by Andrea Collins | Nov 9, 2023 | We Are The Ark
My property came with a lovely old stone cottage although I’m told it was originally used as a coach house and built around the same time as the house in the 1860’s but no-one seems to know for sure. History, here in South Kerry, seems to be more “anecdotal” than based on facts or anything written down on paper.
One evening I stepped outside my house and noticed something flying above my head only to disappear and come back around again. Then I realised that it was flying too fast to be a bird and must be a bat…and more than one bat. These little “blurs” were whooshing around the house at the speed of light feasting on insects as they went round and around.
I was amazed at how well they navigated themselves at such high speeds between the narrow corridor of the house and nearby trees. I watched for a while and wondered if they might be living inside the house but I didn’t stay long enough to find out.
A couple of evenings later I saw bats leaving the cottage via a small opening just below the roof tiles and then heading over to the house so I knew they were living there and most likely in the attic. I watched again as they headed over to the house before flying around in circles again.
Because these little guys eat insects as they fly through the air its very important we keep as many trees and bushes on our patch of land, as possible – and trees also provide important habitat for bats; it’s where they would have originally evolved, and can still be found today, usually in old forests. and woodland areas.
Bats in Ireland are a protected species and it’s illegal to disturb or remove their nests but of course some do. My own bats have a secure home in the cottage and all I have to do is keep the insect population healthy. I will do my best!
The bats are a welcome addition to my ARK
In July of this year I noticed bees buzzing around a small opening just above a bay window at side of my house. I wondered what they were doing there? They seemed very busy and animated and I wondered if they were doing “a recce” – sussing out a suitable place to live.
I pulled out a jar of local honey and found the bee-keepers name and number and called him right away I asked him if he could take the bees away from my house as they seemed very agitated. He came over right away and I asked him if he could put them in a box and move them to a different location… but after looking at the situation he said “I’m sorry it’s too late to move them – the queen is already inside the house. ” What????
He then told me that they were little black honey bees, native to Ireland, and that if I wanted them removed I could ask pest control to come by, but they would need letter from a bee-keeper saying they were a nuisance and or dangerous and needed to be removed. “Why a letter” I asked? and he said “Because they are a protected species”. Oh!
I didn’t like the idea of poisoning these little creatures but wasn’t sure I wanted them buzzing around the house all day either. Noticing my indecision the bee-keeper said “if you don’t mind them and they’re not bothering you too much you can just leave them there…lots of people here live with bees in their homes.” What?? I’d never heard of such a thing …. people living with bees in their homes? Only in Ireland, I thought to myself.
I thought about if for a while and then reasoned that they weren’t right above the front door or in a high foot traffic area and probably wouldn’t bother anyone at the side of the house, so why not let them stay? I realised as well that there had never been a lot of bees on the property to begin with, and having my own pollinators would be an asset to the ARK, especially since none of the apple trees bore fruit this year. I’d also be helping an endangered species. “Okay” I said, hoping I’d made the right decision `”Let’s leave them alone and let them settle in” He seemed pleased and said “Of course if they become a problem and need to be removed……” I said “I’m sure they’ll be fine ” and then I actually began to feel excited at the thought of “living with bees”. I was also flattered that the Queen Bee had chosen my house as the best location for their new hive.
So, just like the foxes who showed up and reduced the rat population, the bees came in at the right time to help pollinate my ARK.
It’s almost as if Nature has the intelligence to call in specific species – “the rooted and the unrooted” whenever and wherever she feels they are needed. Maybe all natural life is somehow connected and gifted with the knowledge to make intuitive and important decisions to heal the ecosystem when it is out of balance?
I’m going to become a member of the Native Irish Honey Bee Society and Bat Conservation Ireland to find out more about these “mysterious” creatures now they are a part of my life.
You can also find more information on Native Irish honey Bees and Bats in Ireland on the “links” page.
by Andrea Collins | Oct 25, 2023 | We Are The Ark
“Build it and they will come ” God’s words to Noah on building the Ark.
Rewilding our gardens and giving them back to Nature is the first important step we must take in recovering and restoring lost eco-systems which have slowly disappeared over time. The size of our land or garden doesn’t matter, but by giving our land back to Nature, we are giving it the chance to return to its original or natural state. We are also giving wildlife an opportunity to connect with its original habitat – the place it originally evolved. Most of the work will be done by Mother Nature herself making it very easy for us to throw in some small changes ourselves giving her the help she needs, and before long the journey from a neat and tidy but lifeless patch of land into a living Ark will be complete.
