There are new signs each day that the COVID-19 pandemic is fundamentally altering public life in America. Many schools will be closed for the rest of the academic year. Several states have postponed presidential primaries. State and federal courts have put trials on hold. But the coronavirus crisis is not stopping the U.S. Department of […]
Tag: Grouse
Audubon Pennsylvania Receives Grant to Further Forest Conservation
Audubon PA this week received over $183,000 in grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) that will be used to partner with private land owners in order to create and maintain healthy forest habitats for birds in the Appalachian mountains of Pennsylvania. The grant will allow Audubon PA to develop infrastructure to […]
Country diary: farmed pheasants are little more than free-range livestock
Out of breath and panting heavily, I breasted the summit of the Lion’s Haunch, paused, then turned, slowly. A stiff pull up a frozen path through low gorse had brought me to the lesser peak of Arthur’s Seat, the extinct volcano that looms above Edinburgh. I stopped to feast on the view, my gaze sweeping […]
87 bird crime incidents last year and just one conviction, says RSPB
Birds of prey were shot, poisoned, trapped or illegally killed in 87 confirmed incidents in 2018 that led to just one successful conviction, according to the RSPB’s annual Birdcrime report. This persecution of raptors including peregrines, buzzards, red kites and owls is the tip of the iceberg, with many more birds vanishing in mysterious circumstances, […]
Game birds subject to ‘cruel’ conditions, undercover footage shows
Pheasants whose chicks are destined to be shot in the UK are having their septums pierced in order to attach plastic masks to their beaks, according to an undercover film released by activists this week. The method of restraint is illegal in the UK. The video, shot on a farm in Poland, also appears to […]
This shy bird can escape a birdwatcher’s eye, but not illegal trappers’ nets
The Common Quail is one of seven flagship birds in our Flight for Survival campaign to raise awareness of the scope and scale of the illegal killing of migratory birds. The small, seemingly shy Common Quail Coturnix coturnix prefers to stay hidden amongst the rough grasses of farmland as it forages with its long, sharp […]
Seven in 10 hen harriers in UK study likely illegally killed
Hen harriers are 10 times more likely to die or disappear from or near to English grouse moors than any other habitat, according to a long-term study which reveals the scale of the illegal persecution of the endangered raptor. An analysis of hen harriers over a decade found 72% of 58 satellite-tagged birds were confirmed […]
POLL: Should the Trump Administration be allowed to weaken protections for sage grouse?
The Trump administration has unveiled plans to weaken environmental protections for sprawling areas of the western US considered important habitat for the sage grouse, a chicken-like bird known for its flamboyant courtship displays. The proposals, put forward by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), essentially dismantle much of a landmark 2015 compromise struck between […]
