Week 17
“What are you looking at?” I asked, as the two birds studied me.
A problem of being a renaturer in Lakeland is that you soon start talking to wildlife, as if it is human. Much of what I do is lonely, and I am by nature a person who needs people. It is the way I have been designed. The two red-legged partridges to which I was talking did not reply but stood motionless, a few feet away, right outside my front door. I had spotted them unexpectedly.
Which, of course, started me thinking. What is happening to birds in general as mankind continues to wreck the planet? Without doubt my land is a bird magnet and I have described it as an aviary before. This week also contained Earth Day, celebrated annually on 22 April since 1970, and an event marked by an estimated one billion people in more than 190 countries[i], so conservation, including birdlife, has loomed even larger than normal.
Looking at the United Kingdom, indeed the world overall, bird numbers have declined, thanks to the sacrifice of green space, felling of mature trees, and our headlong climate change. I admit to looking with disbelief as a tree surgeon near to my land celebrated Earth Day by felling a tree. I wondered if he even realised what he was doing. In less than 20 minutes, 30 years of growth was lying dead on the ground.
Breeding seabirds and upland breeding birds - there are plenty of upland varieties in Lakeland - are the two main groups most vulnerable to climate change[ii]. Bird depopulation has been greatest where warming has been most rapid[iii] and migratory bird populations are declining throughout the world[iv]. Research has shown that about 7% of birds are at risk of extinction across the globe thanks to climate change[v]. The United Kingdom’s Wild Bird Index, which looks at change across 130 species, has shown a 10% decline since 1970[vi], a pattern also seen across the wider Europe[vii]. It is evident that mankind must do what is possible to protect birds worldwide.
I looked again at the red-legged partridges outside my front door, as the birds looked back. Although they have a conservation status[viii] that hovers between “Least Concern” and “Near Threatened” their population is still decreasing. I pondered for a moment on what the world might look like without them. Not a happy place, I would wager. The partridges had not run but stayed, gazing intently at me. One was facing forward, both eyes staring in my direction. The other was facing sideways, one eye inspecting my tiniest move. It was an obvious question as I looked at the partridges, and they looked at me. How do birds see[ix]? Why do some look sideways while others gaze directly forward?
All birds have binocular vision although stereopsis - what the clever people called three-dimensional vision - has only been proven in barn owls[x] and a few birds of prey[xi]. When a bird has eyes on the side of its head, like my red-legged partridge, it can see forward and sideways at the same time, and can see much more than those with eyes facing forwards[xii].
For birds, vision is a critical sense, especially for raptors. A hawk, for example, can spot medium-sized prey from one mile (1.6kms) away[xiii]. For eyesight, the golden eagle reigns supreme, with a 340° field of vision[xiv] and can see something the size of a running rabbit up to three miles distant[xv]. Birds have larger eyes in proportion to their overall size, while those with bigger eyes start singing earlier in the day than those with smaller ones, the bigger eye being better adapted to the poor dawn light[xvi]. The robins[xvii] on my land are certainly early singers, and their eyes are enormous. As for the wood pigeons, they have been described as two eyes with wings[xviii]. I have yet to successfully creep up on a pigeon.
The other day I made a list of the birds I have seen on my land and reached 25 species. I am certain I also missed plenty. On this list I have added kite[xix], buzzard[xx], robin, collared dove[xxi], wood pigeon[xxii], blackbird, pheasant, red-legged partridge, great tit, coal tit, song thrush, jackdaw, wren, chaffinch, dunnock, goldfinch[xxiii], blue tit, chiffchaff[xxiv], greenfinch[xxv], house martin[xxvi], long-tailed tit[xxvii], jay[xxviii], crow[xxix], nuthatch[xxx], and goshawk[xxxi]. I have heard even more. Doubtless there will be plenty to follow.
One reason for my land being a bird magnet is, I suspect, my lack of domesticated animals. Mind you, there are plenty from properties nearby that patrol my land after dark, while a few sun themselves in my long grass by day. Meanwhile I own no dog, no cat, no rabbit, not even a hamster, parrot, or goldfish. I do have plenty of millipedes indoors, as well as mice when the weather chills, but they are uninvited, and I doubt can be classed as pets. However attractive and welcome pets can be, they are not without problems. When time allows in Lakeland, I walk the hills around me and look down on the valleys from above. Far beneath me I can see the dog walkers out for their twice daily wanders[xxxii]. I witness what they cannot. That is the sheep, deer, birds, indeed any wildlife that can move, dashing as far away as possible, so by the time the dog has arrived, the wildlife has long gone.
Pets are manifestly a problem, although how that can be solved without upsetting society is anyone’s guess. In the United Kingdom, 62% of households own a pet, which includes 13 million dogs, 12 million cats, 4 million birds, 8 million indoor aquaria, and 2.5 million rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters[xxxiii]. To own a single medium-sized dog has the same carbon footprint as owning a large Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)[xxxiv]. Dogs are said to threaten nearly 200 species worldwide, some of which are critically endangered[xxxv], they have a clear and detrimental effect on Nature, and some would suggest it is time that dogs were classified as an invasive species, because of their effects on wildlife, mankind, and the environment[xxxvi].
