Jim uses specialist seed merchants to provide quality seed and agronomy support and the results have been excellent.

Kale, turnip rape and utopia (a hybrid of kale and mustard) provide cover from the elements and avian predators. Quinoa and sunflowers provide seed for winter food. Phacelia provides low ground cover for weed suppression and spring and summer insect food. 

In some areas the shoot has chosen mixes that are particularly suited to supressing broadleaf weeds where the land has been historically improved for farming. These mixes are designed to be annually replaced, mainly cereal species such as triticale, wheat and barley – with a splash of colour from chicory.

The shoot does not use any fertiliser other than farmyard manure. No pesticides or herbicides are used. The game cover crops are teeming with insects and birds.

If they must do weed control, it is done by hand but only where essential to avoid invasive species taking over. The ‘weeds’ add to the biodiversity. In addition, Jim is often adding plant species to the mixes from suppliers to maximise that diversity.

Water sources are critical and all the game cover crops are near one or more of the many ponds being created on the shoot. Drinkers are also provided. The less distance wildlife has to move from the safety of covers the better, both for wintering birds and in the all-important breeding season.

There are over 50 feeding stations for wild birds and Jim hand scatters feed in other locations. This continues year-round, not just through the hungry gap – the period between when winter food is exhausted and renewal of growth in the spring. This is all about providing wildlife with what they need, where they need it.

In terms of renewing covers, Jim is careful to stagger them both spatially across the shoot and over the years. This is so each area of the shoot has covers at different ages, meaning there is never a dearth of brood rearing or winter holding cover on any part of the shoot. This is one of the reasons why the abundance of small birds on the shoot is exceptionally high.

Each cover is associated with a hedgerow, shelter belt or woodland edge. When you put different habitats next to each other it increases the overall number of species that can survive there because some species need multiple different habitats near to each other. It also can provide additional nesting locations right by the cover itself.

The approach to hedgerows on the shoot is not dissimilar to the game covers. The shoot has a diverse collection of hedgerows in different stages of life. Some excel at providing cover, other are the best at producing insects or berries.  Any wood taken out from laying is used to create dead hedges or dead wood piles to these essential habitats for a range of species, especially invertebrates.

Woodland is too long a topic for this case study but suffice to say the shoot works just as hard on that to boost the abundance of habitats and wildlife across its 270 acres.

Finally, to help breeding birds of all types, the control of crows, magpies, rat and fox is key, and many hours are committed to this. A network of trail cams and the use of infrared rifle scopes were helpful tools towards the removal of over 100 foxes annually for several years and that has come down to a more sustainable low tens of foxes now.

Rat control in the game covers and hedgerows is important too as these habitats provide a focal point for their foraging and that can include eggs and chicks. The flip side is controlling them here will reduce their impact on other habitats on the farm.

The birdlife across the shoot is outstanding with highlights including bitterns, nightjar, barn owl and woodcock. The local wildlife trusts visit the shoot to record the diversity of flora and fauna and they are gobsmacked at what has been achieved.

This shoot, which moved to steel shot last season, provides its members with great sport, camaraderie and food based off maximising the health of the land and pushing on for nature recovery. It shows what can be achieved by smaller game shoots.