Category: Conservation

  • The End of Summer

    By The Bevis Trust In , , | September 18, 2016

    We are still at the farm in Northumberland where we are having a lovely Indian summer, with morning mist in the valleys burning off to reveal bright sunlit landscapes. We have been working with the falcons, flying them every day at robotic prey birds and learning more and more about their development and flying skills…

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  • Baseline Survey

    By The Bevis Trust In , | September 6, 2016

    Due to the success of our breeding beavers this year we thought it only fair to give them a little more space. We are creating a new pen for them, it will be approximately 1ha in size and will give the occupants access to willow, a pond, streams, bog and thick vegetation. Alicia, the Welsh…

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  • Lynx in Kielder

    By The Bevis Trust In , , | August 18, 2016

    Last week I attended a public consultation meeting hosted by the Lynx Trust for local people in the Kielder area. We have managed a 200 acre farm that abuts directly onto the Kielder forest area for 25 years. The meeting was a classic example of how not to go about reintroducing a tricky species like…

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  • Never Work With Animals…

    By The Bevis Trust In | August 12, 2016

    …so the saying goes. It was proved wrong last night. We were delighted to have a visit from a group of wildlife and countryside professionals with the specific focus on seeing the beavers. Always a little nervous when folks are keen to see something so it was with some trepidation that Jo and I led…

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  • Beavers on the Lake

    By The Bevis Trust In , | August 1, 2016

    Although we have seen beavers taking willow branches into the lodge on the lake since early May, we have yet to see the kits. Drew was out late the other night and caught images with the thermal imaging scope, but he could not be sure if they were beavers or water voles. Are water voles…

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  • Rewilding and More

    By The Bevis Trust In , | July 21, 2016

    Last week Jo and I attended a meeting at the Knepp Estate down in West Sussex. There, the owners Charlie Burrell and Izzie Tree have devoted their 3,500 acre estate to an ambitious re-wilding project.We took the opportunity to have a walk around some of the estate.   Later that evening I enjoyed staying in their…

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  • Bluebells

    By The Bevis Trust In , | July 15, 2016

    Call me a sentimental old fool if you like, but I do think that no woodland is complete without some bluebells! When we plant new woods we need to think of all the herbs and shrubs as well as the trees and it is always a delight in spring to see the bluebells. Sometimes I…

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  • A Busy Evening

    By The Bevis Trust In , | July 13, 2016

    A very busy evening on the lake last night. The goslings, now all pretty much fully feathered, were practicing their flying skills to a huge cacophony from their parents. The nest in the new hide has yielded its first chicks – at least three hungry wee swallows. The little yellow diamond shaped open beaks were…

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  • Grey Squirrels

    By The Bevis Trust In , , | July 12, 2016

    If anyone doubts the damage that grey squirrels can do in a young woodland here is an oak I came across. They have effectively killed this poor thing and many others in the wood. Oak, ash and beech have all been targets. Drew

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  • Fledgelings

    By The Bevis Trust In , | July 11, 2016

    This is a time of year full of hope, tinged with sadness. All the young animals are leaving their nests and burrows, but they are so vulnerable, and many don’t make it. Evolution has planned ahead and compensated by creating bigger broods, but even so the attrition rate can be horrendous. There have been lots…

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