tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10879976148665694682024-02-28T23:43:48.468+00:00Wilde About BirdsFindlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.comBlogger412125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-21341585904005904632020-05-31T14:26:00.001+01:002020-05-31T14:26:07.101+01:002020 Heronry Census<div style="text-align: center;">
Covid-19 has of course had a huge impact on BTO related surveys this year and it was looking very unlikely that we would be able to complete this year's heronry census at a site in Cheshire. Over the last 6 years that I have been involved in this survey, we have always started the heronry census in April, so hopes were fading for this year's count. But the easing of lockdown on 13th May gave us a late chance to complete this year's survey.<br />
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Land owners permission is of course always a vital part of the survey process, but this year it was even more important to ensure we complied with any additional rules and regulations the land owner may have put in place due to Covid-19. <br />
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We completed the count of apparently occupied nests and logged the trees's GPS grid reference on 18th May. We were pleased to see the numbers come back up a bit after 2019's decline. Perhaps this was due to the lower rates of disturbance as a result of lockdown, for example less water sports and less people generally around feeding areas.<br />
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The dry weather has helped with the count, as clues such as white wash were still evident (and not washed away by rain). There were of course the more obvious clues of occupancy from some of the chicks that sadly didn't make it.<br />
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It will be interesting to see the final results across the country for this years survey and see if the milder winter, and less disturbance due to lockdown, have had a positive impact on the numbers.<br />
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<b>Site Results Since 2014</b></div>
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<a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/heronry-census-with-professor-david.html">2014</a> - 70</div>
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<a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2015/05/2015-heronry-census.html">2015</a> - 64</div>
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2016 - 71</div>
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2017 - 69</div>
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<a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/04/btos-heronries-census-90th-year-of.html">2018</a> - 64</div>
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<a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2019/04/2019-heronry-census.html">2019</a> - 47</div>
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2020 - 54<br />
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You can read the full BTO 2019 Heronry Census report <a href="https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/heronries-census-summary-2019.pdf">here</a>.</div>
Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-71583377155001718732019-08-18T17:02:00.000+01:002019-08-18T17:04:13.546+01:00Countryfile Live - Young People Are (part of) The Answer <br />
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The last two weekends have given me the opportunity to do something that really motivates and inspires me; engagement.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hen Harrier Day 2019</span></div>
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Last weekend was Hen Harrier Day organised by the Wild Justice team. You can read more about this year's Hen Harrier Day <a href="https://markavery.info/2019/08/13/hen-harrier-day-from-wild-justice/">here</a>. It was of course a fantastic opportunity to celebrate this iconic species and talk with a real mix of people about how to further increase the awareness of illegal persecution and what are the next "bold" moves needed to ensure future Hen Harrier Days (and we are talking 5 - 10 years here) can be a pure celebration and not dominated by the on going illegal activity.</div>
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Last year I was on a <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/08/countryfile-live.html">National Trust debating panel at the Blenheim Place Countryfile Live event</a> and I was delighted to be invited back this year for the event at Castle Howard in Yorkshire, which I attended yesterday.</div>
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The show ground had already had 2 days of cars and feet, so the mud was no surprise, but I hadn't expected such a colourful reception.</div>
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The theme for this years National Trust talks and debates was "nature needs me" and the debate I was participating in was titled "Young People Are The Answer". The information given about the debate was as follows:</div>
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<i>Climbing trees and getting muddy knees are memories from childhood we all treasure, but are they increasingly becoming experiences of the past? Recent research suggests that only 1 in 5 children have a ‘connection to nature’. Time spent playing outdoors has halved in just one generation. </i></div>
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<i>But that’s not the full picture as we’ve seen this year…with events such as the schools’ climate strikes. Many of our nation’s youth are passionate about the planet, the climate, the environment. They want us to leave them a planet that can support them in the future. So how can we harness that enthusiasm and build connectedness with nature? </i></div>
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<i>Young people are the answer. Many of our nation’s youth are passionate about the planet, the climate, the environment. Climbing trees and getting muddy knees are memories from childhood we all treasure, but are they increasingly becoming experiences of the past?</i></div>
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<i>Presenter: Charlotte Smith</i></div>
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<i>Panel:</i></div>
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<i>Lindsey Russell - Blue Peter Presenter </i></div>
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<i>Findlay Wilde – Young Conservationist</i></div>
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<i>Gemma Jones - Green Academies Project </i></div>
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<i>Helen Kaye Bourne - Action For Conservation </i></div>
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<i>India Ashfield – Wildlife Trust </i></div>
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The debate actually started with a great ice-breaker question about the level of confidence we have in people in power to protect the environment. We then went on to speak about our feelings about Greta Thunberg's climate strikes and the more extreme actions taken by Extinction Rebellion. Of course we covered the topics of how to engage with young people and the fact that they are the generation that will be most impacted by climate change.</div>
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It was a fascinating debate and whilst we agreed on most things, there were some areas I was not quite in agreement on. For example, the action taken by Extinction Rebellion has certainly helped put pressure the government to declare a climate emergency, but it also turned many people off the main message, as the media talked more about the disruption and managed to put a real negative spin on what was happening. I more and more believe in collaborative working and it is really important to take people with you and not alienate yourself from the people you need on side (both now and in the future).</div>
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We all agreed on the importance of climate related issues being taught in school to all ages to ensure the generations coming through have the knowledge to make better life choices as they get older. It should also be a hands on experience to ensure children actually feel that connection with nature and don't suffer from "<a href="https://markavery.info/2015/10/21/guest-blog-minor-encounter-nature-findlay-wilde/">the lost years</a>" as they move into secondary school. However, I feel that it is just as important to reach out and educate all generations if we want to achieve the big changes needed; just look at the difference the Blue Planet series made to plastic awareness.</div>
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Some of the really interesting thoughts and learnings came on the back of the audience questions towards the end of the session. In fact, we ran over quite significantly due to the engagement of the audience and the desire to discuss as many points raised as possible.</div>
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It was inspiring to see how many youngsters in the audience had their hands up wanting to ask questions. Their questions were well thought out and came from a real desire to do something to protect the planet. I hope they head back to school in September and put into place some of the advice given - I'm pretty sure there is one school in particular that will be going all out for a Blue Peter green badge!</div>
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But the most poignant moment for me during the session, and the one that I have reflected on the most since the debate, was an observation made by a more senior member of the audience. He asked whether or not the under 25s should change their language to avoid a "them and us" situation between generations. He felt that there was almost a blame being put on his generation and that whilst the younger generations may be more aware then ever before about climate change, they do not have all the answers.</div>
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On reflection, it was an excellent observation and of course young people are just part of the answer. There is a real boldness coming through in the language and actions of the under 25s, but there is experience, knowledge and influence to be found across the generations. No individual generation is solely responsible for the state of the planet and no individual generation can reverse the crisis. Yes we need to be bold in our actions, but we also have to be inclusive. </div>
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We're all in this together after all.</div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-19160876544273336782019-04-14T20:11:00.000+01:002019-04-14T20:11:35.335+01:002019 Heronry Census<div style="text-align: center;">
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I have been counting active Heron nests with Professor David Norman as part of the BTO Heronries Census at the same site since 2014. During a break from revision, it was great to get back to the site again today.</div>
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2014 Survey</div>
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2019 Survey</div>
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In the last 5 years the numbers have not changed as much as we have!</div>
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<a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/heronry-census-with-professor-david.html">2014</a> - 70 </div>
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<a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2015/05/2015-heronry-census.html">2015</a> - 64 </div>
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2016 - 71 </div>
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2017 - 69 </div>
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<a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/04/btos-heronries-census-90th-year-of.html">2018</a> - 64<br />
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2019 - 47</div>
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But as you can see, there is quite a noticeable dip in this years numbers. It is too early to say why, but it will be interesting to see the results of other counts this year, particularly in Cheshire.</div>
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For more information about the census, you can take a look at <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/04/btos-heronries-census-90th-year-of.html">my blog from last year</a> celebrating 90 years of the survey, or visit the <a href="https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/heronries-census">BTO's website</a>.</div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-86742676192397216482019-02-10T11:52:00.000+00:002019-02-10T20:14:42.483+00:00Discard - a thing rejected as no longer useful or desirable<div style="text-align: center;">
I live in a very rural setting in the heart of Cheshire and have lived in the countryside all my life. My passion for wildlife was fuelled by the the everyday birds, mammals and insects I would come across every time I walked out of my front door; but my commitment to campaign about environmental issues was also fuelled by the things I have seen in the countryside (sometimes within walking distance from home and sometimes further afield), inexcusable things.</div>
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Several pheasant shoots take place in the surrounding area, and during the season I can hear the shots being fired.</div>
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A few weeks ago there was a post on our village Facebook page. The post described a fly tipping incident on a track that leads to the river and it also included the following picture:</div>
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I had to see this for myself to understand the scale of the situation. As I approached, I could see the large blue plastic bags and I already knew what was in them.</div>
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According to the Facebook post, the bags were originally wrapped in a carpet to hide the contents, but once the carpet had been removed I counted about 30 shot pheasants. 30 pheasants that had been shot for pleasure and then dumped by the side of a country track that families use frequently as they walk to the river. </div>
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But that was not all. There were also some black bin bags in the mix. Again I had to look, so I opened the bin bags and found the bodies of two Canada Geese. </div>
