A rather poignant post
I recently ordered some new-look Hill & Heathland Birds birdwatching logbooks from my regular printers in West Sussex, as these were the last of the Habitat titles to get their design update. I’m really pleased with how they look:
Note the parched background; this is my front lawn, which to be fair is never gong to be mistaken for a bowling green, but it is as dry as a desert out there and my guinea pigs are on 100% hay as there is not a blade of grass to be found. I know a lot of farmers are already using the feed stores for livestock which ordinarily would be for the upcoming winter, and of course there have been minimal hay and silage crops too because of the weather. We had a light misting of rain this morning and it’s thankfully cool and cloudy, but all the plants are struggling after only receiving 1% of the expected July rainfall or something here in the South East.
Still, there are places in Britain where the parched conditions have meant a much more serious outcome, with a number of wildfires still raging. There has been criticism over the land management of nature reserves and rewilding projects, given that for the most part, vegetation is encouraged and ecological processes are allowed to play out. Of course, a balanced system takes time to establish, and what constitutes best practice is takes time to understand with a new site. Suggesting that the increase in plant matter that goes with rewilding or natural habitats makes wildfires worse is a bit like saying that having wooden furniture is why your house has caught fire. Trying to have any sort of regime is incredibly difficult with the conditions being so extreme, but I really hope that grazing and rewetting become widely adopted in the landscape to help face these challenges.
My revamped logbook is available from good booksellers, or in my shop.