My own journey into rewilding began when three years ago after moving to a five acre property in South Kerry. The land was mostly laid to lawn although the house was built in the 1860’s and was home to many mature trees including two large oak trees near the house which were probably planted around the same time. A perimeter of mature woodland encircled the property. The large expanses of lawn had been meticulously taken care of and cut right up to the boundary trees. Cut so often there was nothing else growing except grass. The mature shrubs had been dead-headed and trimmed back to keep them looking “tidy”; And the old dry stone walls were attractive but lifeless. Surprisingly (or not surprisingly) there were very few birds on the property; it was “eerily quiet” considering the amount of trees there were. But I am grateful that the previous owners didn’t cut them down – especially the perimeter woodlands. Here there was hope as they had left the bracken, blackberry bushes, and old apple trees to grow freely. With so much grass to cut the first thing I did was let the largest section of the lawn grow out and do its own thing.
A few months later I liberated another large section of lawn . It didn’t take long before they began taking on a life of their own. All kinds of interesting things started growing there and most of it was unknown to me. It was time to buy some guidebooks. Some visitors would look shocked as they eyed the long grass now swaying freely in the wind. “It’s for the wildlife” I would tell them “they need wild places to wander around in and forage for food”. After rewilding those areas I was surprised at how pretty they looked the following Spring. They transformed into natural wildflower meadows, and they were attracting pollinators- butterflies, moths, bees and other insects.. And once the bird feeders went up the birds came too….lots of small finches at first, and then larger birds started swooping down for the peanuts on the ground. I used to joke that my property was beginning to look like Heathrow airport. Groups of pheasant wandered in from the woodland areas and then deer. They came for the tall grass but also the peanuts (I didn’t know deer ate nuts but I was on a learning curve) I watched with excitement as hooded cows, magpies, jays, robins, finches, collared doves, deer, foxes, shrews (in the stone walls) and little red squirrels all became regular visitors to my patch of land. The birds grew so loud in the Summer I would go outside just before dawn and sit there listening to an amazing orchestra of different bird song – even the pheasants would chime in with the odd squawk. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. The birds were now nesting in the trees all around the property and I watched as their numbers grew. As Summer gave way to Autumn berries ripened on trees and bushes and apples fell to the ground. There were far too many apples for us to eat but eventually passing deer and foxes found them and feasted on them (I didn’t know foxes ate apples either).
I’d left the last section of grass for our three dogs, and put wire fencing in front of the small stone wall to give them a defined space as there were no perimeter fences. I cut the grass less often in this area and gave the bees a chance to collect pollen from the clover, buttercups and daisies that appeared giving life to the grass and the soil. Without perimeter fences deer and foxes were able to travel unhindered across several property boundaries as they foraged for food. The foxes also found a nest of rats who had moved in to eat the bird seed and thankfully they were master hunters and were able keep their numbers down. Over a couple of years the natural eco-system buried beneath the surface of this property came back to life. I stopped trimming the shrubs and bushes and allowed brambles grow around them. Wildflowers, tree shoots, fungi, birds, ferns, insects small and large mammals all showed up to play their part in forming a new eco-system. The transformation happened so quickly and with so little effort on my part It was hard to believe this once silent and lifeless property was now a vibrant, thriving and complex patch of land.
Four years on this property is still evolving and changing. Recently I bought some yew, hazelnut and hawthorn trees – all native species and will plant them out in the wild grassy areas. I think they’ll look great. “Individuals can’t save the world alone. But, if millions of us work together to save our own patch of earth -then we really have a shot! How do we do it? With Acts of Restorative Kindness(ARK’s) Our own personal ARK is “a restored, native ecosystem. It’s a thriving patch of native plants and creatures that have been allowed to reestablish in the earth’s intelligent, successional process of natural restoration. Over time, this becomes a pantry and a habitat for our pollinators and wild creatures who are in desperate need of support. The ARK-building actions are within our control” Mary Reynolds “We are The Ark.” The Dawn Chorus (feat. Pauline Scanlon & The Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra)
