No sign of that new grouse shooting debate

I pointed out over a couple of weeks ago that BASC was claiming that; There is a broader grouse debate in the diary for early December, which follows another anti-shooting petition to ban driven grouse shooting. This will be a more comprehensive debate and will cover a broader spectrum of topics. Our briefs are being…

Back at Wicken Fen

This time yesterday I was back at Wicken Fen with a small group of friends and colleagues – talking legal challenges and looking for Hen Harriers. We saw a couple of distant ringtails and as the light was really failing, an adult male brightened the gloom. It was spotted by a lawyer! It was now…

An interesting paper

This is a conservation success story through a combination of site and species protection where the main small population resides in Morocco… … and reestablishment in the species’s former range.

Press release – Nature friendly moorland management sees Hen Harriers return to Wharfedale by Ban Bloodsports on Yorkshire Moors

Wildlife campaigners are celebrating the conservation efforts of a leading landowner which have resulted in rare hen harriers roosting on its moor. Adopting nature-friendly moorland management techniques, NG Bailey’s Denton Park Estate, near Ilkley, has reversed declines in birds of prey associated with wildlife persecution by its former grouse shooting tenant. Hen harriers are one…

Guest blog – My Decathlon petition by Colin MacLennan

Well hello there, I’m Colin, living in Glasgow, passionate all my life about the outdoors and wildlife, and very grateful to Mark for the opportunity to present here on his Guest Blog. For the last few years I’d been preparing and planning for retirement, and they were good plans. Travel, home and abroad, old favourites…

Bird/poultry flu update and musings

A further dozen cases of bird/poultry flu in ‘wild’ birds have been listed by DEFRA for the week which ended on 29 November (which suggests that the wild bird data are getting seriously out of date on the GOV UK website). This map from APHA shows the poultry farms currently under restrictions: two in Norfolk,…

Guest blog – Shooting Wildlife III by Anna Clayton of Ethical Consumer magazine

Anna Clayton is a writer, researcher and worker director at Ethical Consumer Research Association, and has co-written all three Shooting Wildlife Reports. Ethical Consumer is a member-led, independent co-operative that has over 25 years’ experience of ‘making ethics easy’ – specialising in consumer engagement and best practice in ethical markets. Twitter: @EC_magazine Anna Clayton draws…

The sweet taste of success?

The Pink-footed Goose is a somewhat unheralded success story in the UK, with a ten-fold increase in numbers over the past 70 years. And that is of some global significance since around 85% of the world population winters in the UK. Our Pinkfeet are from the Iceland and Greenland breeding populations whereas there are Pinkfeet…

World Land Trust

Reading through the papers ahead of an upcoming World Land Trust trustees’ meeting (online) that I’ll be chairing. I’m just so impressed by what the UK team and our partners across the globe do to conserve nature. All made possible by your donations. Making a regular monthly donation is an easy way to support this…