Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill

Mark writes: have you been watching the Attenborough series, The Hunt, on BBC1 on Sunday evenings? Top notch, I’d say. A great mixture of large cuddly killers and small invertebrate killers. I’ll be watching tomorrow.

Stody Estate fine confirmed

The Rural Payments Agency has just (30 minutes ago) confirmed the amount of penalty imposed on the Stody Estate – it’s €263,308.10 (which according to my currency converter app is £192,160.63). This differs from the figure estimated by raptorpersecutionscotland by a fair margin – perhaps they will be blogging about this later in the day…

Guest blog – Looking with skill by Emily Adams

Dr Emily Adams is a researcher, writer and manager who currently lives in Zurich, Switzerland, and works part-time for the British Association of Nature Conservationists (BANC).  She has a PhD in Geography (studying beekeeping knowledge and engagement with science and policy), and a background in biology and conservation. She runs a small silk painting company,…

And by the way…

…our e-petition to get a debate on driven grouse shooting passed 24,000 signatures yesterday. Another milestone  – and thank you to all who have helped get there. This was, by far, the slowest additional 1,000 signatures of the lot – but I don’t think that means that the e-petition has lost steam – there are…

Small footnote to sad story.

The story of Bowland Betty is one of a Hen Harrier satellite-tagged in Bowland in 2011 and then travelling around much of upland Britain before being found dead on a Yorkshire grouse moor in June 2012. Bowland Betty was shot, not necessarily on the Swinton Estate on which she was found, but most probably nearby,…