Natural History

Autumn

Geese and ducks start to arrive in large numbers for the winter. 

Flocks of fieldfares and redwings arrive from Scandinavia and feast on the berries in our farm hedgerows.

With an onshore breeze, you may hear the haunting wails of grey seals that congregate on sandbanks near Lindifarne.  At this time of year, seal pups are being born on the Farne Islands.

Winter

The geese are gathering and grazing more on our fields now that there is less eel-grass left for them on the mud-flats.

We often see short-eared owls hunting during the day in winter.  They’re not ears actually -  they’re feathery tufts.

In February the brent geese start to fly back to their summer breeding grounds in the Arctic Circle as the weather improves.

Spring

Hares are normally solitary animals, but this month they are holding their ‘Mad March’ boxing bouts to find a mate.

The farm’s resident birds start to nest.  Especially at nesting time the lapwings wheel and tumble in the sky, and scream or “peewit” like an unoiled hinge.

In April, swallows and house martins fly in from Africa for the summer.

The farm’s hedgerows are white with hawthorn blossom.

Summer

Birds are making full use of our ‘beetle banks’ as a source of insects to feed their young.

Dragonflies and damselflies are fluttering over our pond, and butterflies are feeding on the pollen-rich flowers in our wide field margins.