Conservation
@Althorp
.com Conservation manager Althorp Estates Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Norfolk.
Over 500 years of living history. Images are my own.
Folk that walk their dogs in the countryside and leave dog poo bags strewn behind dry stone walls or discard them in bushes, please tell me on what level do you think this is acceptable. Its not normal behaviour, you're not responsible, its disgraceful.
Conservation
@althorp
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Bad news. Two huge fly-tipped rubbish heaps on one of our farm tracks today, both mainly cannabis growing paraphernalia.
Good news. We have the vehicle responsible for this mess and it's registration on camera. 📸 🚔
Conservation
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#flytipping
#ruralcrime
#covertcameras
36 oak trees lining the drive up from Althorps west gate.
Each one was planted to commemorate a year in the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. They look particularly beautiful in their autumn colours.
Conservation
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#Spencerestates
#Spencerfamily
Sadly, Althorp has lost a much loved and dedicated member of staff. A great countryman, Fiercely loyal and a close friend and colleague to me for over 45 years.
Bob passed away very suddenly but peacefully after spending the day with his friends at Althorp.
RIP Bobby x
#pic2007
Brown hare catching some pleasantly warm sunshine in Althorp park.
It's surprising how a little change in the weather can make so much difference to us all. Beautiful algae showing on the ancient oak trees too.
Conservation
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#sunshine
#Spencerestates
Little owl roosting in a barn loft at Althorp.
The majority of our Litttle Owls roost and nest in the ancient sweet chestnut and oak trees. This loft has always been occupied by L O`s.
conservation
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It was confirmed today by two archaeologists that the object I picked up from an Estate field 3 weeks ago IS a roman quern stone. Made of pudding stone & used for hand grinding coarse wheat.
It was found near a roman road which runs through the Estate.
Conservation
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Day off today. Ive spent time with my wife Jo celebrating 40 years of marriage. Am I really that old? Time flies, use yours wisely.
Conservation
@althorp
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Jack, Althorp's conservation & landscape officer removing a dumped jacuzzi & decking from one of our woodland gateways.
To those responsible....... We have you on camera and will be sending all of the footage to Northamptonshire police. 📸
Conservation
@althorp
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#flytippers
One of the big 'girls' having her waist measurement taken in Althorp park. I even thought I should perhaps look away!
This special oak is still growing, 750 years young and quite magnificent.
* full screen. Conservation
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#oaktrees
#Spencerestates
The 'Flying Scotsman' steaming her way through Althorp estate this morning! Goose bump moment to say the least.
Photos and footage. Adey & Sam W.
Conservation
@althorp
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#Althorpstation
Why do so many offenders think that fly-tipping is acceptable? Councils making it harder to use the local tip is NO excuse.
The countryside is being degraded at an alarming rate leaving land owners to pay and clear up the mess. It's a national disgrace.
Conservation
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Elephant Hawk-moth trudging across Althorp this morning, certainly looking like it's on a mission. These huge caterpillars are completely harmless and feed on willowherb, fuchsia and bedstraw.
Placed into a safe area.
Conservation
@althorp
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Pic. Anne T.
#Spencerestates
I successfully reunited a muntjac fawn with its mother today after it was fenced in on the wrong side of the walled garden. The doe, (mother) stood her ground throughout and was very vocal.
Conservation
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#muntjac
I flew into Althorp this afternoon and just look how beautiful the park is this autumn. Its stunning all year of course but today, wow!
Conservation
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#agusta109
Chinese water deer fawn in Althorp park earlier today. It was no bigger than a rabbit. I took a quick photograph from a distance, and then left it to wander back into the sedge grasses to wait for its mother.
Conservation
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#dogsonleads
Can you see who is hiding in this picture?
I took the photograph of the newly extracted wood pile this morning. I only noticed who was in the shot when I uploaded it later. Conservation
@Althorp
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#althorppark
#animalsofalthorp
Work to remove illegally fly-tipped rubbish on our boundary with Northampton starts today. This is some of the rubbish that will cost us thousands of pounds to remove. We have now closed off the track (council owned) which gave access to the estate land.
Conservation
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HRH Princess Elizabeth inspects troops at Northampton's Spencer parade in 1946. HRH is closely followed by The 7th. Earl Spencer.
Conservation
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I was given the "heads up" that the Red Arrows would fly directly over
@AlthorpHouse
returning from the Kings official birthday fly past today.
...and directly to the inch and the very second they arrived, it was an incredible moment.
Conservation
@althorp
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#redarrows
#VidSamW
Brown hare showing both ears crossed to one side. Hares have very good hearing and sense of smell, both coupled with excellent eyesight. It's Britains fastest land mammal and heavily steeped in folklore.
