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…
Tag: Natural England
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 – 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…
Shooting – good for wildlife?
BBC Countryfile magazine has a poll about the good that shooting does in the countryside following the Countryfile programme last Sunday. The poll asks ‘Does the shooting industry do more good than harm to Britain’s wildlife?’. I know several people who have voted in the opposite way to that which they intended because of the…
It’s the salty one
James Cross is the new Chief Exec of Natural England – he is the salty one. This represents a victory of the politicians and Andrew Sells, the NE Chair, over the Defra civil servants. Quite right too. But rumour has it that NE might have chosen a proper nature conservationist or two for their Board…
Let’s be reasonable.
I don’t know how often readers of this blog go back a few days and read the comments that continue to accrue on earlier posts. And I don’t know whether I would recommend it either – sometimes a late post is the best of the lot, but not always. So, I have little idea how…
Talking to the deaf
Last week the RSPB wrote to the Moorland Association thus; Amanda Anderson Director The Moorland Association 16 Castle Park Lancaster LA1 1YG Dear Ms Anderson The RSPB has always sought to work with the sport shooting community to create grouse moors that are environmentally sustainable and provide a safe home for birds of prey and…
Sunday book review – Meadowland by John Lewis-Stempel
There is grass, and there are meadows. They aren’t the same. As you travel around the countryside, particularly in the west of Britain (although, as in other respects, the country used to be less polarised than it now is), you will see a lot of grass. It looks pretty, or, at least, quite pretty, but…
What’s up at Natural England?
This blog has learned that the new Chair of Natural England, Andrew Sells, has been taking a strong line on the consultation over the General Licence. He doesn’t seem terribly keen on the consultation at all – or is it the views of the public in response to the consultation that he dislikes? Or is…
Is this pretty?
Heather burning is vitally important to grouse shooting. Burning the heather on a rotational basis, every few years, creates a pattern of young and older heather. The younger heather produces green vegetation that is eaten by Red Grouse whereas older heather provides more nesting cover. This image from talented wildlife photographer Peter Cairns shows…