Messages are welcome on any subject relating to Troopers Hill Local Nature Reserve; the surrounding area of St George and Crews Hole or any of Bristol's Parks and Green Spaces.
Friends of Troopers Hill Forum - www.friends-forum.org.uk
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Roger
 Apr 21, 08 - 12:02 AM |
Back to rabbits........
Weeting Heath NNR was mentioned on CountryFile (a television programe) today, and I quote "rabbits are absolutely vital to successfull heathland management". Troopers Hill is 'heathland' and there are few if any rabbits.......... They fenced in 'their' rabbits to make sure they stayed and did their job. Get in some rabbits, I know BCC and SGC can make them *vanish* quite quickly, surely they can be made to *appear* as quickly, what about those on the roundabout towards Frenchay? Perhaps they would like a move. Many advantages, lots of cute bunnies hopping around, the bunnies eat the bad tree seedlings, bracken, bramble etc and no norty chainsaws required when it all gets out of hand. Management by nature rather than machine, it's the future, actually it's the past, but many have forgotten the past. Possibly would lessen the need for Glyphosate use on the knotweed too, less of that chemical sprayed around would be great. |
Rob
Apr 21st, 2008 - 12:30 AM |
Re: Back to rabbits........
Apparently there used to be rabbits - lots of them. We have been told that when Mr Ballard sold the hill in 1948 it was because it was over run with rabbits and the council had told him to get rid of them. It may well be that the lack of rabbits is one of the main reasons why the trees and scrub have grown up so much in the last 30 years or so. Maybe they are making a come back though - one was seen in the woods while the DoE path was being cleared and a sighting was also reported near Greendown. |
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Kite
Apr 21st, 2008 - 10:19 AM |
Re: Back to rabbits........
The idea of re-introducing rabbits sounds very interesting. However, as we have found before with the discussion over re-introducing the Grayling butterfly, it tends to be frowned upon without first establishing a clear reason why they disappeared in the first place. Wonder how you do that? 
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Roger
Apr 21st, 2008 - 10:49 PM |
Re: Back to rabbits........
Perhaps to say that the Grayling went because of habitat change due to rabbit eradication as a result of myx? Chicken and egg or rabbit and grayling. We will never know for certain. I know _nothing_ about re-introducing rabbits to an area, do you send out invites to local warrens or something? I seriously think it's a good idea. |
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Liz
Apr 23rd, 2008 - 7:59 PM |
Re: Back to rabbits........
I don't think you send out invites, Roger. The dress code'd have to include white tails if you did. Maybe if we can't re-introduce them we could allow a couple of local crofters to graze a dozen or so on the hill. Liz |
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Liz
Apr 24th, 2008 - 7:55 PM |
Re: Back to rabbits........
Did you edit my last comment, Rob? |
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Rob
Apr 24th, 2008 - 8:12 PM |
Re: Back to rabbits........
No - I can't edit comments I can only delete the whole message. I will only do that in extreme circumstances. |
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Rob
Apr 24th, 2008 - 8:43 PM |
Re: Back to rabbits........
Of course the hill used to be called Donkey Island, so perhaps we should follow the example of the Chalford Donkey Project and get a couple of donkeys to graze the hill? After all they have goats on Royate Hill LNR. The following extracts are from Memories of Troopers Hill, Crews Hole, Conham & Hanham by Tom Fry: "Trooper’s Hill was sometimes called Donkey Island on account of the number of donkeys that used to graze there. These were used by local cottagers to pull small carts which they used in their small hawking or carrying businesses. One such resident was Mr Macey who lived in an odd shaped house called ‘The engine house’ which formerly stood half-way down Trooper’s Hill Road. Another well known donkey owner, was Charley Hadley of Cassey Bottom Lane. He used to sell red sand which he hawked around Crew’s Hole and Whites Hill. His cry of ‘Wan any sand’ could often be heard. The cottagers bought it for one penny a bucket to sand over their floors which in those days were made of local flagstone in all the downstairs rooms." "The old stack still standing on the hill top, at that time [about 1913] belched out smoke which was carried up the side of the hill from Crews Hole Chemical Companies works, by means of a long flue formed by large half round steel plates. The flue was a source of amusement to us, for we sat on the steel plates – which were hot during cold winters days, or else slid down them. Once they had to haul out Mr Macey’s donkey when it had slipped in the broken flue - a very precarious job because it was covered in hot soot." |
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