Take a look, through some of the common species of wildlife that live in the South Yorkshire area around Sheffield and Rotherham.
A recently extended patch of heathland and woodland, neighbouring Wyming Brook.
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I’m climbing up an old farm track along the edge of a small stream that used to be called Crawshaw Dike 150 years ago. We’re on the side of Furnace Hill at Ughill.
Old north Sheffield is all around: an ancient wooden gatepost with a Rowan tree growing out the top, a brick built shed that once held dynamite for the nearby quarries, a hidden lane that served local farmers and farmworkers for centuries. Thick grasses left by heavy sheep grazing, with bright blue Harebells shining through the stalks, descendants of centuries-past hay meadows. After a sudden shake in the grass ahead, a Brown Hare bolts away up the track.
This land, explains Liz Ballard, as we follow the hare uphill, will be a test bed for the future of farming. “Our main aim is to test and learn how we can ensure that in the long term, nature around farming can be done in harmony, and economically.”
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Liz Ballard, the trust’s chief executive, told The Star: “It’s a fantastic marginal upland farm, which means it’s right on the edge of the really important moorlands of the Peak District, and part of it falls within the Eastern Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
“It’s a special site for wildlife which is why we really want to look after it. We want to use the farm as a test and work with farmers to see how we can manage a farm in such a way that food production is happening in harmony with wildlife, in an economically sustainable way.
“In other parts of the country, the curlew is rapidly disappearing from the landscape, so we’re really lucky to have a pretty good curlew population in the west of Sheffield. It’s important to look after that population at places like Ughill Farm.”
ROBERT CUMBER: THE STAR, SHEFFIELD