The British Game Alliance has posted a statement on their website about Waitrose’s very sensible position on lead ammunition – here it is. It’s all a bit feeble. They can’t criticise Waitrose and they can’t criticise the Food Standards Authority so they say – not very much at all. But what they should be saying…
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Shameless spin from Moorland Association
It’s very touching to see Amanda Anderson trying to grab the credit for Hen Harriers nesting in Bowland for grouse moors. Yes, there are a few days shooting on the United Utilities land but, to the best of my knowledge, there were no Hen Harrier nests on the large areas of driven grouse moors in…
Garden birds July 2019
July was a month of warmth, heat and rain – like most months of the year really. Everything was growing like mad in the garden though. More a month for butterflies than birds with Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Ringlets joining the earlier species this month. On 31 July I recorded the garden’s first Painted Lady…
Hen Harriers in the news
The RSPB has announced that 22 Hen Harriers have fledged from five successful nests in the Forest of Bowland – all on land owned and managed by United Utilities where they own land to protect their water catchments. This land has a few days grouse shooting on it but, despite the fact that it comprises…
Brecon and Radnor by-election
Although political predictions have been very much awry in recent years I think it is almost certain that the Lib Dems will win back the Brecon and Radnorshire seat in tomorrow’s by election. The seat has often been held by the Liberals and looks destined to go back to them this week. Chris Davies the…
Is your MP in this list?
The MPs (and peers) above added their support to a letter in support of the British Game Alliance. You can read the letter here. I haven’t checked the peers but all the MPs are Tories (plus Jim Shannon DUP). I don’t have any problem with their doing this, nor really with the content of the…
Yorkshire mum may not be doing the right thing by her children.
I blame the government, particularly Liz Truss (who dismissed the Lead Ammunition Group‘s report), the Food Standards Agency (chaired by a grouse moor owner, for not publicising their advice) and, of course, the shooting industry (who have known of the health risks of game meat shot with lead ammunition for years and years and years…
Werritty is coming and the Scottish government is ready and eager for action
Three regular readers of this blog (all from England actually) wrote to the Scottish government about recent cases of disappearing eagles and trapped Hen Harriers and got the same reply, part of which is produced below; The wording doesn’t make it sound like Werritty ought to be too concerned at being ambitious for change… ‘a…
More changes at Defra
Robert Goodwill and David Rutley have left Defra and Zac Goldsmith has arrived. Goldsmith’s role is a joint one at Defra and international Development. The ministerial team at Defra is now Theresa Villiers (Seccetary of State), George Eustice and Therese Coffey (Ministers of State), Zac Goldsmith (Parliamentary Under Secretary) and Lord Gardiner of Kimble (House…
Guest blog – Hookpods by Paul Sterry
. Bird Photographer of the Year and Hookpod As naturalists, photographers and conservationists, the Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) team sees firsthand the mounting pressures on bird populations around the World. If bird photography is going to thrive and not become metaphorically speaking a dying art we must all do our bit to reverse…