From furrows and wheel barrows, to burrows and tree sparrows.
This blog is a personal exhibit of thoughts, opinions and interests of advisers, colleagues and friends of FWAG SW.
All our blog posts are written by advisers, trustees, farmers and members. These posts express the opinions of the writer and are not necessarily the views of FWAG SW. If you would like to write a post for this blog please contact us, we would love to hear your view!
We welcome you to interact with us by commenting on these posts and sharing your thoughts and opinions, these topics are all open for discussion! See you in the comments...
Winter is a brilliant time to enjoy watching flocks of birds and you can find examples of these in most habitats from arable fields to woodland. Resident species flock together in winter to increase chances of survival, and may form mixed species flocks, but the UK also draws some attractive winter migrants. Read the full article from Alison by clicking here... Read more
I moved to Marlborough, Wiltshire about 3 years ago and love that the Kennet, a beautiful chalk stream, runs through it. Growing up in Worcestershire on the floodplain of the Severn I had a very different experience of rivers; I certainly wouldn’t have waded in that, and now, most years my parents’ house will be cut off for a couple of weeks at peak flow. Read the full article from Maisie by clicking here... Read more
As a FWAG adviser I am lucky to work with many enthusiastic and knowledgeable farmers keen to take forward a wide variety of environmental projects. Wherever possible I encourage farmers to go a bit further, try something new and make a small change for the environment. Read the full article from Rebecca by clicking here... Read more
With the world watching the final few hours of the COP26 climate conference and the final conference communication, the hope of future generations appears to rest on the commitments made over these last two weeks. The reality is that although governments have a major role in enabling business and citizens to make a difference, we all have a responsibility to do our bit. Read the full article from Adam by clicking here... Read more
Wildflower scrapbooks… school nature walks under a canopy of elms… family Sunday walks out on the Levels hijacked by dad’s need for willing volunteers to collect whatever plant he needs for his latest homemade wine experiment… fingers stained for days if it was dandelion or elderberry, and mouths too if it was blackberry… a field full of sunny cowslips… tree climbing anywhere & everywhere… newt spotting at Shervage Woods pond… Read the full article from Billy by clicking here... Read more
Whilst I went to agricultural college, have farming friends and am fortunate to have lived most of my life in our farmed countryside, if I had to choose between farming and wildlife conservation, I would choose wildlife conservation. I realise, of course, that this is a stupid statement, for lots of reasons. What I mean is that the conservation of our wildlife is something I feel very strongly about. Read the full article from Alex by clicking here... Read more
Since the summer day, in the 1970s, when my mum bought me half a pint of Woodpecker cider to keep her noisy child quiet in a pub garden and then hours spent scrumping in the orchards of Kent as a teenager, I have loved apples and the orchards where they grow. Read the full article from Simeon by clicking here... Read more
I read an article recently about the Affric Highlands scheme, a collaboration between large landowners and a rewilding charity to rewild half a million acres in north-western Scotland. I was not surprised to read that the success of the collaboration has been put down to those with the rewilding agenda approaching landowners as though they were dating; with a genuine curiosity and willingness to listen. Read the full article from Bea by clicking here... Read more
Instead of moping about a lost holiday I took the opportunity to make the most of my time away from work and turn it into an adventure! One evening I turned to my partner and said should we do the Two Moors Way this summer, he looked at me and shrugged in a manner to suggest "why not?"! Planned, prepped and apprehensive we hopped on a train to Plymouth to start our walk at Wembury Beach. Read the full article from Angelique by clicking here... Read more
When I first involved myself in Forestry back into 2003, one of my primary interests was sustainable forms of forestry. Much discussion and research has taken place on this broad subject over the years, and it is always good to see examples of this being successfully put into practice. Read the full article from Iain by clicking here... Read more
Looking out over the countryside at this time of year you can see the pale creamy fields of harvested crops framed within the deep green lines of hedgerows, ditches and margins. The ever-decreasing patches of green pastures nestled in now and then and some early shades of orange through to brown of those fields already ploughed. Read the full article from Joanne by clicking here... Read more
This is a question I have pondered for a while as there is no one size fits all. Read the full post from Sammy by clicking here... Read more