The rest of the badger walk

A Crow corpse and a Crimean Lime were not the only points of note from this sett survey.

One thing was that we surveyed a sett, which seems to be in use if not very active. Not helped by the farmer having ploughed right up to the entrances and over some of the tunnels. Sally showed us the spade marks where members of the hunt had filled in the holes to prevent Foxes escaping into them. This led to the conversation about how despite the hunt no longer being allowed to hunt they do still kill Cubs, during cubbing, and Foxes throughout the season. In addition, Sally talked about the traps to catch Weasels, Stoats and Martens. The traps to catch Corvids. What? Yes. They catch a Magpie or Crow to act as a lure and then trap their kin. This is because these creatures eat Pheasant eggs. Which of course are important so that people can kill them when they grow up. But these creatures can be hated in addition for eating songbird eggs. In fact, they don't eat many and it would not matter if the songbirds weren't decimated by habitat loss, insecticides, herbicides and the lack of food. None of that matters - let's just kill more beings.

It's also ironic that these hunting types, to protect the traditional way of life and the countryside, oppose the building of the high speed rail link. Now, I'm not keen on that either - but I kind of think it's bizarre that one wants to protect the countryside so one can kill and poison it.

Calm down.

This Ash had a thistle growing out of its trunk. It had been split by lightning or just by storm winds but was still growing. And had embraced the wire fence.

One of the group pointed out the habitat holes in the exposed roots.

Later, we saw a Hare, who lolloped away through the Sheep.

And, back at the start a huge and ancient tree in the village churchyard.

Looking at the leaves, I thought, Sycamore!! But yet again I thought I was wrong. Maybe a Plane? Because of the bark? No, back to Sycamore - though all the others I have seen recently have flowers of leaves. Bugger this identification thing.

Still, the trunk was HUGE. Must be approaching four metres.

The crown was lovely.

For a guide to how old it was, I photographed the church.

The church dates back to the 13th Century. Could that tree be 800 years old?

It seems unlikely - not least because I don't think Sycamores live that long (400 seems to be the upper age limit) but also as there is debate about whether Sycamores are native and the first reference to one was in the 16th Century.

But it is in fact a Sycamore and it IS a veteran tree!!! See here!