FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

For those of you sickened and disheartened by recent political antics, here’s a refreshing change. Yesterday there was a debate in the Scottish Parliament, introduced by Graeme Dey MSP. The motion of the debate was as follows: That the Parliament welcomes the relaunch of the Species Champions initiative; understands that Scottish Environment LINK is asking […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK https://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2016/11/09/species-champions-scottish-parliamentary-debate-a-refreshing-change/

On 28 October 2016 we learned that one of this year’s young hen harriers had been found dead in Cumbria in suspicious circumstances (see blog here). This was a hen harrier called Rowan, who had hatched at Langholm this summer and was one of two hen harriers being satellite-tracked by the Hawk & Owl Trust. […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2fvWSvs

On 7th September 2016 an adult female Marsh harrier was found with shotgun injuries next to a partridge release pen on an East Yorkshire sporting estate. The bird was rescued and underwent surgery at Battle Flatts vets in North Yorkshire. After surgery the bird was sent to Jean Thorpe in Ryedale for a period of […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2ffPOkg

A one-word summary of Monday’s Westminster ‘debate’ on driven grouse shooting: Dishonourable: adjective. Bringing shame or disgrace on someone or something. Synonyms: disgraceful, shameful, shameless, disreputable, discreditable, degrading, ignominious, ignoble, blameworthy, contemptible, despicable, reprehensible, shabby, shoddy, sordid, sorry, base, low, improper, unseemly, unworthy, unprincipled, unscrupulous, corrupt, untrustworthy, treacherous, perfidious, traitorous, villainous, shady, crooked, low-down, dirty, […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2fhyL06

Today is a milestone. It’s the day that 123,077 members of the public forced members of Parliament to debate the issue of driven grouse shooting in Westminster. That’s an incredible achievement, and although we’re not expecting to hear anything more than an establishment-led whitewash today, it’s just the beginning. Whatever the outcome this afternoon, we’re […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2e30DE1

Today is a milestone. It’s the day that 123,077 members of the public forced members of Parliament to debate the issue of driven grouse shooting in Westminster. That’s an incredible achievement, and although we’re not expecting to hear anything more than an establishment-led whitewash today, it’s just the beginning. Whatever the outcome this afternoon, we’re […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2e30DE1

We’re often told how ‘beneficial’ driven grouse shooting is to rural communities and how supportive local residents are of their nearby grouse shooting estate. There was plenty of testimony to this ‘rural idyll’ in the written evidence submitted to the Westminster Petitions Committee’s inquiry on grouse shooting. That’s hardly a surprise when some local residents […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2ftovG8