These can be depressing times for wildlife lovers. Many of our wild bird and mammal populations are declining at an alarming rate, our Raptors are being systematically disappeared from parts of the countryside, our politicians don’t seem to care, the statutory bodies (overseen by those politicians) that are supposed to be protecting and enhancing our…
Tag: hen harrier
Back to that excellent RSPB raptor report
The report on raptor persecution in Scotland published by the RSPB last week deserves a wide readership. I’ve been looking at it again over the weekend. There is a good, and new, piece of interpretation on satellite-tagged Hen Harriers (p12). Of the 18 Hen Harriers that died, or which disappeared under mysterious circumstances (ie their…
Stand by for more Pallid Harriers
There’s a paper in this month’s British Birds which shows that Pallid Harriers are being recorded in bigger numbers in most west European countres in recent years – including in the UK. The changing status of the Pallid Harrier in western Europe by Mike Henry. The data given are convincing and this upsurge is rather…
RSPB report on raptor killing 2015-17
This is the best report the RSPB has produced on illegal killing of birds of prey. Well done them! This report considers only Scotland and only over three years but this was a time of many important cases and many important scientific findings. The content will be familiar to many who read this blog and…
RSPB press release – Raptor killing in Scotland
Comments Off on RSPB press release – Raptor killing in Scotland
Grouse moor regulation vital to end illegal killing of Scotland’s raptors New report calls for action A new RSPB Scotland report published today has further reinforced the need for grouse moor regulation to be introduced in order to bring to an end to the widespread persecution of raptors in Scotland. The Illegal Killing of Birds…
Your National Parks and AONBs need you!
If you are going to respond to the consultation on National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England, and I do hope you will, then you have until 18 December (that’s Tuesday) to do so. Maybe a task for this weekend? Here is the link. It doesn’t take very long to respond to…
A meaningful vote?
This evening Theresa May will win the no-confidence vote against her and the hard Brexiteers will have been put firmly in their place. I’d bet on it.In fact, I have bet on it. After coming back from a walk at Stanwick Lakes this morning (an unsuccessful search for a male Hen Harrier that has been…
How many would you think?
I care deeply about the performance of Natural England – the government agency which is supposed to act in nature’s interests. That’s why I am taking a judicial review against their decision to license brood meddling (see here – we had two days in court last week but we need another day and we are…
This week
It’s a busy week. I’m giving a talk to the mid-Norfolk Wildlife Trust group on Tuesday evening – see you there? Maybe I’ll fit in a bit of birding on the way there but I’ll be back home late and then up early for an early train from Wellingborough station to the High Court. I…
Is the EU good for wildlife? Hell, yes!
Has the EU been good for wildlife or not? My view, based on 25 years of working for the RSPB and so being closer than most people to the evidence and practice behind this question is a definitive ‘Yes, hell yes!’. My view is based on evidence (that’s coming soon in this post) but I…