Treshnish and Haunn Cottages |
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To read the RSPB Nature of Farming Awards article in the Telegraph, click here. Treshnish Farm is a coastal family farm on the north west corner of the Isle of Mull.
We have been here since 1994 when the farm had a flock of 700 or so Blackface ewes with neighbouring cattle who came across for the summer to munch the lush grazing on the 'in-bye' fields. These days, we have our own 12 cows which are mostly Aberdeen
Angus, with a few Highland Shorthorn cross cows (lovely reddish brown ones). We have an Aberdeen Angus bull who came to us from the Isle of Bute. We have 400 hill Blackface ewes, and now the 60 Cheviot ewes who lambed for the first time in 2011 are beginning to earn their keep as an additional (in-bye) flock - a 'magical' grazing tool whose winter grazing of the herb rich fields brings the height of the grass down after the cattle have summered in the fields, to encourage the wild flowers the following year. 2 quotes re winning the UK RSPB Nature of Farming Awards 2011: Wildlife cameraman and TV presenter Gordon Buchanan, who grew up on Mull, said: Kate Humble, presenter of the BBC's ‘One Man and his Dog’ & 'Lambing Live' and RSPB President said: "All too often we hear about disagreements between conservation bodies and farmers when in reality both need each other more than ever and frequently work closely side by side for the benefit of the UK's amazing wildlife. The remarkable winners, Treshnish Farm on the beautiful Isle of Mull, prove that you can have a successful agricultural business and care deeply for the land, its biodiversity and the future. I salute them!"
During the summer of 2010, we had nesting corncrakes at Haunn, who were seen regularly and heard alot too. This for us was a great indictment that we were doing something right! In June 2010, we enjoyed a visit from Dr. Tom Prescott of Butterfly Conservation Scotland who was very complimentary about the bio-diversity here: "The high quality of the habitat already present across the majority of the farm is also reflected in the number of scarce and rare species present, particularly plants, many of these being present at Treshnish in profusion. I have not seen such a diverse and colourful sward at any other farm or nature reserve in Scotland before." Look at the Birdlog click here for more details of what birds, flowers, butterflies, moths, animals you can see locally. Prasad has been monitoring the farm for 5 years now, and his records are an invaluable source of information to us - over 300 moths and butterflies have been recorded here. Detailed past records are on the blog, as well as an ongoing diary. The gnarled hazels in the woodland between the Ensay Burn and Treshnish are host to a healthy population of an unusual fungus called Hazel Gloves Fungus only found in Atlantic hazelwoods, as well as some rare lichens. We were a certified organic farm until November 2009.
Very reluctantly we gave up our certificate for several reasons, but chiefly, as we felt in order to continue to protect the conservation
value of the farm and in particular the increasingly abundant wild flowers, we needed to be free to use non organic methods if necessary. For 10 years we have controlled the bracken in an organic system by repeated mechanical cutting and bruising, but we are losing a fighting battle as it marches too successfully wherever you cannot cut it. There is only so much you can do, and there are too many areas where cutting is in conflict with the flowering times of plants growing around the bracken,
as well as too many inaccessible areas. Our regular guests will know from holidays on Mull over the years how it has spread throughout the island. For further news from the farm, please look at our blog.
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Treshnish and Haunn Cottages, Treshnish Point, near Calgary, Isle of Mull, PA75 6QX |