Wildlife

Spring Farm is very fortunate to be surrounded by 110 acres of our own fields within the High Weald AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). We have lived at Spring Farm since 1997 and in that time, we have always farmed in a wildlife sensitive way.

Baby deer seen whilst walking alpacas at Spring Farm

Deer fawn in our top hay field

We have been fortunate to have been within the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) from our very early days. We joined initially in 2000. This gave way to Higher Level Stewardship (HLS). We have been enrolled within HLS for 14 years after the original 10 years in CSS – and hope to continue therein.

Duck sitting on eggs

Female duck brooding on eggs sitting on our muck heap!

As a result of our enthusiastic support for British wildlife, we do not use fertilisers or pesticides.  Spring Farm is blessed with a patchwork quilt of wildflower meadows, ancient woodland, natural springs and ponds.

If you come to Spring Farm to walk our alpacas, you may be lucky enough to see a whole host of British wildlife. We will do our best to point out what we see and answer any questions you may have about the wildlife and the way we farm here. Please feel free to ask away whilst you are with us.

Frog spawn in pond

Frog spawn seen in pond at bottom of our hay field (in the pond!)

Season by Season

In the Winter months there is less vegetation so the chance of seeing the wild deer is at its highest. We regularly see herds of Fallow deer on our walks. We have seen both Fallow and Roe deer here at Spring Farm.

In Spring, the farm comes alive! You may see bluebells in our ancient woodlands and wild orchids flowering in our wildflower meadows. The bird life is particularly active with buzzards calling regularly above the farm.

In Summer, we are blessed with large numbers of swallows in our barns. We open the field shelter doors in preparation for when they arrive. We also have house martins and in 2020, we installed swift boxes and will be thrilled to see them too. The female deer give birth and you may see deer fawns in the wildflower meadows.

In Autumn, the leaves start to change and put on a magnificent display with a russet and brown palette – we are next to Sheffield Park Gardens as well.

Depending on the season, you may be fortunate to see any of the following: