Watching a wildlife drama unfold on a German meadow recently really brought home the devastating impact that modern mowing techniques have on grassland biodiversity (photo thread) #NationalMeadowsDay @Exploratories

On arriving at the scene three tractors were rapidly mowing and tedding the field, pushing the wildlife into a final remaining patch

A large crowd of kites, buzzards, crows and magpies had gathered to feed from the carnage below

This hare sneaked out from far side of the grass and successfully fled to a nearby hedgerow

Another hare, injured, was less lucky and limped out on the tractor side to be quickly seized upon and killed

Soon, a fight broke out over this sizeable meal, but the original bird held on to its prey against fierce competition

Above the field a skylark sang, likely over its destroyed nest, while yellowhammers fed on the cut grass and a kestrel hovered over the edge of the remaining patch, no doubt also on the lookout for refugees

Leaving the scene, we saw another hare on the run but caught in a hedgerow between a motorway and the now barren and exposed field

While all the scavengers will have fed well that day soon the field would be bare like this neighbouring one- a fast food feast the short term, but less for all in the long term

Close-by beautiful orchids were growing in a nature reserve not subject to such mowing. Frequent mowing and fertilisation not only harms wildlife but also greatly reduces grassland plant diversity meaning that such species are now a very rare sight