Guest blog by RSPB Chair of Council, Prof Steve Ormerod

Mark, As I promised, I’m responding to your questions and challenges set out in your earlier blog. You regularly and accurately point out that we are all basically after the same thing: we a future for England’s moors and hills that is free from the illegal killing of birds of prey and where land management…

38,000 – and your help needed please

Yesterday when I was in…oooh!…nearly gave it away then…our e-petition passed 38,000 signatures. That is, in two months, a third of the time available, we are well past a third of the way towards the 100,000 signatures needed to generate a debate in Westminster on the future of grouse shooting, and therefore to bring the…

Mini round up

I’ve been away for a few days and I’d love you to guess where I’ve been. A mini-round-up: worrying signs on the West Pennine Moors that development is planned (more on this later) a month ago, and 7000 signatures ago, I posted this and tomorrow morning the RSPB will reply here M&S are not responding…

Where was I?

I’ve been abroad in Europe for the last few days. Where do you think I was? I saw my first ever singing Barred Warbler (having seen lots skulking in bushes on the east coast of England over the years), my first ever White-backed Woodpecker and quite a few Ferruginous Ducks.  Where would you go to…

Tick! Tock! National Trust

I am sure, absolutely sure, completely and utterly sure, that the NT has not been sitting on its hands for nearly a month since the ‘man taking his model Hen Harrier for a walk’ incident. However, we have heard nothing publicly from them about their ‘investigation’ of the matter which clearly followed a police investigation…