There is a lot of nonsense talked about the Hen Harrier -and about everything else in the world I guess. Let’s hope I am not going to add to it. Here’s my take on the biology of the bird. What they eat: Hen Harriers eat lots of things. The Langholm study showed that the density…
Category: Grouse and harriers
An open letter to the RSPB Chairman Professor Steve Ormerod
Dear Steve Hi! Happy 60th anniversary of the Protection of Birds Act! It must be around now that you are heading off to Conservation Committee to discuss the RSPB’s conservation work. And then, in July, there will be a Council meeting, I guess, unless things have changed a lot in the last three years (which…
Tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of the Protection of Birds Act
The 4th June marks the 60th anniversary of a landmark piece of environmental protection – The Protection of Birds Act 1954. It gave full legal protection to almost all British birds, their nests and eggs. It was a progressive piece of environmental legislation. Back in 1954, Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of the UK, Chiang…
Wrong!
Heaven only knows where grouse shooting gets its public relations advice but I hope it isn’t paying much for it because it certainly isn’t working with the outside world. Grouse shooting is bound to be an emotive issue. Grouse shooting is about killing wild animals for fun, and it is a ‘sport’ that is mostly…
Hen Harrier Day – sign up to join me in the Peak District on 10 August
Hen Harriers are killed illegally by game shooting interests to protect Red Grouse until the grouse can be shot for ‘sport’. There should be over 300 pairs of Hen Harriers in the English uplands but last year there were just two pairs. The Peak District should have several pairs of this beautiful bird but most…