• Lynx in Kielder

  By The Bevis Trust In Countryside, Farming and Wildlife, Uncategorized | 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 Countryside | 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 Countryside, Farming and Wildlife | 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 Countryside, Farming and Wildlife | 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 Countryside, Farming and Wildlife | 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 Countryside, Farming and Wildlife | 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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• Fledgelings

  By The Bevis Trust In Countryside, Farming and Wildlife | 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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• Another Beaver Film

  By The Bevis Trust In Countryside, Farming and Wildlife | July 6, 2016

  Here’s a little film Nick shot of a beaver grooming. It’s a treat to watch how much effort she goes to to keep her fur in prime condition. Interesting fact of the day: beavers have a split claw which is a special adaptation for grooming.

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• First Pictures!

  By The Bevis Trust In Countryside, Farming and Wildlife | June 30, 2016

  The beaver kits are emerging. Nick managed to film some of their activity last night…

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• Another Beaver Family.

  By The Bevis Trust In Countryside, Farming and Wildlife | June 27, 2016

  We’ve been trying to find out what is happening with the beavers on the middle pond. Drew has put up a couple of camera traps and I have been seeing them use a burrow up at the deep end of the pond. The problem is that their pond backs up into a narrow heavily wooded…

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