Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2011 | Page 82
Tony Ridd with the latest countryside news
local countryside
country life
Island Life - February/March 2011
what to
look out
for...
DO YOU HAVE A
COUNTRYSIDE STORY?
CALL TONY ON
07966 292334
[email protected]
82
The Mistle Thrush is one of the first birds to
start nesting, very often laying it’s first (of
two) clutches in February. It is bigger and
paler than the song thrush with much bolder
spotting on it’s breast and belly. Favourite
foods include worms, slugs and snails or
berry laden trees like rowan, holly and
hawthorn.
back to nature
A countrymans diary
Apart from sun
stroke, nature seems
to have hit us with
most meteorological
conditions, over
the last couple of
months! I enjoyed
the snow before
Christmas, even
though it meant we
couldn’t work for
a couple of days. It
still has a novelty
feel about it I wouldn’t be
surprised if we see it return
later this season.
We have all but finished a
lot of our larger coppicing
and felling woodland work.
I like to get these out of
the way before we get too
much into the planting jobs.
Contrary to popular belief,
planti ng before Christmas
isn’t essential. The majority
of our planting is carried out
in February, March and April
Compiled by TONY RIDD
Mistle Thrush
with no loss of success!
Hedges and new woodlands
are now the order of the
day. We aren’t planting
such big areas of woodland
cover as we were five years
of grant and incentives to
farmers and landowners,
but new and replacement
of old hedges are certainly
increasing and becoming more
popular. I don’t really hear
the terms, ‘green corridors’ or
‘wildlife highways’ any more,
but this is what they are and
the rewards are a real treat.
There was a sad moment
this month, when I had to say
farewell to an old faithful,
my first forestry tractor!
Admittedly, it’s been coming
for some time now as it hasn’t
worked for three years. But
whenever I looked at him,
he always gave me fond
memories of the good service
he gave…RIP orange tractor x.
ago, mainly because of lack
Visit our new website - www.visitislandlife.com