Country Life 13-Apr-2022

SINCE it was built in the early decades of the 11th century, St Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, has witnessed more than its fair share of death and destruction—at the hands of the Mongols in 1240, Crimean Tatars in 1482 and the Nazis in 1941. Images of the gleaming onion domes of Ukrainian cathedrals and churches standing proud amid the devastation bring to mind those of St Paul’s after the ravages of the Luftwaffe bombing of London, offering the same poignant reminder of the normality swept away by war. Churches, synagogues, mosques and temples offer comfort in troubled times. This Easter, the themes of sacrifice and renewal will resonate more loudly than ever as congregations consider the magnitude of what is happening in Ukraine. In peacetime, churches play an important role,…

PIG farming has been through torrid times of late and now comes news that a pivotal breed in its commercial history is declining suddenly and sharply. The Large White—widely known as the ‘Yorkshire Pig’—has plummeted since 2000 to what the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) describes as an ‘effective population’ of only 125. This reduces genetic diversity, which is crucial for combating animal disease, as well as the relative numbers of sires and dams. Last year, the British Pig Association recorded only 66 boars—once, they made up 76% of the total male pig population. The breed has largely been a victim of its own success, used widely in the development of the hybrid pig by crossing it with the Landrace instead of continuing with pedigree breeding: almost any joint in the…

THIS year’s RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch saw the house sparrow retain its number-one spot, with blue tits and starlings coming second and third. Meanwhile, the notoriously shy jay (above) has puzzled experts by flying nine places up the list to 23rd, with a 73% increase in sightings. ‘We don’t know the reasons for the sudden increase,’ admits Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive. ‘It may be down to food availability.’ The colourful corvid, with its white rump, black tail, pink plumage and electric-blue wing trim, is a characteristic screecher, as well as a talented mimic. It hops about on forest floors sourcing and hiding acorns (about 8,000 a year per jay), which, when left buried, grow into oaks. There are fingers crossed for a greenfinch recovery after its 7.7% increase —promising, but…

Lost property Two of Charles Darwin's notebooks -one of which included his 1837 Tree of Life sketch-stolen from Cambridge University library more than 20 years ago have been anonymously returned with a note that reads ‘Librarian, Happy Easter X' The sound of frogs mating The reintroduction of the northern pool frog-with its striped back and noisy mating males-after decades of extinction has been so successful in Norfolk that conservationists are creating a second population site Orkney little terns The vulnerable seabirds on the Scottish island are thriving, thanks to the efforts of local schoolchildren, who are educating the community and clearing the beach of litter, which can poison chicks Long weekends More than 3,000 British employees at 60 companies will take part in the world's largest pilot of the four-day working week, overseen by Oxford and Cambridge…

A SCATHING Efra Committee report on labour shortages in the farming sector has confirmed what many already know—that this serious problem will lead to price rises and dependency on imported goods. It’s not only that the problem is ongoing, say the MPs behind the report, rather that the lack of agricultural workers caused by Brexit and the pandemic have left food and farming businesses on the back foot, to crippling point and the detriment of mental health—and that the Government is not doing enough to solve the problem and has even attempted to blame the sector (Agromenes, page 51). Last August, there were more than 500,000 vacancies in a workforce of 4.1 million, particularly pork butchers, meat processors and HGV drivers (a shortage of 100,000). Meanwhile, 24% of last year’s daffodil…

THE eclectic homes of 20 collectors of natural objects are showcased in a new book by journalist Claire Bingham. Featuring rooms filled with feathers, fossils, shells, pebbles, taxidermy and more, The New Naturalists reveals the stories behind the collections and offers tips on how found objects can be used for sustainable decoration and even sculpture. It’s out on April 14 (Thames & Hudson, £25). A 19-mile stretch of North Devon coast has joined Australia’s Gold Coast and Malibu, California, US, in being named a World Surfing Reserve (WSR)—a UK first—for its ‘high density of outstanding surf,’ says a spokesperson, particularly ‘at iconic breaks such as Croyde, Saunton, Woolacombe, and Lynmouth’. The designation should bring protections with regards to issues such as water quality and climate change. ‘Surf spots need to be…