From cabbage patch to wild haven
A man with a passion for trees has created an accidental nature reserve in peaceful Lincolnshire
In a quiet corner of the Lincolnshire countryside lies a 9-acre wilderness. Surrounded by intensively farmed land, this former cabbage field is filled with an abundance of wild flowers and trees which, together with two lakes, provide a haven for the area’s wildlife. Scents from tree blossom, flowers and fresh mown grass mingle in the morning air. Everywhere is the sound of birdsong, and the early dew sparkles on the grass. This natural sanctuary was begun unintentionally 14 years ago, when wildlife enthusiast Roy Miller bought the field from a farmer. His plan had been to buy just part of the land to build an extension for his home, but the farmer told him he would need to purchase the entire field or nothing at all. As a result, Roy found himself the owner of a large plot of land. The planned extension fell through, and instead, Roy demolished his cottage and built a new house. But he was still left with more land than he needed. His early intention was to have a pond, but that initial idea grew, eventually becoming what is now Roy’s own
nature reserve. Over the years, he has created a variety of habitats, including woodland, ponds, open areas, boggy sites and wild flower meadows. It is home to hedgehogs, badgers, frogs, kestrels, barn owls, numerous songbirds, ducks and guinea fowl.
Passion for trees
Roy took possession of the land in the autumn of 2004. “The first planting was done in January of the following year, with 7,500 hedging plants and 1,500 woodland trees,” he says. “It took three weeks, and I added more as time went on. The soil was very compacted because of the machinery used previously for farming the land. It was hard to get a spade into the ground to put all the trees in. Luckily, I’ve got a couple of very good foresters; a father and son team who do most of the planting and some of the maintenance.” Roy has planted 16 different species of tree on his land, including oak, ash, silver birch, small-leafed lime, common alder, rowan, wild cherry, crab apple and white and purple willow. “My greatest pleasure is seeing so many of these trees reaching a considerable height,” he says. “I’ve been amazed at just how quickly the woodland has become established.” A wide range of shrubs and hedging plants have also been added, including hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, dogwood, spindleberry and field maple. Roy is a chemist by profession, but spent a large part of his career with the Timber Products Research Laboratory, trying to find more efficient ways to use wood. “I learned a lot about
“Four ducks on a pond, A grass-bank beyond, A blue sky of spring, White clouds on the wing” William Allingham, ‘A Memory’
forestry and the factors that influence the properties of wood,” he says. “This paved the way for my fascination with trees. I get a lot of pleasure from the animals, but it’s the trees that are my real passion.”
Introducing water
Roy developed his landscape design and planting scheme as he went along, although he has always asked for advice when needed. “I was inspired by a lake near Skegness, so I stopped and talked to the owner one day,” he explains. “Then I went to the local council and asked for information on it. They produced the file, so I waded through the drawings and plans. Surveyors drew up a plan for a lake on my land, and I applied to the local authority for a change of use. Now it’s classified as a conservation lake, just for wildlife.” Before too much work could be done, electricity poles in the centre of the field had to be moved to the back, or they would have ended up in the middle of the lake. This was carried out in the spring of 2015, and at the same time, the electricity company offered to put some old poles into the ground where Roy wanted to add some nest boxes for the birds. “The kestrel boxes, for example, are attached to old electricity poles,” he says. When work first began on digging the lake, there were concerns that the soil on the land might not be good enough to hold water. “There was a possibility that I would end up with a big empty hole rather than a lake,” explains Roy. “I’d had surveys done and obtained the relevant permission, so I decided to take the chance. I reckoned that if I ended up with a hole, it would grow reeds and become boggy, creating another habitat anyway.” It turned out that there was clay lower down, so the lake retained the water when it was filled. The excavated soil was used to create banks and also to raise the level of the meadow, which had originally been below that of the road. “Adding some extra soil around the back of the lake means it is now in a depression, and more water runs off the bank and into the lake,” says Roy. The nature reserve now has two self-contained lakes.
