Wild Isles
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The landscape has evolved since mankind turned from hunter gatherer to agriculture. In those far off days the UK (and world) population was a fraction of what it is now. To sustain the ever increasing population everything is scaled y up and will continue so. Do we start by banning unnecessary caravan holidays, heating our homes, eating out of season foods. Thought not, its always someone else's fault. That is not demeaning the programme and excellent photography.
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Let’s not be so defeatist. It’s not too late. Attributing past blame is unhelpful. Yes, the damage has been done and unfortunately it continues and we do need to recognise this in order to do something corrective. I remember in the 80s rivers like the Thames and Trent were cleaned up and salmonids, amongst other fauna, were returning and we all celebrated. Today the state of these and many other rivers has gone backwards and are now in an appalling state. It’s not just rivers, it’s moors, mountains, heathland, estuaries, forests, coastlines and all in between all that need our attention and help.
It can be done and what’s more, folk like us who have a passion for the great outdoors and touring holidays depend on it as do the communities who inhabit them. For many of us that’s why we go on holiday, to enjoy nature and the natural outdoors. We can all do our bit. This campaign may help, take a look! The alternative is, well, damaging to all..
https://www.saveourwildisles.org.uk/
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It's not just the habitat loss. It is becoming increasingly evident that we need a link to nature for our own wellbeing. Destruction in the name of profit will be to our own harm in the long run.
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+1, that is a profound statement CY👍🏻. From personal experience terms of illness I’ve suffered are compounded by my lack of being in the natural environment.
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Totally agree. I know this is American and as such comes over a bit evangelical, but it has some interesting content about connectivity, wellness and wellbeing of all. Certainly has that big picture overview and thought provoking for all.
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Caught up with the first two episodes of Wild Isles, an hour barely touches the surface and just leaves you wanting more. The dedication and commitment of the filming teams is astounding, and resulting in some fabulous footage and understanding. You could cry at some of the statistics though.☹️
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Have watched the first two episodes and thoroughly enjoyed them, the photography is superb and amazing what the film crews have to do to get the footage what we see, also have got them recorded so can go through them again later in the year.
Agree with what you said Tda.
Loved the Red Squirrel sequence.
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The starlings footage was incredible, nighttime images were just like Christmas lights. And how clever were those Orca’s learning to skim along the underwater crevices.
I love our native wildlife and migrating visitors, and yes our climate can be unpredictable, but it doesn’t half make for some spectacular variations😁
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Fabulous Grasslands Episode: shocking statistics but I was surprised to learn that 40% of the UK’s land surface is covered by grass! However, much of this land mass is monoculture and has been denuded of the variety of natural flora and fauna species and no longer able to support the wildlife it once did. Furthermore much of this lost wildlife it seems includes insects crucial to our crop cultivation and our ability to meet future food needs. We have poisoned and messed with the chain of life and driven some species to extinction or very close to it.
Good news though, some enlightened farmers are addressing the challenges with restorative farming practices, utilising ancient and traditional livestock breeds to enhance grasslands and are employing rewilding strategies to promote harmony.
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Yes, really enjoyed this episode. Hares are one of my very favourite creatures, we use a CS in North Norfolk, and you can see dozens in the next field, so lovely. Fabulous scenery. We often see Black Grouse up on North York Moors, but never seen them fighting for mates. Seen Hen Harriers up there as well.
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Low flying over the high moors skimming the Heather when hiking, another wonderful sight & sound of the moors👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻
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It was up there near The Howard CaMC Site on the Moors a couple of decades ago (Cropton Forest) that I saw and heard my first Nightjars. Last year, my first crossbills too near Spiers House. Beavers have also been introduced in the past few years very close by. There are pockets of good work going on up there but more tolerance and help is needed to save our wildlife and their moor and forest environments.
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We do need a bit of perspective. Before humans became farmers ( not that long ago in the scale of things) the UK and other countries were covered in scrub and not wild flower meadows. They evolved and changed. We have the ever increasing need to produce food for the again ever increasing population so intensification continues. We better off members can pontificate as we have the resources to make food and environmental decisions but the vast majority of the world population cant. Its a treadmill that keeps turning faster all the time.
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Yes, we have been watching the wonderful TV series. We love the NY moors, we used to use the Cropton Forest campsite, back when it was a campsite and not the Cabin area it is now. Never seen so many different coloured pheasants in all my life as up there. Mind, it’s no wonder they had to take stock and do away with the camping, it could descend into an absolute swamp, and there was nearly always a tractor on hand yanking vans out of the mud.😱 You didn’t venture up there without a Land Rover or similar in those days🤣 We have used a now ex CL in Dalby Forest as well, it’s now a private campsite. The Howard could get boggy, but it’s got some HS pitches nowadays. Nice location if you like being miles from anywhere. We love the drive up from there to the Lion Inn, superb food.
