Wet and wild

Mike Swan suggests simple ways to transform your shoot into a haven for birds and insects

- Mike Swan

One of the things that keeps me going as a GWCT adviser is the very real conservation benefit that comes from the many projects that my client shoots have been carrying out over the past 38 years. Helping people to enjoy better sport is very satisfying, but knowing that our countryside is richer because of the works of these good people really is the icing on the cake.

No matter how good a shoot already is in biodiversity terms, there is always something extra that could be done to deliver that little bit more. So, alongside improving the way that you do things, how about embarking on a new capital project every few years? It is surprising how little extra money you need to invest to make a difference, and these things can begin to add up to something quite special over a decade or so.

Everywhere I go I see ragged and gappy hedges that could be restored to something far more valuable at minimal cost. A quick look on the internet shows that small hawthorn plants, and even mixed native hedgerow packages, are available at what amounts to about £2.50 to £3 per metre inclusive of support canes and rabbit guards if you buy enough for 100m. This is not the only cost, of course, and you should factor in an annual squirt of weedkiller to deal with grass weed competition for the first three years or so. Also, if there are grazing livestock, you may need to repair or replace the fences, but the actual planting could easily be a Sunday morning work party that is effectively a social gathering for the syndicate and therefore costs nothing.