This summer we transformed a 3 acre field on the reserve from this... to this………
A bird cover crop of mustard, fodder radish, kale, linseed, red clover and Phacelia.
Yellow mustard flowers, mauve/white fodder radish and blue Phacelia flowers attracting insects.
Blue Phacelia is nectar rich and particularly attractive to bumblebees, especially the great yellow bumble bee which is very rare in the UK but responding well to help in Orkney.
Huge quantities of both mustard and radish seeds have been produced. The broad leaves of kale are growing well amongst the seeds. Kale is a biennial which will set seed for next year.
The crop is now being enjoyed by large flocks of two or three hundred twite, pictured, linnet, reed buntings and greenfinches, which come to feast on the millions of seeds. Our neighbours at Broadgreen have also owed fields of similar crops, making the whole area a rich feeding ground for passerine birds. An added bonus is the regular hunting forays of hen harriers seen every day attempting to catch a small bird for tea.
Down the edge of the bird crop we dumped many trailer loads of iris rhizomes mixed in with farm yard manure. This was spread about with a digger.
The result is now showing with many of the iris plants recovering, and starting to grow well, along with a multitude of other annual plants.Over several years the irises will grow and fill in the gaps to produce a refuge of early cover for corncrakes when they first return to Orkney from their winter quarters in Africa. We were delighted to tempt a corncrake to nest on the reserve for the first time this year. So we have high hopes for these enigmatic birds at Mill Dam in future years.
Paul Hollinrake - Warden Mill Dam Reserve, Shapinsay