Having enjoyed such a resoundingly successful dawn fox patrol last week, I was desperate to follow it up with another. The Chayne’s boundary takes around two hours to walk, and the fact that the farm is surrounded on three sides by thick pine forestry makes encountering foxes far more likely on the fenceline. With silver Continue reading

Dumfries and Galloway is one of the last places in Britain with a healthy population of red squirrels. Grey squirrels are resident in Glasgow and Edinburgh and virus carrying greys are sweeping up from England, but our local reds seem blissfully unconcerned. They disappeared to their dreys over the course of the winter, but now Continue reading

And still spring continues to unfold on the farm. We have a handful of pheasants on the Chayne, and they lurk throughout the year on the low ground around the farm buildings. A large  pheasant shoot releases birds two miles away at the bottom of the valley, and it is inevitable that a few stragglers Continue reading

I see something new every time I visit the Chayne. The past few days have brought with them encouraging signs of spring and it is fascinating to watch the now familiar landscape coming to life. Dozens of skylarks seem to have arrived over the course of the last week, and I was delighted to hear Continue reading

When I first started to look into improving the land at the Chayne, I only had an eye out for the grouse. The more time I have spent on the hill, the more potential I see for reverting the farm to its original and ecologically fascinating state. First I found out that there were still Continue reading

I love bats. Nothing is better than lying out in a wood on a clear summer night and watching them flit delicately between the branches overhead. When I found out that we have almost a dozen different species of bat in Scotland, I was amazed. Most people have heard the word “pipistrelle” and know that Continue reading

Who would have thought it possible to call in a wild barn owl? I have called tawny owls at night with a rabbit squeaker before, but leaving the Chayne late yesterday evening, I heard the familiar hiss of a barn owl. We have two pairs living on the farm and it is always great to Continue reading

    I am told that hen harriers are some of the worst predators of red grouse that it is possible to have. Paying a visit to an experienced hill keeper on the border between Galloway and Lanarkshire, I spent a fascinating morning asking questions on a variety of subjects to do with grouse and Continue reading