Wild Isles
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Finally got round to watching this episode. Wonderfully supportive of wildlife, the many challenges facing it and the importance to us humans of restoration and rewilding of their and our shared habitats. A must watch in my opinion, an eye opener and hope for the future. If we heed the many warnings and act now!
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Yes, we enjoyed it. Nothing contentious in it for us, in fact it didn’t hit hard enough was our opinion. No mention of the thousands of acres of grouse moors. But some wonderful examples, large and small of what can be done.
I have noticed more and more artificial grass being laid in some places. It looks absolutely awful in my opinion, the next gardening fad to hit wildlife of all shapes and sizes.☹️
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Rewilding a small patch in your garden, a corner of a field or on a much bigger scale is happening all around and is beneficial to all. The support is growing. Even the little bits help.
Here’s some useful information which explains what this term really means.
https://www.mossy.earth/rewilding-knowledge/rewilding-in-britain
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I’m in no way a critic of your actions, Fish. Quite the contrary, every little bit counts and you do your bit as I do mine👍
I’m sure you would be supportive of my voluntary work on those much bigger projects. It’s action that counts not ‘ownership’. I’m not ready yet to retire to an armchair!
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A most insightful episode of Countryfile tonight. One theme was Britain, a most nature depleted nation in the world.. It highlighted the concerns, the actions, the legislation and the solutions. We do need to take heed! From simple bug hotels to fruit box gardens to farming alongside nature to larger rewilding projects. It all makes sense.
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No mention of our wonderful Heather moorlands. The best managed and the last retreat for most of our red list species. Predator control allows ground nesting birds to thrive there. So much that 120 curlew eggs will be harvested, incubated and the young released in Southern England, where curlews are extinct. Likewise here on our uplands because we control foxes we have a good curlew and other species numbers. All land is managed in one way or the other, even our Nature reserves and its thanks to the like of gamekeepers and farmers that wildlife still exists. Unfortunately the single issue people, so called celebrities et al dont understand the complexity of the issues.
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This was pointed out, Fish, in Iolo's programme when he was in North East Wales. One of his visits was to a heather moorland site to witness Hen Harriers that were allowed to breed and had done so for decades.
There are unfortunately reserves elsewhere in the UK that undoubtedly persecute raptors to preserve Game bird stocks.
Shame that those landowners don't realise that raptors will only take sufficient food to eat, not for fun like foxes.
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Iolo mentioned as he says covid and fox control is necessary. The others on those canned programmes, Countryfile and Spring watch etc, where all the presenters do is read an autocue could not mention such action. Insufficient depth of knowledge of how the countryside works and their own warped agenda. Just like that bloke telling people this week end to join Extreme Rebellion and he is supposed to present balanced programmes. As in all walks of life (Just see the police force) you have some rogues, and people latch on, every gamekeeper and farmer are tarnished, its life
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Have you all seen the Telegraph article- RSPB paying to shoot Foxes and Covids away from public eye. Not news they have been doing it for decades but pay us in cash, cant go through the books. The most hypocritical organisation in the UK
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News? It been going on for years.
https://protectthewild.org.uk/who-we-work-with/undercover-investigations/rspb-predator-control/
The only way to repair the damage we humans have done is to rewild wherever is possible and allow, no, help nature to sort the problem. Get rid of those barren unnatural environments which quite honestly are incapable of providing any agricultural value and help nature return. These areas are denuded of wildlife in preference for sporting profit. It can be done but it need those who truely understand the issues to step up and lead. Iolo is one of those who champions such! This would be a win, win!
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Far more life in the heather moorlands than most other habitats, certainly the vast Sitka plantations. Management works as all the countryside is man made to some degree and has been since man trod the earth. The curlew situation is just one example. Those that insist on no human involvement are just bringing species extinction faster and faster, pandering to the single issue zealots. When you have hypocritical organisations like RSPB spouting their bile but doing the opposite in secret there is really no hope. In the meantime we take their cash doing our bit to help the endangered ground nesting birds and small mammals.
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‘We take their cash’, so you take their cash but attack them for ‘spouting their bile’. Do you not think that very action destroys your principles?. I owned a land area that the local Hunt wanted to ride over in pursuit of Fox. I denied them access, in fact I paid handsomely to ensure they could not have the very access they wanted. . .Principles see. The cost to my wallet was high but the cost to my principles was priceless in my contentment.
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I’m not advocating no human involvement, more of it in my opinion, just that right, informed, work in harmony with nature kind. Maintaining proper sympathetic natural habitats is being achieved today. The misguided and self interested who presently ‘cultivate’ uplands tracts of land principally for shooting birds claim they help certain species, truth is these species are pawns, species that have no impact on their pastime and they use them in their defence. They too certainly need help along with plenty of other species which suffer and have declined as a result of unnatural development of those rather barren tracks of land. Iolo in his protests has explained very eloquently how nature denuded these areas have become and who the people are that are doing it.
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No problem at all. I take their cash to help protect my livestock as do my mates and others. Win, win for us. It is no coincidence that the rapid decline in ground nesting birds came after the banning of hounds. The red coated, horse riding mob actually caught very few. It did drastically impede the driving of foxes out of thousands of acres of impenetrable sitka to guns. Alternative means are snares which are indiscriminate and hardly instantaneous. Likewise night shooting is effective if a quick kill is made in the narrow light beam. Those injured of course slink away with no follow up. That is what happens when single issue or political driven action takes place. A reaction occurs not necessary for the benefit intended. So the decline n wildlife carries on.
