Counting Wings and Waders

Nestled in the landscape of the Dark Peak, Ughill Farm is rapidly becoming a shining example of how targeted habitat management can turn the tide for local biodiversity. Since we took control of the site in January 2023, an incredible conservation journey has been underway. But how do we know our efforts are working? 

The answer lies in the boots, binoculars, and dedication of our staff and the amazing team of volunteers who have been surveying and monitoring the farm’s wildlife.

From breeding birds to elusive insects, the data our volunteers collect directly guides how we go about restoring habitats and processes here. Let’s take a look at what makes Ughill Farm a thriving haven for wildlife and how some species are bouncing back.

Success on the Ground 

The open fields of Ughill Farm are alive with the calls of iconic breeding birds like the meadow pipit, skylark, and lapwing. Thanks to meticulous monitoring – including participation in the RSPB Dark Peak District Farmland Breeding Wader Survey – our surveyors are capturing snapshots of their progress.

In the spring of 2024, volunteers recorded a spectacular milestone: a flock of 57 lapwings on March 9th, marking the largest number counted since the Trust purchased the farm. Why did they choose Ughill? It’s likely that our active management of the pastures – cutting and grazing to create short vegetation interspersed with tussocks of grass and rush – proved far more attractive to these birds than the monocultural, drained green fields nearby.

The monitoring program also leads to heart-warming moments of discovery. In May 2025, surveyors discovered a snipe nest safely tucked away in one of the pastures, complete with four eggs. To ensure the breeding pair had the absolute best chance of success, the butterfly and bird surveying teams instantly agreed to avoid that entire field for the rest of the season. It’s a great example of monitoring and real-time protection working hand-in-hand.

Skip to it!

Look a little closer to the ground, and you’ll find that Ughill Farm is an absolute paradise for insects. A remarkable 24 different species of butterfly have been recorded on the farm since January 2023. Among these are three species of high conservation priority under the NERC Act: the endangered wall brown, the vulnerable small heath, and the highly sedentary habitat specialist, the dingy skipper.

Because the dingy skipper is small, masterfully camouflaged, and flies for only a brief period between April and June, tracking it takes real skill. In 2025, a dedicated “dingy skipper squad” of five volunteers clocked around 50 hours mapping out the butterfly and its essential larval food plant, bird’s-foot trefoil, across fields, tracks, and quarry spoil.

To build a robust, long-term picture of our progress, we have formally joined the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS). Volunteers walk a standardised weekly transect (straight line/path through the same area) from March to September, traversing a rich mosaic of habitats including flowery grasslands, dwarf shrub heath, wet seepages, gorse scrub, and newly established woodlands. Our cattle grazing regime is specifically designed to expand these flowery meadows, creating better habitat connectivity for the dingy skipper and other pollinators. Nature is already bouncing back; in June 2025, volunteers logged the first sighting of a female dark green fritillary on the farm since the Trust’s acquisition!

A Teeming Tapestry

The deeper our volunteers dig, the more complex and beautiful the Ughill ecosystem reveals itself to be. Look along the sprawling drystone walls, and you might catch a glimpse of lightning-fast weasels and stoats hunting in the stone crevices. Out in the pastures, brown hares and roe deer bound across the hills, sharing the rich grazing lands with visiting geese and our conservation cattle. Even the dampest corners of the farm are teeming with life – more than 15 different species of cranefly have been recorded on the site, supporting the wider food web which feeds the breeding birds.

Driven by Community, Shared with Everyone

What makes wildlife monitoring at Ughill Farm so special is the community spirit behind it. Whether they are walking the official Ranger Route, drystone walling, or setting up nocturnal sound-recording devices near the quarry pools, our volunteers are constantly looking out for nature.

They stay connected through a WhatsApp group to share live sightings, and every single wildlife record is carefully uploaded into our citizen science database Nature Counts, as well as others like Birdtrack and iRecord. This ensures the data gathered at Ughill Farm doesn’t just help us manage our site – it contributes directly to national trends, giving scientists a clearer picture of how species are faring across South Yorkshire and the wider UK.

Looking to the Future

Every survey sheet filled out and every butterfly counted is a step toward a more climate-resilient, biodiverse future. By combining volunteer passion with science-backed land management, Ughill Farm is showing us how we can give nature the space and support it needs to bounce back.

A massive thank you to all the volunteers and staff whose hard work makes these discoveries possible. Stay tuned for more updates from the field!

• If you’d like to read the surveys you can find them here