Nearly 120 rare hen harrier chicks have fledged in England this year, the highest number for more than a century, England’s conservation agency has said. Natural England and its partners recorded 119 hen harrier chicks successfully fledging from nests across uplands in County Durham, Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire. A fledgling is a young bird […]
Tag: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
UK Will Allow Hunters to Shoot Wild Deers At Night As Population Rises to Two Million
The United Kingdom has removed some rules on shooting wild deer at night because they say deer numbers have risen to two million and it’s harming the trees. The deer population in the UK has increased from 450,000 in the 1970s to a current two, which is the highest it has been for over 1,000 […]
‘Birds are messengers’, says BirdLife’s Patricia Zurita
Next month BirdLife International, a global partnership of 115 organizations working to protect birds and their habitats, will mark its 100th anniversary by holding the BirdLife World Congress in London. The event will bring together scientists, conservationists, and other stakeholders from around the world. BirdLife has a lot to celebrate on its 100th birthday. It […]
Calls to ban gamebird release to avoid ‘catastrophic’ avian flu outbreak
Conservationists have called for ministers to ban the release of millions of gamebirds to prevent the UK’s wild birds being wiped out by a “catastrophic” avian flu epidemic this winter. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said there was a significant risk that pheasants, partridge and ducks released for shooting from 1 […]
Scientists investigate hundreds of guillemot deaths on UK coastline
Several hundred seabirds have been found dead along the coasts of north-east England and Scotland, while many have been discovered emaciated. The UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), which is investigating the cause of the deaths, said the majority of the birds were guillemots. Bird carcasses have been found along the Scottish coastline and […]
The potential of nature: Halting wildlife decline will also protect 750,000 jobs, says MP
Crawley MP Henry Smith, a member of the Conservative Environment Network, said the Environment Bill going through Parliament does not set a legal deadline for halting wildlife declines. He also pointed out the natural environment supports nearly 750,000 jobs and more than £27 billion of the country’s economic output. Mr Smith said strong action is […]
The huge threat of climate change: Iceland’s puffins and MANY other species pay high price
Flying in on whirring wings from a fishing trip or resting beside their nesting burrows near the southern tip of Iceland, these beautiful puffins look to be at one with the environment. At Dyrholaey in southern Iceland, we watched them skilfully dodge attacks by the pirates of the sea, Arctic and great skuas as they […]
POLL: Should deer’s impact on crops, woodlands, and marshes be reduced by culling?
In 2021, the deer population in the United Kingdom has exploded. With the pandemic, deer hunting decreased and the market for venison reduced thanks to pandemic-induced restaurant closures. Now experts are debating a cull of the deer, the New York Times reported. Scientists note that deer are decimating plant life that other species eat. “Heavy browsing […]