Intransigence

Today we should hear news about the status of Hen Harriers in England in the first year of the Defra Hen Harrier recovery project. See here for the only real Hen Harrier recovery plan. There should be 330+ pairs of Hen Harrier nesting in the English uplands and last year there were 12 pairs (from…

40,000

40,000!  Thank you! You and I are making all sorts of people sit up and take notice. We are about 40% of the way through the time and 40% of the way to the target of 100,000 signatures.  Does that make you feel optimistic or pessimistic about getting to 100,000? Well, as far as I’m…

Search is on for Britain’s greenest youngsters

Ecotricity, the green energy company that supplies my electricity, is looking for the greenest youngsters in Britain. And by youngster we mean 11-16 year olds. If you are in the relevant age group and can submit your application (video, recording or written text) by 8 June you may win yourself and your parents a weekend…

Shhhhh! Don’t mention the poletraps…

It’s all very quiet isn’t it? Considering how many organisations are falling over themselves to spout their enormous concern about wildlife crime against birds of prey on grouse moors when it comes to providing a solution for the grouse moor managers (poor things!) there is very little discussion of this admission of guilt by a…

Thank you Steve!

I am grateful to Steve Ormerod for his guest blog of yesterday. It was good of him to respond, as he did – he didn’t have to at all. As Steve wrote, the RSPB and I share almost completely common ground on the problems as we see them. Maybe we differ here or there, but…

Guest blog by RSPB Chair of Council, Prof Steve Ormerod

Mark, As I promised, I’m responding to your questions and challenges set out in your earlier blog. You regularly and accurately point out that we are all basically after the same thing: we a future for England’s moors and hills that is free from the illegal killing of birds of prey and where land management…

Mini round up

I’ve been away for a few days and I’d love you to guess where I’ve been. A mini-round-up: worrying signs on the West Pennine Moors that development is planned (more on this later) a month ago, and 7000 signatures ago, I posted this and tomorrow morning the RSPB will reply here M&S are not responding…

Tick! Tock! National Trust

I am sure, absolutely sure, completely and utterly sure, that the NT has not been sitting on its hands for nearly a month since the ‘man taking his model Hen Harrier for a walk’ incident. However, we have heard nothing publicly from them about their ‘investigation’ of the matter which clearly followed a police investigation…