Hen Harrier survey results 2023: Numbers improve, but much more to be done Numbers of one of the UK’s rarest birds of prey, the Hen Harrier, are increasing across the UK, but their future still hangs in the balance according to a new survey. Results of the 2023 Hen Harrier survey have been released, which…
Tag: RSPB
Guest blog – Walshaw Turbine 35 by Nick MacKinnon
Nick MacKinnon is a freelance teacher of Maths, English and Medieval History, and lives above Haworth, in the last inhabited house before Top Withens = Wuthering Heights. In 1992 he founded the successful Campaign to Save Radio 4 Long Wave while in plaster following a rock-climbing accident on Skye. His poem ‘The metric system’ won…
Poor response from Rebecca Pow – the Minister ‘responsible’
The Westminster government is a busted flush – it does not do the big things right and cannot even do the small things. I wrote to my MP, Tom Pursglove, on 19 January – click here – to enquire about lack of progress by government on five straightforward matters on which simple government action is…
Guest blog – Biodiversity Net Gain: for good or ill, by Dominic Woodfield
Dominic Woodfield is the Managing Director of Bioscan, a long established and well-respected consultancy specialising in applied ecology. He is a life-long birder, a specialist in botany, habitat restoration and creation and in protected fauna including bats, herpetofauna and other species. He is also a highly experienced practitioner in Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats Regulations…
RSPB press release
Men given community order for possession and trade of 22 wild Peregrines On 11 December 2023 Timothy Hall and his son, Lewis Hall pleaded guilty to multiple offences relating to the possession and trade of wild Peregrines in Scotland and were both handed community service orders yesterday for these crimes. Without the introduction of sentencing…
RSPB press release – Bird Flu
Comments Off on RSPB press release – Bird Flu
New study shows role of bird flu in widespread declines of UK seabirds A new report by the RSPB has for the first time, quantified the effects of recent Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks on the populations of the UK’s seabirds. Of the 13 species included in the study, nine showed declines, three of…
Guest blog – Short-eared Owls need your help by Jimmi Hill
Based on the Cheshire/Flintshire border. Founding trustee and Chair of Raptor Aid CIO a UK based charity with a focus on birds of prey and their conservation. A licensed ringer and field worker covering birds of prey as an active member of several raptor study groups across the UK. Twitter: @raptor_jimmi “You’re Joking – Not…
Letter to my MP: Is government incompetent or simply acting in bad faith?
Dear Mr Pursglove, since this is my first communication with you for quite a while, may I wish you a belated Happy New Year!? It’s likely to be an interesting year politically, not least with the byelection in adjacent Wellingborough coming next month. It seems a bit odd to me that the Conservative candidate is…
Press release: Lambs not a major food source for breeding White-tailed Eagles in Scotland (RSPB & SOC)
Lambs not a major food source for breeding White-tailed Eagles in Scotland New study finds proportion of nests with evidence of lamb as prey declines over 20-year period A new study assessing the diet of breeding White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) – also known as Sea Eagles – in Scotland between 1998 and 2017 has found…
My personal response to the HSE lead ammunition consultation
A live public consultation by the Health and Safety Executive on the future of lead ammunition is in play until 23:59 on Sunday 10 December. This should see the end of the use, sale and availability of lead shot and lead bullets for shooting at live quarry – also known as live animals. Such regulation…