Enjoy a peaceful, relaxing, self-catering holiday in a secluded mobile home situated in the heart of the countryside with spectacular views across the Cotswolds and floodlit wildlife watching facilities within 50 metres of the accommodation

During your stay, you will be able to have EXCLUSIVE use of three heated hides from which to observe badgers and other wildlife throughout the day & by floodlight after dusk at College Barn Farm, Sibford Gower, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 5RY

The conservation project at College Barn Farm commenced in 1987 when Richard and Sandra Butt bought the farm. It includes the planting of trees and shrubs as well as encouraging and, as far as possible, protecting and preserving the resident wildlife.

Their aim is to establish and sustain a wildlife area containing as many different varieties of trees and wildlife as possible. Currently there is 13 acres of woodland, 5 acres of winter bird seed, 27 acres of wildflower meadow, two lakes & two ponds included within this area.

The provision of mobile-home accommodation and wildlife watching facilities for visitors not only helps to fund their conservation project, but also enables other wildlife enthusiasts to share their enjoyment of such.

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During the day there are many other varieties of wildlife, from small birds to grass snakes to roe/fallow/muntjac deer (subject to the season) to be observed at College Barn Farm. One visitor spotted a total of 47 different kinds of birds during her stay, which included kingfishers, woodpeckers, red kites, buzzards, kestrels and owls.

The ‘Top Wildlife Hide’, which is heated and can seat four persons, is on ground level at the entrance, but 10ft. above ground on the viewing side where the field below slopes away.

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Above this hide is a balcony which allows visitors an elevated, open-air view of the surrounding area, day and night, when the weather is fine. The nocturnal wildlife can be clearly seen as there are two floodlights mounted above the hide, which do not seem to bother the wildlife in any way.

A second hide, ‘Running Water Hide’ which is sunk into the ground and seats three/four, is situated by the end of the largest pond. This location provides an unrestricted eye-level view of both land & aquatic wildlife. Photography flaps are located to the front and side of the hide. This hide is also heated and has two reclining seats and two cushion seats.

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A third hide, which also seats three/four people, is situated further down the field, just outside the floodlit area

In 2022 the farm was enrolled into a countryside stewardship scheme. The idea of the scheme being that instead of growing normal cereal crops like wheat & barley, it will be planted with different types of wildflower & grasses/legumes that will benefit and nourish wildlife.

Winter Bird Food – The two smaller fields adjacent to the wooded areas have been growing various small seed-bearing crops.
They provide important food resources for farmland birds throughout the winter. There is two feeding sites where supplementary seed is scattered every week during this period.
The flowering plants also benefit insects including bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies.

Legume Fallow – The four larger plots have been sewn with a mix of 6 flowering species (including Ryegrass, Clover, Trefoil & Vetch).
This crop is to provide food for farmland wildlife, again providing pollen and nectar for pollinators including bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies. It will also provide invertebrate chick food for farmland birds around the sown fallow between April and July

2023 Notes

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Last year we enrolled the farm into a countryside stewardship scheme. The idea of the scheme being that instead of growing normal cereal crops like wheat & barley in our fields, we are growing different types of wildflower & grasses that will benefit and nourish wildlife.

Winter Bird Food – Our two smaller fields adjacent to our wooded areas have been planted with various small seed-bearing crops.
They have been providing important food resources for farmland birds over the winter (especially during the week of extreme cold before Christmas). We also have two feeding sites where we put out supplementary seed every week during this period.
The flowering plants also benefit insects including bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies.

Legume Fallow – Our four larger plots have been sewn with a mix of 6 flowering species (including Ryegrass, Clover, Trefoil & Vetch).
This crop is to provide food for farmland wildlife, again providing pollen and nectar for pollinators including bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies. It will also provide invertebrate chick food for farmland birds around the sown fallow between April and July. Currently we have a number of resident Hares and Muntjac that enjoy the cover that the grass provides.

Below are the two supplementary feeding sites:

 

 

Badger Updates

After scarcely being seen on our trail cameras over the winter, the badgers have awoken from their semi-hibernation and have started doing their evening rounds of the farm, polishing up the peanuts in the various feeding points Richard leaves out for them daily. Oh and the occasional tasty worm too!

 

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2022 Notes

Water Wildlife Updates:
One of the wild ducks that visit our ponds has returned with 9 baby ducklings! Here we can see them swimming on our end pond

June 2, 2022
Badger Cub Update:
This years cubs are getting a lot larger, however they still have a lot to learn! In the below videos you can see them playing with each other outside their family home:

April 13, 2022
Badger Cub Update:
We have finally had some video footage of this years badger cubs. In the below video we can see the sow from our previous video along with her 3 cubs emerging from the sett.

April 1, 2022
Badger Updates:
Below we can see a sow surfacing from one of the badger setts along the top border of our farm in mid march. If you look closely you can see she has visible teats which means she likely has cubs – Although we have not had video footage of them just yet!

Water Wildlife Updates:
We currently have four wild ducks that visit our ponds daily to feed. Here we can see them socialising between the two ponds along with an appearance from a moorhen

Otter Spotted! We have been having a late night visitor to our ponds in the past month – which is lovely to see as they are not common

Otter Spotted

Otter Spotted


Otter Spotted

Otter Spotted

Other Wildlife Updates:
We have had lots of fallow deer & muntjac visiting recently, with the occasional roe deer making an appearance too.
Below we can see a group of 5 fallow deer taking a stroll through one of our wooded areas.

Birds of prey are magnificent creatures – We have a pair of red kites soaring over the farm daily, along with buzzards & kestrels. Below we can see a buzzard caught on camera by one of our deer feeders.

Please subscribe to our YouTube channel below:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_5IlfvPJRCb6pjX4gP-rA?sub_confirmation=1

2021 Notes

The badgers are now a lot more active as the weather warms up and possibility of there being cubs in the sett in the video are two badgers just going back into their sett at about 4 am this morning after having a nightly trip around our farm looking for food, and finding and eating a few hidden peanuts that I leave out for them.

May 15th 2021
Badger cubs soon grow up their behaviour however takes longer and is helped by a caring mother badger