A SINGLE bunch of bluebells grows this week amid the destruction on Black Mountain.
Fire swept across the hillside earlier this month, consuming every living thing in its path before being extinguished by exhausted firefighters. This picture was taken by mountain guardian Aaron Kelly, who was gutted by the destruction and hit out at the young people who started it. He said more education is needed so that the youngsters are aware of the damage they were doing.
“The fires destroy not only nature but our plans for developing the mountain even further,” he said. “If we want, say, cattle on the mountain to reduce the bracken, or if we want to plant trees there, we will be told we can’t because fires are being started there.
“Each school in the area needs to focus even more on education about local wildlife and local habitats. When the kids are going up on to the mountain they're just setting fires for the craic – you can see them running away. Firefighters are visiting schools and it’s working but we need to do more.
“I remember people doing it when I was younger, but there’s no excuse for it now because we know the damage it causes.
“The field they burnt was full of gorse which was connected to the wood at the bottom of the mountain. Gorse creates a tree nursery, if we have sheep or cattle on the mountain, the gorse creates protection so the trees aren’t eaten. Gorse is the first stage of rewilding and natural regeneration.
“There are lizards among the gorse and every time you walk through there are birds galore.”
Aaron – who this week started a new job as a Ranger with the National Trust for the Belfast area after a year working with nature on Rathlin Island – said he was relieved when the heatwave ended. But he knows that shouldn’t be the case.
“I shouldn’t be anxious every time I see the sun out,” he said.
Hopefully the message is getting through and Aaron should be able to look forward to a great summer like the rest of us.
Bird supremo Geordie Hynes has turned his wee garden into a nature haven – just like so many people. And with our countryside being denuded of wildlife, gardens have become vital habitats.
Geordie has mastered how to provide breeding sites for many varieties of birds – he even manages to attract goldfinches to a small cherry tree. And if you happen to see a frog hopping along the Lisburn Road, they may be from his pond!
But perhaps the most ingenious of his tricks is providing nest sites for robins – inside teapots! He jams a teapot on its side into the undergrowth and each year at least one pair raises a family in it.
But this week tragedy struck in the form of marauding magpies. In one day, a pair of magpies destroyed not only the robins’ nest – taking all their chicks – but also a blue tit’s and a blackbird’s nest.
Some people will say that’s just nature, but that’s not the full story. Humans have upended the balance that used to exist in the countryside, with the result that many species have been decimated – while a handful of others have benefited.
Magpies are among that latter cohort. Because we killed almost all our large birds of prey, magpies have been free to behave like urban terrorists, pillaging garden birds unchecked.
A mother blackbird is incubating her eggs in the hedge in Dúlra’s garden. So far the magpies have failed to spot the nest, despite their best attempts. The mother blackbird – and also to some extent Dúlra – have an anxious few weeks ahead.
The lovely Ramoan cherry trees
It’s amazing how nature lifts the urban environment. Dúlra was passing Ramoan Drive this week and was simply stunned by the row of cherry trees in full bloom. It’s great that some urban planner many years ago designed a narrow strip of green in this small cul-de-sac in Andersonstown, but more power to the council for planting such beautiful trees.
With their white and pink blossoms, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Japan! Of course, the blossoms only last a few weeks, but that makes them even more special.
* If you’ve seen or photographed anything interesting, or have any nature questions, you can text Dúlra on 07801 414804.
