FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

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Common Scoters sleeping by   Graham Catley Of all the research projects carried out by RSPB Scotland, perhaps one of the most puzzling has been the case of a disappearing duck: the common scoter.

by  Guy Shorrock Recent information on social media has expressed concerns about a possible police ‘cover up’ in relation to some serious wildlife poisoning incidents in Powys during 2012 and 2013.  The police have responded with a short  statement.   Having been involved from the outset with this investigation, I thought it would be helpful to provide a bit more information to allay concerns. In October 2012, in company with colleagues from RSPB Investigations, I visited an estate inside the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, Wales.  Near to two pheasant release pens we located the remains of some pheasant carcases.  They had obviously been there a while and alongside one of them was the decomposed corpse of a red kite.  The pheasant carcases also had many dead insects and the circumstances clearly suggested they were poison baits laid out earlier in the year.  We documented the scenes and safely collected the items with appropriat...

By Keith Bensusan and Charles Perez Abstract -  Gibraltar is a tiny, rocky promontory at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. It is a UK Overseas Territory, captured from Spain by an Anglo-Dutch force in 1704 and ceded to Britain in 1713. Situated on the northern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, little more than 20 km from the North African mainland, it is an important bottleneck site for the migration of large soaring birds, and is also important for migrant seabirds entering and leaving the Mediterranean. The site's habitats and natural history interests are described with particular reference to its IBA designations. Short-toed Eagle being mobbed by Yellow-legged Gull. Pic by Paul Acolina

Evidence is emerging of what looks to be a pretty comprehensive police cover-up of the mass poisoning of birds of prey in the Powys region of Wales. According to the RSPB’s annual  Birdcrime  report (2012), the following incidents are listed: Oct 2012: 1 x pheasant bait (Bendiocarb), location: Powys. Oct 2012: 1 x pheasant bait (Bendiocarb), location: Powys. Oct 2012: 2 x pheasant bait (Bendiocarb), location: Powys. Oct 2012: 1 x poisoned red kite (Bendiocarb), location: Powys. This little cluster is of interest, but becomes of even greater interest when you look at the RSPB’s annual  Birdcrime  report (2013), where the following incidents are listed:

by raptorpersecutionscotland Raptor Persecution Scotland's readerhip year-on-year. Where does the time go? It’s been another good year for our little blog as we edge towards 1.8 million blog views. That’s amazing, and it’s thanks to you all for reading, commenting, sharing, re-tweeting etc. Our readership is a diverse bunch, mostly from within the UK but with growing audiences in mainland Europe, North... [Read more...]

By Ian Newton X-ray of a Wood Pigeon sold by a game dealer: note the tiny radio-dense lead particles which would go unnoticed by the consumer. Pic by Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Abstract A conference in Oxford in 2014 focussed on the continuing use of lead ammunition in game hunting. The evidence presented and subsequent discussion examined various aspects of this issue, including the effects on both humans and wildlife, alternatives to lead, previous and future restrictions on the use of lead ammunition and the problems of awareness among both the hunting community and the wider public. This short paper summarises the debate.

Image: Colin Wilkinson A consortium led by the RSPB has been named as the preferred bidder to design, build and operate a new visitor centre and to manage the stunning natural habitats within Robin Hood's Sherwood Forest Country Park. One of the UK’s leading nature conservation charities – the RSPB – has come out on top in a procurement process organised by Nottinghamshire County Council for a new visitor centre and to take on the conservation management of Sherwood Forest Country Park, which forms part of Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve (NNR). 

Mar 2nd 2016, 15:06, by Roger Riddington British Birds and the British Trust for Ornithology are pleased announce the winner of the Award for Best Bird Book of the Year 2015. All books reviewed in BB , BTO News and on the BTO website during the year 2015 were eligible for consideration for this Award.