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Freshwater: what a fantastic episode but what a sewer we are making, have made, of our watersheds in general and lower river systems in particular. As highlghted in this programme the future of our Atlantic Salmon, once common across the isles, looks bleak as do the iconic chalk streams of Southern England. As a life long fly fisherman I have been a supporter of the trout stream restoration projects and was involved in The Lincolnshire Chalk Stream initiatives. I now no longer fish for wild Brown Trout or Salmon but I’m still active in the rewilding and restorative work being done. The waters across Britain have certainly deteriorated over the last three decades but thing can be turned around. It’s really very little to do with feeding an increased populations, that’s a hoodwink, but more to do with profits and deliberate lack of political will for selfish reasons. We should all now shout out to save what’s left of our freshwater systems and the ecology within. The alternative is dire. This show illustrated the challenges and issues very well.
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Apparently we are now in the bottom 10% of countries worldwide when it comes to our wildlife and habitat protection. We’ve lost and continue loosing so much. What a terrible position to be in!
www.saveourwildisles.org.ukWe need to act now so our future generations of campers, motorhomers and caravaners can enjoy the great outdoors! I do hope so for my grandchildren’s sake.
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Turn the place wild and starve? The population needs food so farming intensifies. Its reality. Now look at Europe and the droughts. We will need to increase production further just to survive. So easy those of us with the ability to live well, enjoy luxuries like caravanning but the vast majority of the population ar'nt so lucky.
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The sensible and foresighted in our society recognise that there must be a sensible solution to this very real and imminent problem we are facing. It’s not about turning the whole ‘place’ wild at all, that is an extreme view so is sterilising all of our land mass to make farmed monocultures.
It’s about finding sympathetic and productive agricultural methods which recognises the crucial symbiotic role that nature plays in the health of our world. We need to find some room for other species which share these isles with us. We loose them at our expense and detriment. The happy medium must be found. This series really does explore the issues and highlights the symbiotic relationship between species and our position in nature. Much of our food production will not exist without those very important pollinators. We are the custodians of our planet’s future health.We need to address the causes of drought and climate change too! Lots to tackle but it has to be done!
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Some interesting considerations here.
https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.uk/blogs/how-did-farming-become-threat-our-wild-isles
In recent years I have become an RME (reduced meat eater) and I’ve been surprised how easy, healthy and delicious my diet has become. Our repertoire of dishes has also increased considerably. We also consider food miles, local production and seasonal products. It may not be for everyone but everyone surely has a part to play in solving the very real issues we are now faced with and I’m sure most would agree. We can’t just carry on like we have been doing.Worth investigating this and investing in the future, food for thought eh?
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Looking forward to tonight’s episode of Wild Isles. The subject this time is ‘Marine’. BBC1 at 7pm.
On that subject, it was very sad to hear of the sperm whale being stranded and dying off Cleethorpes beach a couple of days back. What on earth was it doing in what essentially is the Humber Estuary. This seems to be happening all too often now in the North Sea a place where these animals don’t normally frequent. I wonder if this is to do with human interference with the natural ways of the world!0 -
David Attenborough signed off the WildIsles series with a challenge: can we be the first generation to leave the natural world in a better, rather than a poorer state?
That’s a big ask but an essential one for both mankind and the natural world, we know it has to be done right here, right now!
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I honestly think that some things have improved.
As a child growing up in a Manchester suburb, everything and everywhere was filthy and polluted. Rivers and canals were used as disposal grounds for the effluent from the many mills and factories, built on their banks.
My sister was born at home, in a house full of smoke. Parents, family and friends all smoked. Smoking was accepted everywhere, in shops, workplaces, cinemas, public transport, cafes etc. Nobody thought anything of it, thankfully that has changed.
Garden birds? Just a few hardy, pigeons and starlings, all with black feathers 😱.
OK, we’ve a long way to go, but maybe we are going in the right direction.
Or maybe I’m being too optimistic.
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You are right but unfortunately the few improvements we now witness have been done essentially for us, not for the rest of the wildlife we share our planet with. We have tended to look at things from the human perspective to the detriment of the wider interlinked nature of life on Earth. We need to go much further and see beyond our own immediate needs for things to truly improve. Smoking and smokeless fuels are good examples.
Oh, and there are far fewer birds today then there were when we were young. Many, like the starlings you mention, are almost on the endangered list, as are sparrows. So yes, as you say, we really have a very long way to go. Let’s be actively optimistic.
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This endangered thing is a bit of a myth.
"Hey Steggy, I heard we dinosaurs might be in some sort of danger. what do you think?"
"No problem Pecty. Loads of food, doesn't matter how much wind we produce. Keep munching away. Mmmm. I wonder why the sky has gone dark suddenly? Who switched out the lights and what's that big thing in the sky coming towards us?"
🤣🤣🦖🦕
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It’s not your stream at all that is a fictitious belief, it’s their stream! 😉
As for the numbers of starlings and house sparrows it’s not the local, seasonal figure that’s important it’s the total population of these birds across the UK and Europe. That’s the figure that has been significantly reduced. Fact!
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I’ve yet to watch this episode although it’s been suggested that everyone should watch it. I understand that a few dinosaurs may have to be dragged screaming and kicking though!
Here is a link which makes for interesting reading about it.0 -
Just pointing out that the idea of land ownership is purely a human construct and as such an artificially man-made concept, that is unarguably true. Those species occupying ‘your’ man-made law and land certainly won’t recognise such boundaries or laws. So don’t we have a responsibility to care for these ‘co-owners’ ?
I don’t have a lawn or a field but if I did I’d be willing to accept the above as being true.0
