This very rare bird (from Asia; rare in the UK) chose a quiet part of the Cotswolds to make a long stay and was thus available to view for over two months. Considering this was the third British record and the first two were on the Western Isles and in Fife, neither stayed very long,…
Category: VERY BIRDY: birdwatching and birding nattering
RSPB – UK could be set to lose its first bird species due to climate change
UK could be set to lose its first bird species due to climate change The UK’s breeding Dotterel population has declined by 89% since 1988 The rate of decline has increased since the last national survey in 2011 Declines are similar inside and outside of Special Protection Areas, suggesting climate change could be one of the main causes Results from…
Oldest Avocet
Oldest bird of its kind discovered on RSPB nature reserve A record-breaking Avocet, found at RSPB Middleton Lakes, has been confirmed as the oldest of its kind at 36 years old – more than five times the average lifespan for the species. The individual has set a new national record after fledging in 1990, an…
Swift Awareness Week starts 27 June
Swifts return in time for a week of awareness and celebration! Just in time for UK Swift Awareness Week 2026 (starts 27th June), Swifts have returned in numbers to their colonies, and started their amazing screaming parties again following the cold wet spell, much to the joy of the many Swift watchers throughout the UK. More than 150 local…
Exmoor’s eagles
Exmoor is an upland area of almost no value in terms of food production – that’s why the recently produced England Land Use Framework – click here – had it shaded as an area for above average land use change. Exmoor is also a National Park. If we can’t put hook-beaked biodiversity back in a…
Natural England, Knepp and storks
On Wednesday morning, the BBC Radio 4 Today programme aired a short chat (click here – in the last five minutes of the programme) about White Storks between Tony Juniper, the Chair of Natural England and Isabella Tree, author, rewilder and leading light in the Knepp project. I guess this was scheduled because even Today…
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)….
Garden bird feeding – new RSPB advice
Today the RSPB has issued new advice to its million members and the public at large on feeding birds in gardens. The new advice represents a big change to current practice (amongst many), won’t be universally popular and will cost the RSPB a lot of money. This advice is based on the perceived dangers of…
RSPB – UK’s tallest bird, the Crane, has record high year
UK’s tallest bird, the Crane, has record high year A record number of Cranes bred in the UK last year, with 87 pairs raising 37 young, bringing the total to around 250 individuals Cranes went extinct in the UK around four hundred years ago due to overhunting and the loss of wetlands, but thanks to…
First Hen Harrier for Barbados?
I posted some photographs of a ringtail harrier a few days ago (click here) without being very forthcoming about their origin. Such birds are difficult to identify as there are quite a few options, and the probabilities of seeing the different species vary depending on where in the world you are. These photographs came from…