Boyd Bryce has been farming on Inch Island for six decades. Starting in his early teens, he has transformed his 350-acre Strahack Farm into one of Ireland's most celebrated examples of conservation farming—a place where commercial sheep farming and wildlife habitat restoration work hand in hand.
His work was recently highlighted in the Irish Farmers Journal, part of ongoing national recognition for a lifetime dedicated to proving that productive farming and thriving nature aren't opposites.
From Wildfowl Sanctuary to Woodland
Boyd's conservation journey began in the 1970s when he established a wildfowl sanctuary on his land. In the 1980s and early 1990s, he planted approximately 50 acres of native oak and ash woodland—trees that have now matured to the point where he's begun thinning them, creating even more diverse habitat.
Today, Strahack Farm includes around 100 acres of managed woodland alongside a 400-head commercial sheep flock and arable crops. The farm is regularly used by GLAS planners to demonstrate best practice for combining farming with conservation.
Boyd was the first farmer in his area to enter the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS), setting a pattern he's maintained ever since: pioneering approaches that others later adopt.
The Inch Grey Partridge Project
Perhaps Boyd's most ambitious conservation project began in 2014 when he facilitated the establishment of the Inch Partridge Project on his land.
The grey partridge had been virtually extinct in Ireland since 1995, when it disappeared as a breeding species from farmland nationally. The species had experienced a 95% reduction in range across Ireland over the previous 40 years, victims of changes in agricultural practices and reduced predator control.
Inch Island was selected above other locations for the reintroduction project for three key reasons:
- The island geography makes predator management more feasible
- Inch Island Gun Club actively supports conservation efforts
- Boyd was willing to work his farm as a demonstration site
The project, supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Heritage Council, and the National Association of Regional Game Councils, uses captive breeding and soft release techniques. By 2018, over 20 pairs of wild grey partridge had established on the island, and the first wild-bred chicks in 70 years were recorded within 100 metres of Boyd's front door.
While the project has faced challenges—predation from foxes, cats, and sparrowhawks has taken its toll—the Inch Partridge Project remains one of only three sites in Ireland working to restore this endangered farmland bird.
Habitat Management in Practice
Walking around Strahack Farm reveals practical conservation at every turn. Boyd's approach includes:
Hedgerow management: Boyd is known for saying, "Leave your hedges. A hedge without berries or blossom isn't a hedge, but a bundle of sticks." Hedgerows are maintained but banks are left undisturbed to provide ground nesting sites for birds.
Field margins: Along field boundaries, 10-metre margins are sown with dedicated 'game' crops and left unsprayed, providing insect-rich foraging habitat for young chicks.
Rough corners: Small rough areas adjacent to arable fields are left to provide insect banks and nesting habitat—seemingly unproductive land that's actually crucial wildlife infrastructure.
Hidden pools: In 2018, a LEADER-funded project opened up three areas of wetland, flax dam, and natural pools for newts, frogs, and wildfowl.
The results speak for themselves. Boyd now has long-eared owls nesting by his bedroom window. White-tailed eagles have been spotted at the nearby Inch Levels Wildfowl Reserve, generating enough interest that Boyd spoke to BBC Radio Foyle about the sightings.
Recognition and Influence
Boyd has been a Farming for Nature ambassador since 2019, joining a network of farmers across Ireland who demonstrate that nature-friendly farming is commercially viable.
He's been featured in Highland Radio's Nature Farmers series and contributed to the Farming For Nature Handbook, a new book on sustainable farming published in late 2024.
In 2016, his 150-year-old two-storey barn at Carnaghan was restored under the GLAS Traditional Farming Buildings Grant Scheme—another example of combining heritage preservation with practical farming.
Beyond the Farm
Boyd's influence extends well beyond Strahack. He's a qualified bird ringer specialising in sea and game birds, with particular expertise in woodcock and storm petrels. He's been involved in barn owl reintroduction attempts, geese research, and breeding storm petrel and shearwater population studies.
In partnership with Inch Gun Club, he works closely with the National Parks and Wildlife Service on the Inch Island Nature Reserve—the same wetlands that visitors can explore on the 8km Inch Levels walking trail. His work on grassland habitat management benefits the breeding waders that walkers can spot, and he participates in goose ringing projects for Greylag and Greenland white-fronted geese.
For anyone interested in seeing conservation farming in action, Boyd occasionally hosts Farming for Nature walks at Strahack Farm. Check their website for upcoming events.
A Living Example
What makes Boyd Bryce's work significant isn't any single project—it's the consistency over six decades. From the wildfowl sanctuary in the 1970s to the woodland planting in the 1990s to the grey partridge reintroduction in the 2010s, he's demonstrated that conservation isn't a one-time effort but a way of farming.
For Inch Island, Strahack Farm represents what's possible when farming and nature work together. For Ireland, it's a model that GLAS planners, conservation bodies, and fellow farmers continue to learn from.
Boyd and his wife Bridie continue to manage the farm, balancing commercial sheep production with habitat restoration—proof that the two aren't mutually exclusive.