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According to an 2016 article in Shooting UK, approximately 35 million game birds, mostly non-native pheasants, are released each year. They are farmed and then many are shot for sport. Some will eventually be eaten, but clearly not all of them. The number of social media posts I see about stink pits and fly tipping of shot birds is alarming. Birds shot for pleasure and then simply discarded.</div>
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<i><b>Discard - a thing rejected as no longer useful or desirable.</b></i></div>
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There are so many dark sides to the shooting industry, but his total waste of life (in the name of sport) in unjustifiable. This is not an acceptable part of rural life. The outrage and disgust on the Facebook post from the local community was clear to see. </div>
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I would be very interested to hear from the shooting community regarding their thoughts on how we can all tackle this. Regardless of my thoughts on shooting, I am not for a minute suggesting that this discard practise is something carried out by all shoot organisers, but it is widespread within their industry and they have to literally clean up their act.</div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-4715140320376922162018-12-29T11:15:00.004+00:002018-12-29T20:10:52.857+00:00A Look Back at 2018<div style="text-align: center;">
Sometimes, it's not until you take a few minutes to look back, you realise just how much you packed into a year (especially when most of the year was dominated by GCSE revision). Here are just a few of my highlights, and a real lowlight, from 2018:</div>
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<b>January</b></div>
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The amazing response I got from people when I posted <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/01/open-letter-to-christopher-hope-at.html"><b>my open letter to Christopher Hope</b></a> at The Telegraph following his disappointing article which referenced my visit to No10. Sadly I never did get a response from Mr Hope.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonDO-EG3rc9QC3meExTpdhHTWIDD36SY29sts7vlzRVumn5f8sqITg8MxHPA-PEytPglt42aTGErrmQjlpB9bv5y2SbtWgABLrstgqf6MGqrF7BSIe4Bt8G0vuBtTZwKbnoU4x0CrCb4/s1600/IMG_2035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonDO-EG3rc9QC3meExTpdhHTWIDD36SY29sts7vlzRVumn5f8sqITg8MxHPA-PEytPglt42aTGErrmQjlpB9bv5y2SbtWgABLrstgqf6MGqrF7BSIe4Bt8G0vuBtTZwKbnoU4x0CrCb4/s320/IMG_2035.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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GCSE revision.</div>
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<b>February</b></div>
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Turning 16. Driving next year hopefully!<br />
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GCSE revision</div>
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<b>March</b><br />
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Ringing started on our own site and I look forward to building an in depth understanding of the area over the coming years..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRM6_aURSe5kZ3rQWp2Y9PewJfgJD4scOn_JxPEwp6eXU7UlSHs7W9shfuhrkmjIERKu19Fk7ELJ4e0Q6UWEqJpoAPQ8L1upijaF1aICzt8rlQUhd6UsNloladJOjS4fH953J2XikzLZc/s1600/20180330_111316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRM6_aURSe5kZ3rQWp2Y9PewJfgJD4scOn_JxPEwp6eXU7UlSHs7W9shfuhrkmjIERKu19Fk7ELJ4e0Q6UWEqJpoAPQ8L1upijaF1aICzt8rlQUhd6UsNloladJOjS4fH953J2XikzLZc/s320/20180330_111316.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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GCSE revision</div>
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<b>April</b></div>
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5 day trip to Italy with school.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vG_xt1_6hhZaKvfAICj4JN3fSgVdPN2E_PnvtDLXIfKWGDcu69rzPc8r4PI5NkAaZhUdLB_DT-nsjUd8CybqEr0oZItRGxzOHb1VWG7i285LUIjaaXgg7YfnL9HKxBIdbTy88DoXG20/s1600/fullsizeoutput_24c8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vG_xt1_6hhZaKvfAICj4JN3fSgVdPN2E_PnvtDLXIfKWGDcu69rzPc8r4PI5NkAaZhUdLB_DT-nsjUd8CybqEr0oZItRGxzOHb1VWG7i285LUIjaaXgg7YfnL9HKxBIdbTy88DoXG20/s320/fullsizeoutput_24c8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZyd8XAdIWQKUWlgDZiCzTPv2sRwHABfv6FsKvcpO7nXC1xqpB_hTLMdxatUjNzX1h3_tfn0LAFmTHUrl4AZkJLQ-ZOv4SYEqhjVCKx3-P7j0mn2QKHGH5YQLm1RrngJpfv7tOonQF_w/s1600/20180403_182818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZyd8XAdIWQKUWlgDZiCzTPv2sRwHABfv6FsKvcpO7nXC1xqpB_hTLMdxatUjNzX1h3_tfn0LAFmTHUrl4AZkJLQ-ZOv4SYEqhjVCKx3-P7j0mn2QKHGH5YQLm1RrngJpfv7tOonQF_w/s320/20180403_182818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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GCSE revision.</div>
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<b>May</b></div>
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A devastating month as the news came through that <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/05/gone-too-soon.html">Hen Harrier Finn was missing</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHS5Pvqt5zFtdvQudt98lAd9DpF901E8Xpm9T_n9egw0Vd46VVz4uU0JtchhJYPf2oT8zDX70q9ClXpnXbPVkabW8dNfPGyH6u22FFYRgs5k3zPJ0eqkFkcdAD3vcsbZa4RN3grj4T_Kg/s1600/Ecotricity+HH+nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHS5Pvqt5zFtdvQudt98lAd9DpF901E8Xpm9T_n9egw0Vd46VVz4uU0JtchhJYPf2oT8zDX70q9ClXpnXbPVkabW8dNfPGyH6u22FFYRgs5k3zPJ0eqkFkcdAD3vcsbZa4RN3grj4T_Kg/s1600/Ecotricity+HH+nest.jpg" /></a></div>
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A stunning White-winged Black Tern showed up at Budworth Mere, close to home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOwq-PxmgeB6SViwI9g7Y33mLeeNDPQL1R7-UMA3cSKmO0Jaxus9iIxvytzjlCBTBaAYEsIlRzDx1nHfxEqZ3Q3Fx2JWvJqwdPp19KYHhsXndHiwgrUKEh44u0vSo6nsJ3STC-5bCVkQ/s1600/20181228_155913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOwq-PxmgeB6SViwI9g7Y33mLeeNDPQL1R7-UMA3cSKmO0Jaxus9iIxvytzjlCBTBaAYEsIlRzDx1nHfxEqZ3Q3Fx2JWvJqwdPp19KYHhsXndHiwgrUKEh44u0vSo6nsJ3STC-5bCVkQ/s320/20181228_155913.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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GCSE revision</div>
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<b>June</b></div>
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Finishing school and prom night!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XiLuvuRJl15VFUjrk6-fMbgHjf8xQKnyuX3z08Uo-JtETB7Y1nd51Wb0ysP_6e8WEaAl0Q7oWa4UHeUbt7eheE3on9sV6AmyQrQzEWpgzmepZNrwhmk3DqIafqai-233Tsufq8J_MYM/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1635.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XiLuvuRJl15VFUjrk6-fMbgHjf8xQKnyuX3z08Uo-JtETB7Y1nd51Wb0ysP_6e8WEaAl0Q7oWa4UHeUbt7eheE3on9sV6AmyQrQzEWpgzmepZNrwhmk3DqIafqai-233Tsufq8J_MYM/s320/fullsizeoutput_1635.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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No more revision!<br />
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<b>July</b></div>
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Spurn volunteering on Little Terns project, but I also had great views of a Roseate Tern and Squacco Heron.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcSDqchC0JOiHj_sylQvHw-6gAQc0FXudszsoCMfSvhZ7jEnl8TijEgiemULmsjDKAjkoRJk95RAfOs0dkOFD1qtXkv08-nHSGRwR6gV9-iMpcb6PSb3E7Bq9N5TX0iBkf-v3bx8tfCE/s1600/DhHumeUX4AAo96b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcSDqchC0JOiHj_sylQvHw-6gAQc0FXudszsoCMfSvhZ7jEnl8TijEgiemULmsjDKAjkoRJk95RAfOs0dkOFD1qtXkv08-nHSGRwR6gV9-iMpcb6PSb3E7Bq9N5TX0iBkf-v3bx8tfCE/s320/DhHumeUX4AAo96b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>August</b></div>
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Taking part in a <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/08/countryfile-live.html">live panel debate</a> hosted by The National Trust at Countryfile Live.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NCJquabdvQ2CrtlzbFAn_D0KUNhUgPcRVqkItizptq3gFMDmJeY9iT6Z7NScSTX6HdVcAwFZxskY5WdnCVKnyK6d89fBypQ3FB6aHhmcKT_2LRH62AwIIQb3y_PokmkiHIrEkrwsexM/s1600/IMG_2823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NCJquabdvQ2CrtlzbFAn_D0KUNhUgPcRVqkItizptq3gFMDmJeY9iT6Z7NScSTX6HdVcAwFZxskY5WdnCVKnyK6d89fBypQ3FB6aHhmcKT_2LRH62AwIIQb3y_PokmkiHIrEkrwsexM/s320/IMG_2823.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/08/hen-harrier-day-parkgate-2018.html">Hen Harrier Day at Parkgate</a>. A great venue and an amazing group of people coming together to make a difference.</div>
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#Inglorious12th Thunderclap was signed by 1810 people and went out with a social reach of 8.2 million people.</div>
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Getting my GCSE results and securing my place at 6th Form.</div>
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Stumbling across a pair of Black-winged Stilt and chicks in Portugal and experiencing the Algarve for the first time.</div>
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<b>September</b></div>
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Starting 6th Form to study Chemistry, Biology and Geography A Levels (revision resumes).</div>
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Great time camping at Spurn's MigFest weekend and great views of my first Common Rosefinch.</div>
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<b>October</b></div>
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A pint and catch up with Mark Avery in London. Brilliant afternoon.<br />
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Attending the BTO Marsh Ornithology Awards at the Mall Galleries in London to collect the Marsh Local Ornithology Award for 2018 with the Spurn Bird Observatory team.</div>
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Invited to attend the <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/11/bto-agenda-for-change.html">BTOs Agenda for Change event</a> at the House of Lords.</div>
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<b>December</b></div>
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News just in! Ruth Tingay winning "Conservation Hero of the Year" in the Birdwatch Birder's Choice Awards. Another step forwards in the fight against raptor persecution. Really well done Tingster.</div>
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And more news just in, Chris Packham being awarded a CBE in the New Year's Honours List in recognition of conservation work. Great to see important work like his being recognised.</div>
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An interesting year to look back on. Let's see what 2019 brings!</div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-38196781733717498172018-12-25T08:47:00.002+00:002018-12-25T08:47:46.969+00:00Merry Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-90656955305750535542018-11-18T16:42:00.002+00:002018-11-18T16:42:56.452+00:00BTO - An Agenda For Change<div style="text-align: center;">
A few months ago I received an invitation that instantly grabbed by attention. I had been invited to attend a Parliamentary reception being held on behalf of the British Trust for Ornithology, hosted by Baroness Young of Old Scone at the House of Lords. So last Tuesday I headed down to London for the evening. </div>
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The BTO have been reviewing what they need to do to step outside the narrow audience they have and reach out to a wider group of people. This has of course all be done in line with changes that may come about from Brexit and of course how they can be more involved in the UK Government's 25 Year Environment Plan.</div>
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I never really considered just how narrow the BTO's audience is. I have been involved with the organisation since I was about 10, and therefore have a good overview of the important scientific research they do through a wide network of volunteers; but if I mention the BTO to people I know, I usually have to go on to explain what they do and how they do it. </div>
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The reception was being held to launch the BTO's "Agenda for Change" and included inspiring, rallying speeches from, amongst others, Andy Clements, Caroline Lucas and Baroness Young of Old Scone. </div>
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The speeches were all important in setting out the need for the BTO to be bolder in it's approach and maybe more heroic, as the advice and guidance the BTO can give is supported by clear scientific evidence. Caroline Lucas in particular spoke of the need for the BTO to be more involved with political leaders and to keep up the pressure to ensure that they are listened to. Andy Clements then went on to introduced their Agenda for Change what they plan to do.</div>
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Even in my lifetime, I have seen the impact of climate change through the scientific study of birds, for example, changes in nesting seasons, changes in wintering species etc. Birds are one of the first indicators of changes in the environment, so the all the valuable scientific data the BTO holds, and continues to gather, needs to be used with greater force to effect change in environmental policies.</div>
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One of the bullet points that caught my eye was this one:</div>
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<i><b>"We will become more accessible and relevant to wider society, inspiring a new generation to participate in the understanding of, and engagement with, the natural world"</b></i></div>
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I have seen the effort made by the BTO to engage with my generation and it was fantastic to see so many young people at the reception. </div>
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I have had so many great opportunities by being a volunteer for the BTO, but it is a harder organisation to sell to my generation as it is not as tangible as the RSPB with all their reserves and actual places to visit. I know I have said it many times, but school is the place where the impacts of climate change, plastic pollution, habitat destruction etc needs to be taught, and an organisation like the BTO with science based facts should be linking up with schools and the education minister to see how their research and results can be built into all core curriculum subjects.</div>