Cats in the UK are no better and kill as many as 270 million animals each year, a quarter of them birds[xxxvii],[xxxviii]. Indeed, the domestic cat (Felix catus) has already been classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN[xxxix]) as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive alien species.
So however attractive it may seem for me to own a domestic animal, and join the many millions of fellow humans, the moment a pet wanders my land, I can kiss goodbye to a large element of Mother Nature. There are already animal tracks around my house that I once thought had been made by badger. My trail camera has revealed the sad truth. A neighbour’s cat has made the tracks in the early hours, as it heads towards its hunting grounds and adds to wildlife damage. It is no wonder a town in south-west Germany, Walldorf, has ordered some cat owners to keep their pets indoors, in the hope this may give the crested lark a chance to survive. At present the bird is headed towards extinction[xl] thanks in part to domesticated cats.
My efforts to control overflowing soakaways have not been successful, so when it rains the overflow continues unabated. The only advantage is the vegetation that appears when the soil is truly sodden, as the plant life is very different. Common bistort[xli] and broad-leaved dock[xlii] are having a wonderful time. Common bistort is popular with some Stripy Lawners as it is good for ornamental borders. It spreads easily and the bees love it. The Royal Horticultural Society has given common bistort its prestigious Award of Garden Merit[xliii].
As for the broad-leaved dock, I love it, yet I hate it. It is wonderful for insects and seems to grow wherever it is given half-a-chance. Fallow deer adore the leaves while the plant has a very long tap root, which makes its removal difficult. Fortunately, only the top 15cms of root has the power to regenerate, so it is not necessary to remove it all[xliv]. In Lakeland, 15cms is sometimes the full thickness of topsoil anyway. I go through phases when I leave broad-leaved dock alone, and then uproot it furiously. I have no logic, as it depends entirely on how I am feeling. It is why I am a renaturer not a rewilder, as a faithful rewilder would leave the dock alone.
Tradition states that wherever there is broad-leaved dock there will also be stinging nettles. It appears not to be the case for my land. I have plenty of dock but a paucity of nettle. Nettles have a strong association with human habitation but can also indicate soil fertility. Human and animal waste may be responsible for elevated levels of phosphate and nitrogen in the soil, providing an ideal environment for nettles[xlv]. Perhaps, thanks to overflowing soakaways, the soil has been exhausted of its nutrients, which might explain why I must hunt for nettles.
In the hope of enthusing others, and for my own education, I have begun to position slate labels by key plants as they start to appear. One problem of renaturing is that others decide my land is a sign of laziness - far from it. Renaturing is much harder work than traditional gardening. There is far more to it than doing nothing and letting Nature decide.
So, the labels are now out for lesser celandine, common bistort, hogweed, broad-leaved dock, marsh marigold, and plenty more besides. I see passers-by stop and read my writing, at least as best they can, as the paint marker I have used is thick and tends to smudge. I would no longer win any prizes for neat handwriting.
Yet it is a start. A hope that I might light a spark for others. An understanding that renaturing can be fun and is certainly educational.
***
Acknowledgement
Take it from me - none of this would be possible without the help of RSG Horticulture. Rufus, who runs it, has far more energy than me and is full of ideas and skills.
References [i] Saqib F. Earth Day 2023: This year's theme, the story of its founder, and how to get involved. https://news.sky.com/story/earth-day-2023-activities-history-date-and-the-story-of-its-founder-12843608#:~:text=Earth%20Day%20is%20celebrated%20annually,to%20solving%20the%20climate%20crisis. Accessed 7 May 2023. [ii] British Trust for Ornithology. Climate change and the UK’s birds. See https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/publications/bto_climate_change_and_uk_birds_-_james_pearce-higgins_bto_web-compressed.pdf. Accessed 7 May 2023. [iii] Spooner FEB, Pearson RG, Freeman R. Rapid warming is associated with population decline among terrestrial birds and mammals globally. Glob Change Biol. 2018; 24: 4521– 4531. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14361 [iv] Franz B. Migratory birds under threat. Science 354,547-548(2016).DOI:10.1126/science.aah6647 [v] Urban MC. Accelerating extinction risk from climate change. Science 348,571-573(2015). DOI:10.1126/science.aaa4984. [vi] Wild bird populations in the UK. See https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/wild-bird-populations-in-the-uk. Accessed 7 May 2023. [vii] Inger R, Gregory R, Duffy JP, Stott I, Vorišek P, Gaston KJ. Common European birds are declining rapidly while less abundant species’ numbers are rising. Ecology Letters (2015) 18: 28– 36. [viii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-legged_partridge. Accessed 8 May 2023. [ix] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_vision#cite_note-dawn-16. Accessed 21 April 2023 [x] Tyto alba. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_owl. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xi] Tyrrell LP, Fernández-Juricic E. Avian binocular vision: It's not just about what birds can see, it's also about what they can't. PLoS One. 2017 Mar 29;12(3):e0173235. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173235. [xii] Jackson H. Curious kids: how do birds see where they’re going? https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-do-birds-see-where-theyre-going-101932. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xiii] Keen vision. https://www.peregrinefund.org/keen-vision#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20scientists%20have%20shown,lined%20up%20in%20a%20row! Accessed 8 May 2023. [xiv] Which animals have the best eyesight. https://www.visiondirect.co.uk/blog/animals-with-best-eyesight#:~:text=Eagles.,excellent%20hunters%20are%20the%20foveas. