Evening
Cash Crop
The Group met at 18:00 on 21st June on a farm visit, arranged by Rosemary Crumplin, to Trinley Estate Farm hosted by the Estate Manager Mike Farrell.
Additional U3A members from the now defunct Birding and Natural History, the Lowings and the Kemps, also came along. The weather was idyllic and the light was excellent for photography.
Hare
Thistle
The Estate is making concerted efforts to encourage wildlife by planting hedgerows, seeding areas with wild flowers, sunflowers, etc and water features to attract amphibians and dragon/damsel flies. It was very obvious that Mike Farrell was very enthusiastic about the whole project.
Unfortunately wildlife was elusive. An early sighting of a low-flying Red Kite, the retreating rump of a Hare and the flushing of a Tawny Owl from its daytime roost in a shed were the highlights but there were plenty of opportunities to capture wildflowers, insects and the agricultural landscape on a very big farm.
Most attendees finished off the evening with a splendid meal at the Hare and Hounds on Charlton Down.