A CCESS & CONSERV ATION
Ring Ouzels on Grit R
Kim Leyland, BMC Access Representative
ing Ouzels nest on some of the busiest crags in the country, with the gritstone edges of Stanage and Burbage amongst their favourite spots in the Peak District. A team of volunteers help find and monitor nests, and signs are placed to help people avoid disturbing the birds. While the spring lockdown of 2020 in theory gave the ouzels some relief from people- pressure, it meant that once things opened up, there was the potential for a rush of activity to cause them significant disturbance.
BMC nest monitoring volunteers, lucky enough to be
able to access crags on local walks, kept an eye out and, as restrictions eased, were quickly out and about finding nests so they could be signed if necessary. The absence of people for much of that spring did not actually appear to have a significant effect on the ouzels’ breeding – they carried on much as normal!
The nest monitoring and signing work has since been able to get back into full swing, and spring 2021 saw Ring Ouzels successfully breeding amongst the once- again-busy routes on Stanage, with BMC volunteers and nest monitors keeping a watchful eye over them.
As the first ever Covid lockdown eased and indoor climbing walls were still closed, some areas of the countryside found themselves overwhelmed with new visitors. Cademan Woods was one of them – it’s one of the closest bouldering crags to anyone living an hour or two south of Leicester. Recent redevelopment and a new guide played a big part in putting Cademan on the map, yet no one could have predicted that this esoteric wild wood would suddenly find itself dubbed as the Fontainebleau of the Midlands.
Cademan found itself in a mess with an overwhelming number of visitors. We had an unprecedented number of vehicles – some of which would park in the passing spaces – as well as overnight parking, wild camping in the woods, damage to dry stone walls, and a huge rise in litter. Meanwhile the locals, many of whom were elderly / furloughed were spending more time walking the woods and were at odds with the influx of sports enthusiast that seemed to be invading their space. The BMC RAD, UKC and the guide were quickly updated as many locals as possible were informed to spread the world on the ground and we got this simple message out – leave no trace.
Cademan Woods Andy Harper, BMC Access Representative 32 | CLIMB. WALK. JOIN.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
PHOTO: IAIN BROWN
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