There were 20 storks riding the thermals overhead. Quite a sight.
Not to let the charismatic crowd dominate, I should mention that Knepp is becoming famous for its array of dung beetles. The grazers and browsers are not given Ivermectin (worming agents) or anything else, so insects can happily breed in the manure all over the site. This is obviously a game changer for birds and mammals higher up the food chain.
At all three sites I visited this year (Cairngorms Connect, Wild Ken and Knepp) there is discussion about removing large carcasses from the land. Govt (understandably) reviews corpses as a potential health risk - to water sources etc and says they must be officially dealt with and deaths formally registered. Much in the way of poo being a great resource, so decay is a necessary part of life cycles - with trees, bodies, leaves etc. It is yet another of the emotive and tricky issues in the field. Should 'wilded' animals be left to live out their lives and die without human intervention. And if they die on the land, should they be left for the benefit of soils, fungus, birds, mammals, insects and flora?
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