Conservation
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#brownhare
#Spencerestates
Reflections in the stream that runs through Althorp Park.
Many years ago a mill stood on this spot, there's remains of it that can be seen today.
Conservation
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#millholme
#Millbrook
#althorppark
Every year I look forward to seeing nature's wonderful blue carpet appear across the woodlands at Althorp.
I then set myself a task to find the "one in ten thousand" white ones. Not failed yet!
Conservation
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#bluebells
#Spencerestates
#woodland
It's not just discarded dog poo bags that we have to pick up across the estate, it's literally everything imaginable.
It must take more time and effort to come into the countryside to dump it, rather than dispose of it responsibly nearer to home!
Conservation
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#trash
The 'fruits' of our hedgerows are not always just blackberries, sloes & crabapples at Althorp.
It's often household rubbish thrown from the roadside.
We have many covert cameras, and we do prosecute fly-tippers, as many offenders are finding out!
Conservation
@althorp
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#trash
The Royal Navy offered The 4th Earl Spencer £100 pounds for this magnificent tree in the early 1850's for ship building. The "Crimean oak" is around 650 years of age. She makes all the other large oaks around her look small in comparison.
*Full screen.
Conservation
@althorp
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Ducks and geese on the Round Oval lake
@AlthorpHouse
I saw the first goslings today that have hatched off in the park, they were being led down to the lake by both attentive parent birds.
Conservation
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Greater spotted woodpecker looking for morsels on a pear tree in the old walled gardens at Althorp.
We have good numbers of GSW on the Estate.
Conservation
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#woodpeckers
#spencerestates
Tawny owl peeping out of it's 500 year old oak tree home in Althorp Park just now.
We have a very healthy population of field voles, shrews and mice in the park making it great habitat for owls and other species.
Conservation
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#tawnyowl
#kestrels
#barnowls
#littleowls
One of Althorp park's many veteran oaks looking rather moody today.
These majestic giants have a magnificence all of their own.
Conservation
@althorp
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#oaks
#althorppark
#lovetrees
A 750 year old oak tree and a 400 year old oak tree photographed early this morning. Althorp park has many magnificent oak trees but these are two of my favourites structurally. Both are grand old ladies of the park.
Conservation
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#oak
#parkland
#winterbeauty
Althorp's stone monuments, 9 in total, tell us when trees were planted. These two are the most recent & the oldest. One from 1997 commemorating Diana, Princess of Wales, with 36 oaks, the other is from the 1560's commemorating the planting of an oak wood.
Conservation
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A bright and sunny morning here, but very wet underfoot. The hares in the park
@AlthorpHouse
are a lot quieter than they were last week when they were "flying" through the air and generally causing havoc.
Conservation
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#springmorning
#Spencerestates
The first proper rainfall since the completion of our wetlands project @ Althorp.
It's certainly looking like a wetland today. The channels and scrapes are starting to properly fill up for the very first time. I'm absolutely soaked!
Conservation
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#thunderstorms
#rain
Black fallow fawn
@AlthorpHouse
The fawns are normally well hidden in the stinging nettles, but sometimes they will lay out in the open grassland, just like this one.
Please keep dogs under close control on private land.
Conservation
@althorp
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#deer
#Spencerestates
There's a lot of posts on X regarding the lack of butterflies this year...Some are seeing a few now. I can only say what I am experiencing. A very low count. Here's a 10 acre block of wild flowers, at noon on a sunny day, no sprays for 3 years! Not one!
Conservation
@althorp
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At around 2 kilometres in length the newly constructed wetlands at Althorp will become home to many creatures and plants. It continues to take shape in this heavy rainfall. Slowing the water down will in turn help aliviate flooding in NW Northampton.
Conservation
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This is actually drilled wheat on our arable land adjoining Northampton!!
Over 20+ dirt-bike riders have been using Althorp and Northants C.C. land next door illegally. We have given registration numbers to the police and hope to put an end to this crime.
Conservation
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This sika stag in Althorp park was being very inquisitive today.
Even stamped his front leg at me a few times! ( pic 3).
Conservation
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#deerpark
#sika
#deer
No sooner had the barn owl chicks fledged at this site, and up pops this little chap!
Little owls do prefer the old trees at Althorp for roosting and nesting, but an old barn is always of interest. He certainly had a good "gander".
Conservation
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@Payne1pro
#nature
Trash thrown from cars in Nobottle wood, Althorp.
150 Special brew lager cans, 80+ Costa coffee cups, countless crisp packets, 20 wine bottles and baby wipes! This is the result of Sandy Lane being closed for so long.
Those responsible are a disgrace.
