The Birds and the Bees

This was an exciting project done for Court Lodge Organics in Wartling, East Sussex when they were converting some old pig houses into a self-catering holiday cottage and a rest room for all their yogurt makers. The Harding family were named as the SE regional winner of the RSPB's Nature of Farming Awards last year for the outstanding work they do helping wildlife on their farm. The farm provides habitat for declining and threatened wildlife including lapwings, fen-raft spiders, herons, barn owls, and a range of dragonflies. The Hardings have also planted rare black poplar trees in their woods, and are attempting to recreate an area of reedbed to encourage rare and elusive species like bitterns and marsh harriers. Yellowhammers, linnets and skylarks are found in good numbers on the farm, despite UK populations plummeting by half over the past thirty years. Thus with the Harding's love of wildlife it was an excuse to go with nature and create a hidden away retreat for holiday makers in their self-catering holiday cottage.