The Lakes: Wild Once More

Sit back and be transported to Haweswater, a dramatic landscape of rushing streams, mossy woodlands and soaring fells in the Lake District National Park. Here, the RSPB are working with landowner United Utilities to enhance the landscape for water, people and wildlife. This beautiful film has been created by University of Salford film student Will Mercer (willmercer.wixsite.com/home) to showcase Haweswater and it’s fabulous wildlife.
Find out more about Haweswater wildhaweswater.co.uk/
Music by Lee Schofield leeschofield.co.uk/
Copyright © 2019 Will Mercer

[@synappticuser7296]

What a wonderful video! Seeing our wild lands being restored touches my heart so deeply. To see these places recovering and returning to their wild glory, and to see the wildlife return and flourish, is just wonderful. Big thanks to the RSPB! 🏞️👏😊🤸

[@wildhaweswater5622]

Thanks very much! Glad you enjoyed it _Annabel

[@lewisreed8415]

Beautiful video. It's incredible that such tiny birds are able to migrate from Africa

[@wrightgregson9761]

i am surprised that there has not been more viewing of this

[@wildhaweswater5622]

Do feel free to share it! :)

[@lewistempleman9752]

YES HORSEWATER GO ON!!!

[@andrewdking]

This is no amateur KZbin video. Very good indeed. That black butterfly had me going for a while, thinking you had slipped in a species from abroad as a fill in. Its not a butterfly at all, but it sits on the flower just like one. Its a Chimney Sweeper moth

[@ArjayMartin]

Great mini documentary

[@elliottblaauw4575]

good shot of a deer stripping a young tree ... there are 1 million deer in scotland now so there is hardly any natural regeneration .since it was us that wiped out their predators its down to us to do the culling or lose what woodland is left

[@wildhaweswater5622]

You're absolutely right - deer management is also an important part of the work to restore the woodland here along with deer fencing to allow regeneration. _ Annabel

[@leswalker2207]

Great photography

[@anniehill9909]

So inspiring.

[@wildhaweswater5622]

Thanks Annie :) - Annabel

[@Jerbod2]

I loved watching this! So peaceful and informative. A bit like bbc earth, but less storytelling.

[@jwornell2114]

great video!!

[@gowanhewlett745]

Congratulations congratulations

[@jacobfield4848]

No where near enough trees. Not enough variety of trees either.

[@Brian-om2hh]

It's always been pretty much like you see it now. No huge amount of trees were removed before the dam was built. Trees only grow where they are able to grow.....

[@jacobfield4848]

@@Brian-om2hh The whole of the UK used to be a forest. Reforestation is vital and needs to be done all over the UK.

[@derekparker5426]

Give it time, nature will win.

[@wildhaweswater5622]

Not yet, but tree planting and natural tree regeneration is a big part of our work here. We have an on-site nursery where we grow thousands of different native trees from seed sourced at site. Once they're big enough, our team of staff and volunteers plant them back out on the fells and in the landscape. _Annabel

[@normanchristie4524]

@@wildhaweswater5622Then evenually reintroduce the beaver to manage the hydrolics....!

[@janosik150]

Yeah but were are the trees, that is what we need the most.

[@wildhaweswater5622]

Trees are missing from much of the Lake District fells where they should be, which is part of the work we're doing here in planting and restoring the right trees in the right places.

[@janosik150]

@@wildhaweswater5622 mountains should be covered with trees...anyway good job

[@wildhaweswater5622]

@@janosik150 Agreed and thank you :)

[@johnrowland6144]

bring in pine martens to control grey squirrel population

[@wildhaweswater5622]

Very true - it's part of the plan - Annabel

[@Brian-om2hh]

And how would you prevent the Pine Martens from affecting the local red squirrel population?

[@johnrowland6144]

@@Brian-om2hh pine martins are known to only kill greys

[@daniellemurphy9755]

RSPB???

[@wildhaweswater5622]

Hi Danielle, the work at Haweswater is a partnership between the landowner United Utilities and the land manager the RSPB. Best wishes, Annabel

[@johnrowland6144]

get rid of overgrazing and bring back the lost woodlands

[@wildhaweswater5622]

Absolutely! That's a big part of our work here. - Annabel

[@uktruecrime]

My opinion is that the 'climax' of most UK ecosystems is a mature woodland, including moors etc. All this grazing land is totally artificial.

[@wildhaweswater5622]

You're right that trees should be much more prevalent in the landscape. In the uplands the trees should be more sparse, low-growing, old trees, than the denser, mature woodlands in the lower landscapes. The uplands would also be much wetter with fully functioning bog eco-systems. This is shown in more detail in our vision here: bit.ly/HWRVision - Annabel

[@sil8127]

Planting trees like that is such a waste of resources. The seeds would naturally get there like they have done for millennia. However, the overpopulation of sheep is what is stopping it... If you keep the sheep out and stop the overgrazing, the whole thing would rewild for free. Like how beavers would have re-wiggled that river for... FREE. If only they had some trees to eat and use in the damn making.

[@wildhaweswater5622]

Hiya, thanks for your feedback. We agree about sheep over-grazing, which is why we've reduced our flock and they only graze the enclosed land near the farm. We've also fenced out massive areas from sheep (and deer) to allow natural regeneration to take place which is happening. But we have also planted over 200,000 trees to give the landscape a helping hand too. And likewise, Beavers are in the plans....check out our vision video: bit.ly/HWRVision - Annabel

[@tonyadeney1245]

Give people credit for trying this, of course TREES with sheep and and cows is an option, - wont look like the paintings but - purbeck project - good example of sensible balance - makes money for landowners looks natural isnt yet, has campers walkers eco tourism - and makes more money than most farms per area for poor quality land - many do come to the lakes for the views but Cumbria, Lancs Westmorland is a big place ...

[@vivalaleta]

Regenerative ag is my religion.

[@wildhaweswater5622]

A brilliant religion to choose :) - Annabel

[@vivalaleta]

@@wildhaweswater5622 It's so good for the land, the wild and farmers. There's really no downside!

[@sw8741]

2 minutes of restoration and 9 minutes of hippie talk.

[@javwildman]

Surprised you watched it to the end, I take it you don't like wild life documentaries or "hippie talk" as you call it.

[@sw8741]

@@javwildman I take that back, its 1 minute of restoration and 10 minutes of hippie talk! I've watched wild life documentaries since the 1970's, so yeah, lots of hippie talk in my life time as well as being around actual hippies. The video didn't explain or show how the stream was restored to a meander only some of the benefits in doing so. Is that a good accomplishment, yes it is, but showing how it was done would have been better.

[@wildhaweswater5622]

@@sw8741 Thanks for your feedback, we've got a number of videos about our work to restore Swindale Back on this You Tube channel, talking about how we did it. Check them out :) _ Annabel