Sunday book review – Regeneration by Andrew Painting

This book introduces a strong voice in nature writing to the world. This is Andrew Painting’s first book and it is a cracker. Painting works for the National Trust for Scotland at Mar Lodge Estate in the Cairngorms. This book is about the very long-term regeneration of habitats and wildlife that are underway, and are…

Sunday book review – Restoring the Wild by Roy Dennis

Roy Dennis is a ‘name’ in ornithology and nature conservation – he was the warden of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory from 1964-70 (following Ken Williamson and Peter Davis), the RSPB’s person in the Highlands (under various job titles) from 1970-90 and, ever since, an independent conservationist mostly involved with species reintroductions and habitat restoration….

That’s more like it…

On Tuesday, 8 December Bellway Homes admitted damaging or destroying a breeding site or resting place for bats at a construction site in Greenwich. The company was ordered to pay a fine of £600,000 with further costs of over £30,000. Bellway Homes also agreed to make a voluntary donation of £20,000 to the Bat Conservation…

Scottish Government to opine on Werritty report

I read on Raptor Persecution UK today that the Scottish Government is going to say something about the Werritty report tomorrow afternoon – good. After all this time of setting up the group, writing the report, publishing it and then reading it, we need to see some action on the subject in Scotland. I’m quite…

Guy Shorrock – Golden Eagle

Guy writes: Golden eagle – it doesn’t really get much better does it! Probably one of the most well-known birds to the man on the street – symbolic of beauty, power, speed & wilderness. I saw my first eagles when I was about 11 years old on a holiday with my father to Scotland.  A…

News from the Moorland Association

Given that the Moorland Association has been strangely quiet recently it is worth noting that they are now trying hard to appear very very reasonable. It’s all a bit odd. Their responses to the RSPB statement on burning and Birdcrime report are rather moderately worded. I will be interested to see what the Moorland Association…

RSPB Birdcrime report

Birdcrime: The law has failed our birds of prey RSPB Birdcrime report reveals 85 confirmed incidents of bird of prey persecution in the UK in 2019 including shooting, trapping and poisoning RSPB data, peer-reviewed science and population surveys prove these crimes are concentrated on and near driven grouse moors Between 2012-2019 half (49%) of the…

A response from Scottish Green MSPs to our e-action

Over 57,000 e-actions have been taken since Hen Harrier Day, pressing elected politicians to act on wildlife crime and generally on the ecological problems associated with driven grouse shooting. Thank you – it’s an amazing response and I’m sure it has quite a way to go still. Below I have posted the standard response from…