“A tree is a nobler object than a prince in his coronation-robes” Alexander Pope
In the larger of the lakes, he has since introduced some fish. “I’ve got common carp, mirror carp, tench, rudd, perch and ghost carp,” he says. “People don’t often go fishing there, but I allow it occasionally. I have added a smaller lake at the other end of the reserve to create a different wildlife habitat, and this attracts dragonflies, damselflies and swallows.”
Wildlife and plants
The majority of the animals and birds on the site have arrived naturally, but Roy has introduced two species. The first are guinea fowl, which arrived in 2006. Today, he breeds these lively birds, which look after themselves, although he has supplied a feeding trough in his back garden. He has also introduced call ducks, a bantam breed of domesticated duck, to the lake. “I bought eight initially, and they bred,” he says. “As time has passed, a few have died, but some of this year’s ducks are last year’s babies, and they’ve had babies of their own this spring. There are some wild mallards which just enjoy living here.” Roy did have a problem with rats attacking the eggs of the call ducks, so he has installed a large pen on the lake’s island to help protect the youngsters for the first three weeks. “It has no roof so the mother duck can fly out, but the ducklings are contained. They’ve got a paddling pool in there, so they have access to water. The mother duck is very protective, but sometimes the rats can get underneath when she’s sitting on eggs and pull them out from under her. They can’t get into the pen though.” There is a wide variety of birds too. “The kestrels are nesting this year, and I’ve also had barn owls in the past. Robins, wrens, blackbirds, thrushes, chiffchaff, reed warblers, willow warblers and pheasants all come to visit. There are small perching birds in abundance, moorhens, which always breed on the lake, and Canada geese.” The reserve is also a release site for the local hedgehog rescue organisation, but that is not without its problems. “I have an abundance of frogs here, which is wonderful for the hedgehogs,” says Roy. “But I have discovered the skins of three dead hedgehogs recently, so this arrangement might not continue. Badgers will take hedgehogs, and there’s nothing I can do to protect them.” The wild flowers are perennials, so they reseed themselves in the meadow each year and attract a variety of insects. “I’ve got cowslips, primroses, bugle and bluebells,” he says. “I also have ragwort, which most people pull up and destroy because it’s poisonous to horses. But the flowers attract cinnabar moths, which you don’t see very often.
“There are a few pretty woodland butterflies and lots of rabbits on the reserve. I’ve even got rare breed grey-faced Dartmoor sheep in the meadow. They belong to my neighbour and graze the meadow, keeping the grass short.” Roy is also planting a lot of elders. “The berries or flowers can be made into cordials,” he says. “Elderberries and their flowers give a recognised boost to the immune system. I make my cordial by cooking the berries with sugar. There are a lot of hazel trees and bushes too. I would like to forage the nuts, but the squirrels get there first and take them all.”
Meeting challenges
The biggest challenge for Roy is the ongoing maintenance. When he first began the project, he was 67. Now he is 80. “Everything is growing so fast. Trees I planted as young saplings are now 40ft high. It’s gone through the plantation stage, and it’s now woodland. The reeds have grown up on the lake, so now it needs clearing. Mowing the paths alone takes two half-days a week during the summer.” Some wildlife can also cause problems. “The muntjac deer are very attractive, but they can be a nuisance, as they attack young trees. I’m getting natural regeneration from silver birch, alder and ash, but the muntjac are chewing through the young trees. We have to put guards around them or else they would all be eaten. “The fox has had three ducks in the last few weeks. It’s this time of year; they’ve probably got young as well. I lost two guinea fowl to the fox last year too.”
Reaping rewards
Roy’s favourite part of his nature reserve is the path right at the back of the field. “It’s really quiet there, and the birdsong is so tranquil. It immerses me in all the wonderful things which nature has to offer. “The funny thing is, I never planned to develop a nature reserve. It happened by accident really. I just wanted to extend my house, ended up buying a field and thought a lake would be a good idea. It grew from there. It has been an education and an amazing experience.”
“And recognises ever and anon The breeze of Nature stirring in his soul” William Wordsworth, ‘The Excursion’