A certain absence of stock
An empty sheep pen at Coldbackie, reflecting how the Highlands are rapidly becoming a stock free area.
Sheep numbers (and Cattle) are in steep decline. Its very noticeable in North Sutherland, and has been over the past few years. Walking over the common grazing and expecting a lawn like swath of close cropped grass is a fools errant. It's long rough grass, bracken and - quite unexpectedly - baby alders and rowan trees almost everywhere.
Now this is of course what I suspect a more balanced ecosystem would look like. The transition is a bit rough though, and one does wonder what future Crofting holds without stock.
Ironic given that so many people were forcibly evicted in favour of sheep in the not too distant past.
Posted by
tomjervis |
2:43 PM
and it's not that many years ago that we had to be careful how we parkedso as not to block entry at market time........
Posted by
Kelpie |
7:38 PM