Last year, Natural England licensed the daft idea of brood meddling of Hen Harriers. I mounted a legal challenge, and so did RSPB, but we lost in court. The judge decided that because this was a trial it was science and because of that it’s OK (that’s my layman’s take on it). Both the RSPB…
Tag: Natural England
Guest blog – Ramridge Raiders part 2 by Paul Sterry and Rob Read
Authors and photographers, Paul and Rob spearhead the international competition Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) whose lead judge is Chris Packham. Woodlands have been on my mind recently, what with my growing interest in Rob’s local patch Ramridge Copse. Perhaps because of that when I glanced at my bookshelves the other day I spotted…
RSPB press release
Protecting the best places for nature will fight the climate crisis New maps reveal that the best places for nature also hold over two-gigatons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of all of the greenhouse gases the UK generates in four years The Governments of the UK must take urgent action to protect and restore these…
Guest blog – I must tell you something of the Beaver by Derek Gow
“I must tell you something of the Beaver”. When William Harrison the Canon of Windsor wrote those words in 1577 he presented his description of the beaver he knew in the following fashion “Certes the tail of this beast is like unto a thin whetstone, as the bodie unto a monstrous rat: the beast also…
General Licence 31 – Woodpigeons and serious damage to crops
This general licence was published yesterday evening by Natural England – the next ones look as though they will be published by Defra. I’ve had a quick look at it. Noticeable is this passage; This appears to be a recognition of the point raised on this blog last week (and raised in the Wild Justice…
General Licences – not quite business as usual is it?
See the exchange of letters between the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Natural England, published today. Getting notice of this in an email from Defra seems to mean that Wild Justice is now a Defra stakeholder. Gosh! Michael Gove is now in charge of pigeon shooting and crow control, as…
Jay to drop out of general licensing says BTO
The BTO website has had an overhaul and it looks very attractive. In a blog on the spanking new and attractive website, the BTO CEO Andy Clements (also a Board member of Natural England) writes about the scientific challenges for the new general licensing regime that Natural England is introducing. The blog is well worth…
Statutory agencies – fit for purpose?
Wild Justice’s successful legal challenge over the General Licences is the third legal challenge in which I have been involved against this statutory agency in just over a year. First there was my legal challenge of the brood-meddling licence that NE issued in early 2018. As regular readers will know, this case was contested by…
No Nightingales last night
Encouraged by reading on Twitter that after missing a year, last year, Nightingales returned to a local wood, I set out to listen again for Nightingales at Glapthorn Cow Pasture yesterday evening. The first blog post I wrote, for the RSPB on 11 May 2009, was about Nightingales in Glapthorn Cow Pasture. I wrote then…
What the RSPB says about the General Licences
Have a look at this by RSPB Conservation Director, Martin Harper. Here are some quotes: Like everyone, I was surprised by Natural England’s decision to revoke the General Licence at such short notice after the legal proceedings by Wild Justice. The following media and online frenzy has thrown up so much misinformation and inaccuracies that it…