Ravens have been culled in Scotland as part of an unscientific experiment. They are being killed in England in larger numbers than Natural England appear to be prepared to admit. What about Wales? I couldn’t find any information on the website of Natural Resources Wales (NRW) so I submitted a Freedom of Information Request. [...]
Birds are wonderful. Everyone can enjoy them. They are easily seen. Some are beautiful songsters. They can undertake incredible journeys and others are resident. Some are common, some are rare. The House Sparrow was exceedingly common, but now, less so. I get as much joy out of watching the common birds in the garden [...]
There is a rather thought provoking quote that is often used on the Raptor Persecution UK website following a comment by a regular contributor, Dr Hugh Webster, “They can hide the bodies, they can hide the tags, but they can’t hide the pattern.” This quote was in response to the obvious pattern of disappearing [...]
July is often considered a quiet month for birds and birding. Spring migration is of course well and truly finished, breeding is over for many species, and autumn migration is at best a trickle. Purely by accident, July turned out to be a pretty good month for me, with visits to the wader rich [...]
The figures that Natural England provided me regarding the number of Ravens killed under license in England didn’t quite match up with the figures made publicly available via the Natural England blog. See my previous blog here and the Natural England blog here. I queried the discrepancy and Natural England replied in a matter [...]
I like Owls, yet I don’t pay them as much attention as I should. I guess that’s because I tend to be an early morning birder. A quick look at my BirdTrack records since 2016 tells me that I have heard or seen Barn Owls on 11 occasions from 6 locations and all during [...]
Ravens have been in the news lately – mainly for the wrong reasons. Scotland led the way with the announcement of an unscientific cull, and a legal challenge is currently underway – see the Raptor Persecution UK blog for various updates here and here. Then, in June an article in the Times suggested that [...]
June was certainly a memorable month with a week in Scotland and a total of 29 complete lists input to BirdTrack. The month got underway with a walk around Pages Wood, a large Forestry Commission site consisting of 74ha of woodland, scrub and grassland. It looks like it will become an annual event as [...]
Hen Harriers are wonderful birds. Watching them ‘skydance’ over moorland is an unforgettable experience. Observing them quartering upland heath in the spring or grazing marsh in the winter are moments to savour. The science tells us that there should be in the region of 330 pairs in England, yet last year there were just [...]
Ravens are a conservation success. They have been increasing in both numbers and range in recent decades, much of which is down to a reduction in illegal persecution and also an increase in carrion (due to increased sheep numbers). A good overview of these increases is available from the BTO website and in the [...]
