Birdsong and Buzzing Wings: Signs That the Land Is Healing

Three years ago, when we first set foot on this beautiful land, we were filled with a sense of promise and potential. The pastures had a solid foundation, yet they felt eerily quiet, almost like they were waiting for a new chapter. While the soil had a lot to offer, it also showed signs of wear and tear, such as patchy coverage, limited water absorption, and a noticeable lack of insects. It was clear that this landscape had been used but not truly heard.

Shortly after moving in, we had the exciting opportunity to join the Ecdysis Foundation’s 1000 Farms Initiative. This project provided us with a valuable baseline assessment of biodiversity and soil health—and oh, did it reveal a story! We noted just four bird species, struggled with water absorption, and observed that the soil cover was approximately 60%. The insect activity was surprisingly low as well.

Instead of feeling disheartened, we embraced this baseline as our launchpad—it was not a point of defeat, but a foundation for growth.

Fast forward two and a half years, and the transformation is nothing short of remarkable!

Through intentional land management—utilizing practices such as planned grazing and providing native plants with the space they need to flourish—we’ve witnessed a notable increase in diversity across our pastures. A beautiful medley of grasses and forbs has emerged, and insect activity has surged. Just the other day, I found myself captivated beside a patch of butterfly milkweed, with its dazzling orange flowers bustling with life. Butterflies danced among the blooms, dragonflies hovered gracefully, and bees busied themselves, moving methodically from flower to flower. The clear call of bobwhite quail echoed from the hedgerow—it was a stunning symphony of life!

In that moment, I was struck by a profound realization: this land is not just being managed; it’s on a journey of recovery, and it has so much to share with us.

We often think of monitoring as a rigorous process involving clipboards and data sheets, but some of the most effective tools we possess are simply stillness, curiosity, and a keen eye.

In Holistic Management, we incorporate various practices, such as:

- Bullseye Monitoring to assess ecological processes

- Photo points and transect walks to track changes over time

- Safe-to-fail trials to experiment with stock density

But we also ask ourselves thoughtful questions like:

- Who has arrived that wasn’t here before?

- What sights, sounds, or scents indicate a positive shift?

The land communicates through the flutter of butterflies, the melodies of birdsong, and the hum of buzzing insects. It shares its story through the way rain seeps into the soil, rather than running off, and through the remarkable vitality of our plant life.

It’s easy to overlook these changes if you’re not paying attention. However, if you take a moment to observe, it becomes impossible to ignore the beauty and progress happening all around us!