Autumn in the Aire

Autumn is certainly in the air, with our park-up area looking a little sparse around the edges. The trees are casting their leaves in rustling showers and the colour palette of Frugaldom has become one of bronze, yellows, reds and golds. There is still a little bit of green to be seen but most of the flowers have gone.

The scarlet dogwoods add a splash of colour by the edge of the paddock and by the side of the drive so we will soon be cutting these back to replant those red stems elsewhere. Come along and help, if you can.

The willows have become wispy, waving in the wind and ready to be cut down for replanting elsewhere. Willows and dogwoods are fantastic for this very reason - harvesting their stems, or coppicing them, produces an abundance of new planting material every year.

The beech tree is turning golden and is currently the location of many bird visits as the goldcrests and other small birds pick at the bugs and buds. The hazel and oak trees are frequented by the jays who come to feast on the nuts and acorns.

The ground beneath the trees is carpeted in crispy leaves, often disturbed by scratching birds and snuggling badgers. You can tell the year is winding down, which means we need to step up the feeding to supplement the diets of all the creatures who live here. We now have regular badger buffets and tree picnics for the pine martens. The most fantastic thing about nature is that it surrounds us and can be enjoyed by all for free. Catching glimpses of badgers and pine martens or the occasional red squirrel is a gift to be enjoyed by all. Feed them and they will come.

If you would like to help us feed the animal inhabitants of Frugaldom then you can simply contribute a few pounds via PayPal to frugaldom@gmail.com 

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Who Needs Therapy When There's Wildlife to Watch

We have had several great nights of wildlife watching and a 100% success rate, so far, with our visitors seeing the badgers. I like to think of our wildlife watching as frugal fun. Getting out into nature and observing wildlife can be free, if you take the time to learn a little about the environment and the habitats in which the wild birds and animals live.

It may surprise many to know that foxes and badgers can happily co-exist within the same area, feeding together and even sharing the same sett and den locations. Often, the badgers arrive along with the foxes and share the dog biscuits and peanuts we put out to supplement their diets.

Here at Frugaldom, we have regular visits prom the pine martens, who are always wary of the foxes and badgers but will often stand their ground, watching from the safety of their favourite tree. Their tree has a feeding platform that sees an assortment of birds and even mice visiting for snacks.

One if the more colourful visitors is the greater spotted Woodpecker. Seen here is a male bird, easily identified by his bright red patch behind his head. Everything loves peanuts, even the fox eats them. So, too, will the goats and ponies, given half the chance of finding them. 😆

Nature can be all the therapy you need. Fresh air, a little bit of comfort and some time to relax, unwind, de-stress and recharge can reap huge health benefits. Simple living, simple pleasures, simple solutions... It costs from as little as £5 per month to join 'Friends of Frugaldom' and enjoy access anytime to what we consider to be a wildlife wonderland. Overnight parking costs £15 for campervans or motorhomes up to 7.5m

Check out our other pages for more photos and updates by searching for @Frugaldom

We are located in southwest Scotland, between Newton Stewart and Stranraer, just 5 miles off the main A75 near Kirkcowan. Email frugaldom@gmail.com for further details or to book a wildlife watch.

Frugaldom Availability

As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, we are preparing for the inevitable lack of time to get everything done that needs to be done. One thing that is ready, however, is our yard; it is open all year round for visiting campervans and motorhomes (max 7.5m). If you have a self-contained vehicle, can do the whole off-grid thing and can bring your own water, then you're welcome to come along anytime. We have a sliding scale for pricing your stays...

£15 for 1 night

£25 for 2 nights

£35 for 3 nights

£45 for 4 nights

£55 for 5 nights

£65 for 6 nights

£75 for 7 nights

Under our new licensing by the Caledonian Touring Club, visitors are welcome to stay for up to 28 days. We have basic waste disposal for water and toilet cassettes, rain harvested rinsing water and two cosy huts that can be hired out by the day or night for wildlife watching. (£50)

We have availability from 17th October for all dates but make sure you check availability prior to arrival. Email frugaldom@gmail.com or else message via any of our social media pages - just search for @frugaldom

Alternatively, you can text or WhatsApp 07795870688. No calls or voice messages please as signal is intermittent here and we work outdoors every day.

Where Can I See Pine Martens in Scotland?

