RSPB press release – Bee-eaters in Norfolk

Rare ‘rainbow birds’ set up summer home in Norfolk Seven bee-eaters were first spotted over the Jubilee Weekend and are now being closely monitored by the RSPB and the North East Norfolk Bird Club. Ensuring the protection of these rare birds, the only ones breeding in the UK, is crucial if they are to raise…

RSPB press release

Huge concern for UK’s seabirds as number dying from Avian Influenza continues to increase Impacts of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) on wild birds are intensifying fast in Scotland with reports of thousands of dead or dying seabirds and presumed cases now appearing in England. Shetland appears to be most heavily affected, but increasing reports…

BBS1

It was a bit of a dull day when I did my first visit to one of my two Breeding Bird Survey squares – the sun came out a bit later. But an early morning stroll recording birds cannot ever be dull, can it? I was hopeful that I might add Cattle gret to the…

BBC Radio 4 Today dips into the environment

I listen to the Today programme a lot – I’m awake at those hours and I’m interested in politics and current affairs. I sometimes wince at the tone and content of their environmental coverage. If this programme had the same standards of challenge and enquiry on environmental matters as it does on sometimes trvial events…

Do we have the energy?

I haven’t had time to read this carefully, but there is a bit more in it on energy efficiency than I expected from media reports – however, this is definitely an area of high priority. This government’s, and this Prime Minister’s, infatuation with big projects (which often don’t happen) means that I would be very…

WWT and RSPB call out failed shooting organisations, and government, on lead ammunition (at last)

WWT and RSPB have written an open letter to ‘shooting organisations’ (BASC, BGA, CA, CLA, GWCT, MA, NGO, SACS, SLE – but apparently not SGO) calling for them to join in a call for a statutory end to the use and sale of lead shotgun ammunition. The letter has two fine jokes in it where…

Wild Justice Badger challenge in Northern Ireland

Last week the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs announced details of its planned Badger cull. This week Wild Justice and the Northern Ireland Badger Group filed papers in the Royal Courts of Justice seeking permission for judicial review of that decision. Wild Justice, which is meeting all the costs of the…

RSPB press release

RSPB Scotland launches UK’s first eagle nest camera feed at Loch Garten Nature Centre In what has been hailed as a first for the UK, a new live camera feed at RSPB Scotland’s Loch Garten Nature Centre is giving visitors an up-close look at Scotland’s largest bird of prey.  A pair of white-tailed eagles, Shona…

Wild Justice Badger crowdfunder

Wild Justice is raising money to challenge the lawfulness of a proposed cull of Badgers in Northern Ireland. We’ve got together with the Northern Ireland Badger Group. At nearly £24k in 10 days that’s pretty good going, and there is more cash arriving every day that we can transfer across, but there’s still a long…