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It was an interesting evening and a great opportunity to catch up with the BTO team and many other engaging and influential people. I really look forward to being part of a bolder BTO organisation and seeing how they can use the important scientific data gathered by volunteers across the country for an even greater good.</div>
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<br />Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-61132419957457434512018-10-13T16:23:00.000+01:002018-10-13T16:23:49.238+01:00Raptor Watching at Parkgate<div style="text-align: center;">
It's a great time of year for birding with lots on the move, with the added excitement of the possibility of finding something slightly rarer. You never know what might turn up; but sometimes it's great to just enjoy a stunning location and the birds you would expect to find there.</div>
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One such place is Parkgate on the Wirral. It's vast salt marsh is home and wintering ground to a huge variety of species, but at this time of year it is the raptors that draw me in. There is a good chance of seeing a huge variety of birds of prey during a visit at this time of year; Peregrine, Merlin, Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and of course those thought provoking Hen Harriers. </div>
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During a hide tide you have the perfect conditions for a phenomenal show of raptors . As the incoming tide floods the salt marsh, the raptors move closer in to viewing areas to feed. Birders and non-birders alike cannot fail to be drawn in.</div>
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<a href="https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/events-dates-and-inspiration/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-458926"><b>The RSPB</b></a> are again doing 6 Raptor Watch sessions starting this weekend and ending in March 2019. The dates are as follows:</div>
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Sunday 14 October 2018</div>
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Sunday 11 November 2018</div>
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Sunday 9 December 2018</div>
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Sunday 13 January 2019</div>
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Sunday 10 February 2019</div>
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Sunday 10 March 2019</div>
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They are free events taking place at the Old Baths car park (same venue as <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/08/hen-harrier-day-parkgate-2018.html"><b>the recent Hen Harrier Day</b></a>) from 1pm until dusk. It's always worth checking the high time times and height as well. Hopefully I will see some of you at Parkgate soon.</div>
<br />Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-75971627489939246722018-08-16T21:29:00.001+01:002018-08-16T21:34:18.085+01:00Hen Harrier Day Parkgate 2018<br />
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Due to various family commitments and other variables affecting my Summer off, this year I was only able to attend one Hen Harrier Day (but what a fantastic one it was). I was joined the night before by Mark and Rosemary Avery to rest up after a long drive from the Hen Harrier Day at Rainham Marshes. This allowed a good chance to have a proper catch up after not seeing them in quite some time.</div>
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This year the Hen Harrier Day I attended was a much more local one for me at Parkgate on the Wirral. Readers of this blog may be familiar with the site, as I have written about some remarkable <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2016/04/together-in-electric-dreams.html">high tide events</a> there in the past.<br />
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With the help of some funding from Birders Against Wildlife Crime, we had hired a van to move our homemade grouse butt to the site to be used as stage for the selection of speakers. We were the first to arrive on site and were greeted by a Marsh Harrier quartering over the salt marsh.<br />
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Next to arrive was Jeff Clarke who did an amazing job in organising the event and pulling everything together. In a short space of time we were joined by Phil Walton from BAWC, the RSPB Burton Mere team, Wirral Barn Owl Trust, Record and the Cheshire Wildlife Trusts who all had stands at the event.</div>
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Once everything was set up the venue looked fantastic and showed just how much effort people are willing to put into these events to raise awareness about the illegal persecution of Hen Harriers. As people began to arrive it was good to catch up with old friends including Ruth Tingay who wrote <a href="https://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2018/08/12/a-hen-harrier-day-poem/">an excellent poem</a> for the Rainham Hen Harrier Day.<br />
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The main event consisted of 7 speakers talking about various aspects to do with the reasons we have Hen Harrier Days and the darkness of raptor persecution. The first speaker was Colin Wells (former manager at RSPB Burton Mere) who spoke about the history of the site and how it is a fantastic place to come and see Hen Harriers in the Winter and what he did as manager of the site to protect it and make it the success it is today.</div>
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The second speaker was Colin's successor as manager at RSPB Burton Mere; Graham Jones discussed why he wanted the job as manager and how he was going to continue working with everyone to protect the fantastic site for raptors and the many breeding waders.</div>
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Next up was the fantastic Alan Davies who was talking a bit about all the world harrier species he has seen, but mainly he did a brilliant job in lifting the audience in a confident and inspiring protest; addressing the people who kill Hen Harriers and other upland wildlife. He told them that they will lose eventually, no matter how long it takes.</div>
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I was the fourth speaker to take to the stage. At previous Hen Harrier Days I had spoken generally about the illegal persecution of upland wildlife and joined the other voices in calling for an end to this barbaric slaughter. However, this time I wanted to tell <a href="https://youtu.be/_0n_iKWFOm4">a more personal story</a> about my journey with a Hen Harrier called Finn who had her life cut short earlier this year in March.<br />
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After me it was James Bray from the RSPB who had travelled all they way down from Bowland. He gave a lengthy talk about how there should be far more upland species of raptor such as Peregrine and Hen Harrier breeding in Bowland. These species just aren't there in the numbers they could and should be in. It was good to hear true stories from the front line of raptor conservation.</div>
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Next was Dr Mark Avery. Mark as usual spoke very well and told the whole story about Hen Harrier Days and the successes of days being held elsewhere and of course reinforced the fact that we will succeed in banning driven grouse shooting one day.</div>
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Finally the selection of brilliant speakers was capped off by Iolo Williams. He also gave a personal story about how he used to go up on the moors and watch Hen Harriers as a child and how it really 'pisses him off' that people are violent enough to kill them. He left the audience feeling angry and hyped up to make a difference.<br />
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Between these talks Jeff Clarke did a fantastic job in opening the event, linking all the speeches and closing the sessions. He really reinforced the fact that Hen Harrier Days need to continue and why we were all there all. I should also say thank you to him for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OyGuDvSSl4">a thunderous introduction</a> to my speech and all the support he gave the thunderclap I set up (which went out to 8.2 million people that morning).<br />
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One or two anti-Hen Harrier Day people have made comments on social media about the "pointless" numbers generated by the thunderclap and how it makes no difference and means nothing. Well of course I beg to differ. The thunderclap was signed by 1810 people, but when it was posted out to social media, it had the potential to be seen by 8.2 million people. Not only that, as I type this, almost 25,000 people have made the effort to follow the link in the thunderclap and find out more about the dark side of uplands management, something that they chose to do. To me that is a great awareness success story.</div>
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After the talks, it was time to catch up with everyone and it was really positive to hear how many people were at a Hen Harrier Day for the very first time.</div>
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A good mate of mine, Dan Gornall, had turned up for the event and after all the talks had been done we were having a good catch up. As he checked his phone news came through that a Bonarpartes Gull had turned up at Hoylake just down the road. So after a few farewells (and long walk back to where he parked his car) we were on our way to see this American gull. Sadly though, 5 minutes before we had got there the bird had flown off towards the tideline, which was a good mile out. Therefore on this occasion we dipped it, but it was great to catch up and a big thanks to him for the lift.</div>
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I was then escorted back to the Boathouse Pub where myself and the speakers and organisers of the event spent a great few hours eating together to round the day off. As soon as I arrived I was informed that, whilst I was dipping the Bonarpartes Gull, the people who had remained at the venue for Hen Harrier Day actually saw a ringtail Hen Harrier. A fact that Mark Avery will happily keep reminding me about.<br />
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All in all it was another very inspirational Hen Harrier Day. A huge thanks to Jeff Clarke for making it happen. At least 300 people had turned up for this event making it the highest attended Hen Harrier Day his year, which couldn't have happened without Jeff's hard work and brilliant organisation.<br />
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So who will be coming to the 5 year anniversary Hen Harrier Day next year at Derwent Dam?</div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-70996405832815599372018-08-15T21:26:00.001+01:002018-08-15T21:26:28.102+01:00Countryfile Live<div style="text-align: center;">
Saturday the 4th of August saw me attending the annual Countryfile Live fair, which this year took place at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. I had been invited to attend by the National Trust.<br />
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Due to GCSE exams it has been difficult to get involved in anything birding and conservation based, so it was especially good to be joining a panel of conservationists and naturalists to talk about our own experiences in the natural world and how to inspire others (especially the next generation of conservationists). </div>
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The panel session didn't start until 12:15 so I had plenty of time before the debate to have a look around the event and see what it was all about. It was much bigger than I expected, even though I had read that an estimated 100,000 people would be attending throughout the 5 days. It was really encouraging to see that many people were in fact of the younger generation and it was great to see them engaging well with the likes of the RSPB, Wildlife Trust and BTO.<br />
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It was also great to meet up with Rosie, a local farmer at home in Cheshire, who runs a fantastic stewardship farm, which has been managed to encourage an amazing abundance of wildlife.</div>
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Due to the vast amount of wildlife based stands, it was great to see some familiar faces; the BT0, for example, were attracting a large audience by leading a ringing demonstration. The previous day they had caught and ringed a Buzzard, which was a bit of a surprise for everyone involved. Again it was great to see lots of young children being inspired by the natural world. </div>
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Before long it was time to head over to the National Trust marquee where the panel session was taking place. Before the event started, I got to chance to meet my fellow panellists who consisted of Ray Mears (bushcraft and survival expert), Gwen Potter (National Trust countryside manager), Billy Clarke (young naturalist and TV researcher) and Lizzie Daly (wildlife presenter). It was great to meet these people beforehand and discuss our ideas and share some of our recent experiences.<br />
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The panel session consisted of the chair, Tom Heap, asking each one of us individual questions for roughly 40 minutes before the questions were opened up to the audience. The panel session wasn't exactly what I was expecting; however I managed to get in points about the importance of environmental issues being part of the education system and how important it is to raised awareness about environmental issues such as the illegal persecution of upland raptors.<br />
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I also talked about the positive sides and power of social media. There were mixed views on social media, but I still believe that social media was a key part of my engagement with like minded young people. It allowed me to meet up with a peer group (that I didn't have in school) and share ideas, experiences and ideas about conservation. <br />
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A few years ago, I posted a series of guest blogs on the "13 years Wilde" topic. A recurring theme in these posts was the lost years. At the age of 13 many people started their disconnect with nature. For me, this is the time to introduce the harder facts and to make people understand how losing important eco-systems will directly impact them. This to me should be done by incorporating environmental issues into all parts of the curriculum in secondary schools. But that is another blog in itself.<br />
