By countryside ranger Ed Andrews, who is based at the Severn Valley Country Park
‘THO’ Nature, red in tooth and claw’. Today we will talk about the gritty side of nature. The pursuit of a quarry, ending in bones and flesh being torn apart.
The endless battle between predator and prey means that death is an everyday possibility for many animals. They must remain alert, as all around them are potential predators looking for their next meal.
Walking through a churchyard in Broseley recently, I witnessed the magnificence of the chase first hand. There was a flurry of wingbeats and all around the area small birds were making alarm calls.
Suddenly a young blackbird darted into a bush, hotly pursued by a rapidly moving female sparrowhawk. The blackbird had no chance. Soon the hawk emerged, with its prey limply attempting to escape. Immediately she folded her wings over the blackbird and dispatched it with razor sharp talons and beak, ignoring persistent mobbing behaviour by other blackbirds.
Soon she flew powerfully away, carrying the blackbird to a plucking post to remove the feathers.
The British predator fauna today is impoverished. Historically, they tend to be the first animals to suffer at the hands of human spears and guns.
There used to be bears, lynx and wolves in the UK, sitting right at the top of the food pyramid. But over the ages, they were hunted to extinction.
People are not comfortable living alongside predators. They fear them. In any natural ecosystem there must be a top predator. It is a sign that everything is healthy in the food chain, and they perform a vital role in regulating population numbers.
Humans have now taken the role of top predator in the UK. Maybe our dislike of predatory animals harks back to some primitive evolutionary trait to be ‘top dog’. Unfortunately, many of the myths surrounding the danger posed to livestock and humans are not based on fact.
Whatever the reason, I personally think it is a great shame that we have lost animals such as wolves from this country. However, I am unsure if the fragmented landscape of today could once again support them. Population pressure and farming needs are at an all-time high, and there are not many truly wild areas left.
One such area is the Scottish Highlands. This is the site of an ambitious plan by a billionaire to reintroduce bears, wolves and lynx. He has purchased a 24,000 acre estate and plans to surround it with 3m high fencing to create a wilderness game reserve.
The success of the project will depend greatly upon public attitude. Ramblers are opposed to fencing the estate, as it prevents them accessing the mountains in the area. Farmers are opposed to the reintroduction because of fears about their livestock.
For now, in our little part of Shropshire, we will have to keep dreaming about wolves howling across the hillside by moonlight and look at predators closer to home.
The young kestrels have recently fledged from the nest that I have been observing, and are now hovering above the fields, looking for any small mammals that they can swoop down upon.
Any readers with children at home may like to know that the visitor centre and teashop at Severn Valley Country Park is open 7 days a week throughout the school holidays.
We have weekly events for young people to enjoy, and with 180 acres of park to explore, it is the ideal place to bring the family for a day out.
We look forward to seeing you.
