Posted by Peter Cairns on March 11, 2009 at 7:44 PM
This was at Alladale Wilderness Reserve in northern Highland where the boar are helping with forest restoration. In some lovely evening light (very unusual) the boar were peeking over the ridge somewhat cheekily.
For anyone who's not tried to photograph these lovely animals and thinks its an easy portrait option - forget it! They are non-stop, difficult and testing subjects, in a landscape full of sticky-up bits that continually get in the way of clean compositions. This is one of the best boar portraits I've seen! Well done Mr Cairns.
Posted by Andy Astbury on March 12, 2009 at 10:07 AM
Like this a lot Pete
Careful the 'mush' police don't get'cha
Posted by Ben Gardner on March 12, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Nice shot, How is the project up at Alladale going? I would love to see the wilderness trials succeed. In my eyes it is a great thing that Paul Lister is trying to achieve.
Would have liked to have seen it's nose too.
Appreciate the difficulty involved in getting close to and getting them to stay still for photo purposes
Oddly enough I'd have thought that boar, or any "poaching" livestock would hinder natural forest regeneration rather than help it.
Posted by Peter Cairns on March 12, 2009 at 12:05 PM
In brief.
Ben, lots of stuff going on at Alladale but ecological progress inevitably slow.
Kenny, by 'turning over' the heather-dominated ground, they expose fresh soil to seed establishment. In high numbers however, they make a bloody mess! It's a bit of both at Alladale at the moment.
Surely the seed is already under the heather and is just waiting for some grazing rest to start growing in earnest. By turning the ground all that is happening is the seed is being exposed to predation from birds and any that remain will still have to compete with the re-growing heather, grasses and mosses for the nutrients they all need.
Regeneration happens quickest by leaving the designated areas free of any grazing or browsing. Look at any hillside that has been whole tree clear felled and extracted by winch, the cut up extraction lines have huge numbers of foxglove and grasses, but it's in the areas that are not broken that the willow and birch start quickest, and they are the pioneer species of any new forest.
Sorry to go off on one on your thread, but I feel the advantages of these wilderness schemes is sometimes overplayed in an attempt to gain publicity or to get funding from government bodies, or even private ones and the true value of doing nothing is sometimes overlooked.
Posted by Peter Cairns on March 12, 2009 at 2:39 PM
Hi Kenny
I don't disagree with the merit of doing nothing - far from it. However, the Scottish Highlands is a slightly unique case in certain areas due to the age and rank nature of the (very) dominant heather - through which fresh seed struggles to establish itself. By 'disturbing' the heather, this process is aided just as it would have been in a 'natural ' forest. Of course birch and pine do succeed in some areas but perhaps not as successfully as might be the case with some 'help'. All this said, local variations make it less than an exact science!
No problem going 'off on one' - good points raised.
First time I've commented on one of your images. This certainly has plenty of impact! However, somehow it's not a 'pleasant' image to look at - a combination of an *ugly* subject (although they are impressive looking beasts!) and the sleepy look perhaps.
I do appreciate the effort that must have gone into this shot though! Good work!
Joe
Posted by jack chapman on March 12, 2009 at 4:47 PM
lovely shot, very characterful,
obviously you know better than i do about the set up there so correct me if i am wrong but i understood the boar were fenced in, does this not warrant a C in the title? sorry if this is a dumb question
Posted by Magnus Hird on March 12, 2009 at 7:03 PM
Very nice Peter, looking quite bleary eyed and hungover!
Posted by Peter Cairns on March 13, 2009 at 4:43 AM
Jack
Good point - I didn't realise the 'c' was a requirement.
They are fenced into a 500 acre enclosure which begs the question 'what is captive' but best not go there!!
Discussion
15 repliesCanon 1dIIs, 500mm, ISO200
Peter Cairns
www.northshots.com
Craig
www.craigchurchill.co.uk
Terry
Careful the 'mush' police don't get'cha
Appreciate the difficulty involved in getting close to and getting them to stay still for photo purposes
Oddly enough I'd have thought that boar, or any "poaching" livestock would hinder natural forest regeneration rather than help it.
Ben, lots of stuff going on at Alladale but ecological progress inevitably slow.
Kenny, by 'turning over' the heather-dominated ground, they expose fresh soil to seed establishment. In high numbers however, they make a bloody mess! It's a bit of both at Alladale at the moment.
Pete
Regeneration happens quickest by leaving the designated areas free of any grazing or browsing. Look at any hillside that has been whole tree clear felled and extracted by winch, the cut up extraction lines have huge numbers of foxglove and grasses, but it's in the areas that are not broken that the willow and birch start quickest, and they are the pioneer species of any new forest.
Sorry to go off on one on your thread, but I feel the advantages of these wilderness schemes is sometimes overplayed in an attempt to gain publicity or to get funding from government bodies, or even private ones and the true value of doing nothing is sometimes overlooked.
I don't disagree with the merit of doing nothing - far from it. However, the Scottish Highlands is a slightly unique case in certain areas due to the age and rank nature of the (very) dominant heather - through which fresh seed struggles to establish itself. By 'disturbing' the heather, this process is aided just as it would have been in a 'natural ' forest. Of course birch and pine do succeed in some areas but perhaps not as successfully as might be the case with some 'help'. All this said, local variations make it less than an exact science!
No problem going 'off on one' - good points raised.
Pete
First time I've commented on one of your images. This certainly has plenty of impact! However, somehow it's not a 'pleasant' image to look at - a combination of an *ugly* subject (although they are impressive looking beasts!) and the sleepy look perhaps.
I do appreciate the effort that must have gone into this shot though! Good work!
Joe
obviously you know better than i do about the set up there so correct me if i am wrong but i understood the boar were fenced in, does this not warrant a C in the title? sorry if this is a dumb question
Good point - I didn't realise the 'c' was a requirement.
They are fenced into a 500 acre enclosure which begs the question 'what is captive' but best not go there!!
Pete