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This is worth watching, Iolo explaining how much of our uplands, moorland and some of the montane habitats have become, in his words, ‘Green Deserts’ devoid of species rich habitats. He also explains the solutions he believes will make a difference. 👍
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That’s interesting, are these ‘Heather Moorlands’ managed? If so what and who is the primary driver of this management? Those around us are managed for game and sport and certainly are ‘Green Deserts’ with a much reduced natural eco system existing as a result. The only species rich ones I’ve seen are managed very differently, and all are encouraging a whole host of species back to what essentially is the proper habitat and landscape. There are huge tracts of upland moorlands in Britain which fits Iolo’s description sadly and still much to do to help.
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When folk say ‘the natural world & nature’ they mean the natural balance. If there isn’t prey then those that prey(Fox & mustelids) die off. It is you & your mates falsely being propped up that is the cause of the imbalance. If you can’t survive without grants then hobby farming may not be for you. As quaint as your lifestyle is you are goofing up the natural balance of this country🤷🏻♂️, just saying.
BTW-your idea that running hounds actually help ground nesting birds is a bad call. Hounds attack sheep & ground nesting birds I’m surprised at your statement.
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Anyone who drives across much of the Peak District and NY Moors knows how desolate and treeless they are. Primarily privately owned and managed, to drag in huge income for the very rich to blast birds out of the sky. Guardians of the Countryside? When pigs start to fly……..😡
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If they are that sterile where do you think the extra 120 curlew eggs come from. Its only because foxes and crows are controlled ( Yes it needs shooting income to cover the costs) that they manage to raise young. So the theory , you let the predators run free until they have killed all the other species is a good ecological method is it. That is basically what is happening now and has been whilst the pen pusher environmentalists have ignored feet on the ground people. Best example is Abernethy Estate. RSPB took it over when there were Capercaille there. Got rid of the gamekeepers and employed wet behind the rear rangers- result Capercaille extinct in a few years.
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120 curlew eggs. Am I supposed to be impressed by such efforts🤨 You can see 120 dead young pheasants on a single mile of road when young birds are let out with no sense of road danger around here.🤷♀️ And they will have been paid for by Joe Public via subsidies.
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Goodness' me country folk doing something practical. Those 120 curlews will repopulate an area in Southern England where you have allowed them to become extinct. Did you even know that Red Grouse cannot be artificially reared. They dont teach those things on canned TV programmes so probably not.
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You never see just how little your logic works but so badly. If the natural world didn’t actually work there’d be no Curlews or eggs for you to save(sic) it does not nor ever needed saving other than from Humans. Badgers wouldn’t need killing because they hurt profits or foxes hunted. Mr Fox don’t kill the wildlife to survive that’s our job to kill for fun. There. . .Right there is where your individual little world of how you & your mates saved the eco system fails miserably. Greed for more land that belonged to the animals originally, running water that originates in the weather systems before falling now belongs to fishermen-running water by the time you’ve ‘shouted get off my river’ it’s moved along.
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Nothing like a touch of annoyance in a reply to let you know that you have hit a nerve🤣
My BIL is a beater and shooter. His BIL is a keeper. My OH’s best workmate friend is a stalker on a big deer estate. My Grandfather worked for Earl Fitzwilliam on the Wentworth Fitzwilliam Estates. We kept our horse (a big hunter) on a farm that held pheasant shoots and the lady of the house was in a relationship with the Whipper In for the Grove and Rufford Hunt. Our farrier hunted with the Badsworth, is farrier for our local police force and various Racecourses, and our vet is the same used by John Whittaker the show jumper. I was in a past life on our local BHS committee and secretary of our local Riding Society, Chief Steward for a big Horse Show. Plus Of course I can pick the BS out of the case for blood sports🤣
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Upland ‘moorland’ existed before! However it has been over manicured for the sole intention that game birds could thrive in artificially high numbers for the shooting fraternity. Anything that got in the way was ‘addressed’. Ancient heather rich landscapes look different to that we see today on those grouse moors, it was more of a patchwork of interdependent upland ecosystems. still lots of heather but also more bilberry, shrubs, a few stunted trees, dwarf willow and other flora which has largely been removed all of which harboured a rich web of species.
In some areas today practically all that remains is heather and that is regularly burnt in large swathes killing the insects, reptiles, amphibians and all which can’t fly to escape the roasting. This is done purely for the benefit of the ‘target’ species.
Those curlews and the grouse existed in greater numbers than today in these ancient uplands and could find better cover from predators in this natural habitat. Yes, some management is now required but only that which sees the whole picture. Several rewilding projects of upland areas are now happening and with this threatened species are returningThe capercaillie issue is not quite as suggested, like ptarmigan, it’s far more complex, they are also struggling like mountain hare from climate change and human disturbance. We need to explore these issues from a far more scientific and environmental standpoint, we need to see that bigger picture and the complexity that naturally occurs. Only then can all those species, both flora and fauna in these environments, and the interaction and interdependency between them be fully understood.
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