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I was hoping that we would cover more on careers in conservation and how to get people interested in it; but not surprisingly many of the questions were directed to Ray Mears about his experiences and thoughts on trophy hunting, re-wilding etc. Whilst I did not agree with everything Ray had to say, I did agree that in a case like the Hen Harrier situation, the priority has to be safeguarding the birds.<br />
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Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity and it was really interesting to hear quite different view points on conservation, some I agreed with, and some I really didn't. I would have liked longer to talk with these people and I hope I will get the opportunity to meet up with them again.<br />
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-41593737909833822152018-08-01T13:17:00.000+01:002018-08-01T13:17:57.331+01:00#Inglorious12th Thunderclap Update<div>
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<a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/06/inglorious12th-time-to-speak-out-again.html"><b>My last blog post</b></a> was to launch the 2018 #Inglorious12th Thunderclap. As a reminder, the Thunderclap is calling for an end to the "illegal' persecution of uplands wildlife, something that everyone should want to see happen. Currently this year's Thunderclap has reached the following numbers:<br />
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<li>850 Supporters</li>
<li>5.5 million social reach</li>
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Last year by the 12th August we had an 11 million social reach and 3565 supporters, so we have some way to go to beat that and raise even more awareness.</div>
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But we still have 11 days to go, so I am asking you all to help in any, or all of, the following ways:<br />
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1. Share the link again on your social media accounts and ask people to sign and share it<br />
2. Email your contacts with a link to the thunderclap asking them to sign and share it<br />
3. Get one person a day to sign and share it whilst you are with them<br />
4. Remind people that they can sign on both their Twitter and Facebook accounts<br />
5. If any of you are at Hen Harrier Day events on Saturday 11th, please ask people to get their phones out and sign there and then.<br />
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As a reminder, here is the link to the Thunderclap:<br />
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<a href="https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/70509-the-inglorious-12th"><b>https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/70509-the-inglorious-12th</b></a><br />
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Like a lot of you, I was delighted to hear that this year there were 14 breeding attempts by Hen Harrier pairs in England (up from last years 4 breeding attempts. 9 of these attempts were successful and 34 chicks have fledged. But I will be even more delighted when we no longer have to campaign against the illegal activity linked to grouse moors.</div>
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Thank you in advance for your help with this last big push and I hope many of you can make it to one of <a href="http://henharrierday.org/2018-events.html">this year's Hen Harrier Days.</a><br />
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-47859914771998690402018-06-13T16:19:00.000+01:002018-06-27T21:24:31.618+01:00#Inglorious12th - Time to Speak Out Again<div style="text-align: center;">
It's that time of year again. The run up to what is more and more becoming known as the Inglorious 12th.</div>
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On 12th August, the uplands will echo with the sound of gunshots as the grouse shooting season starts. Thousands of Red Grouse will be shot for sport, but they are not the only wildlife that will suffer in the name of sport.</div>
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Grouse moors are intensively managed to ensure that unnaturally high numbers of Red Grouse breed and flourish in the uplands, but in order to encourage these unnaturally high numbers of Red Grouse, other native wildlife is "controlled". Foxes, mountain hares, birds of prey are just some on the species seen as a threat to the Red Grouse numbers. Whether you like it or not, some of this "control" is completely legal activity. But some is not!</div>
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The decline in Hen Harriers across the UK, but especially in England is directly linked to the grouse shooting industry in the uplands. There is of course some natural predation of ground nesting birds like Hen Harriers, but natural predation alone would not lead to a situation where we had only 3 successful breeding pairs of Hen Harrier in England last year. Furthermore, the uplands are managed to protect a ground nesting bird (the Red Grouse), so surely this would in theory benefit other ground nest birds like the Hen Harrier. So where are they?</div>
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Hen Harriers have been illegally persecuted in the uplands for years and years and this has had a devastating impact on this iconic bird known affectionately as the Skydancer.</div>
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Skydancers have the power to inspire deep emotions in people that have been lucky enough to see them. You read some amazing personal stories about Hen Harrier sightings by <a href="https://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2017/02/those-thought-provoking-hen-harriers.html"><b>clicking here</b></a>.</div>
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The RSPBs Hen Harrier Life+ Project has been tracking successfully fledged Hen Harrier chicks as part of a 5 year project. The chicks are satellite tagged and monitored to track their progress. I would recommend that you <a href="http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/skydancer/b/skydancer/default.aspx">read the RSPB's Skydancer blog</a> and see just how many of the birds that they have followed have disappeared. </div>
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It became even more personal this year, when the Hen Harrier I campaigned hard for to get sponsored by Ecotricity became the latest bird to go missing. She was less than 2 years old. She has not been found and neither has her tag. There was no reason for her tag to just stop working, even if she had died of natural causes. You can read more about her short, but meaningful journey by <a href="https://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2018/05/gone-too-soon.html"><b>clicking here</b></a>.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hen Harrier Finn and her brothers</span></div>
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So it is that time of year again when I ask you all to do one small thing, that will take just seconds, and help raise awareness about the dark side of the Inglorious 12th. <b><a href="https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/70509-the-inglorious-12th"><span style="color: red;">Please sign up to the Inglorious12th thunderclap</span></a> </b>and make sure people understand what is happening to native wildlife in the uplands. It is an intense cycle of death with Red Grouse numbers artificially inflated, natural predators controlled, and then the Red Grouse are shot. We all have a responsibility to safeguard the natural world for future generations and speak out against the greed, ignorance and denial that is pushing the natural world to it's limits.</div>
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For those of you who may question the point of doing another thunderclap, you can find some answers in the blog I posted last year called <a href="https://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com/2017/03/thunderclap-whats-point.html">Thunderclap - What's The Point</a>. You can also read why it is important to keep trying to drive a change by <a href="http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/skydancer/b/skydancer/archive/2018/03/28/same-old-story-hen-harriers-findlay-wilde.aspx">clicking here</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/58601-the-inglorious12th">Last year's Inglorious 12th thunderclap</a> was signed by 3565 people and had a social reach of over 11 million. It reached out to all the followers of the people that signed the thunderclap, many of who were unaware of the battle raging in our uplands. </div>
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Let's see how far we can reach out together this year. Please <a href="https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/70509-the-inglorious-12th"><b>sign up to this year's thunderclap</b></a> and get at least one other person to do the same, and let's make sure people understand that there is nothing glorious about 12th August.</div>
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Thank you.<br />
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Link to <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com/2018/06/wild-bird-wednesday-309-australian.html">Wild Bird Wednesday</a></div>
Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-26624223150997094712018-05-22T12:40:00.000+01:002018-05-22T21:47:45.080+01:00Gone Too Soon<div style="text-align: center;">
Everything seemed that bit duller the day the news broke. The sun still shone, but it didn’t seem as bright. The birds were still singing, but their song didn’t inspire me as it usually does. Sometimes you hear a piece of news that stops you in your tracks. Here is the first sentence of the news I received:</div>
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"<i>Apologies for the delay in an update about Finn but it means that I have some rather terrible news.</i>”<br />
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Finn was a Hen Harrier that was satellite tagged as part of the RSPB's Skydancer project and thanks to <a href="https://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/wilde-about-finn.html">funding from Ecotricity</a>. In 2015 I approached the green energy company Ecotricity to ask them to help sponsor a satellite tag as part of the <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/conservation-and-sustainability/safeguarding-species/skydancer">RSPB Skydancer project</a>. The whole team were brilliant, and were quick to agree. It was then a long wait to see how many chicks would be available for tagging after the 2016 breeding season. Finally, in August 2016, Hen Harrier Finn successfully fledged from her nest in Northumberland with a satellite tag on board to track her progress.</div>
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Normally, a freshly fledged Hen Harrier would hang around it's breeding site for a while, but not Finn. She showed determination from the start. Shortly after fledging she had crossed the Scottish border and then stayed in Scotland and over wintered in South Ayrshire. And she has stayed that side of the border ever since.</div>
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Once she had fledged, I received regular 2 weekly updates on her progress. Every time the email was slightly late (for very valid reasons each time) I would start to worry that maybe she has become just another statistic and become one of the many Hen Harriers that seem to just disappear over the uplands.<br />
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My heart wanted to see Finn soar, but my head told me to be realistic about her chances of survival. Finn made life particularly worrying for us as she chose to spend a lot of her time in and around the Leadhills Estate. </div>
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At the start of the 2017 breeding season, some amazing news came through from the RSPB Skydancer team:</div>
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<i>“I bring some excellent news on Finn, she has a nest on Leadhills.</i></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Her data over the last week while had her fixed to the same area and it was looking really likely that she might have been on a nest. So some of the Scottish team headed out to the area yesterday and saw her indeed rise up out of her nest, take food from her mate, eat her meal and return to her nest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">This is really exciting news, to have a tagged female Hen Harrier on a nest while she is not even a year old yet!”</span></div>
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Unusually for a Hen Harrier, Finn bred in her first year and successfully raised one chick. The satellite tag came into its own during this time, as the Skydancer team were quickly able to locate Finn and monitor her safety to reduce the risk of illegal persecution. </div>
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Throughout the rest of 2017 we continued to get the regular updates on Finn’s progress as she headed away from the breeding grounds. She survived the very cold Winter months, and as Spring approached I started to hope that maybe she would breed again.<br />
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But the last update was very late coming though.<br />
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When it did arrive, the news I received was that her satellite tag had stopped transmitting on 25th March, but up until that point the data from her tag suggested that she was alive and well. Her last known position was in south west Scotland near Moffat. She was ranging quite far in her final weeks, mostly over south west Scotland, and never settling in one place for too long. She even visited her 2017 breeding grounds and took a brief visit over the border near Haltwhistle. <br />
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For her satellite tag to stop working so suddenly is suspicious, therefore I have been unable to post this blog until investigations have taken place and the news breaks officially. And that has given me time to reflect.<br />
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Finn for me was a beacon of hope. I always knew that following Finn's journey would be a rollercoaster of emotions and I always felt that she was probably living on borrowed time, but she seemed to soar through all the challenges that came her way. </div>
