Three cock pheasants playing ‘hide and go seek’ in the long grass where the veg patches will be, Tacumshin, Wexford.
One of the associated pleasures of developing a new kitchen garden in the heart of County Wexford is the wildlife. With Tacumshin Lake and Lady’s Island nearby, the birds, bees and bats favour this area in particular. The large number of wood pigeons provide ample food for peregrine falcons. The buzzards look out for rats and mice. A merlin, Ireland’s smallest falcon, has been chasing smaller birds around here recently too.
The meadow in front of the house will have vegetable beds in it soon. In the meantime, pheasants have been running through the long grass. One wonders if they realise there will be no shooting permitted over this patch come the pheasant open season which begins in November. For their sake, I hope they hang around here or on lands adjacent to Tacumshin Lake which is a Special Protection Area No. 004092.
Trevor is co-founder and was, until his appointment to Government, a board member of Sonairte, the Irish National Ecology Centre, near Julianstown, County Meath which is an Agricultural Training and Visitor centre with a 2.2 acre walled organic garden. He is also a member of Amnesty International, the Dublin Food Co-op, the Irish Organic Farmers’ and Growers’ Association, Organic Trust and a former member of Macra na Feirme. A former teacher and fluent Irish speaker, he relaxes by reading, walking and playing music. His favourite form of relaxation is tending to his prolific organic garden at home in Balbriggan, North County Dublin, an area known by many as Fingal.
Source: Trevors Kitchen Garden – Pheasants Check Out Safe Haven in Tacumshin – Trevor Sargent
