A NORTH-EAST farmer has found the recipe to conservation success - by adding wire netting and a colander to a frying pan full of dripping.

When Paul Coppen moved to White Close Hill Farm, in Gilmonby, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, in 1975, he noticed a boggy area where tadpoles flourished during the spring.

But come summer, the pool dried up and the tadpoles rarely survived.

Mr Coppen cleared the area to discover an old pond, complete with rounded river stones which were traditionally created to provide drinking water for farm animals.

Once re-established, the pond became a thriving breeding area for frogs and dragonflies.

It also returned to its traditional practical use as a watering hole for Mr Coppen's herd of Belted Galloway cattle.

The resurgence of the frog population on the farm attracted mallard ducks which descended on the farm in the early hours to feed on the new supply of frog spawn.

"I was happy to see the numbers rising steadily because I'm interested in conservation and try to support wildlife on the land.

"But when I realised the mallards were hoovering up the spawn, I tried various methods to stop them feeding at the pond."

The innovative farmer built a cage with wire mesh left over from a chicken run, just big enough for coupled frogs to pass through, but small enough to keep hungry ducks out, to protect the spawn. Any spawn laid outside the cage is collected in an old kitchen colander and poured through a trap door in the roof.

Mr Coppen said that tadpoles are initially herbivorous, but soon develop a carnivorous appetite, which is where the dripping seems to take their fancy.

He said: "It was a hobby and a challenge to begin with and seems to be working.

"Frogs leave a pond for two or three years before returning to breed, so it could by 2005 or 2006 before I see the real benefits.

"But already I can see the pond is buzzing with life, including a few dragonflies.

"The farm is part of the national stewardship scheme to protect natural habitat so it is in keeping with that policy.

"But my whole way of thinking about farming is to keep it as natural as possible, that is how my cattle are kept and how I keep the land.

"I'm pleased to do my bit to support the environment."