River – a female Hen Harrier fledged in Bowland in 2018. Photo: RSPB The loss of yet another Hen Harrier is another nail in driven grouse shooting’s coffin. We don’t know much about River except she went to Yorkshire and disappeared on a driven grouse moor in the Nidderdale AONB. She was tagged in Bowland…
Tag: Natural England
Another Hen Harrier disappears – River
RSPB press release: Hen harrier ‘River’ disappears in suspicious circumstances This is the ninth bird tagged last summer to vanish in similar circumstances Last transmission showed the bird on a driven grouse moor in North Yorkshire Police and the RSPB are concerned that the bird may have been illegally killed The police and the…
Deep peat burning
Conder Head back in October 2018 This fire on the Abbeystead Estate’s Conder Head back in October has interested me. Is it on blanket bog? Apparently not. Is it on deep peat? Apparently so – see below a reply I received today. Well, we got there in the end. Natural England/Defra appear to be happy…
A year ago
It is appropriate, perhaps, that a year ago today Natural England issued a licence for the brood meddling of Hen Harriers. Tomorrow will see the third and final day of the court hearing of my legal challenge, and a similar but separate one by the RSPB, against that decision. We will not hear the judge’s…
Press release from Wildlife and Countryside link
Press release from Wildlife and Countryside Link: Clean Air Strategy: progress for wildlife and people on ammonia – the ‘poor cousin’ of air pollution Twelve nature charities, including Plantlife, RSPB and Friends of the Earth, have welcomed new regulations to cut ammonia emissions announced in the Clean Air Strategy today. This move is vital and…
Guest blog – Progress in the Peak by Bob Berzins
Bob writes: I have a life long passion for the outdoors through rock climbing and fell running. A cancer scare in my thirties made me appreciate many things I simply hadn’t noticed before, from the smallest plants to the gap in the sky from a missing raptor. It’s all worth fighting for and that’s what…
Back in court a week today
Comments Off on Back in court a week today
We’re back in court a week today (on 17 January) for the last, the third, day of our judicial review hearing in front of Ms Justice Lang. The hearing is in the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand and is open to the public. For the first two days we were in Court 18…
English Winter Bird Survey
I’ve done a couple of visits to my regular BBS squares in order to collect information on wintering farmland birds for a survey funded by Natural England and Defra. Here are some of the highs and lows so far. Doing a bird survey is a good way to start the new year and that’s what…
Guest blog series, A Break from Humanity (6) by Ian Carter.
Continued from Monday My interest in wildlife is all-pervading. It’s something I’m aware of, or at least alert to, all the time. I’d describe it as a mindset or a way of life rather than a hobby. And yet I felt it was gradually being eroded, despite a concerted effort over the past two years…
Wuthering Moors 79 – are these some new grouse butts?
Photo: taken on 31 December 2018 I hear that there is a lot of activity on Walshaw Moor these days – and also these nights. Locals have heard that there are some more grouse butts going in to the moor. No doubt Natural England would be aware and would have consented this activity if it…