Bronze
Chough spotted at Smeale FarmArticle first appeared in Isle of Man Examiner
Clambering up the rough turf of the Manx sod hedge into Smeale Farm’s wildlife corridor I was reminded of the journey through the wardrobe in C. S. Lewis’ classic children’s novels.
Perhaps it was the recent movie that brought Narnia to mind, or perhaps it was Steve Martin’s beard that reminded me of the fawn, Mr. Tumnus; but more likely it was the fact that I truly had moved from one world into another. Or should I say from one habitat into another – for Smeale Farm, Bride can boast at least four different habitats, each of which has been carefully nurtured.
I was visiting the farm because its owners, Chris and Steve Martin, had just won the Bronze Chough Award for Manx farm conservation. The award was presented by the Farm & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) at the Isle of Man Bank a couple of weeks ago, and was reported on this page. Inspired, I went north on a quest to find out more.
The key element of the Bronze Chough is that it’s awarded for conservation on a working farm. Smeale Farm has around two hundred acres, most of which work to provide the Island with milling wheat, and protein rich animal feeds such as peas.
It was at least twenty-five years ago that Tom Martin, (Chris and Steve’s father) first agreed to start setting aside small parcels of land for conservation. A keen wildlife photographer, Tom was only too happy to invite Mick Brew, Tim Loton and Brian Mylrea to start creating habitats for animals, birds, and insects alike.
Now, a generation later, Smeale Farm can boast a huge diversity of wildlife living in farmland, wetland dubs, heath and coppice.
On entering the wildlife corridor Steve explains that originally none of the bushes and woodland around us had existed. “At first my dad gave up a few metres at the edge of the field here and we started planting shrubs.” “Then about seven years ago,” adds Mick, “the boys added a bit more land and now we’ve got this fantastic stretch of coppice, that extends into a wood around a couple of dubs. We planted particular trees to attract the birds, but as you’ll see we’ve got butterflies and darters and other insects too.”
As I look around I see aspens, oaks,
sallows, beeches, hazels, trammons, wild cherries, damsons, blackthorns
and hollies – in fact pretty much any tree you’d care to mention that
has nuts or fruits that birds might find attractive. “We get loads of
birds here,” says Mick. “Chris saw two storks the other day, but we get
whitethroats and sedge and willow warblers in the spring, fieldfares
and redwings in the birch and alder in the winter, and siskins… I’ve
seen them too – then in the winter I’ve seen goldcrests... and birds of
prey.” “We get long-eared owls,” says Chris, “I’ve got a photo my
father took of a fledgling. He was lucky to get that, but it’s a
smashing photo.” (Shown left)We move further into the corridor and Steve clears bracken from saplings. “We keep having to come down and help these new hazels out or they’ll get buried,” he explains. The buzz of insects is all around and martins swoop and dive between the trees and the flock of sheep munching happily in the next field.
In front of us the floor opens out to a wide dub, dry now, but two feet deep in winter. Marsh grass grows through the hard crust of fertile soil. “Up there,” says Mick, beckoning me over, “that’s where a sparrow hawk nests, and underneath one year there was a pheasant’s nest with chicks. Living on top of his larder he was.”
Turning across the dub he points to a sallow he calls the butcher’s block. “This is where the hawk used to carve up his meat. Actually, I’ll tell you a story – up on the other side there was a kestrel’s nest. One year I climbed up, when I was a bit younger, and there in the nest were some chicks. One of them had its mouth wide open. Sticking out of it was two legs and a ring. I pulled out the legs and found a young tern with a new aluminium ring tied round its leg. I sent the ring off to the British Trust for Ornithology and eventually they wrote back saying the tern had been ringed on Smeale beech that same morning I’d found it. So within hours of the ringing it’d become a kestrel’s lunch!”
We move on, ducking under branches, along twisting paths, down small rides cut between conifers and emerge into a much wider stretch of ground. “This is the lake district, here,” says Steve, “that’s what our father called it. This dub you can see with just a bit of water – it’s full in winter. Comes right up through these grasses and round the trees. Almost a lake.”
A hen harrier flies up suddenly from behind a patch of blackberry bushes. It turns and sails over the woodland and away towards the heath land of the Ayres.
“This is the part I’m most proud of,” says Mick. “This dub area changes so much throughout the year. Never the same.” As I look across the wetland I notice an orchard and beehives at the edges under a protective cluster of taller trees. The rich red of the Discovery apples is like the punctuation of holly berries at Christmas, and next to them are Conference pears and Victoria plums.
“It’s springtime I like most,” says Chris, “when the marsh marigolds are out, just before the bracken gets going, and then when the flag irises come…” Steve’s favourite time is when the honeysuckle blooms up in the sallows. “The scent’s amazing,” he says.
As we return to a farm track and walk between two high hedges rich with wild flowers I feel as though I am climbing back through the wardrobe. The farmyard and reality beckon.
This year’s Bronze Chough Award has truly gone to a worthy winner, and has recognised the dedicated conservation work that has taken place across a generation at Smeale Farm.
By providing safe habitats for birds and wildlife to nest and grow they have provided an invaluable service for other Islanders.
Steve and Chris Martin expect to host a farm wildlife walk next year.
END
Go to home page
Go to I Love Manx home page
