I posted this in December last year:
Finally news from my favourite animal rescue, Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk (passim). Ten acres of unprotected woodland were up for sale by auction nearby and could have been purchased by developers. Hillside drew deeply on their reserve funds and stepped in. The land will be fenced to protect the resident deer and rescue releases. I could not but make a modest donation. What a wonderful, inspiring thing to have done. A reason, indeed, to be grateful.
Now I am beyond delighted to have received an illustrated update. Clearing the site and dilapidated buildings has obviously been a huge undertaking. There’s a pond where the wild deer come to drink and even a second pond which took a couple of days to discover and uncover. Greenhouses are being retained to grow suitable plants. Carrots and greens were put out for the wild deer during the winter to encourage them to stay within the safety of the sanctuary. Trail cameras have shown other wildlife in the woods including what looks to be a remarkable stand-off between a Magpie and a Buzzard. With great care and respect for the existing herd of Fallow Deer, rescued deer will be released.
Nighttime wildlife
Sitting outside after a perfect Father’s Day (thanks to my children for that) between twilight and darkness, I remembered that gardening for wildlife keeps on giving after sunset. There were many, many moths, some very much on the larger side and I watched enthralled as two bats swooped repeatedly in beautiful trajectories overhead – clearly they were finding plenty to eat. I think they might be Noctules – certainly too large for Pipistrelles. In the distance I could hear Tawny Owls.
Geezer Butler and the Ridglan Beagles
Geezer Butler was the bassist and, I did not know, the primary lyricist for Black Sabbath. Their first album is one of the first I ever bought. My brother-in-law has one of his old bass guitars. Geezer became a vegetarian as a child and later a vegan and has long been a powerful voice for animals. He is one of number of celebrities listed in Animal Wild as those “who have come up on my radar, standing up or speaking out for animals, who have gone the extra mile”. He once encouraged a boycott of Fortnum & Mason on the grounds that the shop sold foie gras. He has appeared twice in my Facebook feed talking about the Ridglan Beagles whilst holding one in his arms. A large number of dogs have recently been rescued from the Ridglan Farms breeding facility in Wisconsin which will now close down thanks to years of pressure from PETA and many other groups. PETA say that “Marshall Farms is now the last major U.S. breeder supplying dogs to laboratories”, presumably the same outfit which owns MBR Acres in Cambridgeshire where some 2,000 dogs are still being bred every year.
This is what Geezer had to say. “Can you believe that people torture these animals? Look at him. There’s just no reason for it. There’s so many alternatives these days and yet people persist in torturing these animals for no reason and they’re the gentlest animals on earth. It’s just great to try and bring some kind of knowledge for people that these things are still·going on and speak up about it and tell your politicians or whoever they are that you’re not going to take it any more.”
I happened to notice that one of the Facebook followers is called Martin Holmes. Not an uncommon name and as it turns out not, as I had hoped, my old friend from university. He is exceptionally bright and I loved studying linguistics with him. I nicknamed him Skylight Martin after my father caught him trying to make dangerous exit through a skylight to the roof (for reasons best known to himself) of the bookshop where my 21st birthday party was held. He was vegetarian and was one of the first people to get me really thinking about eating meat. We were watching lambs playing in a field and he asked, simply, “Do we really eat them?”
Fire Kites
These are Black Kites and in Australia they and two other raptor species, Whistling Kites and Brown Falcons, have been seen, as I learnt from an episode of the podcast Lateral, to pick up flaming branches and fly to a different grassland to start a new fire. Thus they cause a stampede, smaller animals get crushes and they and the flies around the carcases are easy meals for the birds who do not even have to touch the ground. What extraordinary if destructive intelligence and tool use.
Wild Justice and the Badger Cull
Wild Justice and Badger Trust mounted a legal challenge against Natural England’s decision to issue supplementary licences for Badger culling. The judge did not grant a declaration but it was still a victory. Scandalously, now on the record, it emerged that these five considerations were taken into account by Natural England.
- Potential consequences for Natural England’s “wider relationships within the farming community”
- Potential consequences for Natural England’s relationship with Defra
- Natural England’s exposure to compensation claims from the farming industry
- Pressure to meet farming industry timelines and avoid “questions raised by the NFU”
- Consequences for Natural England’s budget, including potential staff layoffs and wellbeing issues
They should all of course be completely irrelevant. All that matters is the science and the prevention of cruelty. In future they may not legally be taken into account.
Furthermore Natural England tried to insist, outrageously, that the other side pay all their legal costs. This was overruled which has far reaching consequences for any group wishing to mount environmental challenges.
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust Newsletter, Sprng 2026
This is a very heartening issue with news of individuals and businesses, (including farmers) getting together for wildlife- trying to protect chalk streams, Water Voles, peatlands, wetlands, saltmarshes, woodlands, dragonflies, water birds, meadows and more.
Sunshine Printing
I bought a pack of sheets of photo-sensitive paper when I visited the Winchester Science Centre for its Van Gogh spectacular earlier this year. I expect they are intended for children, but hey, I have always had a bit of a Peter Pan thing going on. All you have to do is place an object on the paper, leave it in the sun for a minute and a half and then soak it in water for a minute. For my first attempt I chose a leafy spray. Great art it isn’t but not complete rubbish either. But must try harder.
Finally, a couple of surprises in the garden.
I noticed this solitary daisy by the shed, seemingly different from the Oxeye Daisies which abound, with more pointed petals. I may be wrong but it could be a Shasta Daisy.
I noticed this in passing from the corner of my eye and for a moment thought that these could be the feathers remaining from a small bird which had been preyed upon. In fact they are Wild Vetch seed pods.
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