“We’re delighted to have seen the tawny owl plus bats flying and feeling a little more connected to nature - perfect!”
Wildlife abounds at Drovers Retreat. You will almost certainly see Red Kites, Buzzards, and many other birds, together with wild flowers, and rabbits. Badgers have a home in the woodland surrounding Drovers Retreat, and foxes are regular visitors.
No agrochemicals have been used on the land surrounding the cottage for over 30 years, with the result that insects, birds and flowers have thrived, even at 1,100 feet altitude.
Below are lists of some of the Birds, Trees, Flowers, Fungi, Mammals and Insects recorded around Drovers Retreat.
Birds
Red Kite over Drovers Retreat
“We came here for a wildlife photography and astronomy trip, so the location is perfect - dark skies, and surrounded by animals.”
The combination of woodland, pasture and a nearby stream mean that a wide variety of birds are to be found around Drovers Retreat. These include: Barn Owl ,Black Redstart, Blackbird ,Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Cuckoo, Dunnock (Hedge Sparrow), Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Jay, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Marsh Tit, Merlin, Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch, Pied Wagtail, Red Kite, Redstart (Common Redstart), Robin, Rook, Sedge Warbler, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Tawny Owl, Tree Pipit, Treecreeper, Willow Tit, Wren.
“We were surrounded by beautiful scenery in every direction and woodland walks from the front door, but our highlight was siting in the stillness of the private courtyard surrounded by woodland , listening to birdsong and watching the bees buzzing around the foxgloves. ”
Trees
There are a range of trees around Drovers Retreat, including: sessile oak, silver birch, sycamore, wild cherry, hawthorn, beech, Scots pine, which elm and ash. The latter has suffered over recent years from ‘Ash Dieback’, a deadly disease which is destroying many of the ash particularly in the Welsh Borders.
Flowers
Amongst the many species of wild flowers to be found around Drovers Retreat are: Harebell, tormentil, wild angelica, bush vetch, great willowherb, silver hairgrass, ragwort, enchanter’s nightshade, autumn hawkbit, common marsh-bedstraw, common selfheal, broad-leaved willowherb, cuckooflower, dame’s rocket, common columbine, Welsh poppy, hedge woundwort, European raspberry, wood cranesbill, dog’s mercury, greater stitchwort, birds-foot trefoil, lesser celandine, colt’s-foot, broad-leaved dock, hanging sedge, meadowsweet, germander speedwell, catchweed bedstraw, hogweed, wood avens, primrose, bluebell, herb Robert, cow parsley,
“It was so idyllic, immersed in nature , that we barely wanted to leave - happy just watching the bees and listening to the birdsong.”
Fungi
Yellow stags horn fungus
Autumn is a good time to find fungi around Drovers Retreat, with names such as Hen of the Woods, puffball, bracket and yellow stags horn.
Mammals
Wild mammals to be seen at Drovers Retreat include rabbit, roe deer, fallow deer, hare, weasel, stoat, polecat and even pine marten. We also have bats.
Insects
