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No cause for rejoicing in the countryside No cause for rejoicing in the countryside
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Letters
Wed 3 Jan 2018 18.04 GMT
Last modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 16.57 GMT
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Your correspondent June Lewis (Letters, 29 December), having referred to Country diary, says that the country – by which I think she means the countryside and nature – is “carrying on happily”. While the natural world does indeed carry on functioning regardless of politics (sometimes almost in spite of it), that world of nature struggles more than ever to maintain diversity of species with loss of habitat, environmental pollution, pesticides, climate change and human thoughtlessness. I mention just a few casualties: hedgehogs, butterflies, meadow flowers and some common birds, the numbers of all of which have declined over the last few generations in particular. Not a cause for rejoicing.Margaret PorterGillingham, DorsetYour correspondent June Lewis (Letters, 29 December), having referred to Country diary, says that the country – by which I think she means the countryside and nature – is “carrying on happily”. While the natural world does indeed carry on functioning regardless of politics (sometimes almost in spite of it), that world of nature struggles more than ever to maintain diversity of species with loss of habitat, environmental pollution, pesticides, climate change and human thoughtlessness. I mention just a few casualties: hedgehogs, butterflies, meadow flowers and some common birds, the numbers of all of which have declined over the last few generations in particular. Not a cause for rejoicing.Margaret PorterGillingham, Dorset
• John Gilbey may not be right about the new nesting box location being more desirable (Country diary, Comins Coch, Ceredigion 30 December). Robins appear to like dry shelter regardless of nesting boxes. On acquiring an unoccupied house with a detached garage with a broken window, I wondered how many times generations of robins might have been nesting in an old empty paint tin on a shelf. All fledglings got away safely.Andrew DeanExeter, Devon• John Gilbey may not be right about the new nesting box location being more desirable (Country diary, Comins Coch, Ceredigion 30 December). Robins appear to like dry shelter regardless of nesting boxes. On acquiring an unoccupied house with a detached garage with a broken window, I wondered how many times generations of robins might have been nesting in an old empty paint tin on a shelf. All fledglings got away safely.Andrew DeanExeter, Devon
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BirdsBirds
AnimalsAnimals
Rural affairsRural affairs
Wild flowersWild flowers
InsectsInsects
Climate changeClimate change
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