tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post7212657431760068711..comments2024-03-29T08:37:59.411+00:00Comments on Not Quite Scilly: Feeling Old...Gavin Haighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17242398421328525578noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-70687849329535128462022-06-07T22:41:34.430+01:002022-06-07T22:41:34.430+01:00Cheers Col, your good(ish) news story makes a nice...Cheers Col, your good(ish) news story makes a nice change. Evidently there are locations where it isn't all doom and gloom. If only the overall picture wasn't so dreadful... Gavin Haighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242398421328525578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-47667250738605530222022-06-07T10:32:54.953+01:002022-06-07T10:32:54.953+01:00Yellowhammers are just on the edge of things on Ga...Yellowhammers are just on the edge of things on Galley Head, where I am. When I first moved here 20 years ago, I'd usually get one or 2 records in autumn of birds booting over. They seem to be more regular these days and they do occasionally breed here I think - we had 3 singing males in the recent Atlas census and still one singing male this spring . A bit of a resurgance in arable on the head is probably helping. They are a bit easier inland but their range is decreasing I think.seppyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01109126431048614816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-23761130205073728302022-06-06T09:10:34.077+01:002022-06-06T09:10:34.077+01:00I'm also shocked and depressed at the drop in ...I'm also shocked and depressed at the drop in numbers of so many creatures. The 60% decline in insects over 20 years, a figure echoed across Europe, is alarming in the extreme, less food = less birds. <br />As for nostalgia and the feeling of getting old, sorry mate, can't help you with that, I'm a fellow sufferer.Dave Burrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08259482046178828401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-91048977710034786682022-06-05T13:53:22.084+01:002022-06-05T13:53:22.084+01:00The list of declining species is depressing in the...The list of declining species is depressing in the extreme, Dave. And that's never mind the invertebrates! Plus the issues extend way beyond these shores of course.<br /><br />Re Barn Hill... I am just pleased so much green space still exists there. None of it has been built on, as far as I can see. I suspect this post was as much a lament for lost childhood as anything else.<br />PS. As a kid I can remember exploring the remains of a prefab estate next to Barn Hill. Known as the Pilgrims Way estate, Charlie Watts grew up there.Gavin Haighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242398421328525578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-86050130686163486022022-06-05T13:36:29.602+01:002022-06-05T13:36:29.602+01:00That's good to hear, Ric. There are some enlig...That's good to hear, Ric. There are some enlightened farmers out there though. Google 'Woodoaks Farm' (Maple Cross) for a typical example. But it's all pockets of habitat. The squeeze is relentless. Gavin Haighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242398421328525578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-38453578181947147402022-06-05T11:22:09.353+01:002022-06-05T11:22:09.353+01:00Gav, I seem to cross the path of Yellowhammers qui...Gav, I seem to cross the path of Yellowhammers quite often when out on the bike. That said, considering the distances I cover, their numbers could be a lot thinner on the ground than appears. They are still around the Rickmansworth and Harefield areas.Richttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02714117508358025668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824385241230348874.post-41366081882069312202022-06-05T09:31:33.646+01:002022-06-05T09:31:33.646+01:00If only it was just yellowhammers. Sparrows, swift...If only it was just yellowhammers. Sparrows, swifts, swallows, little owl, kestrel etc...... I've noticed local declines over the last two decades of living in Herefordshire from realtively casual observations. Yes, we have kites overhead every day, as you so rightly say, the little guys are missing out. It's as though we (collectively) are all for the underdog and when they are waning on a red list, action may be taken.<br /><br />On the other hand, we are knee deep in goldfinches. It's just the cyclic nature of wildlife and nature in general. Looking at Barni Hill, the common has developed into a wooded area which is just what is needed nowadays and gives habitat to so much more wildlife. <br /><br />Our country is too small to satisfy everything and if farmers would just lay off their chemical use for a year or three, we'd all see a difference.<br />Dave Burrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08259482046178828401noreply@blogger.com