The question, "Where can I see pine martens in Scotland?" is one I have seen often asked in forums or social media groups. The following is my answer, along with evidence... Right here at Frugaldom is where you can see pine martens in Scotland. We have huts that can be used as hides plus overnight parking for those who want to visit and park up in a campervan or motorhome (max. 7.5m). 

Contrary to common belief, pine martens can be seen at all hours of day and night, unlike their larger mustelid cousins, the badgers. The latter seldom put in an appearance before sunset.

This year, we noted at least two kits visiting the spruce tree feeding platform along with one or other of their parents, most likely to be mum.

Frugaldom is set within its own private wilderness that has been intentionally rewilded over the past decade. This 5 hectare site sees near nightly visits from pine martens and badgers, as well as offering the possibility of spotting buzzards, owls, hen harriers, red kites, kestrels, sparrowhawks and countless small birds.

The jays can often be heard in the surrounding woodlands and at the feeding stations. Their raucous calls are unmistakable.

By night, with the help of infra red trail cameras, we document the comings and goings of our resident pine martens, badgers and foxes. 

For those choosing to spend a night in an off-grid observation hut, the pine martens and the badgers are likely to come close enough to photograph through the windows. On occasion, sightings have been much closer than expected. 😆

From the campervan park-up site, you can see the spruce tree platform, which is great for anyone with the right camera equipment or for those happy just to quietly observe from a distance.

This particular photo was taken through the window on my mobile phone when one of the more senior pine martens came bounding along the decking to help himself to peanuts.

I can never guarantee anyone will spot and photograph a pine marten here at Frugaldom but our corner of Dumfries & Galloway in southwest Scotland has a thriving and growing population - some of them have chosen to revisit our land regularly.

Campervan and motorhome parking costs £15 for 1 night, £25 for 2 nights, £75 for a full week. Overnight, exclusive use of a hut costs £50 and each has it's own log burner, ensuring convenient use throughout the year. To check availability, please text or WhatsApp 07795870688 or email frugaldom@gmail.com

If you would like to support this wildlife project, you can join Friends of Frugaldom from as little as £5 per month. 

See www.ko-fi.com/Frugaldom for further details, to subscribe or to donate. 

If you have read this far, thank you very much for taking the time to read this blog post. You can like, follow and/or share your favourite posts, of which, there are many. 😊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

About Frugaldom

These past few weeks since reopening our yard to campervans and motorhomes have been interesting. Our speciality, if you care to call it that, is providing opportunities for our visitors to watch the wildlife at the various feeding stations.

The badgers, now known as 'Clan MacBrock', are firm favourites with everyone, especially with so many of our visitors never having seen live badgers before coming to Frugaldom. Our resident badgers are very shy, nocturnal creatures but they occasionally put in an appearance before dark. By using trail cameras, we can see where they go and at what time.

The pine martens are also highly prized for photo opportunities and, to everyone's delight, they have been arriving at all hours, including the middle of the day. Our current motorhomers parked up in the yard have managed to get some great photos of pine marten in a nearby tree at the peanut feeder.

As many of you will know, we also have the huts at Frugaldom, where our supporters can camp out to watch the wildlife. Sometimes, however, I do wonder who is watching who.

As autumn approaches, we are introducing more opportunities for our supporters to come along and share this patch of wilderness. 

Thetr is still plenty to see if you live wildlife and nature. There's park-up space for campervans and motorhomes (max 7.5m) and woodland huts as hides and for a spot of overnight camping. The huts are ideal for artists, writers, photographers and for anyone looking to escape for a bit of down time to recharge. Hut 3 makes a fabulous reading room while hut 2 is more spacious for enjoying the company of friends or fellow wildlife enthusiasts.

As well as wildlife and nature conservation, we provide sanctuary to ponies, goats and feral cats.

We are not a charity nor are we a company, we are a social enterprise being run voluntarily to offer fellow frugalers and followers of Frugaldom the chance to experience a totally off-grid, low impact lifestyle where nature and the environment play primary roles. 

While here, you can take a walk into the secret garden and explore art in nature.

To join Friends of Frugaldom and support this project, you can sign up via our page at www.ko-fi.com/Frugaldom Membership costs from just £5 per month and all monies raised contribute towards feeding and caring for the animals and wildlife that live here.