Hi everyone. It’s been a wee while since I have written a blog, mostly because I have been extremely busy! I have now moved on to a different placement at Edwin Thompson in Berwick. I am working alongside the Environmental Manager and am helping him with the countless applications for the government agri-environment scheme, the SRDP. Although the work for these applications is largely the same as in my last placement at the Farm Environment, I am getting out and about a lot more.
In the month that I have been here, I have been out on wildflower meadow surveys, corn bunting surveys with the RSPB, giant hogweed survey, water margin and wetland surveys, and have been on various trips to meet some of our clients – the local farmers. The survey work has been fantastic, and I am finally getting to grips with what species to look out for and then how to manage for these species. I have been writing up all the survey work into various reports and management plans for the government, which has helped me to really think about what I have been seeing and what the management objectives might be.
Last Monday was the deadline for the SRDP applications, so the pressure is off a little bit, and we can spend a bit more time out and about advising clients. Below are some of the photographs which I took on my surveys to back up my case to the Scottish government. When trying to justify why you think an area should be managed as species rich (and therefore recieve a maximum payment) it’s often easier to use photos, a picture is worth a thousand words as they say…
