Obsessing

The aim of SWT’s Walk on Sunday was to explain why they wish to cut trees in the woodland thereby qualifying for the English Woodland Birds grant from the Forestry Commission.

Bird watchers should come with a health warning.
Just to be clear, and for the record, I, Blacka Blogger, admit that I watch birds. Not serious bird watching by the standards of those I sometimes see for whom it takes precedence over food, family life and sex but I admire the wee things when I see them, recognise their charms and quite often manage to identify breed, species, make, year of manufacture and model number. I also confess to being seriously captivated by the musical prowess of songbirds in the Spring. But all of this stops well short of thinking the whole world should revolve around catering for their welfare. In fact one of the things I most admire about our feathered friends is their independence, opportunism and resilience.

I celebrate Blacka through its wholeness, an overall character which encompasses atmosphere, sense of place and visual natural beauty and where a balance has been achieved through evolution from the over managed stranglehold of the gamekeeper into a place unaffected by and inimical to those management ambitions existing in the urban jungle and the conservation market place.

There is less of a dispute it seems (not now anyway) that Blacka itself is just fine. That could be a sign that we are winning that argument over some at least of those who were at one time shouting that it was in UNFAVOURABLE condition. The argument in favour of intervention has shifted. It now comes down to the claim that other places aren’t as good as Blacka so certain bird species are underperforming in many other parts of the countryside. Therefore we have to accept Blacka as becoming primarily a sanctuary where every convenience is provided for these pre identified key species: in other words a through designed emporium where living quarters food outlets and all mod cons should be just so. Trees for example must be of the correct height and spacing. Swards and dwarf shrub distribution should be bespoke designed to attract the discriminating avian customer. That can be summed up in two words: MORE MANAGEMENT, or alternatively more intervention and more projects funded by grants from anyone who can be persuaded to part with the money preferably without asking too many questions.

Several things are wrong with this:
1 Here at Blacka we have so much just right that has happened because management was absent. The idea that bringing more management back will improve things is to fail to learn the lesson of the recent past.
2 The extended consultation exercise carried out a few years ago came up with a number of conclusions. One that had unanimous support was that there should be minimum intervention
3 There is a special quality to land which has been allowed to develop naturally over many years. It has an integrity not experienced where constant interference happens. But there’s so little land free from managers that the few places where nature is unshackled by managers comprise an endangered phenomenon just as scarce, perhaps even more so, than the Black Grouse or the Dartford Warbler.