The Defra call for evidence – click here – on gamebird shooting closes at midnight today. I’ve penned five blogs which give you words that you might consider using if you wished to respond: click here , click here, click here, click here, click here. It has taken me ages to get this far and…
Category: BAN DRIVEN GROUSE SHOOTING
National Trust Rules OK?
The National Trust has been gifted the building which houses Rules restaurant, London’s oldest restaurant which specialises in game on its menu – click here. As you can see, I’ve visited Rules with a friend, as you can read in Inglorious (pp 239-40) I visited with other friends (and have done since, too), and as…
This is evidence (1) – the scale of deaths of released Pheasants and Red-legged Partidges
I’m thinking of how to respond to the Defra call for evidence on gamebird shooting (as readers of my monthly newsblast will know). Although BASC has told its members to ignore all that stuff about evidence and just send their thoughts to Defra (what a horrific image that brings up) we can do better than…
Record year for Hen Harrier chicks at RSPB Geltsdale
A record-breaking 13 Hen Harrier chicks fledge at RSPB Geltsdale in Cumbria Conservation efforts help deliver best breeding season in over a century Success offers hope for species’ recovery, but illegal persecution remains a major threat Thirteen young Hen Harriers are getting set to take to the Cumbrian skies as RSPB Geltsdale celebrates its best…
Moorland burning for upland management is exposing millions to unsafe air pollution levels – Leeds University/RSPB
Moorland burning for upland management is exposing millions to unsafe air pollution levels In the UK, moorland burning, which is widely used to support recreational shooting, releases small particles of pollution, known as ‘particulate pollution’, which pose a serious health risk when inhaled New research shows prescribed burning led to on average more than…
Golden Eagles in England?
Plans are afoot to plan for Golden Eagles to be reintroduced into England. A few thoughts: This announcement didn’t announce much and should probably be seen as one of those from government which is designed to get some favourable media attention (in this case ahead of local elections in many parts of England in May)….
Why Hen Harriers don’t prosper in the Forest of Bowland and what could be done about it
Introduction: This blog was prompted by reading the Draft Management Plan for the Forest of Bowland National Landscape (the new name for the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). I have written several earlier versions of this blog and electronically ripped them up and put them in the bin. This is where I…
RSPB – Gamekeeper pleads guilty in Hen Harrier persecution case
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Gamekeeper pleads guilty in England’s first-ever Hen Harrier persecution case On 29 January at York Magistrates Court Racster Dingwall – a head gamekeeper on the Conistone and Grassington Estate in the Yorkshire Dales National Park – pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill Hen Harrier. Footage and sound recordings obtained lawfully by the RSPB’s Investigations team were…
RSPB Hen Harrier press release
Six more rare Hen Harriers vanish on or near grouse moors with another confirmed poisoned Seven RSPB satellite tagged Hen Harriers are suspected or confirmed to have been illegally killed in England on or near land managed for grouse shooting in 2025 – with three in just thirteen days. Hen Harriers are a protected, Red-listed…
On (but not on) Walshaw Moor
If there were a fan club for Walshaw Moor then I’d be a member, despite never having set foot on it. I have passed it on the roads, stopped and looked at it, been glared at by its gamekeepers and spoken about it in meetings in both Hebden Bridge and Haworth and even won a…