16.10.2025 - Indoor Meeting : Farming & Wildlife: Nicholas Watts of Vine House Farm

Report: Steph Plaster

Nicholas Watts is a farmer who has consciously worked very hard to increase and conserve the wildlife at Vine House Farm in Deeping St Nicholas, Lincolnshire. We were treated to an extremely interesting talk by Nicholas who spoke about the history of the farm and agricultural practices that have changed over the years.

It was his great grandfather who first moved to Deeping to farm in the late 19th century, and Nicholas is now the fourth generation to farm here. His children and grandchildren are also involved in the farm. Nicholas took over the running of the farm from his father in 1964 when farming practices were starting to become more intensive. The Fens were originally drained back in the 17th century when wind-power was used to pump water into large, straight channels that fed into the rivers like the Welland, Witham, Nene and Great Ouse and then entered The Wash. After WWII agriculture was all about maximising crop yields and draining more low-lying land, particularly in the Fens, which is only just above sea-level and, in some areas, below it. Larger fields were created and drainage pipes were laid over vast areas to keep the land from flooding, all of which was detrimental to the wildlife.
Deep ploughing and crop spraying was also intensive and herbicides, pesticides and a whole host of other chemicals were applied to the land - this in turn killed off insects and their eggs, worms, weeds and wildflowers and ultimately led to the demise of more wildlife - the farm had very little wildlife when Nicholas took over in 1964. He did his first BTO survey in the same year looking at ‘Birds in Estuaries’ around the Wash (now WeBS) and later, in 1982, decided to do bird surveys on the farm - looking at Skylarks and Corn buntings, once common farmland birds. As the fields became larger the birds declined with only fourteen skylarks counted in 1992; there were over one hundred prior to that when the fields were smaller.
The first part of his talk was pretty depressing really as he showed us how modern farming was literally destroying the wildlife; the grubbing out of hedges to make larger fields, the barren, deep drainage channels with no vegetation on the banks and the loss of the fifty or so cattle yards all compounded to create an area without insects or weed seeds, meaning there were very few birds on the farm. Also, modern grain-stores were now enclosed with doors which prevented sparrows and finches from picking up spilt grain and the reduction in potato graves meant fewer places for birds to forage for food - it was all looking very grim for wildlife.
So, looking at this thoughtfully, he decided to create more areas on the farm that would support and encourage wildlife. They now do more direct drilling of crops instead of the traditional ploughing, and this has led to more lapwings breeding on the farm. They also sow more cover crops such as peas and beans which, when left to dry, provide good sites for birds.
He also created large, six-metre wide field margins which are full of wildflowers such as poppies and dog daisies and around fifty or so different weed species, such as teasels, which are a great source of nectar and seeds. Barn owls favour these wide, grassy weedy margins and he had fifteen pairs nesting on his farms in 2014. One of the slides showed a Barn owl box containing seven young owls, which is very unusual, but very good. (He also said that this year has not been a good one for Barn owls - as we
know from our own boxes in the Wensum Valley). Nicholas built five brick Barn owl nest towers which he thinks are also used by at least six other species, including Mallard, Stock dove, Jackdaws, Kestrels, Tree sparrows, as well as the owls themselves. There are lots of voles on the farm due to the extensive rough grassy areas and field margins, although during prolonged wet periods voles don’t breed - which in turn means less food the owls. Everything in nature is connected via the food chain - so it’s vital to make sure that every creature in this chain thrives, as is happening at Vine House Farm today. In some areas of the farm, he began to farm organically, which reduces the use of pesticides, but believes that the main thing that has brought wildlife back is the creation of more bird and insect
friendly habitat. Certain crops benefit birds in different ways, and one crop in particular is very good for wildlife - Oil seed rape. Nicholas said that at least ten species of birds will breed and feed in this crop including Reed buntings, Whitethroats and Yellow wagtails.
Other innovative measures he uses are to provide nesting sites for Skylark - they normally nest in arable fields and will make a nest beside tractor tramlines - but these lines also act as a run for mammal predators - like rats and stoats - so many nests fail and could also be disturbed by machinery. What they do at Vine House Farm is to create ‘Skylark plots’ these are rectangular bare patches of earth within a crop that allow the Skylark to nest away from the tramlines and are therefore less susceptible
to predation - he has around 400 plots on his farms now and a healthy Skylark population. This scheme is backed by the Government and farmers can get £11 per plot in compensation for the loss of the crop, so it’s another income source which is vital so his conservation work can increase.
A mixed spinney was planted on the farm which now has bluebells growing in it, and the double rows of hedges planted contain a good range of species including, Bramble, Hazel, Hawthorn, Dogwood, Guelder rose, and Blackthorn, all of which provide nectar for insects and in turn food for birds as well as nesting sites. Nicholas believes that Ivy is of great benefit to wildlife and he recently counted 25 Red admirals gathering nectar from Autumnal ivy flowers, it’s a plant we should encourage really. Several ponds were also created and bushes planted and they made a reservoir which at one time had over eighty pairs of Common terns - but sadly he notes they were predated by mink until they were eradicated in recent years. He also said they realised Moorhens were also taking the tern eggs but still welcomes them on the farm ponds.
Another innovative action was that Nicholas managed to get onto the local Drainage Authority Boards and advocated that they should only mow the drainage channel banks once per year and also perhaps on alternative sides (see below). Not only does this save money for the drainage board and farmer, it also leaves a vital habit for warblers and other wildlife. Previously, drainage channels were traditionally scraped or mowed and cleared of vegetation within an inch of their life, leaving nothing but silt or very short grass. This method would not provide a habitat for nesting birds. It’s such a simple thing to do and he says some other boards have also adopted the system and there are even technical manuals available for farmers to encourage this more-eco-friendly procedure. He said that on his farm, because of this environmentally friendly method, he seen an increase in Reed and Sedge warblers (over 140 territories recorded) and he has Cuckoo’s on his land each year too - some arriving as early as April 16th.
Another crop he sows and allows to go to seed is Kale, and he has recorded over 400 Linnets feeding on this cover crop. Linnets will travel up to a mile in search of seeds for their young, whilst other birds such as Blackbirds and Robins will only go a matter of a few hundred yards. Because Nicholas is a hands-on farmer and conservationist his knowledge about farmland species is second to none and he provided us with so many fascinating facts and insights into bird behaviour. They grow seeds for birds on the farm, including sunflowers, millet and canary seed - which are also sold in the farm shop and online. He tells us that he feeds birds all year round and one slide showed hundreds of Tree sparrows on twenty-eight long tubular feeders, every food port had a Tree sparrow on it - an amazing sight. This was back in 2017 and he says many of the Tree sparrows have relocated elsewhere, although he still feeds them red millet and provides nest boxes for them.
​Other innovative features on his farms include: Wind Turbines which create clean energy, a Bio-mass boiler, Ground source heat pumps and a facility to burn waste oil - these help heat many of the farm buildings and cafe. It just goes to show that farming can also be good for wildlife if different methods are incorporated into the system and some very simple measures can lead to more habitat being provided for wildlife. We need more farmers like Nicholas Watts and we really enjoyed his informative and inspirational talk about how he farms in The Fens with wildlife at its heart.
After the talk I asked him about a WVBS group trip to his farm next summer - so watch this space as we’ll be organising an outdoor event in May or June 2026. The previous visit to his farm was back in 2017 and Mary kindly sent the photo below as a reminder of that trip.