Hen Harrier survey, 2016, published

The headline results of this survey were released in June 2017 but now the full paper has emerged in Bird Study. Status of the Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus in the UK and Isle of Man in 2016. Simon R. Wotton, Stephen Bladwell, Wendy Mattingley, Neil G. Morris, David Raw, Marc Ruddock, Andrew Stephenson and Mark…

Paul Leyland – Marmalade Hoverfly

Paul writes: If you can only recognise one hoverfly it will probably be this one. The combination of orange and black stripes on the abdomen is found only on this species. The Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) widespread throughout Europe, North Asia and North Africa and can turn up in almost all habits. Whenever I’m on…

Our Hen Harrier data

We are going to have to wait a little while or a long while to see the results and findings of the long-awaited analysis of the Hen Harrier satellite-tagging study that you and I (as taxpayers) have funded for many years. However, it already looks as though the findings could be the dynamite to  blow…

This will be dynamite.

After years of pressure from this blog and RaptorpersecutionUK Natural England has released a complicated Excel table of Hen Harriers’ last satellite fixes, in the middle of the night and with no media release or mention anywhere. This coincided with the presentation of … something … we don’t quite know what, and NE don’t want…

Tim Melling – Capercaillie

Tim writes: I haven’t seen a great many Capercaillies, and most of my sightings have been fleeting glimpses of birds disappearing into the forest.  But this Capercaillie was different.  This was one of those so-called rogue male Capercaillies that was pumped full of testosterone and ready for a fight.  I had to get down low…