Yet another badger pic!


Badger, Forest of Dean, originally uploaded by Ben909.

This is the same badger as was previously posted. I managed a lot of photos that evening so don't be surprised to see more in the future :)

'Raw'


'Raw' - Forest of Dean, originally uploaded by Ben909.

This is one side of a large cube. The cube is constructed from an entire oak tree, planted in the 1800's to provide timber for warships, and felled to reveal a glade in the woodland. Made by 2001, this cube is one of many sculptures dotted around the Forest of Dean

'Echo'


'Echo' - Forest of Dean, originally uploaded by Ben909.

The wall of rocks in the foreground is actually an exact replica cast from the cliff face in the background. From the sides, it is completely smooth. Made in 2008, it is one of the pieces that currently make up the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail.

Badger


Badger, Forest of Dean, originally uploaded by Ben909.

Another photo from the series I took while observing a badger set in the Forest.

Wild Boar, life and death


Wild Boar, life and death, originally uploaded by Ben909.

The image on the left is a wild boar nest. It consists of a shallow 'crater' scraped in to the soil, with a mound of vegetation placed on top. After a few days the sow will leave the nest with her young, and the vegetation collapses as it dries out.
In stark contrast, the image on the right illustrates how the Forestry Commission are capitalising on Defra's immunocontraceptive experiments by placing high seats near Defra's feeding hoppers. From these seats the rangers will shoot the wild boar.
The number of wild boar in the forest is believed to be a fraction of what it was last year, but the truth is that nobody really knows how many there are, which makes this policy of killing them all the more concerning. This current 'management' of the population could well lead to the inadvertant (or perhaps deliberate?) eradication of the wild boar once again.