Our farm, as well as being organic, is also in the Rural Stewardship Scheme.
This means that the majority of our burns are fenced off as water margins to allow birds to nest. We have also planted about 800 meters of hedges and fenced them off, again for the benefit of wildlife.
Other areas are fenced off as wetlands or specimen rich grassland and livestock are kept out during April, through to July. This is for the benefit of ground nesting birds.
Our grass, which is conserved for winter keep and made into hay and silage, is cut from the centre of the field outwards. This protects grassland birds as they keep moving outwards as the field is being cut eventually escaping to the sides. Conventional cutting tends to do the opposite, with the birds moving to the centre and being killed by the machine when there is nowhere else for them to go.
Aberdeen:
September 27th and October 25th.
Inverness:
September 6th and October 4th.
"Fillet Steak was beautiful - many thanks". /Alan Sillence