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xv] Cool things you should know about golden eagles. https://www.iowadnr.gov/About-DNR/DNR-News-Releases/ArticleID/497/Cool-Things-You-Should-Know-About-Golden-Eagles#:~:text=Eyes%20Worth%20Gold&text=The%20fovea%20at%2045%20degrees,one%20to%20three%20miles%20away. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xvi] Thomas, Robert J.; Suzuki, M; Saito, S; Tanda, S; Newson, Stuart E.; Frayling, Tim D.; Wallis, Paul D. (2002). "Eye size in birds and the timing of song at dawn". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 269 (1493): 831–837. doi:10.1098/rspb.2001.1941. [xvii] Erithacus rubecula. See https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/robin-erithacus-rubecula.html. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xviii] Güntürkün O. "Structure and functions of the eye" in Sturkie (1998) 1–18 [xix] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite_(bird). Accessed 21 April 2023 [xx] https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/buzzard/. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xxi] See 5 March 2023 [xxii] See 5 March 2023 [xxiii] Carduelis carduelis. See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/goldfinch/ [xxiv] Phylloscopus collybita. https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/chiffchaff/. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xxv] Chloris chloris. See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/greenfinch/. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xxvi] Delichon urbicum. See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/house-martin/. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xxvii] Aegithalos caudatus. See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/long-tailed-tit/. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xxviii] Garrulus glandarius. See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/jay/. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xxix] Corvus corone. See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/carrion-crow/. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xxx] Sitta europea. See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/nuthatch/. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xxxi] Accipiter gentilis. See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/goshawk/. Accessed 8 May 2023. [xxxii] See https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/puppies-dogs/how-much-exercise-does-your-dog-need. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xxxiii] Martyn M. Pet Ownership Statistics UK – What Interesting Facts Can Tell Us! https://worldanimalfoundation.org/advocate/pet-ownership-statistics-uk/. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xxxiv] Franklin-Cheung A. Are our pets bad for the environment? See https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/are-our-pets-bad-for-the-environment/. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xxxv] Khadka NS. Dogs 'becoming major threat' to wildlife. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47062959. [xxxvi] Hennings L. Factsheet: Impacts of dogs on wildlife. https://www.protectnatureto.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Impacts-of-dogs-on-wildlife-Factsheet_PNTO_Oct_-2019.pdf. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xxxvii] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/14/cats-kill-birds-wildlife-keep-indoors. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xxxviii] Pirie TJ, Thomas RL, Fellowes MDE. Pet cats (Felis catus) from urban boundaries use different habitats, have larger home ranges and kill more prey than cats from the suburbs. Landscape and Urban Planning April 2022;220:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104338 [xxxix] See https://www.iucn.org. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xl] Euronews. German town orders cats to be kept indoors to save rare birds. See https://www.euronews.com/2022/05/18/german-town-orders-cats-to-be-kept-indoors-to-save-rare-birds. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xli] Bistorta officinalis. Originates from the Latin, with ‘bis’ meaning “twice” and ‘torta’ meaning “twisted”, which refers to the twisted nature of the roots. Can be eaten, is a principal ingredient of dock pudding, and has been used medicinally as an astringent. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bistorta_officinalis. Accessed 21 April 2023. Once known as Persicaria bistorta. See also 2 April 2023 entry [xlii][xlii] Rumex obtusifolius. Can be used as a salad, in soup, or cooked like spinach. Contains oxalic acid so can e dangerous if eaten in too large a quantity. Often found next to stinging nettles. Dock leaf juice, if squeezed from the leaf, can counteract the itching of a nettle sting. Was classified as an injurious weed in 1959. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_obtusifolius. Accessed 21 April 2023. Its seeds can survive for up to 50 years in soil due to a chemical that inhibits microbial decay. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeds_Act_1959. Accessed 21 April 2023. See also entry of 2 April 2023 [xliii] Persicaria bistorta 'Superba'. https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/persicaria-bistorta-superba/. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xliv] Docks. See https://www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/docks. Accessed 21 April 2023 [xlv] Urtica dioica. Native to Europe. Long history of use in traditional medicine. Nettle is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, recorded in 10th-century traditional medicine. Nettle was believed to be a galactagogue – a substance that promotes lactation. Urtication, or flogging with nettles is the process of deliberately applying stinging nettles to the skin to provoke inflammation. An agent thus used was considered to be a rubefacient (something that causes redness), used as a folk remedy for treating rheumatism. A study undertaken in 2000 showed that nettles were an effective therapy in relieving the pain of arthritis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica. Accessed 21 April 2023
Comments