Today is the start of the Big Farmland Bird Count which runs between 4th and 20th of February. It invites farmers to spend 30 minutes counting the birds they see in one part of their farm. We held an early morning farm walk at Frasers with the Upper Beult farm cluster group and Kent Wildlife…
Today is World Soil Day. The UN has dedicated this day to raise awareness for soil health and to create positive change. At Habitat Regeneration we believe that effective farm management utilising some regenerative practices can help to address long term soil health. We can help landowners deliver regenerative land management practices, incorporating wildflower mixes,…
We are working with Forestry England who are creating a new multi-purpose woodland at their 127-hectare site called Pleasant Farm in Kent. The woodland creation will increase and enhance the landscape, providing carbon sequestration, increasing the regions coverage of native broadleaf species and providing a mosaic of habitats to benefit local wildlife. We have undertaken…
We took part in Kent Wildlife Trust’s winter farmland wildlife survey for the 2020-21 season. The farm was surveyed weekly to look at indicator bird species, this information will be used to build statistics for the trust and will be used as a baseline to assess population levels over time. In line with these…
This is a fantastic example of a traditional chalk grassland, which has been managed by Habitat Regeneration with a conservation grazing scheme and is within a Mid-Tier agreement for species rich grassland. This management approach has resulted in a hugely rich diversity of wildflowers and traditional grass species, including Pyramid Orchids, Oxide Daisy, Birdsfoot Trefoil,…
We are proud to work with the Stour Countryside Partnership in delivering Great Crested Newt Ponds, which utilises developer contributions to generate genuine benefit to ecology. Here are examples of a couple of ponds we have worked on near Egerton: The top pictures are of a pond creation, which looked to utilise an unproductive and…
We recently put five owl boxes up across the family farm in Egerton, with a view to support the local Tawny, Little Owl and Barn Owl populations. The boxes were placed out of the prevailing wind, in areas with lower levels of disturbance and close to grassland management under a low intensity Mid Tier Scheme.…
The new England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) for support to create new woodland is now open for applications. The scheme is for farmers and landowners where it will support the creation of a range of woodland types and sizes. The minimum total size is 1 hectare. Bonuses can be given to woodlands that help nature/wildlife recover, woodlands…
On the 18th May Habitat Regeneration hosted a farm walk at Will Fraser’s family home, Coldharbour Farm. This was a joint event run with the Kent Wildlife Trust and Stour Countryside Partnership, where guest speakers included Charlie Chantler from Natural England and Sarah Harrington-James from Stour Countryside Partnership. The talks provided a useful insight on how…
This week the Environment minister set out the government’s plans to restore nature and to safeguard our environment. The plans include trebling the number of trees planted with a target of planting 7,000ha of trees each year by May 2024. Also announced today is the England Woodland Creation Offer. The scheme is for farmers and…