Letters to the Editor - June 2008

Robin in tune

I look forward to my copy of The Countryman with eager anticipation each month. I read it cover to cover starting with Robin Page; how he manages to be in tune with my thoughts so often is uncanny. His topics and thoughts in the April issue had me thinking I was perched on his shoulder as he wrote. The point in informing you of this bit of hero-worship is that when I later received a copy of the Farmers Guardian from a farming friend (April 11 issue) the front page headline informed me of the Welsh Assembly governments’ decision to implement a programme of badger culling. Had my hero (and I) so totally misread the political mood? I had to partake of a strong cup of tea immediately.

On reflection, I came to the conclusion that Mr Page would not be so out of touch, even allowing for the odds that everyone gets it wrong sometimes. No, I have decided that Mr Page, wily old countryman that he is, realised that there was more than one way to ‘skin a cat’, or in this case, a badger. He used his position in the press and publicly challenged the politicians on the issue.

Within a week, ACTION! What influence. His comments about replacing the ‘free range’ eggs also brought a smile to my face; memories of my childhood. Maybe a tale for another day.

D Richard Evans, Colwyn Heights

Off the mark

I always enjoy reading Robin Page’s contributions to The Countryman, but I am sorry to say that I think he is mistaken in some of the weather lore he wrote about in the March issue. I know you will think that my explanations are prosaic and not nearly so much fun as his, but I think mine are more logical. I don’t think that the oak or the ash or the berry-bearing trees like rowan and holly can forecast the weather any better than you or I – or Michael Fish. What they do is a reaction to what has passed, not a forecast of what is to come.

So it is: ‘Oak before the ash ’cos we have HAD a splash; Ash before the oak ‘cos we have HAD a soak’. And a good crop of berries on holly and rowan etc. is not a forecast of a hard winter, but the result of a good summer.

I think St Swithen’s powers are a bit overrated as well. However, it is true that if a large stable anticyclone is firmly established over the Azores by the middle of July, then there is a good chance of a longish period of fine settled sunny weather as a result. I agree that St Luke often comes up trumps; but sometimes his timing is a bit awry.

Christopher Fox, Wellington

Recorders wanted

Knowing where species are is a prerequisite to understanding their ecology and ensuring their conservation. The Yorkshire Mammal Group (YMG) is currently undertaking a survey of the distributions of all mammal species in North Yorkshire and urgently seeks more records, particularly from the western part of the county and the North York Moors. I would like to enlist readers’ help in three ways. First, records of mammal signs eg. mole hills, or road kills (if they can be confidently identified) are welcomed and can be submitted on a form available from the YMG website or from me (details below). Secondly, cats bring in a variety of mammalian prey but telling one species of shrew from another is often a problem. To circumvent this, we are asking cat owners to digitally photograph their pet’s prey and to e-mail the photograph to me for identification. Finally, owls and kestrels are also efficient samplers of local small mammal populations. So we are also requesting up to half a dozen pellets from known roosts of these birds to be sent for examination (well wrapped in a jiffy bag). In all cases we need the name of the nearest village/town and either a postcode or six figure map reference so that your records can be mapped. All help will be fully acknowledged and postage costs incurred sending pellets refunded.

Dr Geoff Oxford, Department of Biology (Area 18), University of York, P. O. Box 373, York YO10 5YW Tel: 01904 328640. e-mail: gso1@york.ac.uk. Website: www.raysolve.co.uk/ymg

White deer

I found the reference to white deer in the April edition both timely and very interesting. In early January, a friend and I were walking alongside a wood in Staffordshire and saw a group of three fallow deer, two of which were of the usual colouring while the third was white. The two normal coloured deer quickly trotted off into the undergrowth and were lost to view, but the white one trotted a short distance before it stopped to take a look at us and then walked off into the wood and out of sight. It will be interesting to know how many sightings will be reported by other readers. 

David Sumner, Stafford

White deer

I think your correspondent John Timbrell (Letters, May) should re-read the original article regarding the white deer. The article clearly talks about leucistic white deer which are indeed rare. The one Mr Timbrell is referring to probably isn’t leucistic but maybe very light fawn, perhaps seemingly white from a distance, which are more common – or it could have been an albino.

Dee Bradbury, South Shields

Garden joy

For several years now a pair of mallards have flown in around Valentine’s Day for the spring and summer. This year for the first time the clay-based small pool had been covered with blanket weed and I was hoping to have dealt with it before they came. Frogspawn had already been laid at the edge of the pool and I was surprised to find this as I had only heard a solitary frog croaking. Usually during mating one could hear the frogs croaking from inside the house.

