EADT article

[VSS]

Article just popped up on my news feed.
Apologies if it's already been posted.

Rising deer numbers a 'major threat' to nature recovery in Broads National Park

Deers are causing significant damage fragile ecologies in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, a survey has found.

www.eadt.co.uk

 

[NickJ]

Interesting that one location said they thought the presence of reds helped the bitterns.

The RSPB found that the relatively high number of reds on Leighton Moss reserve (here in NW England) were damaging the reedbeds by browsing and creating paths through the thick reeds allowed access to predators (mainly foxes.) That was, from memory around 10 years ago, there was no deer management on the reserve (it had become a sanctuary in effect) and the were no bitterns.

At that point the reserve manager at the time Dave Morris put deer management in place with a team via @Alastair Boston including some of the lads on this site (SD) and, after a number of years of careful management last year six pairs of bitterns nested on the reserve.

 

[tozzybum]

This is the problem unmanaged deer multiple in high food ares .
But your traditional Rspb supporter would throw a track over culling of deer due to misinformation from the packham brigade.
If the listened to the reasons for a cull plan ,not outright eradication but controlled numbers problem solved.

 

[VSS]

This is the problem unmanaged deer multiple in high food ares .
But your traditional Rspb supporter would throw a track over culling of deer due to misinformation from the packham brigade.
If the listened to the reasons for a cull plan ,not outright eradication but controlled numbers problem solved.

I think the RSPB are quite on board with the need to carry out culling of certain species. They certainly cull plenty of foxes, whatever.

 

[NickJ]

I think the RSPB are quite on board with the need to carry out culling of certain species. They certainly cull plenty of foxes, whatever.

They are when it comes to deer, it all depends on the pragmatism of the reserve/area manager, same for foxes and, indeed on other reserves for corvids too

 

[VSS]

They are when it comes to deer, it all depends on the pragmatism of the reserve/area manager, same for foxes and, indeed on other reserves for corvids too

I thought that might have been the case with deer as well.
Thank you for confirming.

 

[kieran222]

With places like Broads Authority Estate at How Hill not having any deer management in place and deer density greater than 100 per km2 then no wonder there is a problem.

 

[Bo Diddley]

With places like Broads Authority Estate at How Hill not having any deer management in place and deer density greater than 100 per km2 then no wonder there is a problem.

I remember as a lad at primary school visiting How Hill for a weekend, a short talk about the wildlife mentioned the CWD, I was captivated then as I am now, nearly 50 years later, I was desperate to see one when we went out later on a walk.