An unfortunate incident

[cjay]

This morning I visited an urban Nature Reserve in Oulton near Lowestoft. A visitor to my home last night told me he had found an extensive colony of Himilayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera)
& some Musk Mallow (Malva moschata )

both relativly uncommon plants in Lowestoft.

On arrival I began to photograph the Balsam watched from a distance by some 9 or 10 year old boys. After leaving this site they walked up to the plants & began to beat them down with sticks.

I then reached the Musk Mallow & began to photograph them. As I began to leave. The children re appeared (They must have been following me)

& pulled all the flowering heads off the Mallow!

I learnt one valuable lesson. be as discrete as possible when photographing flowers near to public access.

In hindsight I should have stayed away until the kids had moved on.

They probably though they were rare plants.

Colin J.

[IanF]

The youth of today !

We have or I should say 'had' a colony of Little Tern close to where I live. The area was fenced off and signs posted asking peploe to keep away. One night some hooligans on motor cycles proceeded to pull down the fence and ride motorcyles backwards and forwarsd over the nest site destroying the colony. Fortunaletly the the adults moved a few miles north and nested again at another established site. It does mean that we have no or at least very few Little Tern locally and it makes me wonder whether they will return next year ? Perhaps it's better if they don't.

[CJW]

Alternatively you could have hung around and beat the crap out of the little ba****ds.......

[digi-birder]

What is our society coming to? Things like this just make my blood boil.

What can we do about it? If we challenge them we would just get abuse or even worse. If we get hold of them and shake them by the neck (which I would dearly love to do) we would probably get jailed. You can't win.

[walwyn]

You should be pleased at the rarity of Himalayan Balsam (http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/eff/wildlife/213341/509287/?lang=_e). We were up at Cresswell Crags (http://www.creswell-crags.org.uk/) last year and the wardens were pulling as much of it up as they could before it set seed. Pleas of please don't pop the seed-pods and all that.

[StevieEvans]

Colin j

You want to think yourself lucky that you didnt get your phot-gear taken off you & your car burnt out.....!

S

[cjay]

Yes! the last comment tickled me.

but seriously folks If someone challenges you for your gear. Give it to them. Don't try & attack them they may have friends hiding nearby. Try & get a description of the offender if you can.

I know it is hard to just give up but in this day & age it is better than getting beaten up or killed.

CJ

[seb_seb]

If your getting mugged,just act weird. Jump about trying to fly and starting reciting some prayers or summin. The muggers will probab ly either laugh and continue....or be very freaked out and run away and make a victim of some other person.

[cjay]

We Digress. I also came across a great mass of Yarrow, a common place flower of roadsides I know but it was most beautiful in great swathes along the edge of the meadow. I had a good look for the Yarrow broomrape too.

Colin.

[steve_nova]

They've probably flattened that now Colin!!!