Our Conservation Warden, Mike, takes a look at how we work to preserve and foster some of the key areas of wildlife and nature on our estate.
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Author: Mike Newby
Mike Newby is Estate Warden at The Dartington Hall Trust. He oversees Dartington’s numerous conservation programmes, often working closely with our volunteers to help nature flourish across the estate.
Conservation blog: Swifts in the Tower
As a new project to entice swifts back to St Mary's church tower begins, estate warden Mike Newby explains why he'd be the "happiest man at Dartington" if the attempt succeeds.
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Rapturous raptors: encouraging birds of prey at Dartington
What are raptors, and why are we trying to attract them to Dartington? Estate warden Mike Newby explains why birds of prey are vital to the farmers, gardeners and land managers who work here at Dartington.
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Why healthy grassland means a healthy ecosystem
Grassland is the basis of most of the UK’s food supply chain and the main source of diet for livestock in the UK. Good grassland management is crucial - and our Estate Warden Mike is on hand to explain how it all work on the Dartington Hall estate.
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Getting hands on with some Bracken Bruising
In his latest blog, Mike explains how the team's new Bracken Bruiser is saving a phenomenal amount of time and effort for everyone - in addition to providing benefits to humans, grazing cattle and wildlife.
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25 years on: Bird nesting scheme still going strong at Dartington
Our estate warden pays tribute to Peter Morris, whose nesting box scheme in Dartington Hills continues to play a vital part in understanding Britain's birds - a quarter of a century after its creation.
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Conservation diary: How we’re helping wildlife thrive at Berryman’s Marsh
Did you know that Berryman's Marsh is a key area for conservation work at Dartington? Here, Estate Warden Mike Newby reveals how hard work is helping us make the most of this small but ecologically rich area of land.
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Conservation diary: Keeping track of nesting birds at Dartington
Each year Mike and the volunteers carry out a nest box survey across the Dartington estate for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) - a scheme that has been going for over 25 years.
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Conservation diary: Grasshoppers and other spring sightings
April is the first month where you might be able to see or hear a Meadow Grasshopper at Dartington, with sightings possible until the late autumn.
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Conservation Diary: Recognising the stonechat
In his latest blog, Dartington's Conservation Warden Mike explains how to identify a stonechat - a bird at its most visible in the spring.
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