Conservation
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Tim, Althorp's dandy Peacock taking a well deserved rest after hours of repelling peacocks that were daring to come near to his 'wifelets' today.
Tim's 'train' (tail) is absolutely amazing this year, and doesn't he know it!
Conservation
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#TimthePeacock
I'm inclined to think that "Minty" one of the two pet sheep
@AlthorpHouse
is... how do I put it politely? "A little broad in the beam". Very happy looking though I must say.
Conservation
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#Spencerestates
Good morning all. Normal start to the day for some of us!
I'm not entirely sure what the roads/footpaths around Althorp would look like if we just left all the daily dumped rubbish for the council to remove! Not a nice look is it?
Conservation
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#flytipping
#Harlestone
Surprised to see this feisty kestrel down the back of an old cattle feeder. I left it undisturbed, and decided we will suspend any work planned until later in the year.
All our work with barn owls, birds of prey etc. at Althorp is done under licence.
Conservation
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This is a very ancient pond called the garden 'stew', originally used for holding freshwater fish to be consumed by the Spencers and most likely by the medieval manor house owners before them.
Restoration work is underway to restore the pond this year.
Conservation
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Four more barn owl boxes have been placed around the estate today by Chris P. and Althorp's conservation officer Jack W.
Chris constructed the boxes, and his knowledge and expertise is very much appreciated by all of us here at Althorp.
Conservation
@althorp
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#conservation
Newly constructed wooden bridge, all completed in four days over an existing brick one. Althorp wished to retain and preserve the old bridge rather than lose it for ever.
It's on a bridleway between Althorp and Holdenby, our neighbouring estate.
Conservation
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#habitat
Tyres thrown into a hedge this weekend only metres from Althorps perimeter wall. Mostly motor bike tyres, must be from a business that is local? Hopefully we've got the culprits on cctv. Thanks for moving them on a Sunday Sam W.
Conservation
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#trash
Four great Matriarchs in Althorp Park. Girth of each at chest height as follows.
1, Oak 10 metres. 2, Sweet Chestnut 7.6 metres. 3, Beech 6.4 metres. Lime, 5.8 metres.
All of these well loved trees have watched over The Spencer family for centuries. Conservation
@Althorp
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Chinese water deer fawn hiding in the grass this morning. Two others were nearby, triplets! The mortality rate of all deer fawn/calf species can be high. Please take care, keep your distance & keep dogs under close control in the countryside.
Conservation
@althorp
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#vulnerable
Unprecedented flash flooding in our Estate villages. Estate staff worked long into the night at many estate properties doing what we could. The roads were running like rivers.
Big thank you to
@DylanHartley
for all your help.
Conservation
@althorp
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#flooding
#Spencerestates
I found it quite unusual seeing a greylag goose twenty metres up in a cedar tree!
I have seen them do it quite a few times now at Althorp, perhaps its not all that strange.
I have heard of them being up in trees more in Scotland.
conservation
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More fly-tipped rubbish removed from Harlestone this morning by the Althorp team. Two addresses were found on the cardboard boxes. One from a property very near to here and one from Kingsley in Northampton. Council are aware.
Conservation
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#flytipping
#Disgraceful
This wonderful Oak tree is over 500 years old, sadly she's dead but still very beautiful.
Standing dead trees can be home to more wildlife than living ones amazingly. Healthy woodlands & forests should include plentiful amounts of dead and decaying wood.
Conservation
@althorp
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Rubbish phone shot of the first wild duckling brood
@AlthorpHouse
there were 10 mallard ducklings in total and their mother deserved an Oscar with her 'broken wing' performance!
Conservation
@althorp
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#wildlife
Very sad day for us at Althorp. One minute of total devastation caused severe damage to many ancient oak trees.
Thankfully no one was hurt but recording & photographing each lost tree just now was difficult.
Conservation
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#Tornado
#Althorppark
The new vineyard at Althorp is getting is having its hybrid vines planted all this week. The whole area fenced is 22 acres and will incorporate wild flowers. There is a smaller vineyard in the park too.
Conservation
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#Spencerestates
A very exciting wetlands project begins this year at Althorp Estate. I'll post updates throughout the year as the work unfolds.
A lot of careful planning with various agencies will finally come to fruition creating new habitat for our wildlife.
Conservation
@althorp
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#nature
Old "split ear" is back around
@AlthorpHouse
today. I hadn't seen her for over two months until now. Very tame this one, and often seen on the front lawns of the big house.
Conservation
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#hares
The first set of cast antlers this year! This natural annual shedding is totally painless. The new antlers will grow over the next few months & be covered in velvet like growth. It will then be rubbed off and the new set will be known as 'clean'. 11kgs.
Conservation
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