Our Senior Production Co-ordinator, Lucy Cassidy, explains …
I don’t get to see much daylight from my usual workstation in the warehouse but during covid it was different.
Those of us who stayed on to manage the upswing in online orders had to segregate and I was lucky enough to bag the shop area. If you have visited us before, you’ll know what wonderful views it has over the orchard and surrounding South Devon countryside.
I soon started noticing the huge variety of wildlife that had found sanctuary at the Farm. Deer and foxes were frequent visitors, and then there were the birds. So many different species chorusing a welcome on my early morning starts.
My thoughts soon turned from packing chilli seeds, to where I could put out bird seed! I wanted to draw my new feathered friends closer and help them through the leaner months. The answer came in the form of a locally advertised doll’s house which we adapted to make a bird table.
What a find that was! The dolls may have moved out but the birds soon moved in and I’ve been a dedicated twitcher ever since. I’ve seen everything from commonplace house sparrows, dunnocks and blackbirds, to the more exotic-looking bullfinches (who naughtily eat the young buds on our apple trees), plus goldfinches, jays and, of course, jaunty little bluetits galore.
But it’s the occasional sighting of a green woodpecker that really gets me excited. With its signature ‘yaffle’ cry, olive green body and burgundy red cap, it’s almost a dead-ringer for the colourful bird on the label for our luscious Piri Piri Sauce! I’ve yet to spot a species that comes close to the flamboyant creature on our Peruvian Chilli Sauce bottles, however, but give it time! Maybe it could pass for a territorial pheasant and we see plenty of those here, too.
Even some of the newer members of our team not usually bothered by birdlife are getting twitchy! It’s quite something to see a greater spotted woodpecker dive in to drill away at the easy pickings. Once seen, never forgotten, their striking black, white and red plumage and streamlined bodies never fail to impress.
Spring is a great time of year for bird-watching so call in to see us if you’re passing. After you’ve browsed our wide selection of chilli-inspired produce and gifts, why not grab yourself a coffee and a cake, and take a seat outside for a while to enjoy the sun and the view? If you’re lucky, you might spot an early swallow or house martin, coax a shy wren out of hiding or attract the attention of the nation’s favourite – a cheeky robin hopping up beside you in hope of a few crumbs. Happy twitching!