Talking to the farmer who owns a large swathe of land in south Cumbria, he’s obtained a grant to fence it off and, in his words, he’s going to ‘leave it to nature.’
A good move since the alternative could have been to drain it off and give the whole area over to agriculture, or perhaps development such as one of those ever- growing number of holiday-lodge parks. As it stands the land floods very badly, particularly this year, when the flooded area has been huge. Without extensive drainage work it’s largely useless for farming for much of the year.
This is good news for wildlife as it already attracts a large number of birds including Marsh Harrier, which is seen on and off over the year.
He was also hedge laying. Last year Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and other species were recorded in the hedges.
A good move since the alternative could have been to drain it off and give the whole area over to agriculture, or perhaps development such as one of those ever- growing number of holiday-lodge parks. As it stands the land floods very badly, particularly this year, when the flooded area has been huge. Without extensive drainage work it’s largely useless for farming for much of the year.
This is good news for wildlife as it already attracts a large number of birds including Marsh Harrier, which is seen on and off over the year.
He was also hedge laying. Last year Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and other species were recorded in the hedges.
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