Delightful watercolour by His Majesty - but why did he not include a Golden Eagle or an Osprey?

                                                                     

There is certain to be interest when this 2002 painting by Prince Charles - now King Charles III - goes under the hammer at a sale of  contemporary art to be held on February 28 at the saleroom of Tennants auctioneers in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. Alas, its interest to birders is likely to be limited because of the absence of a raptor, such as a Golden Eagle or Osprey, or indeed any birdlife. The study of Ben Avon, near Braemar, is not an original but one of 20 prints. It is expected to realise between £500 and £700.  

                                                                            

Wessex population of Stone Curlews numbers about 150 pairs according to latest RSPB update

                                                      

A bird worth fighting for! RSPB determined to increase Stone-curlew numbers in Wessex. (Photo, via Wikimedia Commons, taken in Italy by Francesco Venonesi) 

ACCORDING to its latest tot-up, the RSPB estimates that the breeding population of Stone Curlews in  Wiltshire, Hampshire   and other parts of England's Wessex area is approximately 150 pairs.

For the past 30 years, this has been a target species of the society's conservation efforts, and it works with landowners, including the Ministry of Defence, to safeguard habitats.

For a five-month period this spring and summer, an officer - to be based at its Winterbourne Downs nature reserve in Gloucestershire - will be recruited to count birds and help safeguard habitats. 

Says the job description: "The postholder will be part of a small team working on the Wessex Stone-curlew Project and will be responsible for delivery of Stone-curlew monitoring and protection, mostly in the key area of Salisbury Plain and surrounding farmland, but possibly in the wider Wessex area as well.

"Excellent field skills are required for this tricky and inconspicuous bird, including experience with optics and the ability to spot minute details from a distance. 

"The work includes locating Stone-curlew pairs, monitoring breeding attempts, finding nests, liaising with farmers, contractors, and landowners, and carrying out intervention measures on vulnerable sites. 

"The work also has a strong data gathering and recording component with the need to record measurements quickly and accurately. 

"The field officer will also be required to maintain electronic records. 

"Although the postholder will often be conducting field work alone using their own initiative, they may also work alongside volunteers. 

"Lone working often in remote locations is commonplace in this role. Some evening and weekend work will be required. 

"The field officer will need to be comfortable driving a 4x4 vehicle off road and spending multiple hours per day in a vehicle. 

"Stone-curlew pairs are spread across a wide geographical area and a significant proportion of the monitoring is done from inside a vehicle using a window-mounted spotting scope.

More information from Julie Sims at: julie.sims@rspb.org.uk   

The Stone Curlew's other UK stronghold is the Brecks region of  East Anglia where there are are reckoned to be about 200 pairs.                                                            

Winterbourne Downs - photo: RSPB

Duke of Westminster may take a view on plans for windfarm in raptor-rich site near Cape Wrath

                                               

The remote site earmarked for up to 18 turbines each as high as 200 metres 

PROPOSALS to build a windfarm on a wilderness in north-west Britain could spark objections from birders and conservationists.

Although no planning application has yet been submitted by Edinbugh-based Galileo Empower, the company  is exploring the potential for installing up to 18 turbines, each  with a maximum height of up to 200 metres outside the coastal village of Kinlochbervie, near Cape Wrath which is the most north-westerly point of the British mainland. 

Subject to technical studies, solar photovoltaic panels are also being considered at the location along with a battery energy storage system to hold the renewable energy that would be produced on the site.

However, this rugged landscape is thought to be a foraging habitat for Golden Eagles, White-tailed Eagles and possibly Dotterel and other rare moorland-nesting species, all of which may be at collision or disturbance risk from such a project.

It is likely also that Ospreys frequent the nearby Reay Forest Estate which is part of the Grosvenor land and property empire owned by the Duke of Westminster who is understood to have misgivings about the potential impact on the impact on the scenery and wildlife of what is an uspoiled part of  Britain.

In advance of a planning application being submitted to the Highland Council, Galileo Empower says it will consult with statutory consultees such as NatureScot and Historic Environment Scotland.

It is likely that the RSPB Scotland will also be invited to comment.  

Watery and wonderful - eagle's eye view of part of the Reay Forest Estate

Hard-hitting dossier takes aim at RSPB over how it investigates allegations of bird crime

Pulling no punches - the new report

THE RSPB has come under fire in a new report commissioned by an organisation called the Campaign for the Protection of Moorland Communities.