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In the short time we followed her, we went through every emotion possible; from the excitement of knowing she had safely fledged to the nagging worries that she was settling in high risk areas; and then of course to the worst news of all.</div>
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As UK Hen Harrier numbers continue to fall (with illegal persecution being high up the list of reasons), she was a vital part of future population recovery hopes. She made an important difference by successfully breeding in her first year, but her luck ran out way too soon. Just 2 years was no where near enough time.<br />
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But she won't ever be just another statistic; her life mattered; she mattered to me. <br />
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<i><b>"Hope" is the thing with feathers -</b></i><br />
<i><b>That perches in the soul -</b></i><br />
<i><b>And sings the tune with our the words -</b></i><br />
<i><b>And never stops - at all -</b></i><br />
Emily Dickinson<br />
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Linking to <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/wild-bird-wednesday-304-crimson-rosella.html">Wild Bird Wednesday</a></div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-41921543410611279822018-04-15T15:09:00.001+01:002018-04-18T19:29:22.033+01:00BTO's Heronries Census - 90th Year of the Survey<div style="text-align: center;">
Yesterday I had a break from revision and, after a morning of ringing, took part in the BTO's Heronries Census for the fifth consecutive year. I have been counting the apparently occupied nests at the same site in Cheshire since <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/heronry-census-with-professor-david.html">April 2014</a>. There is actually a concentration of large heronries in Cheshire.</div>
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This year the Heronries Census celebrates it's 90th year. According to the BTO website, the census was only meant to be a one off survey back in 1928 for British Birds magazine, but it has carried on every year since and is probably one of the longest running data sets for any breeding bird in the world. The number of active heronries counted in the UK is now well over 500 each year and around</div>
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two-thirds of all heronries in England, Wales and the Isle of Man are currently counted each year.</div>
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The census counts herons, egrets and other colonial waterbirds, however this particular site is purely made up of Grey Herons. The site is a mix of deciduous and pine trees (Corsican and Scots) with the herons preferring to nest in the pines. On the walk to the heronry, one thing we all noticed was how behind everything seems to be. There were only a handful of Heron chicks calling, the hedgerows were still so bare and the deciduous tree buds were only just beginning to show signs of opening.<br />
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It's not until you actually get into the wood that realise just how active a heronry is. The adults are continuously flying in and out, and its quite eerie seeing so many of these pre-historic looking birds circling just above the trees. </div>
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Over the past 5 years, the heronry has had up to 71 apparently occupied nests, so just imagine for a minute the activity of over 100 adults nesting in close proximity!</div>
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The count really is a case of looking round the actual nests for signs that they are occupied. There are of course the obvious signs, the adult birds actually landing by their nests or hearing the chicks calling. </div>
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But there are plenty of other clues such as droppings beneath the nests, discarded and predated egg shells etc.</div>
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By the end of the afternoon the count of apparently occupied nests was 64. The last 5 years counts at this site show that the numbers appear to be quite stable:</div>
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2014 - 70 </div>
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2015 - 64 </div>
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2016 - 71 </div>
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2017 - 69 </div>
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2018 - 64 </div>
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Following the count, we did the important engagement work and called in on the land owner to update him on the numbers and discuss the site generally.</div>
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If you are interested in getting involved, then <a href="https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/heronries-census"><b>visit the BTO's Heronries Census website page</b></a> for more information.</div>
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Linking to <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/wild-bird-wednesday-299-australian-wood.html">Wild Bird Wednesday</a></div>
Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-76852397620556874482018-03-29T20:07:00.000+01:002018-04-10T19:28:52.818+01:00Why So Quiet!<div style="text-align: center;">
It has been far too long since I posted a blog on here, but this was always going to be a difficult time to keep it going as I am in the middle of revising for my GCSEs.</div>
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I have still found time to do some writing for other blogs though, so I thought I would post the links on here.</div>
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<a href="https://markavery.info/2018/03/02/guest-blog-25-year-plan-visit-no-10-findlay-wilde/"><b>The 25-year plan and my visit to No 10</b></a></div>
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Posted on Mark Avery's blog on 2nd March</div>
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<b><a href="https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/skydancer/b/skydancer/archive/2018/03/28/same-old-story-hen-harriers-findlay-wilde.aspx">Same Old Story?</a></b></div>
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Posted on RSPB Skydancer's blog on 28th March</div>
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In 2 months all my GCSEs will be done and hopefully I will be posting a bit more regularly again.</div>
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Linking to <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/wild-bird-wednesday-298-eurasian-coot.html">Wild Bird Wednesday</a></div>
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<br />Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-33584576248091367642018-01-04T08:10:00.001+00:002018-01-04T12:36:16.537+00:00Open Letter to Christopher Hope at The TelegraphDear Mr Hope,<br />
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I was alarmed to read one of your recent articles in the Telegraph, with an even more alarming headline;<br />
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<b><i><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/29/exclusive-theresa-mays-new-10-downing-street-environmental-adviser/">Theresa May's new 10 Downing Street environmental adviser accused of plotting 'war' on field sports</a></i></b></div>
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There are several reasons for writing this open letter to you, but one of my main points is to let you know how disappointed I am in you as a journalist. It appears that you have fabricated this absurd headline after reading <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/10-downing-street-opportunity-for-change.html"><b>my blog post</b></a> and I am very disappointed in your "chief" journalistic approach to my meeting with Sir John Randall.</div>
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The first point I must pick you up on is your use of the words "plotting war"! Four people under the age of 20 talking with the PM's environmental advisor about a wide range of environmental issues is not "plotting war", but I am sure you don't need me to tell you that.</div>
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I am 15. I genuinely care about this shared planet we live on. We are facing a global mass extinction of wildlife, and yet you ignore everything in my blog apart from the sections on driven grouse shooting and the fact that unnamed "Pro-field sports MPs are privately appalled by the comments". So can you please clarify something for me. Are these unnamed MPs appalled that we talked about tackling "wildlife crime"? Our conversation was about "illegal activity" and sentences for illegal activity. </div>
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As I commented in my conversation with Sir John Randall "it would be great if you could get the removal of gun licenses made law for anyone found guilty of shooting raptors". Shooting raptors is illegal, so surely this is not an unreasonable punishment. It is not in any way "plotting war" it is simply appropriately punishing those who break the law. Mr Hope, do you think it is acceptable that we had just 3 successful breeding pairs of Hen Harrier in England in 2017?</div>
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Banning the use of lead shot is not "plotting war"on the shooting industry either. It is simply ensuring that a poison like lead is not spread across our shared rural locations. Lead is a poison. It has been removed from fuel and paint as it is a health hazard, so surely it must be removed from the food chain. This is not plotting war, it is common sense.</div>
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But I can take all this in you article as you were clearly after a headline and wanted to create your story. This is not the thing that disappoints me the most about what you wrote. It's more about what you didn't write.</div>
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Georgia, Josie, Jordan and I are 4 young people who are genuinely worried about the future of the environment for our generation and for yours. We had the courage to put our heads above the parapet and speak out about our concerns on global warming, plastic pollution, lack of education in schools on environmental issues, marine conservation, investment in re-newable energy and more. You had a real positive story that you could have told. You could have chosen to write that story. You chose not to.</div>
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You have the power and influence to help spread our message far and wide. You could have supported us in our desire to tackle environmental issues, but you chose a cheap headline instead. The surge of young people concerned and engaged with environmental issues should not be undervalued or underestimated.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>I don’t think you will, but it would be welcome if you at least offered some form of apology to my teenage colleagues and at the very least provide the names of the MPs that were “appalled" so that I can write to them also and explain to them how they are alienating themselves from my generation.<br />
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If you do choose to respond I would be happy to post your reply as a guest blog so that you have the opportunity to have your say.</div>
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I hope to hear from you soon.<br />
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Kind regards<br />
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Findlay Wilde </div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-79361385017205996782017-12-30T16:57:00.000+00:002018-01-02T18:17:12.184+00:00The A-Z of 2017<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Below is an A to Z summary from 2017 describing the highs and lows of what I feel has been an incredibly eventful year.</i></b></div>
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<b>A</b></div>
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<b>Alpine Swift roost in Miranda do Douro, Portugal. </b></div>
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I can remember it so clearly. We were sitting on a wall over looking the deep valley carved by the River Douro as the sun was setting. Several varieties of eagle and vulture had been flying over, so I didn't notice how the swifts were gathering straight away. As I looked down into the valley it became clear just how many there were, and the numbers kept building. They arrived from all angles, a mix of Common and Alpine Swift. The sound was incredible as they gradually circled lower into the valley before finally roosting in the tiny cracks on the cliffs.<br />
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<b>B</b></div>
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<b>Bonelli's Eagle</b></div>
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Whilst on a river cruise along a stretch of the River Douro we had seen loads of great birds including Bee Eaters, Blue Rock Thrush and a few vultures and eagles, but there was still an eagle I really wanted to see. I had almost given up hope of seeing one on this trip, but as I looked up, there it sat on the top of the cliff side. An absolutely amazing birding moment.<br />
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<b>C</b><br />
<b>Cheshire Badger Cull</b><br />
The badger cull reached Cheshire this year. There is still no evidence that culling works and yet the killing continues.</div>
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<b>Douro region, Portugal</b><br />
Since visiting Portugal for the last 3 years, I had always wanted to make it to the Douro region. Our journey there was amazing driving across the mountains in the North of Portugal for hours through stunning scenery. It was 3 days of incredible birding; Vultures, eagles, Alpine Swifts, Bee-eaters and more.<br />
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<b>E</b><br />
<b>Education</b><br />
Revision has been a big priority for me this year as I am in the final year of my GCSEs.</div>
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<b>F</b></div>
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<b>Finn the Hen Harrier</b></div>
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Finn the Hen Harrier survives the year and incredibly <a href="https://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/finn-update-next-generation.html">she bred in her first year</a>; successfully fledging one chick. Her safety is always in the back of my mind, especially when you regularly hear about Hen Harriers going missing.</div>
