Since giving up his regular job 40 years ago, Brian Morland has managed Bellflask Fisheries and several miles of the River Ure near West Tanfield, and turned his back garden into a private nature reserve and haven for wildlife. Philip Sedgwick meets him

BRIAN Morland knew the weather was bad when at 3am one Sunday last December he saw a dead cow, several sheep and a full-size henhouse float past him while he was monitoring the water levels on his patch of the River Ure.

He said: “The river has such awesome power. I could hear the rumble of boulders as they rolled along the river bed – nature is such a wonderful and amazing thing.”

Brian and his wife, Sue, are keen naturalists. They live at the side of the Ure where they manage the Bellflask Fisheries. Their home is at the centre of a wildlife haven which has amicably co-existed for more than 20 years with an adjacent fully-working quarry.

Brian had been visiting this part of the Ure since 1961 and was originally a design engineer, but in the long, hot summer of 1976, a conversation with a work colleague changed his life forever.

He explained: “All he had to talk about was Coronation Street, so I packed in my job there and then and I’ve never regretted it.”

He took on the patch of the River Ure near West Tanfield 40 years ago and joked: “I’ve not had a proper job since.”

Brian pioneered a catch and release policy in the 1980s for his fishery – he only allows his anglers to take home three fish per session. It is not a rule he finds hard to enforce but it works in parallel with his strong views on litter.

He said: “Most of the anglers have been coming here for years and don’t need to be told, they just put them back. I am very strict though on one thing – even dandruff is litter.”

Bellflask is home to a staggering number of species that have been allowed to flourish. There are swans, owls, ospreys, and many mammals, such as deer, fox and hare. There are more than 1,000 species of moths, some unique in Yorkshire, and 25 types of butterflies.

The resident 7,000 starlings have a seasonal increase up to 70,000 in winter, when they are joined by other rare birds such as reed warblers.

Brian’s expertise is apparent when he is by the water, where he describes the fish and assortment of newts that inhabit the river, including his favourite, the lamphrey, which is a jawless eel-like fish which is a survivor from prehistoric times.

Having spent the last 40 years on nature’s front line, Brian has a wealth of stories from his daily routine.

He said: “We used have a swan that we christened Hemingway – it called every day and knocked on the door hoping for a morsel.

“I also once came across a fox that was up to no good but I couldn’t kill it. It stopped what it was doing and we looked at each other. It posed for a photograph and then casually walked off, but kept looking back at me.”

Brian holds very firm views, as evidenced by his recent letter to the D&S Times in defence of Himalayan balsam. He doesn't agree with shooting, although he accepts it. He said: “We have very few mammals left in this country. I see is no reason to kill them – it’s not sport.”

He’s passionate about insects and wild flowers, and is irritated by people who want to clear areas of foliage or “weeds”. He points to an area of balsam – it is teeming with butterflies, moths and other insects. He said: “Since I’ve been here, not a single plant has disappeared because of Himalayan balsam.

“Some people want it all chopping down. What do they want – grass everywhere?

“We have moths here that aren’t found anywhere else. Also, if we were to remove balsam, it would take away the bees as well. It is the most important plant for bees along the Ure.”

His views on river erosion also tie in with a general theory he calls “meddling”.

He said: “Erosion is natural and cannot be avoided. The Ure is a spate river. Trying to meddle upsets the balance and often makes it worse.”

Brian gave examples of coincidences where land had been cleared of foliage only to be flooded for the first time soon after. He said: “Years ago, they removed an island from the middle of the river. One cubic metre of water weighs a ton and things like that slow the river down. It’s a mistake to interfere.”

As an accomplished photographer, his pictures and writings on lampreys are in demand all over the world, including Spain, France, and the US. He said: “Lampreys are one of the oldest living fossils and date back 215 million years – that’s before the dinosaurs. Their numbers were declining and it is important that they survive.”

His views and research on aquatic conservation are also in demand by magazines and the world of academia. He works with the universities of Durham, Leeds and Bristol and abroad, in Spain, Ireland and the US. He has also written three books.

The reserve has is a special “den” to monitor moths and butterflies. He is often joined by Major Tony Crease from Foxglove Covert local nature reserve, who also assists with bird ringing.

Brian has appeared on Country File with Ellie Harrison, filmed with David Attenborough for the Life series and knows Bill Oddie.

While the quarry is working, there is no public access to his reserve, but does not rule it out once work stops. He allows some private visits for natural history societies and is much in demand as public speaker.

Unsurprisingly, Brian doesn’t enjoy crowds but does like a day out in the Yorkshire Dales. He has no time for soap operas and has never seen a single episode of EastEnders or Coronation Street.

Rising at 5.30am every day, including Christmas, and going to bed at midnight, is not everyone’s cup of tea but Brian enjoys the natural beauty of the countryside and says he’ll never retire.