In The Woods

Winter sun at its best in the woods where it penetrates to the floor and picks out the bronze colouring of bracken and beech leaves. Two large stags were alert to the occasional dog walker in the afternoon.

These two noble animals would have been rivals 3 months ago but now enjoy each other's company.

It's a part of Blacka that has many qualities of an unspoiled natural refuge. But it's under serious threat, not least from the wildlife trust itself which installed the barbarous wire fence and occasionally sends out groups of resident heel-kicking chain-saw maniacs to murder trees leaving dismembered corpses piled up within the barbed wire compound, bringing images of concentration camps to mind.

A fallen tree across the footpath is a victim of the heavy snowfall.

Nature as it works. But will the chain-saw operatives now intervene and leave clean-edged logs around emphasising managerial involvement?

There are other threats:

Mountain bikers have identified a lovely quiet and untouched area and are starting to create a downhill, thrill-seeking run.

Before we might have thought we were the only ones who walked this way. Now hyper-active madmen (avge age 35?) are set to change a part of Blacka that has been till now a secluded haven for roe deer. red deer and badgers. What are SWT doing about it? As of now, absolutely nothing. They've been told that it's happening but stick to their national guidelines by which employees have all the Christmas and New Year period off duty.  What clowns. See below.

POSTSCRIPT.

Have my final comments above stung SWT into action after all these years. It could be that or a case of a new and better manager. Anyway my email resulted in him appearing onsite and confronting the perpetrators. Well done, and only too pleased  to acknowledge it. Let's hope that regular appearances during holiday periods become standard and help to prevent things like this happening at all.

Punishing

Masochism should be pleasure through pain. It's believed that some people get a thrill from watching Saturday night television on BBC1 and ITV1. So I'm told anyway.

But how would you describe reading SWT's Blacka Management Plan (draft) which brings no pleasure only pain and weariness?

When SWT's Operations Manager, Roy Mosley contacted all those on the Blacka mailing list with a link to the draft plan he wrote as follows:

The draft plan is a substantial document and, in places, is quite technical.  This is because it is aimed at providing Wildlife Trust reserve managers with as much information as possible about Blacka Moor and the background to the proposed management activities.  We understand that not everyone will wish to spend time going through the full document.

Perhaps the hope was that this would put people off from even bothering to read it. Odd anyway that the email is sent by Roy Mosley but is signed by Nabil Abbas who is titled 'Living Landscapes Manager (South) and is the replacement for Annabelle who departed earlier in the year. Nabil confirmed with me when I met him that he had not yet read the draft plan!!

Those who do try to read it might be tempted to believe that the writer knows Blacka well. That temptation should be resisted. Most of what is described in the 97 pages is 2nd or 3rd hand or as described in an earlier post 'bureaucratic hogwash' with no meaningful content. 

I can confirm that the writer does not know Blacka well. Ignorance in this sector does not seem any impediment to being a manager who formulates policy and strategy. Only the briefest of looks has revealed glaring omissions of key wildlife in the description and inclusion of landscape features that no longer exist! But for SWT (now SRWT)* accuracy does not matter. What matters is the number of pages, the ability to fill out a document with headings and sub-headings, tables and charts etc all of which can be done by somebody who doesn't know the site. There's method in this because it's been calculated that what impresses the gullible target audience is the said charts and tables and report format. Partly it's that it must be good because it's boring and pretentious. Sadly there are many who are impressed by such things. 

* SRAWT could be appropriate (Sheffield and Rotherham Anti-Wildlife Trust?)

Punishment must be taken so I will persist in reading this document taking only small doses at a time; medical advice should not be ignored. Further comments expected. Blood pressure monitor ready.

