Drone surveys reveal Fedian's nightlife

Over the past year, Fedian Nature Reserve’s pristine condition has attracted a succession of experts, particularly ecologists, drawn to the quality of its habitats. Queen’s University Belfast is the latest, here to conduct scientific research into badgers and Irish hares. 

Arranging to meet late on an April evening, PhD researcher Clare Childs is parked at the roadside when I arrive. She is going to pilot a heat-detecting drone as part of a Northern Ireland-wide project. Thankfully, there’s no wind, as we crunch quietly up the lane, head-torches guiding our steps. I’m there as ground staff, and to help document the mysteries of Fedian’s nightlife. 

We establish a home base on the top ridge, and once airborne, the drone propels itself down transects, criss-crossing two 1km squares. Occasionally, it disappears, loses contact, then returns, like an obedient dog whistled back after a romp in the fields. Unbeknownst to us, an observant neighbour spots the UFO and gets in touch the next day, intrigued by its purpose.

The high-resolution screen depicts warm-blooded mammals and birds in vivid white light. Dozing in ash trees, wood pigeons can be seen sitting side by side. Beneath them, nocturnal goings on, invisible to the human eye, are revealed. Given the daytime evidence, I expect numerous deer, but they stay largely unseen. A neighbour’s horses come into view. Careful not to spook them, Clare increases the drone’s altitude. 

Foraging Irish hares are gathered up in loose groups, for all the world, like they’re ceilidhing. As the drone descends, they dance this way and that, before jogging a quick circuit and returning to where they started. Apparently, rabbits behave differently, scattering to all four winds in a panic. 

Shortly after spying what could be a red squirrel, a long-tailed creature appears in the viewfinder. Scampering cat-like down a hedgerow is the unmistakable form of a pine marten. Alarmed by the flashing lights and, well, the drone of the drone, being watched is clearly a novel experience for this expert predator. 

Trundling industriously through the night, Fedian’s badgers, pear-shaped on the screen, can be seen digging for worms. Clare also sets up trail-cams at the sett entrance, revealing peak badger activity levels between 8 and 11 pm. Video snippets show these woodland dwellers appearing from their subterranean home, testing the air and gathering fresh bedding. Scratching the trees like bear cubs, occasional scuffles break out, addressing domestic issues unknown. 

In the morning, the infra-red beam is broken by another creature. Resplendent in multicoloured plumage, a jay, gatekeeper of the woods, alights. Deftly snapping a cuckoo pint in half, this seemingly random act, reminds us of the mysteries we have yet to unravel. 

When BBC Springwatch came to Fedian

Fedian’s magical mosaic of farmland habitats is now opening its doors to a spectacular show. Spring has been delayed by cold easterlies, but BBC’s Springwatch team are in Fermanagh this April and want to film our new nature reserve. The production team are particularly interested in interviewing George Roosky, Fedian guardian and grazier. 

Armed with a battery of high-tech cameras, they wish to overlay the human perspective on our amazing marsh fritillary butterfly story. With producer Matt’s requests ringing in my ears, I hot-foot it up to the farm and am greatly relieved to see caterpillars still sunbathing and crawling through the sward. Once pupating, in their smart yellow, white and black straight jackets, the chrysalises only twitch occasionally – not exactly compelling wildlife action for TV!

At first light on filming day, I’m woken by the phone. Despite being semi-conscious, I recognise George’s voice. “Giles, I think I’ve put my foot in it.” 

Wondering what’s coming next, I wait nervously for more.

“I’ve been stung by one of me bees,” and then the punchline, “my right eye has completely closed up - do you think Springwatch can postpone?” 

My heart sinks. Super-tight production schedules make this a non-runner. 

We chat vaguely about sunglasses and various headwear options, but the conversation meanders. By the time I press-gang George into the truck, Cyclops is resigned to his fate. Between his eye, and a gap in my teeth pending dental implants, photogenic we are not. We needn’t have worried, producer Matt is understanding and sympathetic, favouring George’s left side and wisely leaving me safely out of shot. I’ll leave it to the viewer to judge how successful this subterfuge was.

Marsh fritillaries take flight 

Speaking of success, Springwatch had promised to return once the butterflies were on the wing. Based at the Crom estate, cameraman Mark joins me on a day in May when Derrylin tops the Irish temperature charts at 30.5 degrees. In the distance, silage machines are harvesting ryegrass, but in front of us, Fedian is awash with hundreds of marsh fritillaries. Emerging and feeding, chasing each other, mating and laying eggs, it’s as if their complete lifecycle is being played out in a single day. Black caterpillars, doubtless suffering in the heat, are still in evidence, preparing to pupate. 

The muddy pass, access to the back of the farm, is baked hard, same as last May, when we welcomed the Ulster Wildlife Board to Fedian. Having approved its purchase, they were understandably keen to see what we’d bought. Guided through the meadow maze, pausing every few paces to make fresh discoveries, David Sterling and co were impressed. 

The views from the top are always a treat, and admiring them, Richard congratulated our persistence and said, “It seems much bigger than on the map, with the undulating ground and woods.” Dr Bob Brown OBE went further, commenting, “It’s the most spectacular piece of NI farmland I have ever seen.” High praise for a man of Bob’s experience. 

Fedian Nature Reserve stands as a testament to how farming and wildlife can go hand in hand, where one isn’t ditched in pursuit of the other. Fedian will be used to demonstrate best practice under Ulster Wildlife’s stewardship, particularly to the remaining Fermanagh holdings blessed with farmland of comparable quality. It is this farming community, directly and through the media, that we hope to reach. 

Bob added, “Can you ever imagine how it would be if most of our landscape looked like this?” 

Like many others, I share these feelings. 

In policy and practice, the relentless march of progress has discarded both wildlife abundance and traditional wisdom. 

The transformation of our countryside is denying the next generation the sights and sounds we took for granted. This has happened on our watch, and raising awareness of nature’s plight has never been more important.

Watch the Fedian clip with farmer George from BBC Springwatch