No More Birds at Darwen Moor

Almost a month ago Darwen Moor was engulfed in a mass of flames. Firefighters arrived at the scene to extinguish over 5km ( 3 miles ) of moorland. 

 

But it wasn’t just the land that was destroyed. In total over 300 breeding pairs of rare birds were torched. 

 

The moor lands is a designated breeding site for ground-nesting birds 

such as the skylark and curlew so this is really sad news for local wildlife. 

 

It all began with a disposable barbecue yet little did these revellers realise the damage and harm that one flame could do. 

 

Here are some distressing facts in the wake of last month’s fire:-

Lancashire Wildlife Trust campaigns manager Alan Wright reveals the terrible consequences following the tragedy, 

 

"Fires like these  are devastating to habitats, and this was particularly bad as many ground-nesting birds lived in the area. Plants and insects were also affected badly - meaning that the birds who are left have nothing to feed on”.

 

At the time of the fire the majority of the species were already facing a gradual decline, now sources are believed to conclude that the fire reduced  the gathering of birds to the habitat. 

 

Stephen Martin, a consultant ornithologist stressed the significance of Darwen Moor for rare birds, 

 

"The fire happened in a particularly important area, as it was a designated breeding site for many birds. Some will hopefully lay new eggs in the near future, but others will not."

 

According to Mr. Martin we could be looking at a time scale of 10 -15 years for the affected habitat to recover. This comes as growing concerns mount about our environment yet human beings should take full responsibility in striving to reverse the problems our planet is under. If  more care was taken then this fire could have been prevented. Now there is so much rebuilding of the moor lands to take place, for many it’s overwhelming, for others they’ll continue to have their barbecue.

 

^Alex Ashworth CCG UK Blogger