Chris and I visited our new pond and woodland today, the pond has filled nicely, the deer fence is up, and the trees are now being planted so there is major progress for our farm project so I thought I'd share it with you on this lovely day. It was such a lovely uplifting morning to visit the site, the sun was shining, the dogs had a great walk and sniff of the hedgerows, and the lovely birds were singing, it was almost deafening! I saw my first skylark, ok Chris pointed it out to me, and I heard it singing as it flew past otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what it was, but hey, now I do. The site looks huge, it covers almost ten acres, so it is going to be a substantial woodland for a bird and wildlife haven on our farm, it’s been a few years in...

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch takes place 26-28th January this year. It’s the biggest survey of birds in the UK as over half a million people take part. The data is important as the survey has been going for the last 40 years so when it is all collated it can be used to compare year on year information about trends in species plus it’s a snapshot of bird numbers across the UK so is comprehensive and is most important in helping spot problems and can be the first step to help to protect certain species. The big garden Birdwatch was started in 1979, but it wasn’t until Blue Peter featured this in a programme that it totally took off, although adults weren’t invited to join in until 2001. If you wish to join in with the Big Garden Birdwatch it couldn’t be simpler. Firstly, you need to find a good...

Phew, welcome to 2019. Let’s hope that you all had a lovely Xmas and New Year and that all is back to normal in your households. We had a lovely rest, enjoyed spending time with friends and family, walked the dogs and generally recharged our batteries ready for the challenges of 2019. Our shop has reopened today and is fully stocked up, we are back in full production making our hen corns, pigeon foods and wild bird foods, ready for you to give your birds the best possible nutrition at prices that make you happy too. We have been interviewed for a farming magazine with Robyn, our youngest daughter. The magazine was initially interested in her story about how she coped with her epilepsy while living on a farm with the related challenges of not being able to drive etc, but they also interviewed Chris and me about our Bird food...

We are running a Photo competition to win a 12.55kg bag of either Laverock No Waste or Laverock No Wheat Wild Bird Food. https://www.laverockhallfarm.co.uk/wild-bird-food/no-waste-12-55kg-detail https://www.laverockhallfarm.co.uk/wild-bird-food/wheat-free-wild-bird-food-12-55kg-detail The competition is from Nov 27th to Midnight on Tuesday Dec 4th & all you need to do to enter is to submit a wildlife or birdlife photo of your choice on our Facebook page as a comment on the relevant competition  Facebook post. This will be judged by an independent judge and his/her decision will be final. One entry per person & if you wish to share the competition with your friends and family that would be fab but isn’t obligatory. After that date the winner will be announced ASAP., and the prize can either be collected from our shop or it will be couriered to you if you live further afield. UK entries only please and only one entry per person. Could you please...

The nights seem to be closing in very quickly and although we have had very warm weather this week, the colder weather is just around the corner, and the birds will be looking for more food to keep them warm throughout the colder temperatures.   It is almost the school Half Term Holidays l too, and If you are looking for a project  to entertain children or grandchildren then this could be a great family activity  for you all  which is relatively cheap, involves recycling and also feeds the birds and is educational too. Here are my instructions;  How to make a simple bird feeder You will need 1.An empty plastic bottle, any size is fine, remember though that it will weigh quite heavy when filled with bird food. 2.Wooden dowels, pencils, old wooden spoons – these will be the perches 3.Wire to make a loop,  or strong twine is fine too,...

“You shouldn’t feed the birds in the Summer” Is this True or False, well actually its false as in the Summer the birds are usually feeding young and a regular supply of bird food ensures that the birds in our gardens are healthy and the next generation is getting the best possible start too! Breeding and egg laying can take over half of the female bird’s energy and they often moult at this time of year too. The migrating birds need sufficient fat reserves, built up during the summer months to see them through successful migration to their winter feeding grounds in Africa & other countries. Winter feeding is obviously important as natural feedstuff is usually in short supply and the colder temperatures make it more difficult for survival, but it is now acknowledged that supplementing natural foodstuffs for the birds all year round is considered the best option. Should we...

I know Winter seems like a long way away but as farmers we have to make preparations for crops sometimes years in advance, crop rotation (remember that from school history lessons, the Agricultural Revolution, Jethro Tull & all that) is a real thing and we really need to know what we will be growing in which field in years to come. We try to do our bit for wildlife and the birds, we fed tons of Wild Bird food during the snow and most of the Winter down our fields to keep the hedgerow birds fed and healthy as well as filling our bird feeders in our garden, it’s just bird feeding, but on a much larger scale. This year we are planting some crops that won’t be harvested so that the birds have food for the winter and they can feed themselves, this cover crop also provides the birds with...