All change at Denmark Farm

Today is our last post on this site as we have now merged our blog/news pages with our lovely new website at www.denmarkfarm.org.uk

We will still be writing regular news posts and all subscribers have been relocated to the new site so all will continue to receive them. I hope that you have enjoyed reading our blog over the past six months or so and many thanks to you that have commented and subscribed.

The new site includes some exciting new features which should make it easier for you to find out information, learn whats on offer and book your places on our extensive range of conservation, natural craft and sustainable living courses as well as activity days for children, eco camping and updates about our community programme ‘Wildlife Where You Live’.

Please make a point of visiting our site and subscribing if you haven’t already done so or better still visit us for real and be part of Denmark Farm Conservation Centre in 2012.

Blow away those cobwebs on a guided walk around Denmark Farm

Why not fulfil your New Year’s resolution to get more fresh air and exercise, by joining us for a guided walk at Denmark Farm on Saturday 14th January.

This short walk will take place from 2 to 3.30 pm, followed by the all important tea and biscuits!

We will keep to reasonably level paths and aim to see some of the main features of Denmark Farm within a short walking distance of the Centre.

Come prepared for the outdoors (there will be an indoor presentation if the weather is very bad).

Please rsvp by 12th January so we can organise teas!

Roundhouse shelter at Denmark Farm

The Return of the Dragon

Llanddewi Brefi Green Dragon Project – part of Wildlife Where You Live

Working in partnership with Llanddewi Village Hall Committee, the WWYL Green Dragon project aims to redevelop an underused area of conifer plantation skirting the recreation field. The natural and structural elements of the Dragon are already present in the form of a gnarled old tree, stone faced bank and overgrown hedge.

The project will restore and enhance these to raise the dragon! Working alongside experienced facilitators, local people will create a range of wildlife friendly features, such as: walled hedge bank restored to form the body and scales of the dragon, outgrown coppice cut back to regrow and form the backbone green spines, redundant stones rearranged to form the legs and talons and a new path made from wood waste chippings to link the dragon to a seating area. There will also be opportunities to make bird and bat boxes and carved interpretation panels for the site.

If you live near Llandewi Brefi and would like to be part of this  project, please Contact Us for further information. Why not ‘like’ our Wildlife Where You Live Facebook page to keep up to date with all our  WWYL news? 

With thanks to Dolly Schwenk for creating this design.

  

Go Nuts For Dormice!

Dormouse photo by John Robinson

On Saturday 19^th November, from 2-4pm, the first ever Great Nut Hunt will take place at Denmark Farm Conservation Centre, near Lampeter.

Signs of dormice have recently been found at Denmark Farm and nest boxes have been erected to help conservationists monitor these rare animals. However, dormice also open hazel nuts in a distinctive way and, on 19^th November, visitors can look for signs of dormouse activity by examining hazelnuts around the Denmark Farm site.

The dormouse is a small mammal that spends up to three-quarters of its life asleep. Their preferred habitat is deciduous woodland with plenty of scrub, and thick hedgerows – which Denmark Farm has in abundance. Nuts opened by dormice show a neat, smooth, circular cut to the inside of the opening and tiny radiating teeth marks on the outside – signs which are relatively easy to identify.

Jenny Macpherson from The Vincent Wildlife Trust will be leading the activity and there will be an illustrated talk if weather conditions are poor. Everyone is welcome to take part in this free event with refreshments available for a small charge.

Jenny Macpherson, MISE project officer with The Vincent Wildlife Trust, says: “There are very few records of dormice in Ceredigion, so it is important to get more information. Nut hunts are a great (and fun) way of doing that. We hope to see lots of volunteers joining in with this very worthwhile project”

 The Great Nut Hunt is part of a programme called Wildlife Where You Live (WWYL) which is managed by Denmark Farm Conservation Centre. WWYL helps people to identify and implement environmental improvements that make a real difference to their community. WWYL is a three year programme funded by The Big Lottery Fund, Environment Wales, Countryside Council for Wales and The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

If you would like more information about Denmark Farm Conservation Centre or the Great Nut Hunt please get in touch: http://www.shared-earth-trust.org.uk/en/contact.htm

 

 

Seasonal Celebrations for Wildlife Where You Live

Starting last night and over the next month or so we are rolling out an Autumn Celebration and Feedback event in some of our Wildlife Where You Live Communities. This is an opportunity to review progress so far and start to plan the next practical phase of  wildlife & related amenity projects.

Our first event took place last night in Llangeitho and an enthusiatic group have agreed to ask the local church if they can focus on the churchyard’s wonderful wildlife (including green winged orchids) and assist with enhancing and interpreting a small tree planting scheme opposite the school. They were all very taken with the carved wooden panels that were on display so there will hopefully be a wood carving workshop for locals in the new year.

Autumn Celebration Llangeitho 18 Oct 2011 - Voting for wildlife projects

Pondlife interpretation woodcarving at Denmark Farm

The next events will take place as follows:

Ciliau Aeron – Wed 9th November at 6pm

Llanilar – Thursday 10th November at 6.30pm

Cilcennin – Wednesday 16th November at 3pm

Llanddewi Brefi – Tuesday 6th December at 6pm

All events are open to anyone within the community, or nearby, who are interested in wildlife and enhancing people’s enjoyment of wildlife. Please get in touch if you’d like to attend.

 

Ten go ‘batty’ in Llanafan

Last week, the Llanafan ‘Wildlife Where You Live’ group held a Bat and Moth evening in their village.

