Wildlife

The River Brue is one of the last places in Somerset where the native White-clawed Crayfish still flourishes. Signs of otters are regularly found along the riverbanks and there have been several sightings in broad daylight in the last couple of years. Kingfishers are present throughout the year, whilst in the winter months, noisy flocks of Siskins feed on the seeds of riverside alders. Grey wagtails have bred in the specially provided nest boxes under one of the bridges, where a number of bat boxes are also installed.

• We also have large populations of glow worms, slow worms and grass snakes in carefully managed areas.
• Nest boxes are provided to attract birds, including a large pole box (Hootie Towers) for barn owls, tawny owl boxes, a grey wagtail box under the bridge alongside bat boxes, and tit and robin boxes throughout the grounds.
• The River Brue which runs through our grounds, has the endangered native white-clawed crayfish, which have been monitored by the Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC) plus otters, kingfishers, and dippers; the riverside alders have winter flocks of siskins and redpolls.
• A large badger sett onsite ensures frequent sightings for all. Foxes, moles, voles, deer range undisturbed.
• We cultivate wild life attracting plants in our gardens, using a range of biological controls ranging from ladybirds to nematodes, to combat pests.