Five more bird boxes have gone up at Wheatland Farm Eco Lodges this March. It’s just one part of our Pledges for Nature.
Back in February, a Pledge For Nature project started in northern Devon. It’s part of a crowd funded and Heritage Lottery Fund-supported effort that Wheatland Farm contributed to back in 2019.
The idea is to do something positive for nature, with new ideas suggested every month or so. One of our spring commitments was five more bird boxes, and here they are.
They’ve been designed for blue tits and coal tits. We could have made the entrances slightly bigger for great tits and nuthatches, but we know we already have several of these successfully nesting. The nuthatches are already moving back in near Honeysuckle lodge. Last year we also had nesting great spotted woodpeckers, and a few days ago we spotted long tailed tits nesting in the gorse on Popehouse Moor. It’s a time of year when the natural world insists spring is inevitable, despite rain and worries.
So although things are slowing down for human visitors, what with the ongoing corona virus troubles, Wheatland Farm is getting ready to accommodate more of our other guests – the resident and migrant Devon wildlife.
We will monitor whether these get used, and report back on who moves in!
It’s lovely to hear something positive. How are the shrews doing?
Haven’t seen the shrews recently, but that’s not to say they’re not there. Something has been eating frogs though, possibly an otter – they tend to eat the back legs and leave the rest. It’s a bit gruesome! We’ve put a wildlife camera out, but as yet no luck. I hope you can get some outside time where you are – the natural world isn’t worrying about corona virus, and it’s very refreshing to see. Puts some perspective on it – this too shall pass!