Reintroduction: to be or not to be?
A male Sparrowhawk shoots out of the trees, sending clouds of Jackdaws up into the frozen sky over a sea of frosted rooftops. They circle around for a minute or two before settling back down, now safe from danger. The tiny hawk is still wheeling high overhead, searching for a new target.
I trudge onwards up the hill.
Soon I reach the small pond that marks the end of the town; on one side a sprawling housing estate, on the other a honeycomb of cow fields. Each have their own chattering crowd of Starlings. A Little Grebe tries to hide itself from the cold, burying itself in the reedbed; it's frosty winter plumage makes it obvious against the dull reeds. A small army of Mallards glide across the water towards me, expecting the food I do not have. Two Moorhens chase each other down the edge of the pond.
The sun slowly draws itself up, beginning to defrost the silvery frozen blades of grass. A pair of Bullfinches alight on a small birch tree, fluting to each other. Their beautiful colours stand out in an unobtrusive way. They soon flutter off to find more food.
I soon have to leave too, heading still further uphill. The frosted grass crunches beneath my feet; my breath leaves my mouth in a small, white cloud. As I continue through the fields, a small group of Redwings tseep overhead, their distinctive call catching my attention just before the disappear into a cluster of trees.
When I reach the top of the hill, I look back across the valley. The far side is a jigsaw of fields, crisscrossed with the thin lines of hedges, the pattern broken irregularly by a line of trees or a patch of shrubs. Lower down, towards the river, this patchwork changes to that of rooftops and brick walls, tarmacked roads and their accompanying pavements. Both habitats are home to wildlife, but I can't help but think about what this area would have been like thousands of years ago, before it was taken over by people.
This habitat would have been breathtaking: woodlands stretching for miles, alive with Crossbills, Goshawks, Lynx, Badgers and Buzzards. But this world is long gone - the only significant area like it left in Northumberland being Kielder Forest. But this is still missing one crucial component in the ecosystem, Lynx.
According to the European Environment Agency, the UK is one of the worst countries in the EU for wildlife. Most of the habitats in the country are in bad condition; one common problem is the lack of scrub habitats, particularly in wild places. This is mainly due to the fact the deer populations are booming, as they no longer have any natural predators. This lack of predation means they are not under pressure to keep on their toes - and therefore they are able to stick around in areas for long amounts of time, giving them the opportunity to breed. The large groups of deer completely destroy young trees and shrubs, not giving them the chance to grow.
Before Lynx went extinct in the UK 1,300 years ago, the deer had to keep moving - they often didn't have the chance to reproduce and the population was much lower. There was much more scrub habitat, which was beneficial for many things - small birds had much more breeding habitat; there was more shelter and food for mammals and invertebrates.
But soon this change may be reversed. As well as helping habitats, the reintroduction of Lynx would also help the local economy by bringing in predicted millions of pounds from tourism. However, there is one problem - local farmers are worried that a Lynx population would wipe out flocks of sheep, costing them lots of money. Because the farming industry is big in the area, there has been quite a backlash against the idea of Lynx reintroduction. This has been very problematic for the scheme.
For now, this is as far as we have got. But I am sure it is not the end of the road!
