In their little booklet, the GWCT address five areas that they say are commonly-heard criticisms of driven grouse shooting. This week I’ll deal with each of them. The GWCT correctly identify this as an area of criticism ‘There is illegal persecution of raptors by grouse moor keepers‘ but go on to use the ‘few bad…
Tag: Natural England
Use of lead shot as an Operation Likely to Damage
A response to an information request to Natural England. So, which upland SSSIs on blanket bogs ought to have ‘Use of lead shot’ as an OLD? Any ideas?
The Moorland Imbalance (2)
In their little booklet, the GWCT address five areas that they say are commonly-heard criticisms of driven grouse shooting. This week I’ll deal with each of them. GWCT say that it is claimed that ‘Heather burning contributes to the release of greenhouse gases because it release carbon dioxide‘ and attempt to rebut this by quoting…
Captions?
Captions so far: And how long have you been trying to polish it? Keep the rest of that dead harrier behind your back till this guy with the camera has buggered off !! Dare we ask how the negotiations are progressing Minister? Well I’m not allowed to say too much…but basically…
All those tagged raptors, Moll
Driven grouse shooting depends on widespread, systematic and illegal killing of protected wildlife. The original Langholm study showed that raptors, particularly Hen Harriers and Peregrines, are perfectly capable of taking a sufficient toll of Red Grouse before 12 August that there won’t necessarily be enough left to provide the profits to support several gamekeepers’ salaries. …
Quick response from NE – Bowland Gull Cull 5
Received yesterday (see here): Good afternoon Mr Avery Many thanks for your enquiry. In terms of the `culling of lesser Black-backed Gull in the Bowland Fells SSSI this year`, there is an ongoing investigation taking place so we cannot comment further until our investigations are concluded. Thank you once again for your enquiry….
Sitting round the table with … with whom? Talking about … about what?
Whether it be Brexit or throwing missiles around the northern Pacific there comes a time when people have to sit down and talk things through. So might it be for driven grouse shooting? I have to say that there has been so much talking that it is difficult to imagine quite what would come out…
Any NE news on gull cull? Bowland Gull Cull 4
Following this, this and this, I have asked Natural England this: On 10 July I asked ‘Has NE consented culling of Lesser Black-backed Gull in the Bowland Fells SSSI this year?’ On 9 August, after turning this into an EIR request (Request 3929), you used Regulation 12 (5)(B) – Administration of Justice to justify…
Your species champions at Westminster
Westminster MPs have stepped forward to become champions for different endangered species (and a similar scheme exists in Scotland). There is an interesting article about this in the current BBC Wildlife Magazine written by James Fair. I’m quoted in the article and my point is whether these MPs will speak out for their species on…
Tales from the Bird Fair (5)
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Michael Gove’s ears should have been burning last weekend. It’s not that everyone at the Bird Fair was talking about him, but some were. And it’s not that everyone believes that he is going to do good things but some do, and most of the rest will wait and see. His name came up in…