RSPB press release

New report reveals huge declines in Europe’s birds  New data suggests around 600 million breeding birds have been lost in the EU and UK since 1980 A significant proportion of these losses are as a result of massive decreases in the more common and abundant bird species The largest drop in population is seen in…

This ‘track’ must go

Bob Berzins wrote about this track in February 2017 and again in January 2019. This planning case has now been settled with the landowner having to remove the track, reinstate the vegetation and pay costs. This is a good result, though a slow result – see here for details.

Press release – Argaty Red Kites/Beaver Trust

Argaty Red Kites granted beaver translocation licence In a significant policy step, Argaty Red Kites in Perthshire has been granted Scotland’s first edge-of-range beaver translocation licence. Argaty, a working farm which is home to the award-winning red kite project, has been awarded a licence by the Scottish Government’s nature agency NatureScot for the release of…

Brood meddling challenge – some more

Following on from this morning’s blog, here is the court order. I may get it framed and put it in the loo. You’ll see from this that the RSPB did not, in the end, apply for permission to appeal whereas I did and was turned down – this is entirely normal as one is asking…

DIM Wallace, 1933-2021

Donald Ian Mackenzie Wallace, (dim wallace as his artist’s signature was), known most usually as Ian Wallace, passed away in his sleep last Thursday night at the age of 88, not far short of his 89th birthday on 14 December. He was a writer, very definitely an artist, and a leading ornithological figure for a…