Just because I had to post something...
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Adder (Viper berus) from an area on the edge of Northumberland National Park which I rarely bother to visit any more. The reason? Too many inconsiderate people with all the uncontrolled dogs, loud music and littering that tags along with them. However, this disrespect and ignorance from the general public is just the tip of a much larger problem facing wildlife in the UK: The absolute joke that is our National Park system.
Funded by central government to: Conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage (National Parks UK) Primary objective: To protect natural biodiversity along with its underlying ecological structure and supporting environmental processes, and to promote education and recreation (IUCN, National Park Objectives) In allowing large areas of ‘National Park’ land to be used for shooting estates, over-grazing and uneducated family outings, it is clear we are not following the definitions above. We sometimes appear quite capable of pointing the finger at the removal of natural ecosystems in other parts of the world, but sadly don’t seem to notice that our hectares of muirburn, commercial plantation and ‘rolling’ agricultural land is comparable to palm-oil plantations and cattle ranches elsewhere. There’s too much to be said about the persecution and suppression of our wildlife on shooting estates and agricultural land for me to write here, but for those of you that do share an interest in the butchery of our own island, then Ben Macdonald's 'Rebirding' (2019) provides some essential facts - in addition to some excellent examples on how Britain could get out of this ecological (and economical) mess. A couple of pics taken from one of the few Northumberland spots that's neither a grouse moor nor a full-on dog-toilet just yet (although the latter is getting closer).
It's taken a few months, but finally spotted one of these critters from the garden! Images taken from 4k video.
Above - Young pied flycatcher at Holy Island. Below - Dunlin at Cresswell, redstart on Inner Farne plus an adder at one of my usual spots. Below - A couple more images from Lindisfarne
April started off with a one-eyed adder at Rothbury. Not sure if this is the result of 'habitat management', a predator or some sort of fungus... A quick trip to a more local spot provided some fine black-necked grebes and a distant garganey pair. And finally, this weekend's trip to the Breamish Valley produced a few more adders...
A really Good Friday with a trip up towards Powburn and its environs. Managed to spot five adders - all photos in-situ.
Cresswell - Water rail crossed path to hide then later flew past snipe into reeds near sandbank.
Druridge - Plenty of reed buntings and tree sparrows on feeders, linnet played hard to photograph whereas stonechat pair were happy to pose. Warkworth - Twite on dune edge near north pier. Barn owl patrolling golf course. |
All images © Neil Rowntree
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