it is trying to involve the public but also wants to encourage long-eared owls to breed. Surprisingly, perhaps, long-eared owls do not build their own nests and there are only about 2,000 pairs, usually adopting unused nests of other species. These owls are threatened by the growing population of buzzards and corvids, so Jonny Hulson and his colleagues from NWWT are working to encourage the owls to nest, by getting the public to build nests with wire, twigs and moss, as shown in the picture below. Jonny hopes that the nests will also be used by hobbys and merlins. Read more...

Small Woodlands in the SW recognised in Royal Forestry Society's annual awards

Small Woodlands in the SW recognised in Royal Forestry Society’s annual awards

by Patricia, 3 August, 2012, 0 comments

Four woodlands in the South West have won recognition at this year’s RFS Awards in the Small Woodlands category, sponsored by Woodlands.co.uk. The first prize went to William Sowerby, owner of Coombeshead, Launceston, Cornwall. Mr Sowerby planted a three and a half acre wood on a hill crest, restoring mature trees, saving old trees from neglect, coppicing, and even planting 300 yards of mixed hedge – which now provides berries and nests to birds, while sheets of corrugated iron on the ground encourage worms and other species. Read more...

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