WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK 37
OPENINGSHOTS
PROPERTY
Tofundbird,batandinsectboxesonfarms,tapintothe
CountrysideStewardshipgrants.Grantswillpayupto
£100for‘wildlifeboxes’,withlargerboxestargetedat
barnowlsandkestrels,mediumboxesforbatsand
treesparrows,smallboxesfordormiceorinvertebrate
pollinators.Certaincriterianeedtobemet,namelythe
righthabitatsforsummerandwinterfeeding,sitingin
suitablelocationsandtheroutine cleaning out in autumn
(unless occupied by bats).
REHABILITATINGSWANS
STEWARDSHIP GRANTS
SwanLifelineis theoldestregistered
charitydevotedentirelytothecareof
sickandinjuredswansintheThames
Valleyandsurroundingareas.Once
rehabilitated,theorganisationfinds
suitableplacesforrehomingrehabilitated
injuredswans.Theyrequireopenwater,
spacefromotherswansandrefuge from
foxes, dogs and other threats.
Giving nature a home
in the modern world
THERE are many similarities between
the television personality Jeremy Clark-
son and National Farmers Union deputy
president Guy Smith. Both have a sharp
wit, an ability to goad members of the
Green Party and an interest in agricul-
ture.However,thelessobvioussimilarity,
underneaththeirtoughexterior,is a shared
soft spot for the barn owls residing on-
farm.Clarkson’soverenthusiasmtoseehis
barn owls evenled toa slapped wrist by
viewers after a Countryfile appearance,
with a somewhat ironic accomplice in
Chris Packham.
Barn owls are extraordinary creatures
andcommand greatadmiration,such that
I am confident every countryman could
recall a memorable encounter. Forme, it
wasthequarteringofa barnowldownthe
grassybankofa flightpondatlastlight,as
it paused,suspended4ftofftheground,to
staremedown.It wassocloseI couldhave
reachedoutmybarrelsandpokedhim.
There is also the mystery they hold,
reminding us of our spiritual connection
with nature.Driving backfromthe hospi-
talinthedepthsofnightafterthedeathof
my father-in-law, my wife and I witnessed a
pairofbarnowlsfloatoutfromthehedge-
rowandchaperonthecarfor50yddownthe
lane.If thatwasn’tsurrealenough,twoyears
laterI drovemywifetohospitalintheearly
hourswiththe pendingarrivalofourson,
andanotherbarnowlswungbytosayhello.
Barnowls,likemanyfarmlandbirds,have
hadtheirshareofpressuressinceWorldWar
Two, beit urbanisation, changes in farm-
landhabitat,lossofnestingopportunitiesor
secondarypoisoningfromrodenticides.The
increasing regularity of extreme weather
eventsaddstothestressofthisfair-weather
predator. However, barn owl populations
arefaringwellwhereconditionsarefavour-
able.ThisyeartheSelborneFarmCluster,a
groupofHampshirefarmsworkingtogether
onconservationobjectivesthatincludesthe
well-known grey partridge research farm
RotherfieldPark,havehada positiveyear.
Francis Buner, the Game & WildlifeCon-
servation Trust’s residentchief scientistat
RotherfieldPark,postedanupdateofeight
barnowlbroodswithineightsquarekilome-
tres producing 20 young.Without a doubt
thesuperbfarmlandhabitathashelpedthe
owls tothrive.However,just asimportant
asthefoodandforagingonofferisthedry,
safeplacetobuilda nest.Youcanhaveall
thefoodavailablebutif thereis norefugeto
rearyoung,ourwildlifedoesnotthrive.With
therightadvice,suchasthatsoughtfromthe
BarnOwlTrust,a simpleowlboxintheright
locationcanbeenoughtoenable these mys-
ticcreaturestoflourish.
It is easytoseewhypeoplewouldwantto
helpthenation’smoresymbolicanimals–
beit withowlnestingboxesorrehomingan
injuredswan. Whereasthe solitarymason
bees and roosting bats are sometimes
hardertogetexcitedabout.Masonbeesgive
unwarranted concern around their ability
to underminepointing andbats prompt a
resoundingsighwhenevermentionedinthe
contextofa buildingproject.Afterdecades
ofdecline,batsarerightlysubjecttorigorous
protectionandduetotheirseasonalbehav-
iourandrelianceondilapidatedstonebarns
and cottagesperfectlyripeforrenovation,
theirsurveyandmitigationworkfrequently
derailsa tightdevelopmentschedule.
However, with a little foresight bats
neednotalwaysinterrupta buildplanand,
conversely, a few carefully sited bee and
bat‘bricks’integral tothewallsofa new
development can lubricate thewheels of
the planning process for negligible cost.
Nomatterwhatthescaleorambitions,our
land and buildings can lend themselves
tosupportingnatureand a new home is a
good place to start.
Therearea numberofprojectstohelpwiththepressuresonwildlife
in these times of increasing environmental change, says Tim Field
BUILDINGWITHNATURE
Beebricks,swiftboxes(pictured)
andbatroostsbyGreen& Blue
havetakenoffoverthepastfew
years,particularlywiththearrivalof
schemestoimprovetheecological
valueofthebuiltenvironment,such
asBuildingwithNaturedeveloped
byGloucestershireWildlifeTrustto
recogniseprojectsthatgooverand
above environmental mitigation.
SWAN LIFELINE IMAGES; GREEN & BLUE; ALAMY
