Welcoming members of the FUW to their National Trust farm, Hafod y Llyn Isaf, the couple led a farm tour of the 110 acres holding which is also home to 100 sheep and 25 cattle alongside a variety of farmland birds. The land here is mostly rush pasture and species rich floodplain meadows, as it's only 3 metres above sea level. Formerly part of the estuary, before the cob was built in Porthmadog, the soil is sandy and presents the young farming couple with some challenges.

The farming system is important to Ned and Teleri, with the focus being on conservation whilst producing sustainable, nutritious food. The cattle play a crucial role in the land management and conservation aspects here on the farm and the breeds were bought in from other farmers also involved in conservation grazing. To further improve the farmland for biodiversity and help combat climate change, the National Park has supplied Ned and Teleri with saplings for hedgerows and extra individual trees along boundaries as well.

Conservation and looking after the land play a crucial role here at Hafod y Llyn Isaf, however, Teleri and Ned are also keen to ensure that food production doesn't fall by the wayside. The couple embarked on a direct selling venture, which includes their own lamb and beef boxes. Teleri draws on her marketing experience to add value to their products and builds strong relationships with customers, by telling their farming story on social media.

Thinking about how they can improve the farm and land, whilst producing nutritious sustainable food is what keeps Ned and Teleri on their toes - they are determined to improve the land for the future.

"Our farmland birds are a great indicator of how well we are doing with our conservation efforts. We have a wide variety of bird species here but we wanted to know what else we can do and what we can do better to help those birds flourish and thrive here," said Ned Feesey.

Teleri Fielden added:

"Working with the GWCT Wales, we are looking at improving the availability of winter seeds to help get birds through the current 'hungry gap'. Here we are doing it through deferring grazing for our livestock, outwintering our cattle to provide hay seeds and the provision of muck filled with bugs, improving our wetland meadows to provide wader-habitat and cover, as well as improving connectivity between woodlands through hedgerows and field-boundary trees. Farming and looking after the environment can go hand in hand here and I'm pleased to see that we have got an already varied bird population here on the farm.

"I encourage farmers across Wales to take part in the Big Farmland Bird Count to see how they too can help our farmland birds get through those difficult months."

Lee Oliver, Head of Projects at GWCT Wales who presented at the information session said:

"The Big Farmland Bird Count celebrates 10 years this year. It gives us a snapshot of the farmland bird population across the country, giving us an idea of how conservation work is helping. Visiting farms such as Hafod y Llyn Isaf, gives farmers and land managers an opportunity to showcase the great work they do. The count gives farmers a monitoring tool to assess bird life on their land year on year. It was a great day visiting Ned and Teleri's farm, and it was plain to see the farming methods and grazing regimes they have implemented are working for wildlife, as well as profitable farming, which of course is essential."

To learn more and take part in the 2023 GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count which runs from 3 – 19 February 2023 visit: 

Big Farmland Bird Count – GWCT Wales Farming Community