Birdwatch magazine excels itself by putting the Hen Harrier on its front cover for its August issue (as it did last year) and featuring the plight of the Hen Harrier and Hen Harrier Day events on six pages inside the magazine including my ‘Political birder’ column, a page of information about Hen Harrier Day events and then three pages of extract from Inglorious – conflict in the uplands and a book-buying offer to readers of the magazine.
The magazine’s editor, Dominic Mitchell, says in his editorial, ‘Where there are grouse moors, it seems harriers are unlikely to survive‘ and ‘…a permanent ban of driven grouse shooting has to be the best way to save the Hen Harrier‘.
Dominic goes on ‘In the short term, wider attention must be drawn to the species and its plight. A fine start has been made by Hen Harrier Day, and the second annual programme of events will take place on 9 August this year. As a magazine we’re proud to be supporting Hen Harrier Day, and urge all readers to do the same.‘.
And we, if I may dare to speak for Birders Against Wildlife Crime and the other organisations involved in Hen Harrier Day, are very glad to have Birdwatch‘s support.
The e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting is nearing 5000 signatures on the fourth full day of its existence – please sign here to support the call for a ban on driven grouse shooting.
Other birding magazines are available.
And meanwhile, in The Field… (see later today)
[registration_form]
Other magazines are available but failed to even mention Hen Harrier Day last year, prompting me to swap my allegiance to Birdwatch. Hope they get behind it this year.