The February frog chorus at Wheatland Farm’s eco lodges! It’s the precursor for the annual summer froglet extravaganza that really gets going in June.
Continue reading “Frogs and toads in droves”Dormice and Harvest Mice Nests
Winter tidying-up around the Wheatland Farm eco lodges often reveals dormouse or harvest mice nests like these ones.
Continue reading “Dormice and Harvest Mice Nests”February Frogspawn
It’s not properly February until the frogspawn turns up in Wheatland Farm’s ponds. As normal, we’ve first spotted it in the lodge field pond – on the 5th, though it could have been laid earlier.
Continue reading “February Frogspawn”Listed In The Guardian’s Top Ten Eco Friendly Places To Stay In Europe!
We’re thrilled to find Wheatland Farm listed this morning in a Guardian Top Ten list of eco friendly places to stay in Europe.
Continue reading “Listed In The Guardian’s Top Ten Eco Friendly Places To Stay In Europe!”Fox Cub Visiting Honeysuckle Lodge
Thanks to Wheatland Farm guest Nicola Clarke for sending us these lovely images of a fox cub that ‘came out to explore’ right outside Honeysuckle Lodge.
Continue reading “Fox Cub Visiting Honeysuckle Lodge”Clover Lawns Around The Eco Lodges
#30DaysWild no 30. At Wheatland Farm we’ve been easing off the path mowing just for a week or so, and here’s the result – clover lawns around the eco lodges that the bees are loving.
Continue reading “Clover Lawns Around The Eco Lodges”Tree Bumble Bees Make Placid Neighbours
#30DaysWild no 29. The tree bumblebee nest at Beech Lodge is still going strong, with bees coming and going and doing their own thing.
Continue reading “Tree Bumble Bees Make Placid Neighbours”Frog Exodus
#30DaysWild no. 24: The frog / toad exodus from the Wheatland Farm wildlife pond is in full swing!
Continue reading “Frog Exodus”Hovering sparrows
#30DaysWild no 23: The sparrows are learning to hover so they can get at the suspended feeders at Wheatland Farm!
Continue reading “Hovering sparrows”Summer Butterflies
#30DaysWild no 22. With the sunshine coming back at Wheatland Farm, so are the butterflies, like this Painted Lady.
Continue reading “Summer Butterflies”Admiring The Weeds
#30DaysWild no 20. At Wheatland Farm sometimes we don’t get around to weeding the patio…
Continue reading “Admiring The Weeds”Toads On The Move
#30DaysWild no 19: We think of toads as living at the Wheatland Farm wildlife pond, but often we find them a long way from water.
Continue reading “Toads On The Move”Woodpeckers Feeding Their Young
#30DaysWild no 18. The Great Spotted Woodpecker has brought its baby to the Wheatland Farm bird feeders. Here’s a clip of the adult collecting some food and taking it to feed the young bird waiting in the relative safety of the vegetation.
Continue reading “Woodpeckers Feeding Their Young”Third Time Lucky For The Robin
#30DaysWild no 17: Our favourite Wheatland Farm robin seems to have finally raised a family.
Continue reading “Third Time Lucky For The Robin”A ‘first’ Scarce Chaser for North Devon
How exciting! #30DaysWild no 16, the Devon dragonfly recorder confirms that this beautiful beast, which we found yesterday, is a Scarce Chaser, and is the first record for the North Devon region.
Continue reading “A ‘first’ Scarce Chaser for North Devon”Photographing dragonflies
30DaysWild no 15: this Golden Ringed Dragonfly, resting in the turbine field at Wheatland Farm, let us get close enough to take pictures with a mobile phone.
Continue reading “Photographing dragonflies”Funky Green Spider
#30DaysWild no 13 this startlingly green spider was spotted on stonework as we hung up the acres of washing from our eco lodge ‘change over’ day. Small is beautiful – if a little creepy. Or at least creepy crawly.
Continue reading “Funky Green Spider”Moth Spotting
#30DaysWild no. 9. This moth, which settled on the doorstep of Balebarn Eco Lodge, blends in almost perfectly with it’s surroundings, and looking it up is our ‘do something wild’ action for the day.
Continue reading “Moth Spotting”Southern Marsh Orchids In Bloom
#30DaysWild no. 8. We are delighted to have found a patch of southern marsh orchids in full bloom.
Continue reading “Southern Marsh Orchids In Bloom”Yellow Flag Irises At The Pond
#30DaysWild no 7. We’re taking a moment to stop and appreciate the yellow flag irises that are in full bloom at the wildlife pond below Balebarn Eco Lodge – and also the creatures that live among them….
Continue reading “Yellow Flag Irises At The Pond”Finding A Longhorn Beetle
#30DaysWild No 6. We found this long horn beetle climbing up the window. So we looked it up before letting it fly off.
Continue reading “Finding A Longhorn Beetle”A nest of fluffy chicks
#30DaysWild No. 5 This bevy of fluffy chicks is packed into a nest nestled in a tussock of grass on Popehouse Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Continue reading “A nest of fluffy chicks”Wildlife Watching From The Window
#30DaysWild no 4. Not everyone finds it easy to get out and about. But that doesn’t stop you spotting wildlife from your window. Grandpa B’s window looks into the Wheatland Farm garden and he’s been making a ‘species list’ over breakfast. From the lodges you’ll have an even wider scope.
Continue reading “Wildlife Watching From The Window”#30DaysWild No 1. Hawthorn
#30DaysWild 2021 No. 1. It’s hard to believe June is already upon us, and so is #30DaysWild, organised by the Wildlife Trusts. But since we’re not quite ready to say goodbye to May yet, we’re taking a moment to enjoy the flower named after the month – May, or hawthorn blossom.
Continue reading “#30DaysWild No 1. Hawthorn”Patch Mowing Rushes In The Turbine Field
We’re developing a new strategy to keep rushes under control on Lower Newland Moor, at Wheatland Farm, and monitoring progress with drone images.
Continue reading “Patch Mowing Rushes In The Turbine Field”Robins making a home at Wheatland Farm’s lodges
Wheatland Farm has several pairs of robins this year, including one nesting in Ian’s workshop opposite Otter Cottage. The female frequently comes to the front door expecting mealworms, and will feed from our hands.
Continue reading “Robins making a home at Wheatland Farm’s lodges”Wheatland Farm’s Swallows Are Back
Here at Wheatland Farm we’ve been waiting for the swallows to return, so we can bake the annual celebratory cake!
Continue reading “Wheatland Farm’s Swallows Are Back”Kestrel box for the eco lodges
We’ve put a new kestrel box in the field below Balebarn Eco Lodge at Wheatland Farm. Wouldn’t it be nice to watch a breeding pair hunting over the meadow! There should be a good view from Balebarn’s veranda, or even from inside the lodge.
Continue reading “Kestrel box for the eco lodges”First Frogspawn
There’s frogspawn in the ponds near the eco lodges. Now it’s official – winter must be on the turn.
Continue reading “First Frogspawn”Pledge For Nature Award Winner
Lovely news, Wheatland Farm’s Devon Eco Lodges have received a Pledge For Nature Award from the North Devon Biosphere Reserve.
And we’re not the only local winners either – Winkleigh’s Biodiversity Group won a community award and local organiser Kim Melhuish was chosen as a Community Champion. Big cheers all round.
Continue reading “Pledge For Nature Award Winner”