A Week on the Estate: Cracking Weekend, Media Splash & Winged Wonders

We were thrilled to play our part in showcasing the wonders of the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB in its 50^th year. The good news is clearly spreading and we were featured on ITV’s Calendar News. If you missed us on the telly, catch up HERE. We were on BBC Radio Lincolnshire too, and you can find a bonus video clip of Tristan and Daria being put through their paces on our Facebook page HERE (23^rd May).

Did you take any funny, exciting or memorable pics at the Estate Open Weekend? Post them on Facebook with hashtag #SOEvents before midnight on 29th May to enter our photography competition. Head to our Facebook page and look for the pinned post for prizes and rules.

We’d like to thank the hard-working estate team and event volunteers who made the Estate Open Weekend such a success. We’re also obliged to the artists, naturalists, experts, storytellers and Wolds aficionados who generously shared their time and enthusiasm.

If we’ve whetted your appetite for the wonders of our AONB, the Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival programme runs until 11th June and we have three tours to tempt you:

• The Three-Mile Walk
• The Rare Breeds Walk
• The ‘Trying Times for Sebastian Scattergood’ Literary Walk

Across the Estate the hard work continues and the commitment and enthusiasm of the Saturday Club continue to impress. Over the last couple of weekends, they’ve moved mini-mountains of sticks and bricks, planted pumpkins, cut flowers and got acquainted with the newest and most curious members of the Lincoln Red herd.

The team is also keeping tabs on our biodiversity and tracked down a variety of owl pellets which they’ll dissect and analyse.  Watch this space to find out what our apex predators are dining out on.

Finally, and speaking of biodiversity, we’ve yet more positive news about our local wildlife. Richard Doan from Lincs Wildlife Trust tweeted the results of a short morning survey on the Estate. He saw a pair of lapwings, a family group of five ravens (including recent fledglings), at least five pairs of red kites, a tree sparrow, four buzzards, 20 yellowhammers, six reed buntings, two yellow wagtails and two grey partridges.

Phil Hyde of the Lincs Bird Club, who kindly led last weekend’s bird tour, also shared the result of his recent survey on the Estate. He observed 35 species, including a goldcrest, lesser and greater whitethroats, a reed bunting, yellow and white wagtails and tufted ducks. You can take a look at Phil’s survey HERE.

Seeing our vision of regenerative farming becoming a measurable reality, and seeing our margins and hedgerows brim with singing, fluttering life, puts a spring in our step. Thanks Richard and Phil!

If you’d like to share your views on anything you’ve read here, we’d love to hear from you. Just head to our Facebook page HERE and comment beneath the latest blog post. As ever, thanks for your support.