Into the wild - Sir Walter Scott's Abbotsford

A warm welcome to all.

As the snow settled & the Christmas cheer turned into new years resolutions both Joanne & Kristy were more than eager to return to Abbotsford as we closed the year with some very exciting findings in regards to our wild inhabitants of the estate.

The early Queen bumblebees were one of the first pollinators spotted as far back as January & as we entered early springtime, butterflies were a lovely  & somewhat relieving sight to see after the disappointingly low numbers of butterflies spotted throughout the UK in 2024.

Twit twooo

The discovery of a pair of Barn Owls residing on the estate last year filled all who heard the news with joy.

Throughout the wintertime both Joanne and Kristy spent endless hours watching footage of the pair and Joanne would avidly collected owl pellets to dissect and see what tasty morsels were nourishing our magestic pair.

Dissection of the owls regurgitated pellets are a key in providing us with invaluable insights in the general health of the owls but also through the identification process of the small mammals they ingest we can then determine numbers of vole and other small mammal populations on the estate,  in turn this gives us an indication of the overall health of the various habitats on the estate and can show us if there is any shifts in the quality of the habitat that could be of concern.

This information is gathered and we pass it on to local and national databases who potentially go on to improve habitat management and species protection protocols.

By the springtime Joanne and Kristy had became detectives and, as Andy and Olivia began displaying some interesting behaviour, were determined to find the owls nesting place (without disturbing them of course) with the hopes that the pair would soon breed.

 We noticed flights being made during the daytime, less pellets on the ground (pellets are often used for their nesting chicks). We angled the trail cameras in different directions and would change the locations all of which was crucial in what we would later discover.

By March 2025 we noticed we were finding less pellets under their roosting perches and the odd flight during the day was spotted on the trail camera.  This made us wonder?

Could they be feeding for more than two?

Could the reason there are less pellets to collect be a sign they are in trouble or could the pair be preparing to bring owlets into the world.

Owls use there pellets for their broods nest and we knew they were feeding well as the footage clearly showed.

Through connecting many dots we found telltale signs the pair were preparing for their owlets to arrive, but where could the nest be?

After months of anticipation, putting clues together, climbing up ladders in dark places and quite frankly stalking Andy and Olivia’s every move, we were absolutely over the moon and beyond delighted to have finally captured an audio recording on a trail camera that was clear to us both without a shadow of a doubt, that the sound we were hearing was the sound of owlets.

We were very fortunate to have an owl expert at hand who came to confirm the location of the nest and ring our owlets.

With permission we were able to capture some images from a safe distance.

A big warm welcome to our very special new additions to the estate.

What is believed to be 3 chicks were ringed at the beginning of summer so we can monitor their progress & share their journey with you.

Sett it off

Badger hairs, Badger poo but Badger, Badger where are you!

After painstakingly looking through months of footage on 2 established Badger setts, we came to the realisation that perhaps the setts were now  inhabited solely by a family of rabbits.

We were finally rescued from our disappointment with the help of 3 local Badger experts who really know their stuff and showed us almost instantly exactly where the active sett was located.

This sett had all the markings of an active resident, including a latrine close by that was clearly in use.  We were very excited and had every reason to be.

The footage came back and instantly we finally got to meet our Badger resident. And now so can you…

So far only one Badger has shown on the footage at any given time, however we plan to study the markingsand features to see if this the case and will continue to monitor the sett and keep you posted!

Biodiversity day

May 22nd was Biodiversity Day so we decided to throw open the doors of the garden bothy to visitors and show them some of our wildlife discoveries.

We had skulls ,nests, feathers owl pellets etc. but the most popular exhibit was the short video showing highlights from our camera trap footage captured around the estate. People were impressed by the results even a relatively inexpensive camera can produce.

Several of the visitors already had garden cameras of their own and it was interesting to hear what they had been spotting. Two Australian visitors exchanged stories of the struggles some of their native wildlife is also facing, from habitat destruction and effects of climate change, in particular the plight of the Koala population. And it was very interesting to note how benign our British wildlife is in comparison to their deadly snakes and spiders!

Darwin at Abbotsford

Two worlds collide when Joanne and Kristy brought their own  “Darwin Experiment” to life, and to Sir Walter Scott's World. We are sure they'd both be delighted!

Kristy was inspired by a visit to Charles Darwin’s Kent residence where he throughly used his land to carry out a multitude of experiments which all contributed in some manner to his theory on evolution.

We will be monitoring seed dispersal, flowers weeds and pollinators each week on a selected patch as shown below.

Through observation we expect to determine different growth rates, specific pollinators and to use the experiment as a tool to assist when we come to carry out our Abbotsford grassland survey, helping us to identify individual species we are not familiar with.

Beauties & the beasties

The Walled Garden and various other public areas on the estate are carefully managed by Tim and the team to increase biodiversity.

We see positive signs of this Habitat management by way of letting nature take its course in various verges around the estate. This has been fruitful with the steady return of many crucial and protected wildflowers.

Below we have the welcome sight of what is believed to be the northern marsh orchid.

What a gift to receive for us all.

The efforts are shown all around Abbotsford with the wide range and diversity of flora and fauna.

There is more than meets the eye as, you wander around the gardens. Sometimes you just have to take a closer look…

Until next time. May the wild be with you.

Joanne & Kristy