Wildlife > Fife Northbank Farm Cameron St Andrews Biodiversity Rural Stewardship

Wildlife at Northbank Farm, Cameron Biodiversity \| The Rural Stewardship Scheme \| Species-rich Grassland \| Native Wild Flowering Plants \| Wildlife \| Unharvested Crops \| The Seed Mix
Biodiversity At Northbank Farm, Cameron, there is strong sense of the responsibility of the farmer in the role of custodian of the countryside and a commitment to ensure that the rich variety of Fife wildlife is encouraged to flourish alongside economic activities on the land. Measures taken to achieve this include planting and replenishing cover, in the form of managed woodland and mixed hedgerows, establishing species-rich grassland to encourage bio-diversity and planting unharvested crops to provide winter food for farmland birds. Native hedgerow species, , provide wildlife corridors and shelter for roosting and nesting.
The Rural Stewardship Scheme Northbank Farm was accepted by The Scottish Executive Environmental and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) within The Rural Stewardship Scheme (RSS) because the conservation benefits likely to be delivered by the 2006 proposals for the creation of Species-rich Grassland and the allocation of land for Unharvested Crops at Northbank Farm ranked highly under SEERAD appraisal. The land at Northbank adjoins the Cameron Reservoir, a Special Protection Area (SPA) which is used as a roost by an internationally important wintering population of Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus that feed outside the SPA during the day on the surrounding farmland. The reservoir is fed by several small burns (streams) which support a rich variety of wildlife, including otters.
Species-rich Grassland by Cameron Reservoir Traditional semi-natural grasslands used for low-intensity pastoral farming systems throughout northwest Europe supported specialised plant and animal communities. During the second half of the 20th century intensive agriculture resulted in the loss this valuable biodiversity. A species-rich grass mixture has been sown at Northbank Farm on land near the Cameron Reservoir to restore a semi-natural grassland community and encourage wildlife, including beneficial insects, bees and butterflies. Drainage in this area is variable and, in addition to species-rich grassland, the habitat also includes acid grassland, marshy grassland with rough pasture and rushes and other marginal vegetation.
Native wild flowering plants The chosen seed mix includes around fifteen different plant species, about half of which are comprise non-invasive, low productivity grasses, such as Red Fescue, Crested Dogstail and Common Bent, and the other half native wild flowering plants, including Yarrow, ox-eye daisies, Vetches, Birds Foot Trefoil and Red Clover. The management regime permits no use of fertiliser, manure or pesticides. No cutting takes place between mid-April to mid-August, giving time for the plants to flower and produce seeds. The species-rich grassland is then grazed or cut after mid-August.
Wildlife The increased bio-diversity of the species-rich grassland has proved attractive to mammals, and birds, including Brown Hare, Pipistrelle Bat, Barn Owl, Grey Partridge, Skylark, Linnet, Spotted Flycatcher and Roe Deer. In April 2008 groups of up to twelve deer were observed. Additionally the acid grassland attracts many insect species, including the Six-spot Burnet Moth (Zygaena filipendulae) a striking day-flying moth and the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly, which favours the marshy grassland and rough pasture.
Unharvested Crops Provide Wildlife Habitat and Winter Food Supplies Winter food availability for birds and other wildlife has been enhanced by planting an un-harvested crop of seed-rich over-wintering plants to provide a continuing and varied source of food for seed eating species. This mixture of green manure plants and seeding cereals increases biodiversity, attracting beneficial insects including Seven Spot Ladybirds and White-tailed Bumble bees. Mammals benefiting from the crop include Brown Hare and Pipistrelle Bat. The over-wintering plants provide a habitat which has proved very successful in terms of attracting increased numbers of farmland birds. For example, during the spring of 2008 at Northbank Farm large groups of finches were seen, including greenfinches, goldfinches and huge numbers of chaffinches. In addition to the finches, the un-harvested crop is attractive to Song Thrush, Skylark, Tree Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Linnet and Grey Partridge. The over-wintering plants are especially beneficial for Barn Owl and Yellowhammer.
The Seed Mix The un-harvested crop is cereal-based (Triticale) with a legume (Sweet Clover) and three brassicas, Kale, Rape, Mustard. It also includes the flowering green manure crop Phacelia. No pesticides or herbicides are used on the crop. Phacelia produces a large root mass for improving soil tilth. As part of a mix to encourage wildlife, flowering phacelia attracts large numbers of beneficial insects such as bees, wasps and hover flies. Mustard is a rapid growing, flowering plant, also sometimes used as a green manure crop. It takes up nitrogen, suppress weeds and helps to reduce wireworm populations. Mustard flowers are attractive to beneficial insects, including honeybees and hoverflies Sweet Clover can add huge amounts of organic matter to the soil, fix nitrogen and penetrate the subsoil with its deep roots, making it a very valuable addition to the un-harvested crop mix. The flowers attract honeybees, other pollinating insects and beetles. The nectar is also attractive to night-flying moths, some of which are preyed on by bats. Sweet Clover leaves provide food for other insects and their larvae, including noctuid moth larvae (caterpillars), which are often called ‘cutworms,’ and aphids. In turn, ladybirds feed on the aphids. The leaves and seeds of Sweet Clover provide food for birds; rabbits, hares and deer also favour the leaves. Rapeseed is widely grown for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and bio-diesel. Being a heavy nectar producer, it is attractive to insects, hence its inclusion in the un-harvested crop at Northbank Farm. Kale is a very hardy and disease-resistant member of the cabbage family. It was one of the most common green vegetables in all of Europe until the end of the Middle Ages. Kale supports high densities of the widest range of bird species, including insectivorous and seed-eating birds. Triticale is a hybrid of wheat (Triticum) and rye (Secale). The grain was originally bred in Scotland and Sweden in the 19th century. Triticale combines the high yield potential and good grain quality of wheat with the disease and environmental tolerance of rye. It is the cereal element within the un-harvested crop mix planted at Northbank Farm which attracts birds and beneficial insects.