A thrilling day of digging in sunny Bransdale, planting Bloworth Wood with saplings. The chosen species were native: oak, hazel, alder, and Scots pine. Once upon a time, Bloworth Wood was a joyless conifer plantation, but thanks to the National Trust, it has been clear felled with the grand dream of establishing a “natural” woodland. Those tubes around the saplings? Biodegradable, of course, and obscenely more expensive than the usual cheap plastic variety.
Bransdale, usually known for its blessed emptiness, was positively bustling this morning. A merry band of shooters, beaters, and dogs had descended, squeezing in what is left of the shooting season. For Woodcock, the carnage ends on 31st January; for Pheasants, it is 1st February.1British Association for Shooting and Conservation. https://basc.org.uk/shooting-seasons/ On this latter date, one must hope the shooters are razor-sharp in distinguishing their targets mid-flight, unless they wish to test their luck against the law. Such responsibility.
- 1British Association for Shooting and Conservation. https://basc.org.uk/shooting-seasons/
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