This account is by a raptor worker who witnessed the illegal shooting of a Hen Harrier near Bowland Knotts in October 2019 within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Understandably, he wishes to remain anonymous although his identity is known to the police, the RSPB, myself and a few others. NO FURTHER…
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Sign this petition today please
Tomorrow Scottish MSPs will vote on whether to make Mountain Hares a protected species. Mountain Hares are killed in large numbers on so-called sporting estates, largely grouse moors. The main reason, or excuse, is that Mountain Hares carry a tick which carries a virus which affects all sorts of other wildlife but including Red Grouse….
Guest blog – Natural England licences; a cover up? Part 1 by Bob Berzins
Bob Berzins is a campaigner and activist. His novel Snared is available now. His previous guests blogs here all focus on the management, or mismanagement of upland areas such as the Peak District, Walshaw Moor and the North York Moors. After Natural England’s sudden announcement on 23 April 2019 of the withdrawal of General Licences…
Press release – National Trust acquires gateway to Lorna Doone country
Charity acquires gateway to Lorna Doone’s Exmoor Legendary landscape acquired to protect nature and benefit people Scenes from the novel can be discovered in the landscape Every penny donated or spent on site will be used for wildlife projects in the area Landscape purchased before coronavirus crisis The National Trust has announced its acquisition of…
National Trust for Scotland
Save our Scotland, by saving the National Trust for Scotland (of which I am a member). And there isn’t any coyness about the ask or the reason for it: The important thing there is ‘now and for the future’, I think. That projected loss of £28m is from a recent income of around £60m –…
Not much change then…
I recently came across a copy of J. Lewis Bonhote’s British Birds, published 1907. The Hen Harrier is not illustrated but since the text includes the following … In England, thanks to the game-preserver, this species is now extremely scarce, and very few pairs, if any, are allowed to nest. … I thought these two…
The marvellous BBS – marvellous for mammals
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It’s nearly time for me to carry out the ‘late’ bird survey on my other BBS square. I wonder what I’ll find. I’m one of the BBS recorders who notes mammals as well as birds on my transect walks. I don’t see much, but the occasional Brown Hare or Rabbit is added to the recording…
Guest blog – Pheasant or Pheasant’s-eye? by Miles King
Pheasant or Pheasant’s-eye? Nature Connection and Conservation What’s important about nature? I’m not talking about however many tonnes of Carbon a Sitka spruce tree locks up during its short life, or whether a Beaver stops a town flooding. I mean what is important to you, as a person. Why do you care about nature? A…
Paul Leyland – Eyed Hawk-moth
Social Distancing Week 13. Eyed Hawk-moth. Paul writes: I found this dramatic looking creature last week in my garden moth trap. It’s the first Eyed Hawk-moth I’ve seen, so I was really excited. I was immediately impressed by the size, the wing length is around 40mm. When resting normally it’s fairly drab looking and only…
Sunday book review – Rock Pool by Heather Buttivant
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Here in east Northants we are a bit lacking in coastal habitats and my nearest coast is muddy and sandy rather than rocky. If I lived at the coast I would love to explore the wildlife making its living, or temporarily made captive in the pools between the tidelines. As the author explains here so…