Where Are You ?

Every day the male cuckoo flies around Blacka calling out "Where Are You?" in the hope of finding a female who wishes to be found.

The same question is being asked about cuckoos in general by those who busy themselves every so often alarming us with stories about wildlife in peril. And doubtless there are problems and some of them are serious. But one can't help thinking that a small part of the story is about conservation people reminding the public that they themselves exist and are doing a fine job.

What They Do and What They Don't

The sight of notices from SWT on Blacka is getting to be tiresome. They are scattered about on gateposts and waymarkers and do nothing for the appearance of the area. Invariably they consist of one sheet of A4 laminated and covered with so much small printing that only the most determined visitor will bother to read them. I've yet to see anybody doing so.

One of them is reproduced above and seeks to give a reason for the cattle being on the moor. It's interesting to see how the story has gradually changed following local scepticism. They are apparently here to:


Keep the spread of birch under control and conserve the open heathland character.

Help reduce bracken regrowth following other methods of control, by trampling the emerging bracken fronds & breaking up dense bracken litter.


The bracken story used to be much more of an assertion that cattle would deal with the problem. Now this has been adjusted implying that other people will have to get rid of it first. The 'breaking up dense bracken litter' is highly questionable as the cows will need to get into the dense bracken litter first which they show great reluctance to do unlike deer who spend much time there.



But one must not be unfair to the cows. They are very good at walking and standing on the paths.

Their hooves are much larger than those of deer and they use them to destroy the surface of them scattering peat everywhere and, especially along the Lee valley, into the stream below.

Pausing

Nowhere within Blacka could be described as busy and many days you can walk across the whole site seeing nobody. But here at this time of year you're as likely as anywhere to come across somebody pausing to sit on the bench. In fact there's probably someone sitting here already if you've climbed the hill hoping to find it unoccupied. Two benches would be welcome.

It's a good spot to pause and admire the blossoms and bird song. The bench is sound and only spoiled by the fussy scratching of words on the surface, allegedly selected from children's poetry efforts. Like most gimmicks, after a while they just become irritating. It's not taken long for it to be targeted by others wanting to leave their mark for posterity.

Floral Weekend

The blossom days are among the best days of the year. Some years they last longer than others. A thunderstorm can cut the blossom season drastically. While it lasts it's to be enjoyed.

Mayblossom and Rowan differ in colour close up. The creaminess of Rowan even comes across further away while red stamens contrast with hawthorn's purer white petals.

Cowberry is a beautiful miniature to be found close to the ground along the paths.

Deer and Cattle Grazing

Further to the recent post about conservation grazing, some observations taken from on high. Much as we would like it otherwise we are always finding ourselves having to show the absurdity of SWT's so-called management of Blacka Moor. It is the declared aim of the wildlife trust to use cattle to 'manage' the heather moorland vegetation on Blacka. The cattle's role is to walk over the heather and bracken eating the vegetation that conservationists deem undesirable and leaving that which they wish to retain. They should also 'trample' the not so nice things. The very first problem with this is that the cattle themselves seem unaware of their instructions. Even woefully ignorant people completely unqualified in conservation matters were aware of this from the start. Note these two pictures taken this morning looking down from the side of Wimble Holme Hill: In one the cattle are where we always said they would be - on grass (specially prepared for them), near gates and footpaths because they like places used by people who may give them some food. In the second picture you can just make out a small group of deer, discounted by SWT as not adequate for managing the vegetation. Notice they are in a large open area well away (some 50 or so yards away) from the nearest path. They are, in their way (in nature's way), managing the vegetation and keeping away from people and paths.

We have always believed that managers should allow nature to look after things as far as possible. Farm animals are not doing the job that the conservationists say they are to do and what is more they are trashing the footpaths. Deer's impact on paths is minimal as they make their own routes and are timid and suspicious of people. But they do influence in an entirely natural way the vegetation in the landscape. It's not quite the same as cattle (even if they were doing what the conservationists want) but it's nature from the bottom up rather than a top down prescribed approach planned by office staff and delivered (if it works) by farm animals.

Broken Silence

......... although it was never truly silent. Which is why the word tranquility is used more these days. Natural sounds this morning were all we could hear for so much of the walk, certainly for the hour before 7.30. Not sunny but pleasantly cloudy-bright. And there's no time like mid May for enjoying the greens, offset as they often are with white rowan flower and may blossom. Cow parsley is one of the most beautiful of the common wild flowers, blessed as it is with a pretty off-putting name.

Starring roles for blackcaps and cuckoos with several strident thrushes determined to get in on the act.

Under the trees at the edge of the wood next to the fields is one of the best places to be. But the suddenness of the roar was startling and unwelcome.

You get more easily accustomed to the steady approach of a plane or helicopter, but these things are mean and stealthy like the little boy in the playground who creeps up then bellows in your ear.

Neither does the wildlife like it nor the farm animals - a herd of cattle and another of sheep were bolting in alarm on a nearby hillside. I wont be got up into one of those things until they produce a genuinely and continously silent model.

Half an hour later the thirteen or so regulars had more or less settled down :

Bikers' Revenge

For a time we hoped that the bikers who had been using the eastern perimeter path had accepted the message. Now some at least have petulantly attacked SWT's barrier and torn down the notice. Tracks show that they are not the kind to accept the rules.

The bluebells in this stretch of woodland smell at their best when the air is warmer as it was even at 7 am. The bike tracks can be seen clearly.

The second barrier has received even worse treatment. What nice people.