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<b>G </b></div>
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<b>Glaucous Gull</b></div>
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Glaucous Gull in early January was the first record of a 'white-winger' for my local patch, Winsford Flash. It was one of those chance encounters. It had rained hard in the morning which may have grounded it for a while. It stood out from the other gulls immediately and was a very welcome visitor to the flash. </div>
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<b>H</b></div>
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<b>Hen Harriers</b></div>
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What else could there have been for H! I had a great day watching a distant Hen Harrier quartering the marshes of Parkgate with Mark & Rosemary Avery and Ruth Tingay. The Marsh Harriers came a lot closer though and it was fantastic to watch them all with good friends.<br />
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<b>I</b></div>
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<b>Inglorious 12th thunderclap</b></div>
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Between June and August this year 3565 people signed up to <a href="https://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/inglorious12th-thunderclap.html">the #Inglorious12th Thunderclap</a>. When the thunderclap went out on the 12th August, it had a social reach of over 11 million. #Inglorious12th trended on social media for much of the morning and therefore reached people who may not be aware of wildlife crimes committed in the uplands.</div>
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<b>J</b><br />
<b>John the Hen Harrier (2016-2017)</b><br />
Finn the Hen Harrier's brother John sadly did not survive the year. He disappeared on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in early October. You can read more about John's disappearance <a href="https://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/threshfield-moor-named-as-missing-hen-harrier-johns-last-known-location/"><b>here</b></a>.<br />
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<b>K</b></div>
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<b>Killing and on going persecution of native species.</b><br />
The badger cull reached Cheshire. The Cheshire Hunt rode out on Boxing Day and this ended up in a police investigation over potential illegal activity. People often look at the declines in species on a global scale, but it is important to look closer to home too. Every species matters. In a 2016<br />
WWF report Mike Barrett, Director of Science and Policy at WWF-UK said “For the first time since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, we face a global mass extinction of wildlife".<br />
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<b>L</b></div>
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<b>Little Ringed Plover</b></div>
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Little Ringed Plover breed for the first time at Winsford Flash. Sadly they chose one of the lower mud/sand banks to nest on. Shortly after the eggs were laid we had a period of extremely heavy rain which sadly flooded the nest. I am hoping they try again in 2018.</div>
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<b>M</b></div>
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<b>Making a difference </b></div>
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People like Mark Avery have continued to be a great voices against raptor persecution and many other environmental issues. They are not afraid to put their heads above the parapet. In 2017 it has also been great to see more and more younger people having the confidence to speak out.</div>
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<b>N</b></div>
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<b>Number 10 - a chance for change.</b><br />
In November I had the opportunity to visit No.10 to talk about environmental policy. You can read all about it <a href="https://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/10-downing-street-opportunity-for-change.html">here</a> (or the version that the Telegraph published today <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/29/exclusive-theresa-mays-new-10-downing-street-environmental-adviser/">here</a>).<br />
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<b>O</b></div>
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<b>One hundred and thirty three species of bird recorded at Winsford Flash this year.</b> </div>
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My highest patch total after 3 years of surveying the site. There has been a great variety of birds and the water ways of Cheshire ensure a good passage of birds on migration.</div>
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<b>Pallid Harrier</b></div>
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The adult male Pallid Harrier from Dunsop Bridge was one of my many birding highlights from 2017. </div>
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<b>Q</b></div>
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<b>Quiz question quote</b></div>
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Who said this in 2017?</div>
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<i>"We are at a unique stage in our history. Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to our planet. And never before, have we had the power to do something about it."</i></div>
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<b>R</b></div>
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<b>Ringing in Portugal </b><br />
I had 3 weeks in Portugal this year and much of that time was spent ringing. Some brilliant opportunities to learn about new species.</div>
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<b><a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/hen-harrier-day-2017-sheffield.html">Sheffield Hen Harrier Day</a></b></div>
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Hen Harrier days never lose their importance. It is great to meet up with a group of people (from all different walks of life) all working together to make a positive change. The Hen Harrier days are a vital part of the awareness raising. If you haven't yet been to one, please put it on your New Year resolution list for 2018.<br />
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<b>Three successful pairs of Hen Harrier breeding in England this year. </b><br />
Think about that for a minute, just 3 pairs. The habitat in the English uplands could potentially support as many as 300 breeding pairs, but on-going persecution has left us with just 3 breeding pairs. A bird that is at real risk of going extinct as a breeding bird in England in our lifetime.</div>
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<b>Use of video evidence</b><br />
Remember the video showing the Hen Harrier being shot and then the prosecutors ruling out using video evidence in the case. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-39817702/video-shows-alleged-hen-harrier-shooting">Here is a link</a> to the video which made the BBC News.<br />
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<b>Vultures</b></div>
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Vultures; consisting of Egyptian and Griffon were incredible to watch in Portugal. To see the Egyptian Vultures we parked up my a field of pigs, as the vultures regularly visit the field to feed on the placentas after the sows have giving birth. Vultures are a vital species for cleaning up and stopping the spread of disease.<br />
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<b>Waxwings</b></div>
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Waxwings invaded the country during the start of 2017 and it was great to have a flock of 50 within 30 feet of my front garden for 3 days.<br />
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<b>X-rays are clear evidence that raptors are being illegally shot.</b><br />
There are injured and dead birds of prey that are found by members of the public and taken to vets. It becomes clear that many of these raptors are survivors/victims of shooting attempts as the x-rays reveal the lead shot in their bodies. You can read about some of these cases <a href="https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/b/investigations/archive/2016/11/09/rowan-a-personal-reflection.aspx">here</a>, <a href="https://markavery.info/2017/05/27/shot-buzzard-yorkshire-dales-national-park-news/">here</a> and <a href="https://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2017/12/28/kestrel-found-with-shotgun-injuries-in-malton-north-yorkshire/">here</a>.</div>
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<b>Yellow-browed Warbler at Winsford Flash.</b><br />
Yet another great birding moment on my local patch this year. It just goes to show the rewards you can get by monitoring an area close to home.</div>
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<b>Z</b><br />
<b>Zero tolerance on wildlife crime.</b><br />
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Hope you all have a fantastic 2018.<br />
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Linking to <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/wild-bird-wednesday-284-powerful-owl.html">Wild Bird Wednesday</a></div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-70952717123002660192017-12-24T13:46:00.002+00:002017-12-24T13:46:52.577+00:00Merry Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you have a fantastic 2018. Thank you to everyone who has read and commented on this blog, and a massive thank you for the continued support and encouragement you all give me. </div>
<br />Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-68260178629236186092017-12-04T20:24:00.000+00:002017-12-05T07:30:50.270+00:0010 Downing Street - An Opportunity for Change<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>"Waiting around for something to change can be a really bad habit. How long have you been here? </i></b><b><i>Check the time, don't wait,</i></b><b><i> make the change happen now."</i></b></div>
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A few months ago I received an email from Sir John Randall (the Prime Minister’s newly appointed special adviser on the Environment) inviting me to meet up with him and a small group of other young environmentalists at 10 Downing Street. What an opportunity.</div>
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So on 23rd November I travelled down to London for the meeting with an open mind on what to expect. I spent the journey making notes on all the points I wanted to raise, distracted only by the wetlands just before we passed through Stafford station.</div>
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Arriving at Euston I felt the familiar buzz of energy that hits as soon as you step off the train in London. We had a few hours to spare, which we spent with some good friends, and then it was time to walk down that famous street.</div>
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The other people in the meeting were <a href="http://blog.josiehewittphotography.co.uk/" style="font-weight: bold;">Josie Hewitt</a>, <a href="https://georgiaswildlifewatch.com/"><b>Georgia Locock</b></a> and Jordan Havell. We met with Sir John Randall in The Study (Mrs Thatcher's old office) at No 10. We talked about many environmental issues during that time and discussed the changes that are desperatley needed. </div>
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As a follow up to the meeting I emailed a thank you to Sir John and a summary of all the points we discussed. He replied in detail and it is some of those communications that I would like to share with you here. There are of course many parts of the conversation that are confidential and that I will not be publishing, as it could jeopardise Sir John's chances of getting the changes he is pushing for.</div>
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So here are parts of the notes I shared with Sir John, and some of the responses I received from him (in italics) that I will share. I was reassured about just how many ways in which Sir John is trying to tackle things, and I am sure more of these will be made public in the months to come. </div>
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<b>1. Driven grouse shooting</b></div>
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I was reassured that you see this as a serious issue. The shooting industry must put the effort in up front and prove they are willing to change things. It would be great if you could get the removal of gun licenses made law for anyone found guilty of shooting raptors. Please could you get a meeting to re-look at the Hen Harrier plan as we both know that brood management is not going to work. DEFRA need to step up to the mark and do more to prevent wildlife crime.</div>
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<i>As I hope you appreciate, I personally take the issue of the continued illegal killing of birds of prey very seriously. It is of course something not exclusively associated with grouse moors and persecution also occurs elsewhere. It is high up on my agenda as it is totally unacceptable. <br /><br />There are other environmentally harmful practices associated with some moorland practices that also need to be addressed. However there are positive signs within some elements of the shooting lobby that they now recognise that urgent changes in practice need to happen and a culture change is required to ensure that the criminal element is exposed and brought to the law. <br /><br />One of the big problems is the difficulty in obtaining prosecutions and indeed getting successful ones. I am looking at how evidence gained on private land could be allowed. This is potentially an issue for the Ministry of Justice, the Home office and the police forces. I am proactively looking at this. <br /><br />As part of this as you know I seeing how we might increase sentences for wildlife crime as well as removal of firearm licences for wildlife crime and other crimes. You all shared with me the desire to prevent and prosecute wildlife crime. As I state above the Home Office and Ministry of Justice probably have an equally important if not more important role than DEFRA in that. Ultimately the various police forces and particularly the Police and Crime Commissioners have to be made aware that this is seen by many people as a policing priority. So that’s where people can write in to their PCC to emphasise the point, anything that can be done to encourage the public to do that would be most welcome.. <br /><br />I share concerns about the “industrialisation” of some pheasant shoots, a view which I understand is also of concern to many within shooting.</i><br />
