Author: Land Matters (Page 3 of 5)

Here are ours:

The black dots on the map below mark the locations of the new Black Poplars. They will still need to have some extra protection from grazing cattle.

It seems Otters spend quite a lot of time on the island, so this camera has been set up on the island:

Also, a track has been found in the grass leading towards the road bridge and a camera has been left there too, to find out what’s making it. This camera is set to only operate at night time.

A large number of old spraints (Otter droppings) were found on the island, suggesting Otters spend quite some time there. Will, the local Otter expert, thinks they probably visit the pond looking for food, then rest-up on the island before returning to their overnight quarters.

Frogs and toads will be spawning in the pond in the next few weeks and this will attract the Otters who eat the frogs and toads. We can expect many more visits from the Otters in the next few months.

The presence of Otters on the island probably explains why there are few, if any, ducks on the pond.

Here is some more footage from the other cameras of Otters, Fox, Polecat and a Heron, sent to us by Mary from Radnorshire Wildlife Trust:

Absolutely magical!

Please enjoy these images of a frosty Greenstreete taken by our joiner, Blue.

The Wildlife Trust have kindly sent us some more clips from the cameras on the land.

As well as more Otter footage, it’s very nice to see a Bullfinch so close to the camera, and first appearance of a Polecat!

Polecats are part of the same family as otter (the mustelids,) are native
to the UK and were almost persecuted to extinction in the past. They are
now a protected species since 1981 and come under the UK priority
species for biodiversity. Numbers are increasing in rural Wales, and it’s
great to have one as part of the diversity of species in our local
habitat.

We had a lovely Land weekend at Greenstreete, exploring the 6 Pairs from Abhidhamma through planting trees in the Badger Hut field, coppicing in the quarry in the Larch Wood, clearing paths amongst the trees on the bank behind the house and pulling up brambles on the edge of Greenstreete Wood. 
We were blessed by rainbows!

As you know, we work closely with our local Wildlife Trust to manage our land at Greenstreete for greater biodiversity and resilience, so that it continues to be a nourishing environment for meditators. Tomorrow is the start of the Wildlife Trusts’ annual celebration of the incredible bond between people and nature, Hope Week 11 – 12 November – a reminder to spread good will and kindness as we face the climate and nature crisis together.

As a spokesperson from the Wildlife Trust says, “While it’s vital to stay informed about the challenges facing our planet, it’s equally important to step back and recharge. Eco-anxiety is real, and it can leave us feeling overwhelmed. Let’s take this week to remind ourselves to stay hopeful and celebrate the amazing progress happening in nature and conservation.”

On Sunday 17th November there is a livestream for young people on Youtube: “Hope is in Our Nature”, an exciting 2 hour interactive show to bring young people together to celebrate nature.

Find out more about #HopeWeek and sign up for the livestream: Hope is in our Nature | The Wildlife Trusts

Please forward this to any young person who might be interested.

Greenstreete features heavily in this interesting and informative video from Radnorshire Wildlife Trust about how the Lugg and its environs are being managed to try to prevent flood risk.

Some great stills from the drone footage of Greenstreete in the video can also be seen below.

The camera traps have been checked again, providing more fascinating and delightful views of the creatures at Greenstreete that we would not normally be able to see…

The first three trees were planted for Lance Cousins on Friday in the Ram field. The planting team was Chris Gilchrist, James Peel, Cary Mandel and Francis Beresford. These trees are two small leaved Limes and a Rowan.

Eventually there will be a whole grove.

This is Will Lewis, the local otter expert, with a motion sensitive wildlife camera, by the lake at Greenstreete.

He says the Otters have been there every month recently and are attracted by the water.

Lots of Otter spraints have also been found all along the river.

This is Dan Westbury from the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust who is working with us on the management of the wetlands and is planning to construct ‘leaky dams’ later in the year.

Dan has also spotted a couple of Kingfishers down by the lake.

It is Radnorshire Wildlife Trust who put up motion sensor cameras and who sent us all the footage.