Entitled RSPB Uncovered, the document  claims to expose misteps in how the society conducts wildlife crime investigations.

The study examines 14 investigations by the charity between 1990 and 2025, concluding that a pattern emerges of "routinely scapegoating rural communities".

In particular, it exanmines the activities of RSPB Senior Investigator Guy Shorrock and Head of Investigations Mark Thomas, working under the leadership of the charity's former Director of Conservation, Mark Avery.  

Says report author A.B. O’Rourke, a former deputy foreign editor of Hongkong's South China Morning Post: "It is shocking that charity workers, with no authority or legal powers, have seemingly been allowed to run amok through the countryside, firing accusations at anyone they believe is morally inferior for the sole purpose of furthering the agenda of their masters."

"Cases where gamekeepers, bird breeders or egg enthusiasts end up with criminal records based on the RSPB's flawed or non-existent evidence and misinformation ought to be re-examined and public apologies issued. 

"The fact this anarchy has gone on so long proves it is sanctioned by the charity's senior management."  

The report also explores the case of Paul Morrison, the former warden of Coquet Island, off Northumberland, who was controversially sacked in 2024 despite his efforts over quarter of a century to safeguard its  breeding colony of rare Roseate Terns.

RSPB Uncovered has received extensive coverage in the shooting Press, but not so far in the birding Press. It can be viewed online at:  RSPB-Uncovered.pdf 

It is not known if the RSPB will respond to the claims.

Headline birds - the three species making a splash on front covers of this month's ornithological mags

 

Goldfinch, Sparowhawk and Purple Sandpiper - the three species featured on front covers of  the February 2026 birding titles.  

      

                                

Impressive study of waterbirds taking to the sky likely to attract interest at March auction

                                        

Bids of up to £700 are expected for this watercolour (heightened with white), Evening Flight,  when it goes under the hammer (Lot 46) at the Salisbury saleroom of auction house Woolley and Wallis on March 3. It is the work of Edward Duncan (1883-1882)  who specialised in atmospheric landscapes. The framed painting measures 38 x 72.8cm (15 x 28.75 inches).

Predatory pumas taking their toll on Magellanic Penguins in Patagonia, say Oxford researchers

Vulnerable - Magellanic Penguins on a site in Patagonia (photo: Martin St-Amant via Wikimedia Commons)

A SURVEY has confirmed that Magellanic Penguins are falling prey to pumas in a wildlife refuge in southern Argentina.

According to a research paper in the Journal for Nature Conservation, more than 7,000 adult birds have become victims over a four-year period at Monte León National Park in Patagonia.

This figure represents about 7.6 per cent of the adult population of around 93,000 individuals.

It was about 130 years ago that the penguins began expanding their breeding range from islands off the coast to to the mainland.

This was a successful strategy while farmers were culling pumas and other potential predators to protect their cattle.

But in the wake of a decline in cattle ranching in southern Argentina in the early1990s, the pumas have returned and begun killing the defenceless penguins.

Marine birds are not normally the prey of  larger feline carnivores.  Many of the birds have only partially been eaten or not eaten at all, indicating that the killings were not solely for food. 

Says lead author Melisa Lera, a postgraduate student at Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research: "This is consistent with what ecologists describe as 'surplus killing'. 

"It is comparable to what is seen in domestic cats when prey is  abundant and/or vulnerable - ease of capture can lead to cats hunting more birds even when they do not end up actually eating them."

Study co-author Dr. Jorgelina Marino comments: "This study captures an emerging conservation challenge where recovering carnivores are encountering novel prey.

"Understanding how these dietary shifts affect both predators and prey is essential to inform conservation."

While the losses are dramatic, models show that pumas alone are unlikely to wipe out the colony.

 Greater dangers come from poor breeding and low survival among young penguins.

At Monte Leon National Park, researchers continue to  track both puma and penguin populations as they navigate the complex consequences of ecosystem recovery.

The report recommends that ongoing monitoring is essential to detect early signs of population decline and to guide management decisions before serious ecological damage occurs. 

* Another study, this time in the journal, Communications, Earth & Environment, suggests that droppings from penguins and other seabirds do their bit in addressing climate change by releasing ammonia which rises into the atmosphere and helps form clouds that deflect sunlight and protect sea ice. The research, by a team from the Unversity of Helsinki, was carried out in Antarctica close to a colony of 60,000 Adelie Peguins.