Earlier this spring, the skies above the moors were full of thick plumes of smoke.  Great patches of heather lay blackened where they had been burned.  This is not some hideous act of vandalism, but is good land management practice.  Burning off patches of moorland encourages new growth which the baby moorland birds like to eat; whilst keeping other areas untouched for the birds to safely nest in.  This practice also keeps the heather from getting too overgrown, as it can become a serious fire hazard otherwise.

The picture is taken from a bird’s eye viewpoint, and drawn from a photo.