Category: Farming and Wildlife

  • Exploring

    By The Bevis Trust In , | June 17, 2016

    We are spending time exploring down at Ricketts Mill. Every visit turns up a new delight. From the many hundreds of tiny frogs to the burgeoning plant life. Over the next few months we’ll be making some important changes and we’ll keep you updated via the blog. The initial plan will be to soften the…

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  • Bevis Trust purchases Rickets Mill

    By The Bevis Trust In , | June 14, 2016

    After about six years of negotiations, the Bevis Trust has now purchased Rickets Mill, a 14 acre trout farm adjoining the west end of the farm. This is the first property actually in the name of the Bevis Trust, the intention being that the entire farm will eventually be taken over by the Trust. The…

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  • Yet another new species!

    By The Bevis Trust In , | June 14, 2016

    We accidentally ran over a weasel today with a quad bike on the track below Tula’s Wood. We have never seen a weasel on the farm before. Because we have reduced the grazing pressure on all the north banks, there is a lot more rough grass and this is thick underneath so that voles can…

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  • Another Species

    By The Bevis Trust In , , | June 6, 2016

    We have another species to add to our growing list. This morning Nick was delighted to come across a slow worm basking near the main drive. We have relocated him to a slightly less risky spot!

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  • The Year Moves On

    By The Bevis Trust In , , | May 29, 2016

    Lots of neighbours are on the silage now. The pattern of farming is changing each year. Two of our neighbours have died and their land is let to another neighbour who has committed big time to dairying and built new sheds. So contractors are whizzing round the lanes in massive tractors taking the cut grass…

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  • Ticks

    By The Bevis Trust In , | May 24, 2016

    As the tick season gets underway it never hurts to remind that tick-borne diseases can be particularly nasty (I speak through experience) and anything you can do to minimise your expose to ticks is a good thing. Have a look at http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ for useful information about ticks and how to deal with them. Ticks don’t care…

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  • Progress

    By The Bevis Trust In | May 20, 2016

    The beaver hide is coming along nicely… A turf roof and waney-edged larch boards should go on in the next few days.

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  • New Woodlands

    By The Bevis Trust In | May 19, 2016

    We have some steep north facing slopes on the farm that are gradually being taken over by encroaching bracken. Azulox has been phased out for spraying bracken and the slopes are too steep for machinery. Even with heavy grazing or hoof pressure there is no realistic cost-efficient way of controlling the bracken and we are…

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  • Willow casts a critical eye over the new hide

    By The Bevis Trust In , | May 17, 2016

    Willow casts a critical eye over the new hide.

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  • Eggs!

    By The Bevis Trust In | May 16, 2016

    At this time of year all the birds are busy nesting. The males are singing their hearts out proclaiming their territories and everyone is busy building nests and incubating eggs. Yesterday some geese took off heading towards the lake, and one of them shed a tiny white fluffy feather. As the feather drifted down, a…

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