Regular Meals

The habit started one morning a few years ago when a persistent robin began to make demands. The following morning pockets were ready with grated cheddar. From then it seemed hard on him to miss out a morning treat and he got to come on my hand. The development of the Old Wall Caff with regular supplies of seeds and sundry extras seemed a natural extension and the variety of customers has grown, the latest being a crow and a cock pheasant who choose to visit after all the others and as we are making our way home: it's usually a good idea to look back. Three different robins have over the years chosen to feed from the hand, largely in order to beat the others to the food. But our favourite customer was Scruffy the great tit, the boldest of all, who couldn't wait for the cheese box to be opened. He sadly is no longer a visitor and may have taken his last meal. Now two robins are arguing about which should be first onto the hand. But, for me, the handsomest customer at present is our male blackbird. Perhaps in spring he will reward us with the finest bird song of all.

We worry about snow and the birds missing their regular meal just when it would be most welcome, The problem is access: Blacka's car park is never cleared, unlike that at nearby Longshaw (why?). There is a short steep slope coming out that some of us can't risk, unlike the dog walkers with large 4X4s. Perhaps one of those who reads this could volunteer to feed the birds for us on days we can't manage? Laybys on the Hathersage Road may or may not be cleared: this latest snowfall they were not.

Closedown

Nothing better sums up the attitude of SWT than an email I've received today. You would think that the role of the managers of a nature reserve would be to do all they can to protect and preserve wildlife on their property. And that being present when many people visit would be a priority.

I met the manager responsible for a discussion here yesterday and he's as pleasant and polite a person one could hope to see. I raised many things with him. One was this: isn't it odd that at bank holidays and holiday periods all the wildlife trust's staff are on leave and unobtainable thus unable to deal with any problems that may arise - not even a contact phone number? I mentioned the seriously injured deer I had found once and been unable to get any of the wildlife people even to speak to. He saw nothing odd: there's always the council (no use as it happens).

I emailed him to thank him for seeing me. An automatic message came back

I will be out of the office until Tue 6th Jan.

A phone number was given but ,if past experience  is anything to go by, nobody will be manning that over the extended holiday.

Synchronised Daws

The big display of Jackdaw murmurations can sometimes be seen in the mornings from about half an hour before sunrise. This is during the gathering just before they set out for the daily commute into Derbyshire. They have been roosting in and around Ecclesall Woods just below the eastern slopes of Blacka.  I've not so far captured a photograph of them at this point, but the exciting spectacle continues along the line of the A625 as they set off in groups of various sizes. Strong westerly winds add more drama as they near the top of the slope. At this point they can be seen moving as one as they dive down to hug the ground and avoid gusts. Sometimes this movement seems coordinated as if all birds are following the lead of one lead bird. As with swarms of insects and the better known starling murmurations it's impossible to tell just where the decision to move as one originates. But with these much larger birds there's an extra dimension because you sense that individual choice is being made with one or other birds on the edge of the flock pursuing a more solo role without ever leaving the group. It beats synchronised swimming any day.

Best of all is the daring game of chicken you can sometimes see near Stony Ridge when they swoop between commuting cars heading east towards the city.

Bureaucratic Hogwash

How your charitable donations get spent! In office work, of course.

Sheffield Wildlife Trust has now produced its 'draft' of a new Management Plan. This blog refers passim to the process and the shameless manipulation of so-called 'consultations' that they claim have led to the plan. Local conservation bureaucrats have now, they believe, got this to a fine art after years of staff time devoted to dissembling during the years leading up to Sheffield Moors Partnership. There are many scandals associated with the production of these documents. I'm not going through them all now, but to compile a list of them would result in a kind of parochial version of Machiavelli.

But the first reaction is simply anger that public funds and charitable donations have been used to employ staff in this duplicitous scrivening. What they should be doing is getting out onto Blacka and getting to know and understand the place at first hand. Instead, like all their documentation,  it's driven by the self-interest of the organisation, their employees and the wider conservation industry. More on this when I've read the whole depressing document.

Dawn Spirit

Each time I see them a tune comes into my head. That springing, rolling song 'Over the Hills and Far Away' seems uniquely matched to the movement of roe deer. I'm quite sure they would not be seen at all on these dark mornings if they didn't have that white rump. That's what you see dancing through the trees. Being crepuscular this is the best time to find them. The snag is it makes getting a picture too difficult - for me at least. Time to enrol on that photography course. But wary of being persuaded to buy expensive equipment!