The pool is somewhat small but it accommodates toads, newts and frogs besides having visiting grass snakes, the two mallards and an occasional moorhen. Overhanging pine trees haven’t helped the debris which lines the pool base and pine needles and cones drop in beside gale-blown leaves – and gales have been bad recently.

Two more youths to feed and wheat seeds and bread have gone up in price. I do use people’s left-overs of bread, however. All the birds seem to descend at the same time before they settle for the night. In the morning it is different and some arrive before others. The female pheasants are first on the scene, racing to the dishes for food. The cock informs them when I open the door to put out food and to deal with their frozen waters. They are getting spoilt as they aren’t content with crumbs of bread and wheat seeds and they wait around under bushes for me to put out food for the other birds.

I liquidise peanuts and bread together and all the birds are fond of this. Bogena is a favourite of robins and blackbirds. Pinhead oatmeal is also a favourite and even the pair of pied wagtails look for this. I chop up cooking apples and throw these out with cores and peeling for the thrush and blackbirds as berries have all been eaten before Christmas.

We get enjoyment out of watching their behaviour. Watching the pied wagtails running at larger birds to frighten them off the food dishes. The two nervous mallards visit the lawn for food and we have to be not seen or they run off. The male watches over his woman and keeps an eye out for us. The male pheasant who doesn’t know if it is winter or spring for mating has been running his females around for months doing his one wing dance around them. It is his good opportunity to catch them around the food dishes. The poor songthrush sings out whilst finding it hard to get food during this cold weather as he often gets chased off the lawn.

Even our flowers have got mixed up as to when to flower. We have had violets and primroses out in December and even some broom flowers.

H Woolridge, Worcestershire

Spanish interlopers

We read with interest the article repeating the warning of threat to native bluebells from the Spanish interlopers. We have a nearer threat to our bluebell woods, some of which have already been swamped – by wild garlic. This invasive weed is spreading along the verges and into woods round here. Is there any way we can stop it?

Freda Hennessy, Corscombe, Dorset

Suicidal rats

Further to correspondence on rats: when farming, the bulk grain was stored in self-made galvanised circular bins fifteen feet across and eleven inches high, on a concrete floor, auger emptied, inside a large barn. The incoming tenant took on their use. Every farm has a few rats: he did not try to catch the odd one about.

A load of barley was sold from one, dropping the contents about five feet. When passing a couple of days later, I heard a strange scratching sound and used a ladder to investigate its origin.

Unbelievable – the top of the grain, in the well, was a seething mass of rats, unable to escape up the metal sides. We dared not enter that throng: we shot fifty-two. It cleared the farmyard in one go, but left an enigma. What distress call on enticement did the first trapped rats make to persuade the whole area to climb up and drop in, and commit suicide by joining them.

Alan Moore, Warwick

DIY star

The anecdote, ‘Inching towards Metrication’ (April), reminds me that a year or two ago I phoned a local builders’ merchant (part of a well known chain) and gave the size of the item I was looking for in feet and inches. The young woman looking after enquiries replied, “I don’t know them feet and inches, I was only learned meteoric.”

And yet, why shouldn’t a woman be Astronomer Royal?

Douglas Lancaster, Canterbury

Thieving wrens

We have noticed what appears to be unusual behaviour in one of our bird boxes which is situated in clear view from out kitchen window. As is usual for a number of years, great tits have taken up residence therein. What seems surprising is from time to time wrens are also going into the box and coming away with nesting material for their own use. While this seens unusual to us, is this a common practice?

Peter H Rowe, Diss

Connections

I was interested in the poem by Rebecca Gethin (May) entitled Foale’s Arrishes. This is apparently a Devonshire dialect word; her description of the dark, marshy land closely resembles the area of Yorkshire just south of Thornton-le-Dale called Marishes. I wonder if there could be a connection between these two places with such similar names and terrain, or whether it is simply a corruption of the word marsh to Marishes and thence to Arrishes.

Dulcie Blair, Berwick-upon-Tweed

Treacle mine

I have heard of a treacle mine at Chobham Common in Surrey, described to me by my husband who was born nearby. It was years before he explained. He had heard that an Army unit was based there in 1915/16. Amongst the supplies delivered to them was a large consignment of treacle in barrels. Apparently they unofficially let local families have some if they brought a jug.

They were eventually posted to France and buried the barrels before they left. It is said that you can still smell treacle thereabouts. Recently my husband met a Surrey man here in Dorset and he tells the same story.

S Churches, Wimborne 701033

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