*Eligibility criteria will apply. Only species-poor, non-designated sites will be chosen so that there is no overall biodiversity loss and/or impact on any pre-existing heritage value of the place.
We received guidance and funding and more importantly encouragement to create a wildlife pond from The Hare’s Corner team. One and half years later, we did a study on it and identified 30 different species in and around the pond. Our members really enjoy this pond and now we are designated as one of just six ponds in the whole country as a demonstration site for ponds.
I was able to create a woodland, an orchard and a pond through The Hare’s Corner. I have 2.5 acres of land that was heavily grazed before and I am gradually working on it bring nature back. With the actions taken so far you can already see biodiversity increasing. The main highight for me has been the opportunity to work with the land and have a connection with nature. That has been very rewarding.
Receiving a ‘Plan for Nature’ visit from The Hare’s Corner was like getting an education on your own land, opening your eyes to something you mightn’t have noticed before. The Plan for Nature advisor identified 8 areas on our land for us where we could make small and very manageable changes to enhance biodiversity. The tips were priceless – and came with a map of our site and I keep them handy on my phone at all times.
We were able to plant a mini-woodland on our site using the native trees given by The Hare’s Corner project – oak, birch, hazel, hawthorn, spindle, alder and the Burren pine. I have great vision of this developing into a wonderful gladed woodland one day. Under recommendations of the project we also were able to develop a network of holding pools to slow down the water running down our hillside site and minimise flooding downhill. Getting specialist guidance has gives us confidence to do the right thing and bring out the best in our land for nature.
We had a wonderful ecologist come visit our land as part of our ‘Plan for Nature’. She advised us on which trees to plant where, and what kind of grazing would allow us to have more flora and fauna thrive on the site. She showed us different types of lichens, mosses and flowers that we hadn’t noticed before. We now have a lot better appreciation of the habitats we already have on our land!
I dug a pond and planted a heritage orchard through The Hare’s Corner project. Obviously there is a loads of advice on theinternet but having someone come and look at the site and assess it for suitability and design – that was a huge incentive for me. There is a lot of action on the pond – a lot of frogs, dragonflies, swallows going mad for it in the summer and we get the odd ducks too.
Ponds are great for wildlife and by providing one of the key needs of nature – water – can really boost biodiversity. They provide water for drinking and bathing, habitat for aquatic plants, invertebrates, frogs and newts, and will draw a wide variety of other wildlife.
