Our version of dead hedging: a line of cut branches, twig, leaves that we would previously have burnt on the bonfire. Far better for the air and for wildlife. The pile will slowly decompose into the ground over the next couple of years or so.
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Category: Tipton’s Croft
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The sound of birds
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Category: Tipton’s CroftA ten minute walk around the field with Merlin Bird ID and we were surprised by how many birds were around us.
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Red sky at night
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Category: Tipton’s Croft
The aurora borialis came to Shropshire tonight with the northern sky turning red and green against a backdrop of stars. A lovely sight.
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The King of Bomere Heath
It took a while but at last we managed to get a close-up photo of the kingfisher waiting to catch a fish on the pond, just as the sun came out.
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Funghi
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Category: Other
We also do know that fungi are not plants! We have lots of wild mushrooms, toadstools and other fungi in and around the field. With one or two exceptions, they are rather hard to identify and we generally leave them well alone. We certainly don’t know enough to even consider eating any of them.
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123
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Category: Wildflowers
We have now identified a total of 123 different wildflowers at Tipton’s Croft. Some have become very common and can be seen every summer all over the meadow: such as common knapweed and bird’s-foot trefoil. Others we are unlikely to see that much: common poppies and cornflowers like ploughed fields rather than meadows. All are welcome though.
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Stonechat
A new sighting of a stonechat: caught on the camera set up to catch the kingfisher (who is proving rather camera-shy).
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Kingfisher 1 fish 0
The kingfisher is proving an expert at fishing and the roach less expert at hiding.
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Home viewing
A brief visit from a female barn owl last night. She is ringed so has come from a managed nest but we don’t know where, yet.
Update. On closer inspection we can just make out some of the digits on its ring, which match the adult male from this year. So he’s roosting somewhere else and keeping an eye on the empty nest box.
(the oak leaves are from a squirrel who has tried to make a nest in the nest box)
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A flash of blue
A kingfisher has appeared on the pond for the first time. A brief glimpse earlier in the week but today confirmed as we watched it wait patiently on a branch over the water before diving down to catch a fish (a small roach).
These are the best photos we could manage but we have set up a camera next to its perch so hopefully a better view soon.
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11 newbies
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Hemp-agrimony 
Marsh woundwort 
Hedge woundwort 
Betony 
Great burnet 
Meadowsweet 
Gypsywort 
Hedge bedstraw 
Ground elder 
Greater celandine 
Cut-leaved crane’s-bill Now we’re heading into autumn there won’t be any more wildflowers this year so here are all the new ones we’ve spotted. This takes the total number of different wildflowers at Tipton’s Croft to 123.
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Hay time
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Category: The MeadowOr rather haylage, as is often the case late in the season, it’s too wet for hay but a total of 18 bales so not a bad year and another good opportunity for the wildflower seeds to be spread around the field.