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<b>2. Banning the use of lead shot</b><br />
I really hope this can happen as habitats are getting littered with this poison. </div>
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<i>As we discussed I have serious concerns about the continued use of lead shot which has been banned in many countries. It is currently illegal to use it over wetlands but as a recent editorial in Country Life admitted it is still practised by some. It is not only harmful to the environment but can have health concerns for some human beings who eat a large amount of shot game. I am looking into ways which could change behaviour in this regard including encouraging retailers to promote lead free game. <br /><br />A potential ban on the use of peat is also something I’m looking at. In the meantime I am considering whether we can use the mechanism of levies to influence the behaviour.</i><br />
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<b>3. Education</b></div>
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Getting the serious facts and statistics about climate change and world wildlife population declines into all subjects at secondary school. I believe that it must form part of the curriculum if we are going to get people to face up to the situation we are in.<br />
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If we are going to get people to understand about the links between our choices and the declines in world wildlife/climate change then we have to educate the masses and this must start in schools. We don't have time on our side and climate change will be one of the biggest things that impacts my generation. Could you link up the environment minister and the education minister to talk about this maybe.<br />
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<i>I really agreed with you and the others about the need to persuade people of the real threat of climate change to our world and wildlife specifically. Education can be a key part of this but there will be a need for the teachers to be educated too. Just making it another subject to teach on an already crowded curriculum may not be the answer. I am already looking at how the Department of Education can get involved. Incidentally I am also speaking to Health Special Advisers as the natural world can provide a great deal to improve both our physical and mental well-being. I really think that are good sound economic and health arguments for encouraging participation in the natural world. </i> <b><br /></b><br />
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<b>4. Re-newable energy and the need to invest more in it</b><br />
I mentioned my concerns about the budget and that funds would not increase beyond 2020. I didn't get chance to get all my concerns across though. We will never find the next big re-newable solution unless we invest more into renewable energy research. The next big thing probably hasn't even been invented yet, it could be just round the corner, but it will never happen if we don't invest. Technology moves on so quickly, there must be more we can do to generate cleaner energy.<br />
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<i>I am still concerned that while climate change is often talked about we need to continue to get the message across about how serious the situation is.</i><br />
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<b>4. Strengthening the laws that protect the natural world as a part of Brexit rather than weakening them</b><br />
I would have voted remain if I had been old enough, but Brexit does give us a chance to strengthen environmental/wildlife laws<br />
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<i>As you rightly say, within the many challenges of Brexit, there are some possible big wins for the environment if we are bold enough to take them. At the moment I am cautiously optimistic that they are being taken seriously.</i><br />
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<b>5. Plastics</b> </div>
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I asked for an all out ban on single use plastics rather than the increased tax put forward in the budget. You quite rightly pointed out that it is not that simple to ban something that is used all over the place. The trouble is we are just making the plastic situation worse and worse, and we don't have time on our side anymore. </div>
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<i>The continued use of single use plastics is also something we are working on a great deal but I am very conscious of the need for action sooner rather than later. I think there will be much more being announced in the coming weeks and months.</i><br />
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<b>6. Climate change</b><br />
We talked how we can see this over a short time period in the birds now breeding in the UK and through the increase in flooding etc. I talked about my <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/think500yearsahead-thunderclap.html">#Think500YearsAhead</a> campaign and how a 5 year term was not enough to change things and that a lot more forward thinking is needed. I am keen to see the 25 year plan.</div>
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<i>I hope that you will be pleased with 25 year environmental plan when it is published, which I hope will be early in the New Year. I was interested to hear about your #Think500YearsAhead campaign. Of course the real urgency is how to start these processes and while it is easy to set targets the question is how to achieve them and how to monitor progress. Also of course we have to consider what to do if those targets are not being achieved. </i><br />
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I came away from the meeting feeling that Sir John Randall had really listened to us and that he had been genuinely interested in what we had to say. I feel optimistic about some of the changes that will hopefully start being made, but also frustrated at how long these changes can take to make. We don't have time on our side anymore.</div>
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Before leaving the meeting, I gave Sir John some of the <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/those-thought-provoking-hen-harriers.html">"Thought Provoking Hen Harrier" cards</a> that I had written out for some of the MPs, and I particularly liked this part of Sir John's email to me:</div>
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<i>I gave your Hen Harrier card to Michael Gove in person today, he sends you his thanks and best wishes. It gave me the opportunity to talk about the issues – so thank you from me too. </i><br />
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<br />Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-42037475943640126652017-11-11T19:35:00.000+00:002017-11-11T19:35:43.766+00:00Parking Revision at Parkgate<div style="text-align: center;">
My blogging has slowed down a lot now that I am in my final GCSE year at high school, but last Sunday was an escape from all the hard work and a chance to enjoy some quality time with great friends and some very special birds.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8nwppVyoBUQjg0FEJpDf9_jrmZSDAblEg28MMcK6QMR8B-xwRwKednOYwtL8AcT2LZQX7bQG_OQ-g005WsbKi4okNk7fewiiOPo9fwt_TBSKWB_hq5qk78uSpc70FCpcgAG3Y_qrbBk/s1600/DN5e1DPX0AAxVsq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8nwppVyoBUQjg0FEJpDf9_jrmZSDAblEg28MMcK6QMR8B-xwRwKednOYwtL8AcT2LZQX7bQG_OQ-g005WsbKi4okNk7fewiiOPo9fwt_TBSKWB_hq5qk78uSpc70FCpcgAG3Y_qrbBk/s320/DN5e1DPX0AAxVsq.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Parkgate is an amazing place in any weather (even in the hail, wind, rain and sun we experienced over the course of a few hours). That vast salt marsh is home and wintering ground to so many species and everywhere you look there is something to hone in on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTRXXG67eONVOEB9h9jCnjbzKfBbrswju6Rqr5_DSfGXSpOqxLHFn9qHms7Ee-t_fSA1iKWD0-SEt6kXkgFesolhqiGTxyB5ctAVYT_jRBzhiy7exJWzSTjG26-CUg3fusQhS2g6254s/s1600/fullsizeoutput_bc5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTRXXG67eONVOEB9h9jCnjbzKfBbrswju6Rqr5_DSfGXSpOqxLHFn9qHms7Ee-t_fSA1iKWD0-SEt6kXkgFesolhqiGTxyB5ctAVYT_jRBzhiy7exJWzSTjG26-CUg3fusQhS2g6254s/s320/fullsizeoutput_bc5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The marsh stretches for miles and every bit of light and cloud changes it's appearance and draws you into it.<br />
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After another season of Hen Harrier campaigning, it was great to enjoy views of the male and ringtail over wintering at Parkgate. The male turned up shortly after we arrived and flew close to the edge of the incoming tide, whist the female turned up much later in the day, hunting closer to the promenade near one of the many pools on the marsh. </div>
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Raptors were the highlight of the day, with more than just the Hen Harriers putting on a show; Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Peregrine, Buzzard, Sparrow Hawk, Merlin and a Barn Owl all drifted in an out of view; some just giving a brief appearance, but still great to see.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBEUPJdxLNf2SUm8Y2zC5lCXFqarTYmdS3qxmw6CL8Bem-9mDC9Jn24GmOtNi37GHpdlyDtE0e3WEf0raaqeYDYiy0M_kiCrI3FJxLZEW6MCMegxA9OKUhLhCEG9DOaJvgmVLZ3KPX3s/s1600/DN46uY0WAAA3TRh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1200" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBEUPJdxLNf2SUm8Y2zC5lCXFqarTYmdS3qxmw6CL8Bem-9mDC9Jn24GmOtNi37GHpdlyDtE0e3WEf0raaqeYDYiy0M_kiCrI3FJxLZEW6MCMegxA9OKUhLhCEG9DOaJvgmVLZ3KPX3s/s320/DN46uY0WAAA3TRh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Great White Egrets were plentiful and a "blizzard" of Little Egrets were spread across the marsh. Pink Footed Geese flocked by and large mixed groups of finches dipped up and down throughout the day. <br />
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There was of course lots of catching up and talk about the Hen Harrier Days earlier in the year and some plans for next year. A few <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/those-thought-provoking-hen-harriers.html"><b>Hen Harrier cards</b></a> were handed out of course and it was great to meet some blog friends like @NannyBirds.<br />
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The tide was no where near reaching the promenade wall, but it did flush the birds closer and gave us some great views. Who knows what species we missed in the middle of all that catching up!</div>
<br />Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-57650959080030199962017-10-27T21:18:00.000+01:002017-11-07T18:07:08.692+00:00Those Thought Provoking Hen Harriers - Part 2<div style="text-align: center;">
A picture paints a thousand words, or so they say; but what about a picture made of words?</div>
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Earlier in the year I posted a blog titled <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/those-thought-provoking-hen-harriers.html"><b>Those Thought Provoking Hen Harriers</b></a>. That blog captured the thoughts and feelings people had when they first saw a Hen Harrier (and it's well worth another read). </div>
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What you don't know from the blog is that I also asked those people for the first word that came into their head when I said the words "Hen Harrier". I asked the question on twitter too and received over 150 words from a broad range of people. A massive thank you of course to all those people who took part.</div>
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Those words were so powerful and a picture started to form in my head, and this is the image it led to. All the words forming the very bird itself:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlg4RVsZ0sHnlCjZIP3dTYnAUtjsD6bNthU_4IgpBNNngDNnPsRtuP4gvmp1E9PiWxMKSvxAlFbODmzMOA3cadvDPM1_RcR1LUWFASwctrGKGF6kCcfh3XwNfpLwoXC9GT2uxpmywepE/s1600/fullsizeoutput_b6f.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="649" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlg4RVsZ0sHnlCjZIP3dTYnAUtjsD6bNthU_4IgpBNNngDNnPsRtuP4gvmp1E9PiWxMKSvxAlFbODmzMOA3cadvDPM1_RcR1LUWFASwctrGKGF6kCcfh3XwNfpLwoXC9GT2uxpmywepE/s320/fullsizeoutput_b6f.jpeg" width="270" /></a></div>
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And what an interesting picture it paints. The largest words are the ones that were said the most. I couldn't let these words go to waste of course, I had to find a way to use them.....in fact a way for all of us to use them.</div>
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So I have 250 cards ready to send out to anyone who wants one (or two or more). The front of the cards look like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGJiUO5zXDCWExr4iZYho_o7BHbswVTvmIGqwyEukI4gnjcmMmcOjXhXzyZRl36oubCj4ccnGmRnTHnvemcQtGHnW0nSUftFvE2ILl2WJvECImtgqe-wFDGP824lBDHWgsqn8b-m0llk/s1600/fullsizeoutput_b70.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1438" data-original-width="1014" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGJiUO5zXDCWExr4iZYho_o7BHbswVTvmIGqwyEukI4gnjcmMmcOjXhXzyZRl36oubCj4ccnGmRnTHnvemcQtGHnW0nSUftFvE2ILl2WJvECImtgqe-wFDGP824lBDHWgsqn8b-m0llk/s320/fullsizeoutput_b70.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div>
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This inside of the card has this message:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxI6F94ijM8fRjHeTO5HlEXLlsR53iXD4HfK1BGwR5vhidlQEepb6qcZtXjXzu9VRyeg6nsKU6zMPf8GxpbX32oB1A44i_U_Ek6F96jzeuV3VGnQJAcGf0UDSI6N19cLqHa5Fzpj7XnXs/s1600/fullsizeoutput_b75.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="932" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxI6F94ijM8fRjHeTO5HlEXLlsR53iXD4HfK1BGwR5vhidlQEepb6qcZtXjXzu9VRyeg6nsKU6zMPf8GxpbX32oB1A44i_U_Ek6F96jzeuV3VGnQJAcGf0UDSI6N19cLqHa5Fzpj7XnXs/s320/fullsizeoutput_b75.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I don't want any money for them, all I want is for the Hen Harrier story to keep being told and for awareness to build. So if you would like a card to send to a group or individual, then please email me your address (findlaywilde@gmail.com) and I will send you some cards.</div>
