Today the RSPB has withdrawn its support from the Defra Hen Harrier Plan. Well done them! Martin Harper explains in his blog that the voluntary approach (to abiding by the law!) has failed. Essentially the RSPB is saying that they do not trust the grouse shooters and have no confidence that the words they speak…
Tag: hen harrier
Is that your best shot? Thanks for trying…
Fieldsports magazine has asked its reader (is there more than one?) to use this handy checklist on social media to ‘spread the truth about grouse moor management’ – here are some responses. Please feel free to respond to any social media on this subject by linking to these answers. Presumably this is the best that…
More illegal traps – another grouse moor. Whose side are you on?
Another month, another illegal trap, another driven grouse moor in another National Park. This trap, in fact these traps, found in the open by two walkers, were more easily located because they contained a severely injured Common Gull whose injuries were so bad that it was euthanised. The story is well told by our older…
Are you in the new chapter?
The paperback edition of Inglorious has an extra chapter which covers events in 2015 and the very early parts of 2016. It will be in shops very soon – official publication date is a week away but somehow they seem to slip out earlier. Who gets a mention in the new chapter? Hawk and Owl…
Dear Minister
Dear Minister Welcome to your new role in Defra following in the rather small footsteps of Rory Stewart. It is to be hoped that you will be able to do more good for wildlife and the environment than your predecessor. You have a wide range of jobs to do but may I point you in…
61,000
There’s another 1000 signatures! We have momentum! Over five weeks ago I wrote, with the help of Shania Twain, a blog that stated: ‘The RSPB … now faces the situation where well over 40,000 people support a policy position that the RSPB does not support and that figure is certain to pass 50,000, likely to…
Oscar Dewhurst – the great chick predation (2)
Oscar writes: Following on from last week’s post where I talked about the Black-headed Gull colony and predation of their chicks, Marsh Harriers were another bird that would take the chicks to feed their young. Whenever they came over the scrape at Minsmere the birds would get very agitated, and for good reason, as…
60,000
60,000 is a big number! A really big number. We now need fewer than four lots of 10,000 signatures to reach 100,000 by 20 September. That will be difficult – but not impossible. We are going for it! So far, in July we have passed 13 ‘thousand milestones’. How many more will we pass in…
Game-licensing for Scotland
A new petition has been launched in Scotland – calling for licensing of game estates. The name on the petition is the leading light of the Scottish Raptor Study Groups, the inestimable Logan Steele, and this e-petition does put large emphasis on the impacts of gamebird shooting, of any species of game, on birds of…
Oscar Dewhurst – the great chick predation (1)
Oscar writes: this was taken at Minsmere, where there are around 1500 pairs of Black-headed Gulls nesting on The Scrape this year. While I was there most pairs had chicks. These are the target of several predators, including big gulls and Marsh Harriers (see next week for this photo). Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls…