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Tony
Beard is a farmer, a broadcaster and an entertainer. Each month
he completes another page of his Dartmoor Diary.
Hullo
there,
Winter is on the way, and it's time for us
to think about sharing the fruits of the countryside with our furry
and feathered friends...
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Harvest
for those who live in the Hedgerow.
Last month I wrote about the harvest, harvest festivals and suppers. This
month I thought we should consider the harvest of the hedgerows and the
forests.
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Holly
Berries, a tasty meal for some wildlife
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We must remember that
the wonderful selection of seeds and fruits of the wild natural world
are meant to be shared by us with the birds, animals and insects.
Particularly when we realise that many of our natural friends need our
help to survive during the worst of the winter months.
This is why so many
of us put out nuts, seeds and kitchen "left-overs" like potatoes,
apples that have past their use-by-date and lumps of fat and grated cheese
etc.
So what of these bounties of the hedgerow!
A few blackberries and apples make a lovely pie for us but these same
fruits make lovely meals for others like rats, mice and foxes as well
as the birds and insects.
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Feasts
of nutrition await the Robin
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The hips and haws
that we use for our chutneys are so important for our feathered friends
- particularly those that migrate south from Scandinavia to spend the
Autumn and Winter with us.
I am thinking mainly of the members of the Thrush family, Fieldfares,
Redwings, Mistle and Song Thrushes, Blackbirds and even the Robin, plenty
of others too, all lined up to share these feasts of nutrition.
The Rowan or Mountain Ash, Rosehips and the Holly too, with their red/orange
berries, a right royal feast awaiting our visitors. They will all benefit
as well as our resident population of birds of all sizes, shapes and breeds.
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Take
an audio trip onto Dartmoor as Tony Beard and John Govier talk
about new life..
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| Turn
another page of Tony's Dartmoor Diary |
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