Until recently we at Airds farm were partners with the Scottish government in an environmental scheme. This has now come to an end, but for the benefit of wildlife and the environment we are continuing with many of the prescriptions, such as hedges, ponds, water margins and woodland. The fields of crops for birds were, however, not successful due to weed growth, so these are being returned to grass.

Shown above is a 360 excavator digging out a pond. As the water table is generally not far below ground level in this region, the excavation naturally fills with water and remains full all year. Vegetation such as reedmace and other water-loving species will naturally colonise the pond and its water margins. The area round the pond is fenced to exclude livestock so that the growth is not eaten down, but there some farmers believe that limited grazing is more satisfactory.

At Airds we've also planted several hundred metres of new hedge, again designed to produce habitat for birds, small mammals and insect species. Predominantly hawthorn and blackthorn, the hedges also include holly and dog rose. After about five years the hedges can be either cut to the ground or laid, a technique involving slashing the main stems just above ground level and interweaving them horizontally to form a dense barrier. Although this may seem savage, because a strong rootstock is present, new and vigourous growth is invariably thrown and the hedge rapidly remains its height and volume.