Page 105 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #02

YOUR FEEDBACK

2 Building after Brexit
ONLINE PHOTO CONTEST O Enter our monthly online I found Chris Baines’ article
photographic contest at
THEME: WINTER WILDLIFE www.discoverwildlife.com/ (Brave new world, December
your-photos/photo-contest 2017) very interesting and
a source of hope regarding
agriculture and wildlife
1 2 habitats, post-Brexit.
However, Chris mentioned
the possibility that with the
disappearance of EU subsidies,
it may lead to rewilding in the
uplands. My concern is that
our government’s obsession for
building houses will lead to loss
of farmland in general. Upland
areas will continue to be grazed
as they are the only places that
cannot realistically be built on.
Richard Dowling, via email
3 Help the overlooked

I read Lucy Jones’ article about
standing up for ugly animals
(Hey, good lookin’, November
2017) with intrigue. It shows that
it is easier to raise money for
the conservation of charismatic
and attractive animals. I wonder
1 WHITE-TAILED DEER, Jeremy Blue,
Ontario, Canada whether the promotion of the
interconnectivity of organisms
2 HANUMAN LANGUR, Anuj Raina,
Admedabad, India would prove worthwhile in
3 RED SQUIRREL, A Patscheider, Seefeld, Austria increasing money to conserve
less attractive species.
Fiona Kent, via email

Picture-perfect day BBC Two’s for a number of Louise spotted
f
n
In 2017, I visited a hide Springwatch, nights. Prior to that, a kingfisher
in a private woodland in and find his th in November.
he male and female
had been enjoying
Kirkcudbright in Scotland, with impressive h
heir peanut
three other photographers. The wildlife th
four of us were there all day, knowledge and su
upper. I observed
hem having a few
taking pictures from 7.30am quirky sense of th
until 4pm. I was elated to humour very sq
quabbles with
capture images of red squirrels, appealing. But an
nother young male,
s
ut otherwise all
s
g
g
a
at
re
re
a
rowhawk
,
a
a
ar
a a a a sparrowhawk, a great spotted I feel this is bu
sp
p
at
woodpecker (below) and a range the real Chris, th
he animals looked
of other birds. I took ove a poetic style ex xtremely healthy.
er 1,000
day!
shots on that d combined with However, the
ns,
Paul Watkin a deep understanding of the temperature had dropped
via email natural world. I was particularly considerably. I wonder whether
moved by his sensitive and they stay in their setts more
Touching understated tribute to his (and frequently at this time of year?
g
tribute Scratchy’s) lost companion in Pauline Kavanagh, via email Glorious colour
I would li ike to the Spring 2017 issue. This photo of a kingfisher
say how m Mave Ersu, via email Features Editor Ben Hoare replies: (above) was captured in early
much
I have enj joyed During prolonged bad weather November at a bird hide in
reading C Badger behaviour – such as during thick snow – Worcestershire. It was taken
Chris
Packham’ ’s ‘Notes I live in Cornwall, and spent badgers can stay in their sett and as the sun was starting to go
from an En most of the summer watching go without food for long periods. down, which created a lovely
nglish
BBC
Wood’ in B a family of badgers who feed in But they’re also opportunists, so background light.
Wildlife ove er the my small garden every night. I might simply have been foraging Louise Morris, via email
past few mo onths have a installed a camera and elsewhere. Or perhaps the family
(above right). . I enjoy watching their antics. In had been disturbed in some way, QUIZ ANSWERS (see p113)
always try to w late November I didn’t see them and were being unusually wary. The Wild Words are: 1B, 2A, 3B, 4C, 5B, 6A
watch
BBC Wildlife 105