I object!

I’m not the only one to have objected to this retrospective planning application for a ‘temporary’ track to a line of grouse butts.  You could object too, but comments have to be submitted by Monday so it is a job for this weekend. At the time of writing this post, all 30 comments are objections…

Natural England replies

Natural England has replied to me, and at least one of you, concerning our emails about the ‘Man guarding his model Hen Harrier in the Peak District’ affair. The email does come from the email address of the Chair and CEO of NE but is signed by the Area Manager for the East Midlands. ‘Thank…

Peak District – what they say

This post starts with a simple round-up of who has said what since the breaking of the faking it blogpost on the Raptor Persecution UK (yes really!) website on Tuesday but ends with a challenge.  Later today I will blog on the importance of the Peak District in the future of driven grouse shooting and…

Apologies to my MP

I should apologise to my MP, Tom Pursglove for suggesting that his reply to me was rather tardy – it has now arrived and the delay was clearly in the post and in getting from my letter box to me, rather than his fault! He is pretty quick and efficient at replying even though he…

Guest blog – Red Kites 12 years on by Mick Render

I have spent almost 40 years working in engineering. My main interest away from work is monitoring and photographing red kites, these two go hand in hand and I often gain information from photographs that was missed in the field.  I often go home to review my day and the photographs often identify birds, they…

Dear Minister

Dear Minister You ought to be thinking of replying to our latest e-petition calling for a ban on driven grouse shooting – we have now been waiting for over three weeks for a response. In that period, though, the e-petition has gained another 17,000+ signatures. You should be aware that the campaign to end driven…

Fineshade Wood should be an SSSI

Mr James Cross, Chief Executive Natural England, Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green York YO1 7PX   Dear Mr Cross We are writing to ask Natural England to consider, as a matter of urgency, the complex of woodland known as Fineshade Wood (SP99) in Northamptonshire for notification as a Site of Special Scientific Interest…