Armed with torches and bat detectors (fully equipped with bat-teries of course!), members of the North Ceredigion bat group  took ten enthusiastic attendees on a walk around the village. We saw  -and heard- a large number of pipistrelle bats feeding along the road under the trees and learned that one pipistrelle can eat 3000 midges a night. The group also heard Natterers bats near the church, and a large noctule bat flying over. The echolocation calls (which the bats use to find food and identify their location) were  accompanied by a number of ‘wows’ from the group as a variety of slaps, crackles and chip-chops emitted by the bats were picked up on the detectors. The group was really thrilled to discover bats emerging from a previously unknown pipistrelle roost in one of the buildings.

 

Pipistrelle bat

The group then had a look at the moth trap set up by Liz from the Ceredigion Moth group – and had a close-up view of a black rustic moth. Over a welcome cup of tea and biscuits (no bat-tenburg available), Liz showed the group some fantastic moth photos –  unfortunately there  wasn’t quite enough quite time to see all 2000 UK species!

Elephant hawk moth (photo: Butterfly Conservation)

Our bats are making the most of these warm evenings, and an evening walk will often reveal them emerging from their roosting places to find food  (and a mate!),  before the winter sets in.  Planting wildflowers which flower September/ October in your  garden will help to encourage insects, and provide food for these fascinating creatures. For loads more information on how to help the bats where you live, go to the bat Conservation Trust’s website www.bats.org.uk

Come and say hello to us at your local show!

This August,  Denmark Farm is attending several of the local Ceredigion shows with our ‘Wildlife Where you Live’  stand:

There are wildlife-related activities and displays for all the family, including our hand-made model of a wildlife-garden, bird-boxes, and wildlife friendly plants. There are also photos on display from recent WWYL events, and information about the wildlife already found in each WWYL community. 

So why not come and say hello at any of the forthcoming shows:

Tregaron and District Show: 17th August

Pontrhydfendigaid Show: 20th August

Llangeitho Young Farmers show: 31st August

Join us for ‘Wildlife Where you Live’

Our ‘Wildlife Where you Live’ programme  is moving  apace, with nearly 15 events so far this summer and lots more to come.

Our community wildlife groups  in Ceredigion have been discovering a whole range of wildlife on their doorsteps – from green-winged orchids in Llangeitho to pondlife in Ciliau Aeron and a vast variety of  fascinating creatures living in the hedgerows of Llanafan, Llanddewi Brefi and Cilcennin.

(photo taken by Chloe Griffiths)

Come and join us!

18 July 11 am – 1pm Llanafan (heathland wildlife stroll)

26 July 10 am – 12 noon  Ty Glyn  garden,  Ciliau Aeron  (butterflies)

26 July 7 – 9 pm Llanilar churchyard (flowers)

27 July 5.30-7pm Llangeitho churchyard (hedgerow survey)

5 Aug 11am-1pm Llanddewi Brefi (bugs & blooms)

5 Aug 2-4pm Pontrhydfendigaid (river/ freshwater survey)

15 August 11am – 1 pm Llanafan  Lisburne Hall (butterflies)

14 September 3.45-5.15 Ciliau Aeron Wild Food Forage

Events are suitable for all ages – no experience necessary. They are all FREE, and you don’t have to live in a particular community to take part.

If you want to spend time discovering your own wildlife where you live, you can also take part in a number of nationwide surveys:

Swifts: count your local swifts and tell the RSPB where they are (the survey needs to be completed within the next 2 weeks)
http://www.rspb.org.uk/applications/swiftsurvey/

Butterflies: Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly count is taking place from 24 July to 1st August. Spend 15 minutes in the sunshine!

http://www.bigbutterflycount.org

Mammals: a new project in West Wales is looking for volunteers to help with monitoring  of several mammal species, including  red squirrels, dormice and pine martens

http://www.vwt.org.uk/mammals.php

Happy wildlife-watching!

Discover Wildlife Where you Live

Pond-dipping near Cilcennin

Wildlife Where you Live (WWYL) is a three-year programme co-ordinated by Denmark Farm. The project works with local communities in Ceredigion to help them find out more about the wildlife and habitats around them, and to identify and implement environmental improvements.

8 communities are involved so far:  Cilcennin, Cilau Aeron, Pontrhydfendigaid, Llandewi Brefi, Llanafan, Llangeitho, Llanilar and Tregaron.

The following wildlife events are coming up in the next few weeks.   All events are led by a local naturalist, and no prior knowledge is needed. Each lasts 1 – 2 hours, and includes refreshments.

 Llanafan hedge survey 20th June 4.30 pm (meet at the village hall)

Llanilar nature walk 28th June 7 pm (meet at the school)

Cilcennin churchyard survey 14th July 6pm (meet at the church)

The information collected during these surveys will contribute towards county and national records.

So come and put your community on the map! If you live in or near any of these communities, please join us – no need to book, just come along on the day.  Contact us for details of more events during the summer and autumn.

Bug hunt at Pontrhydfendigaid:

 

 

Egg-citing News from Denmark Farm…

Despite having 40 acres of nature reserve to choose from, a pair of blue tits has set-up home in a cigarette disposal bin in the car park next to the noticeboard. We counted 10 eggs last week, and the parents are now busily nipping in and out with food, and scolding anyone who tries to read the noticeboard, or has the audacity to eat their lunch at the nearby picnic bench.

We’ve had lots of fun thinking-up a caption for this photo. How about  “This is our home – butt-out!”

or ” flight delayed due to ash-cloud”

Can you come up with any others? (publishable contributions only please!)