Category Archives: Wildlife

Big Farmland Bird Count


Last year saw a record-breaking count, 140 species of farmland birds over 1 million acres. But there are still many farmers and land managers who have yet to get involved.

3 reasons to make 2020 the year of your first Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC):

1. You might learn something about your farm You know your farm better than anyone. You know your crop rotations, your livestock movements, your wet and dry fields. But what do you know about the wildlife on your farm? If you have never set time aside to consider this, the BFBC is the perfect opportunity. 30 minutes to look at your farm from a different perspective might help you to appreciate both the pleasure of being a custodian of our countryside, and the business opportunities of paid-for environmental management.

2. Results us to champion the great work farmers do in caring for the environment CFE partners such as the NFU and GWCT use data on the great work you do to promote farmers’ interests with government and the public. The more data we have to make the case for support for farmers, the stronger this case will be. The information gathered by the BFBC is a unique snapshot of bird populations on farmland which adds another tool to the toolbox for championing the farmed environment and you, the farmers who care for it.

3. You might enjoy it! The mental-health benefits of taking time out to appreciate the natural world are well documented. Add to this the sense of pride you can take in creating and caring for farmland bird habitat and those 30 minutes in a busy week will be time invested, not time wasted. You are your farm’s most valuable asset; think of the BFBC as a ‘maintenance period’ for yourself.

Don’t be put off by the thought that you might not recognise some bird species. You probably know more than you think (robin, starling, goldfinch…) and GWCT have a handy guide for some of the trickier ones. If in doubt, take a camera with you. Take a snap of any you’re not sure of and look them up. The RSPB ‘identify a bird’ tool will whittle down the options by size, colour, beak etc.

You can register, download your guide and count sheet and send in your sightings at www.bfbc.org.uk. There are even some prizes up for grabs, so don’t forget to submit your results.

Eat Local Ice Cream, support British Farming


The hot weather is also a great excuse to eat more ice cream to stay cool!

Do you prefer a cone or tub, single or double scoop, sauce or no sauce? Whichever way you choose to eat your cool treat this summer, be sure to back British farming. Supporting the industry has never been more important, so what better way than to treat yourself than with a scoop of British dairy ice cream on a warm summer’s day!

Here are some local producers, many encourage site visits, so why not go explore them.

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Get out and Explore the area


The summer holidays provide the perfect time to get out and about in your local area. You and your friends and family will be amazed by what you can find just a few steps from home. The British countryside is a working landscape of grazing livestock, growing crops and fruiting trees – it is where our food is produced.  Filled with expansive green spaces, extensive woodland, water streams and rolling hills, the great outdoors is a giant adventure playground waiting to be explored.

To be in with a chance of winning £100 from Joules, download your free ‘Countryside Safari’ activity sheet and find out more about how British farmers protect wildlife and habitats on their farms, care for their animals and produce the food on our plates. Don’t forget to stay safe though, and follow the countryside code. > Activity sheet here https://www.countrysideonline.co.uk/assets/108870

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Tamar Grow Local 10th anniversary


Tamar Grow Local is 10 years old in 2017 Help them celebrate at some of the following events in October! 

Wed 4th October – Honey Fair, Callington Come along to see live honey extraction demonstrations and enjoy a slice of honey cake. There’ll be honey on sale, details of bee-keeping courses and bee-keeping sundries for sale.

Thursday 5th October – Heralds of Spring Daffodil Conference, Tamar Valley Centre celebrating the 2017 Heritage Lottery funded daffodil project focusing on observation and identification of Tamar Valley daffodils. Share findings, hear daffodil experts, listen to oral histories and buy bulbs for the coming season. Free tickets available here

Thursday 5th October – Food & Farming Pub Quiz, The Carpenters Arms, Metherell Get your team together for the TGL quiz which is everything food, farming and the Tamar Valley. Swat up on your vegetables, plants, animals and current affairs to become our winning team! To book a place, please contact info@tamargrowlocal.org or call (01579) 208412  £2 per person with funds donated to the Grow, Share, Cook project.

Friday 6th October –Tamar Grow Local 10 year celebration, Tamar Valley Centre Join us for a day of talks and discussion from inspiring food projects and funders from across the UK. Speakers from Real Farming Trust, Plymouth City Council, Open Food Network UK and Tamar Grow Local and learning how these groups are working towards building a more sustainable food economy. Theere’s also a market gardening exhibition and a mini farmers market so you can stock up on goodies. Full details and tickets available here 

The day is ticketed on a contribution scheme so please leave the free tickets for those who may not be able to meet the cost of attending. This event is not-for-profit, TGL are looking to meet the costs of providing lunch and speaker travel expenses. For further details, visit the website at www.tamargrowlocal.org

Saturday 7th October – Apple & Chilli Festival, Apple Pressing. Carpenters Arms, Metherell, 10am – 4pm Our monthly Brunch & Produce Market turns into a celebration of apples, chillies and Autumn produce in October. Bring your apples for pressing for a donation, Music from Robin Roper and over 25 varieties of chillies to try and buy!

Saturday 7th October – Foraging Walk, 2pm A circular walk introducing wild food foraging, identification of edible plants & how to create your own hedgerow salads. 2pm, £9, Meet at the Carpenters Arms. To book, please contact    rachaelforster@tamargrowlocal.org

Check out the TGL sowing guide here http://www.tamargrowlocal.org/sites/default/files/vegetable-planting-planner.pdf

U3A speaker June 2017


This month speaker at the Callington U3A was the delightful and funny Denise Walker her talk was entitled ‘Who goes there’ a look at animal tracks.
She suggested when we are out walking in this beautiful county, that we keep our noses to the ground, as there is a world of animal tracks and clues to the wild life in your area. You need to look for clues to the small dramas that have been taking place.
There maybe fur caught on barbed wire, tracks and trails in the bank, and foot prints if the path is wet. Denise showed us various tracks we could spot, like hedgehogs, squirrels, deer and foxes. She showed us pictures of various poo! which contains the indigestible parts of foods such as hair, feather, bone splinters, which provide a wealth of information. Smells also play a vital role in the social aspects of mammals.
Clues can be found about their eating habits in their droppings, there are 3 types, vegetarians, carnivores and birds.

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Trebartha Open Gardens n Hydro System


Trebartha  open the file for more info on Trebartha.

The Hydro system has been operational since December 2015. Water is taken off at the in take area on the Withey Brook, just below Hawks Tor, through a 1.2 kilometre stretch of pipe, dropping 90 metres down to the Turbine House. The turbine is a 4 jet vertical shafted pelton wheel, with a 350 kw generator. The power is fed to a high voltage transformer in the adjoining enclosure before being exported to the local WPD grid. The scheme is estimated to generate some 1,000 MWhs of energy a year – enough for some 2000 domestic properties – this could vary +/- 30% depending on rainfall.