At the turn of the century George and Janet Burke, owners of Patieshill Farm near Carlops, decided to turn 12 acres (5 hectares) of hillside into a wildlife conservation area. They fenced off the area from farm livestock, created a pool and water courses, and planted several thousand young trees.
In 2021, having retired from active farming, George and Janet asked the Friends of the Pentlands to help maintain and enhance the wildlife area which they had created and maintained over the previous 20 or so years.
Following site habitat surveys an initial action plan was drawn up.
Tree Maintenance
- Removing guards from mature trees
- Replacing guards where necessary
- Trimming dead wood from ash die-back
- Replacing failed trees with tree species more suited to the site
Establishing Wildflower Meadows for target butterfly species and other pollinators
- Grass Removal in a number of diverse habitat sites
- Wildflower seed and plug plant sowing
Pond assessment and maintenance
- An initial survey showed a very healthy ecosystem with several pond species present.
Informal species recording
- Wildflowers
- Birds
- Butterflies
- Pondlife
- … but more expertise required
As well as the long-term nature of the above, potential additional future activities include
- Perimeter hedging with native species
- Enhancing & maintaining a path network
- Refurbishing a sheep stell that overlooks the site
- Habitat creation and management for additional wildlife
