Grasslands
“We find a little bit of Africa. Just off the path at Berry Head. Nigel wants to do “Grassland”. We sit in the grassland with the dog. No big game, just baby bush crickets and the sound of the sea.
“Its been dry this year hasn’t it? Is it bad for the grasslands”?
“Noooooo.”says Nigel. “It’s fabulous. Dry weather feeds the seed-bank. Seed heads poppin’ everywhere and everything”.
I turn on my recorder.
“Different heights with different plants. Pale straw-colour grasses, pinky-purple knapweed, briar rose. Birds…. linnets chitter-chattering, goldfinches …..feasting on seed heads.”
A ragged meadow brown flit-flats by.
“The heads of the yellow rattle are in their skeleton part. Earlier on they’d have been rattlin’ and everything.”
Ghosts, pirate ships, suicides.
“Porpoises”!! cries Nigel as if in fright.
“I see them. Black”!
“Two, maybe a third.”
“There has been loads in the bay, the last day or two.”
“A little bit of Africa “is a blogstory by Anna Keleher inspired by her weekly meetings with former wildlife Ranger for Berry Head, Nigel Smallbones. Wild Radio Project 2015.
Listen to Anna's recordings of Nigel on Wild radio
For more information visit https://wildradioproject.wordpress.com/about/listen-to-wild-radio/
News Location
Berry Head National Nature Reserve
Brixham, Devon
Email: manikeleher@btopenworld.com
Website: https://wildradioproject.wordpress.com/about/listen-to-wild-radio/