Coming through your letterbox or to a newsagent near you very soon. There is a striking editorial by Dominic Mitchell and a couple of pages on the subject of Hen Harriers by yours truly. I just hope that many newsagents put this next to The Shooting Times and The Field on the shelves. Birdwatch is…
Tag: grouse moor
Game Fair 3 – in photos
This must be about my 20th Game Fair, so I realised that when it said that it opened at 9am this was just nonsense – soon after 8am I had parked, got a lift on a trailer from the car park to the entrance, paid to enter and then started walking down the hill where…
What they say 10:
The latest in the excellent series of BAWC podcasts – this one by Terry Pickford. ‘In 1974 we had 39 breeding females…every single estate had hen harriers…but many of them were interfered with’ ‘It changed about 1980’ ‘Derek Ratcliffe was asked the reason why there had been such a calamitous collapse in Hen Harriers…
Hen Harrier Day update
Hen Harrier Day, 10 August 2014 – general information (see below for info specifically on the Peak District ‘event’) Due to circumstances beyond their control, and rather frustratingly for them, Birders Against Wildlife Crime have had to cancel the planned Yorkshire Hen Harrier day event. Things are also looking doubtful for Cumbria, I believe. But…
Calling all media
In a month’s time, if history is any guide, you will be publishing some puff pieces about grouse shooting and the Glorious 12th. Be aware, that this year is different – public opinion is turning against this ecologically damaging ‘sport’ and largely economically irrelevant ‘industry’. This is what…
Guest Blog – The Hen Harrier Affair by Tim Birch
The Hen Harrier Affair – a personal perspective Tim Birch is the Conservation Manager of the Derbyshire Widlife Trust. He has worked in nature conservation for many years, much of it abroad, but grew up in Derbyshire to which he has now returned. It’s now been almost 18 months since I’ve been back…
FoI Friday – 5
This is a copy of my earlier blog post but now including the Peak District National Park’s rapid and helpful response to points 1 and 2. They tell me that they are checking on point 3 now. Dear Peak District National Park This is a request under the Freedom of Information regulations, but in…
FoI Friday – 4
Dear Defra You may have noticed, though I wouldn’t bet on it, that there is an e-petition relevant to you rapidly gathering signatures. Once it reaches 10,000 signatures, you will have to reply to it. I point this out to you so that you might, with all this warning, make a better fist of it…
FoI Friday – 1
Dear Peak District National Park This is a request under the Freedom of Information regulations, but in any case you should be happy to answer it. Please answer the following: Did the PDNP contact The Times newspaper by email, letter or telephone concerning Simon Barnes’s articles about raptor persecution in the Peak District? I ask,…
What they say 1:
Yesterday’s Countryfile programme featured the Peak District (which is lovely – I was there on a couple of days last week) and shooting as a countryside pursuit. Andre Farrar, RSPB spokesperson (c14mins 40 secs into the programme) talking about grouse moor management: ‘…while the illegal persecution of birds of prey is tolerated, when the uplands…