Licences have been issued for more than 160,000 eggs to be taken from black-headed gull nests since 2019, government data shows, as conservationists call for the eggs to be “taken off all menus”. Each spring, thousands of eggs are collected from the amber-listed seabird’s nests and sold under licences issued by the government’s wildlife watchdog, […]
Tag: rspb
Last-ditch effort under way to stop corncrake extinction in Britain
The piercing “crex crex” call of the male corncrake once kept country people awake at night. But its last breeding strongholds are falling silent as this elusive migratory bird teeters on the brink of extinction in Britain. Despite a successful rescue effort that led to its numbers rallying on the islands of north-west Scotland, rising […]
Watch – Developers slammed after setting ‘death traps’ for birds using netting to stop them nesting
“The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has criticised the move as well as local residents who have branded the practice “cruel” and unnecessary”. Housing developers have been blasted by conservationists for setting “death traps” for wildlife after wrapping bushes in plastic NETS to stop birds from nesting. The large green plastic netting […]
Snettisham Spectacular on the Wash
In the UK, throughout the autumn and winter, very high tides in the Wash give rise to one of natures’ wildlife spectacles. The Wash is a large rectangular bay on the East coast of England. Sometimes it’s referred to as the ‘Snettisham Spectacular’ or ‘ Wader Spectacular’. Undoubtable the best place to witness this is […]
POLL: Should crows and foxes be culled to protect ground-nesting birds?
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has been rocked by a furious row over its controversial culling of crows and foxes on its reserves. Outraged members took to social media to say they are resigning over the killings, which are intended to protect the eggs of ground-nesting birds such as curlews. Those complaining […]
Is the RSPB to blame for the loss of England’s rare hen harriers?
The hen harrier has begun to drag its way back from extinction in England. But according to the grouse industry one organisation is stomping on its claws – the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). On Tuesday, according to the Telegraph, a report by government environment advisory body Natural England was “set to […]
Vicious murdering bully chosen as Britain’s national bird
So we’ve chosen a vicious murdering bully for our national bird? It’s bad enough that we probably plumped for our self-important red-breasted friend because the Victorians sentimentalised the robin as a symbol of Christmas. Yet I suspect that the main reason it has been chosen is because it’s the one bird most people can actually […]
RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch confirms many species still declining
The number of backyard researchers in the world’s biggest citizen science survey was up this year, but participants found populations of many bird species continued to decline. More than 585,000 people took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch. The survey took place over a January weekend, as it has for the past 36 […]