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If they all get used up, I will happily get more printed. You must of course add you own message in the card and talk about how you feel about just 3 successful breeding Hen Harrier pairs in England this year. </div>
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So who would you send them to; MPs, landowners, NT estates, upland estates, parish councils, rural police groups......the list goes on. </div>
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The picture will only turn more positive if we all keep the pressure for change building. </div>
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Linking to <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/wild-bird-wednesday-276-silver-gull.html">Wild Bird Wednesday</a></div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-42456956416213628372017-09-24T17:04:00.001+01:002017-09-26T18:39:03.647+01:00Wader Fix at Frodsham Marsh<div style="text-align: center;">
You may (or may not) have noticed that my blog posts are not as frequent as they have been in the past. The simple reason is school work, as I am now in the final year of my GCSEs, so school work and revision is my main focus at the moment.</div>
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However, everyone needs a birding break from work.</div>
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The last few weeks at my local patch Winsford Flash have been great and have included scarce species such as Caspian Gull, Sandwich Terns and a Yellow Legged Gull all passing through.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Caspian Gull at Winsford Flash</span></div>
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There have been a few waders too, but I have been missing seeing those big flocks of waders and the variety that you can get in some locations. So I was determined to get to Frodsham Marsh today and enjoy some wader watching. I wasn't bothered about chasing anything new, I just wanted to enjoy the spectacle of big numbers of waders. And I wasn't disappointed.</div>
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On the walk to No.6 Tank there were 2 kestrels hunting over the paddocks and several Chiffchaff calling from the hedgerows. The water in the ditch was covered in weed, but you could see trails through it where the Moorhens had half clambered, half swam through it. An arable crop yet to be harvested had attracted a big group of Reed Bunting and there were large flocks of Meadow Pipit flying overhead.</div>
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As we got closer to No. 6 tank several large flocks of Canada Geese flew over and large groups of Starlings were feeding in the fields. </div>
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No. 6 Tank itself held a feast for your eyes. I counted counted 3 Snipe, 110 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Little Sint, 1 Golden Plover, 200 Lapwing, 150 Black-headed Gull, 2 Lesser Blacked Backed Gull, 7 Common Gull, 3 Redshank, 28 Ruff, 18 Pintail and 11 Wigeon. </div>
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Something (I didn't see what) spooked all the birds and they took to the air in a huge flock, but staying in their unique groups to form layers of different species low over the water. The various duck species stayed closest to the water, whilst the gulls formed a middle layer as the Lapwing danced above the others putting out their alarm calls.</div>
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The perfect break from revision for a few hours.<br />
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Linking to <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/wild-bird-wednesday-270-alpine-chough.html">Wild Bird Wednesday</a></div>
Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-57014005612463233002017-09-08T18:42:00.002+01:002017-09-08T18:42:48.751+01:00Arriving in Portugal - Porto<div style="text-align: center;">
After arriving back from 3 incredible weeks in Portugal, it is now time to attempt to summarise what has been one of my most memorable holidays to date, in a series of posts that will be live on the blog over the next few weeks.</div>
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<b><u>DAY 1 - PORTO</u></b></div>
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After a long and difficult final term of year 10, I was delighted to wake up on the 11th of August knowing that in a couple of hours I would be jetting off to spend the final 3 weeks of the summer break in the beautiful north of Portugal.</div>
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'Hot' was an understatement on arrival in Porto, however despite the intense heat the birds were already performing well with Crag Martin and Red Rumped Swallow observed during the short walk between the plane and actual airport structure! Not a bad start, for me anyway.<br />
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We then headed into Porto where we were spending a night in a hotel right next to the River Douro with a fantastic view of the river and parts of the stunning city, including the monastery.<br />
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The rest of the evening was spent in the heart of the city of Porto. A Portuguese meal in an amazing tapas restaurant called Jimao, great street entertainment and screeching Pallid Swifts acrobatically negotiating the historic buildings of the city concluded an absolutely fantastic first night in Portugal.<br />
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The next morning allowed just a hour or so to enjoy the Yellow Legged Gulls along the river before we headed back to the airport to collect our hire car.</div>
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I had seen so much in just the first 24 hours, but nothing could have prepared for what was still to come.</div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-11530543986333427372017-08-15T10:08:00.002+01:002017-08-15T10:08:25.177+01:003565 Thank Yous<div style="text-align: center;">
As most of you will know, <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.pt/2017/06/inglorious12th-thunderclap.html">the Inglorious12th thunderclap</a> went out on 12th August, and it spread it's message far and wide.</div>
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<i>"I want to see an end to raptor persecution in the uplands. Criminal activity needs to be stopped #Inglorious12th"</i></div>
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By the time the message went out at 9:30am last Saturday, 3565 people had signed up to the thunderclap and we had created an outstanding social reach of 11,093,561. When I first set up the thunderclap, I was hoping to beat the numbers of previous ones I had done, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect such amazing numbers.</div>
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I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported the thunderclap. Every single sign up has helped spread the message further and helped it to trend on twitter. People from all different backgrounds signed up, so we really did reach out to a lot of people who may not have even heard of a hen harrier before.</div>
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I wish I could do individual thanks to everyone, I have tried to on twitter. Your support has meant everything and is the reason that the thunderclap was such a success. I must say a special thank you to a few people (and I am really sorry if I miss anyone out). </div>
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Mark Avery - Mark, thank you so much for your constant support throughout the thunderclap. Your blogging, tweeting, talks etc have made a massive difference, and all the emails, DMs and encouragement are very much appreciated. I have some more ideas for another campaign, but it can wait until I get back from Portugal! Chris Packham, Rob Sheldon, Blanaid Denman, Jeff Knot, Nick Miles, Natalie Bennett, @JW4926, @NannyBirds, @SheffEnvironmental - thank you for using your power to spread the message further.</div>
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There are also some groups and organisations that must be mentioned; RSPB, Wildlife Trust, BAWC, Raptor Persecution, Team4Nature, League Against Cruel Sports, Rare Bird Alert. Thank you for the constant pushing of the thunderclap and for signing of course.</div>
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Again, sorry if I have missed anyone, I am grateful to each and every person that helped make a difference. I know as soon as I post this that I will think of a load more names I should have mentioned.</div>
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So what happens next? Well for me, I will let the impact of the thunderclap settle and hope that it has given some people food for thought. But awareness raising can be done in so many different ways and must be steady and constant to keep the message reaching out to more people. Earlier this year I collected a whole list of words from people. I asked then to tell me the first word that came into their head when they think about hen harriers. I have kept that list of words safe, and it will form part of my next awareness campaign and I will be asking for you help. But more on that when I get home.</div>
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<b>We will win.</b></div>
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Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1087997614866569468.post-4874700887256887272017-08-05T21:08:00.000+01:002017-08-08T18:39:58.535+01:00Hen Harrier Day 2017 - Sheffield<div style="text-align: center;">
2014 was the year that <a href="http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/10th-august-hen-harrier-day.html"><b>the first ever Hen Harrier Day event</b></a> was organised. Many of you readers will recognise the name "the sodden 570". 570 people turning up at a Hen Harrier Day event in the Peak District (quite frankly in the middle of nowhere) accompanied by the tail end of a hurricane is really rather impressive. Since that first inspiring Hen Harrier Day, every year more and more Hen Harrier Day events have been popping up across the UK and this year has been no different.</div>
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This year I attended the Sheffield Hen Harrier Day event. Arriving in a good time, after a reflective journey across miles of moorland, we had chance for a spot of breakfast before heading over to the main event organised by Sheffield Environmental (@SheffEnvironment).</div>
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Before the talks took place, it was nice to have a good hour catching up with friends and fellow conservationists, some of which had travelled many miles to be there, which really emphasises the support these events have gained over the past few years and how much outrage people feel towards the illegal persecution of upland wildlife; including the hen harrier.<br />
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Each and every speaker perfectly explained their feelings towards the illegal persecution of the hen harrier (and other upland species). Their talks put into words the feelings of everyone listening; that the illegal persecution of the hen harrier and other upland raptor species must be stopped. All agreed that steps must be taken to safeguard native upland species from the continued, short sighted persecution.<br />
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Liz Ballard (CEO at Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust), Dr Ross Cameron (Senior Lecturer Landscape Management & Design at the University of Sheffield), David Wood (Chair of Sheffield Bird Study Group), Dr Mark Avery (author, conservationist and so much more), Blánaid Denman (RSPB Hen Harrier Life+ project manager), Natalie Bennett (former Green Party leader) and Iolo Williams all delivered heartfelt and fact filled talks.<br />
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It was great to listen to Blanaid Denman talking about her fantastic work with the RSPB Skydancer project team, but it was sad knowing that this was her last talk in that role. I first met Blanaid at the 2014 hen harrier day, and we have both seen so many changes since then. I'm sure many of you will share the same thoughts that I do regarding the amazing part she has played in hen harrier conservation and awareness raising over the last 6 years. I wish her all the best for her new job role and the new addition to her family.<br />
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2<span style="font-size: x-small;">014 with Blanaid, Harley & Harry</span></div>
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Mark Avery gave yet another absolutely fantastic speech and also gave me the chance to promote my thunderclap to some of the folk who may not be aware of what a thunderclap is or how to sign up. It was however encouraging to see the majority of the audience raising their hands to the question of "<a href="https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/58601-the-inglorious12th"><b>who has signed this thunderclap</b></a>".<br />
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The final speaker of today's event was Iolo Williams. His speech really did delve deep into our hearts. He started by discussing some of his personal experiences with the iconic hen harrier and ended with a really powerful, dramatic, anger filled rant based on why anyone would want to deliberately harm such a special species. His speech honestly did echo everyones thoughts and feelings.<br />
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I'll end my summary with a quote from Iolo's talk stating "we will win", words that I have heard again and again in the fight against raptor persecution. After witnessing all the emotion crammed into today's event (and I am sure this was mirrored at events across the country), I have hope that we will indeed win. Our voices are getting stronger and stronger by the day as more people are becoming aware of the devastation taking place in the uplands.<br />
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If you have not already done so, <a href="https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/58601-the-inglorious12th"><b>please sign the #Inglorious12th Thunderclap</b></a> scheduled to go out on 12th August to keep the awareness going.<br />
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Linking to <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/wild-bird-wednesday-263-puffin.html">Wild Bird Wednesday</a></div>
Findlay Wildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697309393957070336noreply@blogger.com8