tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post2814150473812429222..comments2024-03-28T21:44:36.332+00:00Comments on Not Quite Scilly: The Reluctant ConservationistGavin Haighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17242398421328525578noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-5086620098283811042016-12-07T07:31:16.257+00:002016-12-07T07:31:16.257+00:00Wow Gav! Mrs NQS has been named in person.
Sounds...Wow Gav! Mrs NQS has been named in person. <br />Sounds like a piece of insurance just in case Mrs NQS dons the camouflaged kit and goes after the abusers of puppy dogs and kittens.<br />The police will have a lead, and it won't be the one belonging to the victim.Richttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02714117508358025668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-10609079647817613392016-12-06T17:39:25.291+00:002016-12-06T17:39:25.291+00:00Thanks Ric. There's a car park at Broadsands (...Thanks Ric. There's a car park at Broadsands (in Torbay) where seed is put down in winter. !00% reliable for Cirls. The smart Brambling was a nice bonus.<br /><br />Re your main point: in another life, Sandra would have been a hunt saboteur at the very least.Gavin Haighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242398421328525578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-89526477791916586892016-12-06T14:09:37.650+00:002016-12-06T14:09:37.650+00:00I don't know the solution to this, Derek, but ...I don't know the solution to this, Derek, but I'll bet it's a widespread problem. Gavin Haighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242398421328525578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-1162273036035649032016-12-06T06:44:25.924+00:002016-12-06T06:44:25.924+00:00The enjoyment of wildlife and other things such as...The enjoyment of wildlife and other things such as pets seems to carry with them an element of protection, such as conservationists and the RSPCA. Why would that be? I see it like this. Some people like animals. The presence of their pets and natural interests calm them. If they experience others being cruel to animals, the one's who like animals then get upset. And upset people...well, could end up doing anything.<br />Brilliant picture of the Cirl Bunting with Brambling.Richttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02714117508358025668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-33254240363956555042016-12-05T13:55:51.867+00:002016-12-05T13:55:51.867+00:00Over 40 years I've seen the decline and disapp...Over 40 years I've seen the decline and disappearance of species such as Grey Partridge, Cuckoo, Lesser S.W, Willow Tit, Hawfinch and surprisingly, House Sparrow.<br />Filling the void there's now R.N. Parakeets, Little Egrets, Buzzards, Red Kites and what appears to be larger numbers of passerines (not Spars).<br />The Cirl Bunting, Dartford Warbler issue is like Common Dormice. These species are at the extreme northern edge of their natural range. They are always going to be vulnerable.Richttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02714117508358025668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-57320800473276752792016-12-05T13:22:04.790+00:002016-12-05T13:22:04.790+00:00You're dead right Gavin and it really pisses m...You're dead right Gavin and it really pisses me off. Many of us doing this work here in Kent are in our 60's-70's and yet don't like to stop because no one younger will take our place.Derek Faulknerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140363868104172311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-499435199223051912016-12-05T11:07:48.172+00:002016-12-05T11:07:48.172+00:00Not much glory in survey work, Derek! Seriously th...Not much glory in survey work, Derek! Seriously though, it requires a level of commitment that relatively few are willing to give, and that includes me. I suspect that's always going to be the case.Gavin Haighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242398421328525578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-83073627156495824882016-12-05T11:01:31.572+00:002016-12-05T11:01:31.572+00:00I have no answer either, Dyl. In terms of populati...I have no answer either, Dyl. In terms of population increase/spread we can see successes all around: Red Kite, Little Egret, Buzzard, Peregrine, Raven etc. In terms of decline/contraction the list is depressingly long. I'm sure there are theories to account for all these trends, and some of them may even be correct. But my gloomy point is this: at the end of the day, so what? We are inexorably destroying this planet, so why not simply - as you said - <i>"experience, enjoy and embrace"</i> those aspects of the natural world that we still can, without worrying too much about number-crunching.<br /><br />I'm not normally so fatalistic, by the way. But I cannot help thinking that work like the Crane and Bustard projects is just so much PR-motivated tinkering, and it brings out the Devil's advocate in me...Gavin Haighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242398421328525578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-6862575499012227242016-12-05T10:18:55.125+00:002016-12-05T10:18:55.125+00:00For me, the best conservationists in the birdwatch...For me, the best conservationists in the birdwatching world are those that regularly give their time to taking part in surveys such as WEBS counts and here in the South East, Harrier Roost Counts, breeding bird surveys. Not the glory boys whose faces that you always see at twitches and who compete against each other to be the first to have a rare bird recorded against their name. Here in Kent we always struggle to find people keen to take part in such ordinary surveys and it's always left to the same people year after year, some far to old to still be out on bitter cold winter days and evenings. Derek Faulknerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140363868104172311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-16812731259427054922016-12-04T20:40:26.439+00:002016-12-04T20:40:26.439+00:00Gav, truly flattered by the reference. thanks. I&#...Gav, truly flattered by the reference. thanks. I'll start the ball rolling on this one - reintroductions. When they work, every conservationist worth their salt waves the flag and sings the praises of the project - when it ain't going so well? "Nothing to do with me!"<br />I have been able to witness, first hand, the incredible success that the Red Kite project has achieved in The Chilterns and am very happy that it was undertaken for all the right reasons. It is mirrored by the results of The Rutland Osprey project - again a superb advert for the conservation flag bearers. I didn't see anyone waving a banner for Ravens or Little Egrets - two species which have experienced similar upturns in their status over the same time line. Is it money and commitment, or simply a provision of habitat to sustain a population which is at the forefront of biodiversity within the UK? I don't have an answer, just a question. - DylDylan Wrathallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01285181139467170047noreply@blogger.com