ReThinkHS2 – Last Christmas Annie Lennox, Chris Packham and Emma Thompson join forces with leading environmental organisations to Stand For The Trees threatened by HS2. More than 100 of the UK’s irreplaceable ancient woodlands, and the wildlife they support, such as endangered bats, butterflies and barn owls are facing what could be their last Christmas,…
BLOG POSTS
BTO press release – SEO to Morocco
A Short-eared Owl, fitted with a satellite tag while breeding in Scotland, has been tracked to Morocco, revealing significant new information for British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) researchers. The Short-eared Owl is something of a nomad, appearing in an area to breed in large numbers one year and then absent the next. Such changes in…
Wild hacking – what we learn from an FOI request (2)
This post continues to explore the licensing of wild hacking of non-native falcons in the UK and uses information received from SNH about wild hacking licensed by them in Moray in 2019. The licence to cover wild hacking of 150 Gyr Falcons was issued on 9 May and came into effect on 1 June. It…
Guest blog?
Do you have a guest blog inside you which is struggling to get out? Send me your suggested guest blog and I may be able to publish it between Christmas and the New Year. I’m happy to consider guest blogs from any part of the UK (and potentially beyond) from bloggers of any age and…
Wild hacking – what we learn from FOI request (1)
Not many people can get a Gyr Falcon on their garden list… This is the first of several blog posts this week on what has been learned from an information request to SNH about their licensing procedure for wild hacking of falcons in Moray this summer. To catch up on the story enter wild hacking…
Guest blog – Licensed Badger Killing; Ethical Considerations by Alick Simmons
Alick Simmons is a veterinarian, naturalist and photographer. He lives in Somerset. He has written several guest blogs here: The Ethics of Animal Exploitation 1, 2, 3, 4 and UK Guardians of Animal Welfare. His Twitter handle: @alicksimmons Licensed badger killing is an integral part of the Government’s strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis (bTB) from…
Tim Melling – African Clouded Yellow
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Tim writes: this shows a courting pair of African Clouded Yellows, with the typical yellow-coloured female on the left. The female differs from the male in having spots in the wing border. This was taken with a Nikon D500 with a 300mm f4 lens at f5.6 and a 1.4x converter 1/5000 at ISO 1600
Species in need of a champion
The wildlife NGOs prevailed upon a few dozen MPs to act as champions for threatened species in the Westminster parliament (a similar system exists in Holyrood, and quite honestly, seems rather more active there). A list of the Westminster Species Champions can be found here. Several species champions stood down at the general election: Richard…
Tim Melling – Sea Otter
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Tim writes: this is a Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) propelling itself through the calm water and creating a small wave with its head. They can weigh up to 45kg making them the heaviest member of the Weasel family. They are even heavier than Wolverine and much heavier than Giant River Otter, which is a bit…
A bit more on wild hacking
This whole business of wild hacking is an opening book for me. I’m finding out more and more as time goes on. It’s not just Scotland, here is a long Youtube video from a site near Tamworth; And here is their website and some prices for wild-hacked pure falcons, just in case you have a…