Our February Farm Cluster Pub Night will be with Mark Nowers of the RSPB. Mark will update us on his highly successful project Operation Turtle Dove, working with farmers and landowners to create turtle dove habitat in Essex and south Suffolk. The River Blackwater catchment is a stronghold for turtle doves, and many farmers have worked with Mark to create habitat for this endangered species on their farm. With several turtle dove sites established at the lower end of the Blackwater, Mark will talk about how farmers can help increase the number of these birds making their way into the upper Blackwater and Pant, through supplementary feeding and habitat creation. He will also talk us through the funding available to support farmers to do this work.

We will be following up this event with a farm walk at a farm with established and well used turtle dove habitat in the lower Blackwater in the late spring/early summer, when the birds return from their winter in sub-Saharan West Africa.

To book tickets please click on the link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-essex-farm-cluster-pub-nights-operation-turtle-dove-tickets-731863943757?aff=oddtdtcreator

Following on from last January’s Farmland Bird event, where we were lucky enough to be treated to a fantastic show by the many species of birds using the winter food plots, in particular the huge flock of Linnets, we’d like to invite you back to Bovingdon to see the plots in year two of the scheme. We’ll once again be guided through the birds we are seeing and hearing by Mark Nowers of the RSPB, who’s enthusiasm and expertise we all so enjoyed last time around. This event is being timed to coincide with the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Big Farmland Bird Count launch. Refreshments will be provided, and there will also be an opportunity to get free support to carry out your own farmland bird survey, including being matched with an expert from the Essex Birdwatching Society who can carry out the survey on your behalf.

To book your spot at this event, please use the following link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/farmland-bird-day-tickets-731815368467?aff=oddtdtcreator

For January’s Farm Cluster Pub Night we will be welcoming along deer management expert Dave Hooton. Dave will lead us through a discussion on the ever-increasing challenges that deer present in the farmed landscape, from crop damage to browsing of coppiced areas, hedgerows and new tree planting. He’ll update us on the latest support that is available to farmers to help mitigate and manage deer impact.

Prompted by a request from some of our farmer members, we’ll also discuss if there are combined approaches that we can take through the Farm Cluster to manage deer, such as coordinated stalking weekends, and the shared use of the new deer larder at Great Priory Farm as a pick up point for game dealers during the season.

Dave’s talks are always fascinating and his explanation of the sheer scale of the current deer population problem in the UK is well worth a listen even if deer aren’t something that you deal with on your own farm at present.

Please reserve your spot at this event by clicking on the following link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-essex-farm-cluster-pub-nights-deer-management-with-dave-hooton-tickets-731802901177?aff=oddtdtcreator

For our December evening at the Red Lion Inn, Finchingfield we will be joined by Darren Tansley from Essex Wildlife Trust. Darren will update the Cluster on the EDNA survey work he carried out on the River Pant last summer, and tell us about the work of the highly effective mink eradication programme he leads, that has seen local mink populations eradicated in large areas of Norfolk and Suffolk. The project utilises sophisticated “smart traps” and aims to remove mink completely from the landscape, making way for the recovery of native water vole populations amongst other wildlife. Darren hopes to bring the eradication programme to the Farm Cluster area next year, so this is a good chance for us to hear about what is involved in taking part.

Darren will also give us an update on the health of the river as he sees it through his work on the Pant, and talk to us about what we can be doing in the mean time to manage our rivers, tributaries and ditches in a way that supports our native wildlife.

As this is our last event before Christmas, we do hope you’ll also stay and join us for a festive drink and a mince pie or two!

To book your place please follow the link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ne-farm-cluster-pub-nights-mink-water-vole-river-pant-survey-findings-tickets-731768418037?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join us at the Red Lion Inn, Finchingfield for an evening talk on bats in the Essex countryside, lead by ecologists Alison Cross and Pat Hatch from the Essex Bat Group. Alison and Pat will give us an introduction to bat species found in Essex, their preferred habitats on farms, how to identify bats and what we can be doing as farmers to support native our bat populations. Some of you may have met Alison or Pat before, and will appreciate their refreshingly practical and pragmatic approach to making space for bats within a working farm setting.

Please use the following link to book your spot at this event https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-essex-farm-cluster-pub-nights-bats-tickets-731177661067?aff=oddtdtcreator

With excellent capital funding opportunities currently available for pond creation and restoration, join us for a free breakfast and training event looking at how to identify ponds for restoration or the best areas for pond creation on your farm. We will be looking at the various techniques for digging out ponds and common pitfalls to avoid when excavating, how to manage bankside vegetation and how to create a pond that has maximum benefits for wildlife on your farm. We will also cover how to get the costs associated with creating or restoring a pond covered through a simple one-off grant. The event will involve a farm walk and a live demonstration, and is being run by the North Essex Farm Cluster in partnership with FWAG and Operation Turtledove.

Places at this event are limited, so please book early to avoid disappointment via the following link : https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pond-creation-restoration-a-technical-guide-for-farmers-and-contractors-tickets-731135043597?aff=oddtdtcreator

Big Farmland Bird Count Event

The aim of the Big Farmland Bird Count is to help raise awareness of the important role that farmers play in the survival of farmland bird populations. It provides an opportunity for farmers to actually demonstrate what their work and effort delivers on the groundand helps us be aware of the diversity of birdlife we have on our farms.

On the morning of Friday 27th January, we are delighted to be able to offer a training/information event for Cluster farmers and landowners interested in completing the Big Farmland Bird Count. The event will be jointly hosted by the Cluster, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and the RSPB. The aim of the event is to support as many farmers as possible to complete the Count, by giving information and matching any farms that would like to participate but need support with bird identification with a volunteer who can help you count.

This event is free to attend, with morning coffee and cake provided. The event will be hosted at Bovingdon Farm and will include a walk through some large areas of winter bird food. Amber Lole from the GWCT and Mark Nowers from Operation Turtle Dove will be coming along to share their knowledge and expertise.

To book your place please use follow this link to our EventBright page Big Farmland Bird Count with the North Essex Farm Cluster Tickets, Fri 27 Jan 2023 at 09:30 | Eventbrite

Come and meet our newly appointed Cluster coordinators Joe & Emma Gray as they host the North Essex Farm Cluster launch event on their family farm in Bocking. Join us for a farm walk, refreshments and a chance to find out more about the planned work of the Cluster and how your farm could benefit.

All welcome, RSVP Emma via email info@northessexfarmcluster.co.uk or via text/phone 07764 743405.