Nature Notes: January 2022

It's NOT a COP-out!

As I write, towards the end of 2021, it's hard to believe COP 26 was only a month ago. With it came a much needed raising of awareness of the importance of nature and biodiversity, anticipation and hope, but the news agenda since has been supplanted with politics and Omicron and it's important to keep the conversation going and not to be completely demoralised and angry.

In 2021 more birds than ever before were placed on the Red List of greatest concern including the swift, house martin and greenfinch, and yet we're still tearing down barns in and around the village here and not making any provision for new nesting sites. Dormice are now extinct in 17 English counties and yet some of their nesting boxes in Slinfold (with hibernating dormice in situ) were recently torn down and munched up by aggressive 'hedge-trimming' in the fields off Clapgate Lane and leading to the A29. Even banks by the stream that have been there for decades, were levelled to get every spare inch of field (which have now led to flooding) and slow-worm 'tiles' on top were ripped apart by the blades. Up at the Furnace Lakes I've seen various workers on different occasions dumping huge truckloads of leaves into the river, clogging up the overflow and nesting site of a kingfisher and leading to problems of silting up and flooding further downstream. Whilst these things are deeply upsetting and frustrating, we can each speak out when we witness others acting selfishly and thoughtlessly and do positive things to help wildlife and biodiversity in our own gardens and neighbourhoods.

As I continue to write, I realise the thrust of what I'm saying is almost a repetition of what I wrote in January 2021 and yet nothing's changed. So, NOT as a COP-out, but to really allow these ponderings to resonate and hopefully inspire at the same time, I repeat what I wrote again HERE.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year full of 'life', hope and the beauty of nature!