FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

By Guy Shorrock The illegal taking of this Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis and related offences in Scotland led to the first jailing of a gamekeeper. RSPB-images.com In recent years it appears that there has been an increasing public interest and involvement in environmental matters, including wildlife crime, and that social media has played a pivotal role in this trend. As a plethora of internet-based sharing sites have continued to develop, websites and bloggers have taken full advantage of this communication network. The power of social media was graphically illustrated by the recent campaign to challenge the European Commission's 'Fitness Check' of the Birds and Habitats Directives, legislation that has underpinned EU environmental protection. In May 2015, around 100 UK organisations published a position statement warning that this was the single biggest threat to biodiversity in a generation. That view was shared across Europe with collaboration...

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.

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.

       Paperback /  325 Pages /  Pelagic Publishing (2012) /  ISBN 978-1907807299 /  RRP £12.99 Review #1 by Mike Everett for British Birds Quite early in chapter one, reading about Mark Avery’s time as a deer researcher on Rum, I came across the bizarre statement that ‘our base… looked across Mull to Skye and the Cuillins…’ and wondered whether this boded well for the rest of the book. I need not have worried; it must have been an editorial mistake. This is a marvellous account of one man’s work for bird conservation, reflecting Mark’s impressive birding and academic background as well as his sharp intellect, his sure grasp of strategy and his huge commitment to his vocation. His well-known sense of humour is there too, as is that enviable facility at communication which made him such a great asset to the RSPB.

The  British Birds  Bird Photograph of the Year 2013 winners were as follows: BIRD PHOTOGRAPH OF THE YEAR 2013  Peregrine Falcons  Falco peregrinus,  Norwich, Norfolk, June 2012. (Canon EOS 5D III, Canon 400 mm f4 + 1.4x converter; 1/1250, f8, ISO 320.)  Steven Jefferson Here’s Simon winding up to hand out the prizes… (pic by Peter Baughan)