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Holding Still in Suffolk
Saad Huda • Jun 08, 2021
When Saad's partner Geoffrey was left 45 acres of a quiet corner of Suffolk, the pair needed little persuasion to up sticks and move to pastures new.
London now seems like a distant memory for the pair, with Geoffrey focusing on rare breeds and biodiversity, and Saad turning his hand to taxidermy.
Saad describes the beauty he sees in the natural world - and why education and conservation lie at the heart of what they both do.
Holding Still in Suffolk
My name is Saad. I am a naturalist and a taxidermist. To me, the study and understanding of the natural world and how the anatomical mechanisms of birds and animals work, move and function is one form of worship that brings me closer to my Creator.
Being a taxidermist allows me to utilise my knowledge of anatomy and musculature to portray nature in the best form that I can envision the wonders of the natural world around me. I am not a scholar of natural history, but I am a very observant and methodologically creative person. I took an interest in taxidermy as it allows me to explore the beauties of nature in its most unique and characteristic forms that I have not seen or interpreted before.
It is like taking a snapshot of a sacred ibis taking flight. Normally, you do not see in natural history books or photographs of sacred ibis taking flight mid stage. Either they are foraging or perched resting on a branch. But to see this majestic creature leap up and take flight is a sight to behold and it is beautiful and elegant, like a dancing ballerina.
My approach to taxidermy is heavily influenced by nature. Nothing in nature is static and inanimate. To me it is very fluid and ever moving. Nature in motion. This is how I approach my forms and composition of any specimen I mount. It always showcases a snapshot in time and a fleeting moment. I believe this is one of the best ways that I can utilise my skills to portray a bird or an animal for educational and conservation work.
Take the barn owl for instance. Such an iconic bird of prey in our countryside and on our farms. If a dead barn owl is given to me to mount, I could easily mount it static sitting on a log. However, I can equally mount it in a pose where it is sweeping down talons outstretched, poised and wings held high like a silent predator on an unsuspecting field mouse down below. This is a very animated pose but it also tells more about the behaviour and characteristic of the barn owl that evokes emotion and wonder.
It beckons an observer to engage in conversation with and discuss more about this barn owl. This is powerful knowledge. Knowledge that inspires and motivates to learn more and consequently do more to help in the conversation of our barn owl species in the wild. To me, taxidermy is not just an art form of stuffing a bird or animal; it is an extension of my creative mind and exploration of knowledge.
My goal is to use taxidermy as a catalyst for creating awareness of conservation efforts and educate the general public on the wonders of nature, so we can better preserve them for future generations to appreciate. My taxidermy works are a modern interpretation of some of the qualities and characteristics that make a specimen unique and worth saving.
Being close to nature was always a motivation for me and my partner to move from the busy city life of London to the countryside on the farm. Geoffrey, my partner, had fond memories growing up as a little boy on his grandfather’s farm in Suffolk east coast. He always wanted to move back eventually and take over. With the lockdown in effect last year, it provided the perfect opportunity for us to quit our London jobs and move here closer to the farm.
We are lucky that Geoff’s grandfather was a traditional, mixed stock farmer with around 40 acres. There was haymaking, some ploughing but for the most part pasture and low-stocking of sheep. For the last 20 or so years, the land has largely been left purely for hay. So we have not had to start with a blank canvas, but a rich oasis of wildlife left to its own device
It has always been Geoff's dream to farm regeneratively and develop further habitats to maximise the biodiversity both for flora and fauna. A 2.5acre wildflower meadow was sown five years ago. The field was largely self sown rapeseed from neighbouring properties, and the first few years there was a proliferation of dock, bramble and thistle. But with careful scything and, going forwards, mob grazing, the wildflowers have begun to thrive.
Two natural ponds that were overgrown are gradually being cleared, with deciduous trees being cut back to reduce leaf drop and in just two years, amphibians and other aquatic life has returned to successfully breed. We've been planting a two acre area with native trees including oak, ash, rowan, holly, hazel. A small colony of common lizards has been cordoned off, with Geoff ID'ing individuals in an attempt to monitor the population. Other species include hare, grass snakes, snipe, yellowhammer and multiple more common wildlife such as muntjac, stoat, tawny owls, buzzards and more recently spectacular breeding pairs of bullfinches.
We use both sheep and goats to rotationally graze and improve pasture, whilst the market garden is based around no-chemical, no-dig and permaculture methods. Geoff is also focussing on rare livestock breeds, not only to preserve these types, but also because heritage breeds are more adept for conservation grazing.
We are at the very beginning of our journey. But we hope to create a rich and diverse wildlife haven in the midst of Suffolk whilst trying to create educational and inspiring art pieces.
WildEast Blog
Broad bushy hedges, or WildEdges , can become substantial ecological assets whilst increasing crop productivity for the farmer. WildEast estimate that 5% (62,500 hectares) of the 20% of wildlife habitat required, could come from WildEdges. Working together, WildEast and Land App will equip farmers with the toolkit that they need to transform their farmland hedges into rich wildlife habitat. 80% of the WildEast footprint is agricultural land. WildEast and LandApp aim to enable landowners to broaden hedges to increase space for wildlife. If you're having difficulty viewing the below Wild Story, please head here.