Ben Eagle

The contrasts of Spring

Although it feels somewhat difficult to believe at the moment, as I peer out through the closed window at the garden currently enjoying the latest downpour, with the wind blowing leaves all about the place, Spring is here. To be astronomically precise it actually began in the northern hemisphere on Sunday March 20th – the vernal equinox.ContinueContinue reading “The contrasts of Spring”

Are conservationists hopelessly opposed to everything?

This is a refreshingly brave post, written by James Common, on the subject of collaboration and understanding of nuance when it comes to achieving conservation aims in the 21st century. The thinking behind it goes to the root of what I am trying to achieve in this blog – to suggest that we need toContinueContinue reading “Are conservationists hopelessly opposed to everything?”

Visiting the Knepp Estate: A Lesson in Rewilding

Transitional, innovative, exciting, restorative, unique, both agriculturally and economically sensical and questionable concurrently and all in all, a little bit mad! The rewilding project at the Knepp Castle Estate in Sussex, spearheaded by estate owner Charlie Burrell and his superb team, is all of these things and more. My visit yesterday, the first time IContinueContinue reading “Visiting the Knepp Estate: A Lesson in Rewilding”

Our Place in Time and the Subtleties of Changing Landscapes

Bordering the north eastern most part of our farm at Walton Hall, Walton-on-the-Naze lies an area of low lying land, owned by the District Council and protected from regular flooding by the natural, rapidly eroding cliff. This small section of eroding cliff face also protects a water treatment works which serves thousands of local people,ContinueContinue reading “Our Place in Time and the Subtleties of Changing Landscapes”

The frustrations of report writing

Some might say that this is the ultimate act of procrastination – writing about report writing when I should be writing a report. This is in some ways true and I have been sitting in the office all morning with a pile of papers on my desk, google scholar (and I must say, wikipedia) onContinueContinue reading “The frustrations of report writing”