Farming for wildlife

摘要

Flushed from the shallow, seasonal pond, a flock of teal wheels in the December sky, and two, then three, snipe erupt from a clump of reeds, zigzagging erratically in typical fashion. Daylesford Organic Farm's environmentalscientist Tim Field sighs with satisfaction: "If you get a peregrine among that lot, then you're really seeing something."In the summer, Daylesford - a mixed farm in the north-east of the Cotswolds - has lapwings, too, though they have yet to raise any chicks. At the pond's edge, Field proudly reveals the artificial holt put in for an otter that traverses Daylesford's portion of the River Evenlode. With winter linnets in the market garden, and a sparrowhawk patrolling a small copse, this is farmland asif s meant to be.