Riots in Suffolk orchard – blame management?

Since spring started the early morning noise has gradually got worse as people trying to sleep in nearby houses have been woken early and had to keep their windows closed at night. The cause of this morning riot of noise is large numbers of unruly birds competing to sing louder than each other.

The orchard, Halls Farm Norton on a May spring day

Rival Blackbirds and Song thrushes stake claim to fruit trees, trying to outdo each other vocally and then there is insistent background noise from Robins, Whitethroats, Great tits, Dunnocks and many others. Then, to cap it all, Cuckoos move in calling incessantly, and the Pigeons….

Noise is not the only disturbance, white ghostly shapes glide over the orchard in the morning mist, Barn owls distract people watching from further sleep and Roe deer are frequent visitors.

At first glance the orchard could be dismissed as a scruffy acre with a few old trees. There is a mixture of old apple, pear, plum and cherry trees. Where old trees have died, new ones have been planted. At the beginning of June the grass is long with heavy seed heads, and a closer look reveals many smaller flowering plants mixed in with grass as the orchard has not been mown this year. This spring, rare wild Snakes Head Fritillary was found growing here, no one remembers seeing this beautiful little plant here before.

Lucy hunting for Pignuts. Halls farm orchard

Over the last few years the orchard has been managed with a very light touch. Ponies graze round the trees in the winter and very early spring and, if needed, a crop of hay is cut in late summer when all the seeds have dried and dropped to the ground. The ponies only eat the longer growth and their hooves open some bare ground allowing seeds to germinate.

This light touch management has allowed wild flowers to thrive, and birds flock in at all times of the year to feed on the seeds, fruit, and many insects. On some nights this spring we have run a moth trap in the orchard. Last Sunday we counted well over 100 moths and more than 25 different species. Judging by the Barn Owl which hunts daily, small mammals are common as well.

Identifying moths trapped in the Halls farm orchard

Apart from the obvious benefits to wildlife, the orchard makes sitting out in the nearby garden a real pleasure; with a constantly changing scene of delicate wild flowers, buzzing insects and, of course, those noisy rioting birds.

« Guardians of the Countryside Butterflies »