High-profile swift campaigner Hannah Bourne-Taylor among speakers lined up for Global Birdfair 2024

Hannah Bourne-Taylor presents a complimentary swiftbrick to Michael Gove as one of her supporters, Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, looks on

ONE of the most entertaining speakers at this year's Global Birdfair is likely to be Hannah Bourne-Taylor who has been running a campaign on behalf of swifts.

She wants the Government to make it mandatory for housebuilders to install nestbricks for the species in at least a proportion of their new developments.

Last year, she initiated a 'Commons debate and had discussions with Levelling-Up and Housing Secretary, Michael Gove, but, as yet, has been unable to seal the deal.

She hopes that her proposed talk on Saturday July 13 will help reignite her campaign which risks petering out.

The programme of lectures over the three days has a familiar feel to it with the return of the likes of David Lindo, Mike Dilger,  Rick Simpson who are always good value. 

Other speakers in the programme include  Paul Howden-Leach, who will discuss the sounds of nocturnal bird migration, Laura Gardner on the reintroduction of the chough in Kent and Dominic Garcia Hall who will retrace, through the birds seen en route, the famous fact-finding journey of Charles  Darwin aboard The Beagle.

On a controversial note, Craig Jones will explore the ethics of bird photography and how over-zealous snappers sometimes cause nuisance to their quarry (and fellow-birders).

The first draft of the lectures programme reads as below:

Friday 12 July

Avocet Lecture Stage 

0930 Rafael Armada

Photographs and stories of extraordinary birds

1000 Dan O’Neill

Secret Lives of Snow Leopards

1030 Morven Summers 

30 years of surveying Whales and Dolphins in Scotland

1100 RSPB presentation

1130 Carolyn Robertson

Lek It Be - Capercaillie emergency in the Cairngorms

1200 Dr Ian Francis

Supporting bird conservation across Africa - 30 years of action

1230 Rick Simpson

Wader Questing Down Under

1300 RSPB presentation

1330 Denis Bohm

Herzegovina - Spring Migration Along the Adriatic Flyway

1400 Nick Acheson

Norfolk: Wild Habitats, Wild Species & Wild Adventures

1430 Dominique Waddoup

Bird-window collisions: How to take action and current solutions

1500 RSPB presentation

1530 John Lister-Kaye OBE

Wildlife of the Scottish Highlands

1600 Niall Hatch

Seabirds Counts between 2015 and 2021

1630 Avijit Sarkhel

Birds & Mammals of South India and Andamans

1700 Annarie Seecharan

Birding in  Your Back Yard

1730 Lizzie Lemon

Nattergal - Boothby Wildland

Curlew Lecture Stage

0930 Sergey Dereliev

Waterbird monitoring: watching birds with a purpose

1000 Charles Anderson

Small boat wildlife cruising in the tropical Indo-pacific

1030 Rob Williams

Birding in Peru

1100 Carlos Bethancourt

Discover Panama: A Birdwatcher's and Nature Lover's Paradise

1130 Mary Colwell

Eurasian Curlews in the UK and Ireland

1200 Rockjumper

1230 Ryan Chenery

An introduction to the Endangered Endemics of the Lesser Antilles

1300 Roy Atkins

Cyprus - where anything can turn up!

1330 Vaughan Ashby

Birds of Bolivia

1400 Jari Peltomäki

Wildlife photographer’s year in Finland

1430 Claudio F. Vidal

Birds and Plant Life of Chile's Remote Islands

1500 Rockjumper presentation

1530 Steven Stansfield

Bardsey Island, the island of 20,000 saints and 50,000 shearwaters

1600 Christoph Zöckler

Spoonbilled Sandpiper Conservation

1630 Leslie Reynolds

Birding in Zambia: what to see and where to go

1700 Bret Charman

Japan’s Winter Wonderland

1730 Quentin Phillpps

Birds of Borneo

Plover Lecture Stage

0930 Tom Mason

Why you need a project as a wildlife photographer!

1000 Paul Hackett

Phonescoping - the basics learn how to take pictures with a scope

1030 David Lindo

Urban birding

1100 Georgie Dodds - Naturetrek

Zambia uncovered.

1130 Chandika Jayaratne

Sri Lanka's wildlife and conservation in a tourism perspective

1200 Luke Paterson

Birding Adventures in Australia’s Northern Territory & beyond

1230 Mohit Aggarwal

A mesmerising journey to see the Trans Himalayan bird species

1300 Aaron Russ

The Birds and Conservation Success Stories of Heritage Expeditions

1330 Xavier Amigo

Darwin and Wolf, two unknown islands of the Galapagos archipelago

1400 Tom Mabbett – Naturetrek 

Brazil - Harpy Eagles to Jaguars

1430 Craig Jones

No Man's Land - Not far from the Russian / Finnish border

1500 Laura Gardner, Director of Conservation, Wildwood. 

Red-billed chough - a model for Species Reintroduction and Increased Biodiversity

1530 Dominic Garcia-Hall

Retracing Darwin's Footsteps: The Voyage of The Beagle through birds.

1600 Alain Pascua

Introduction to Philippine Endemic Birds and Philippine Bird Tours

1630 Grant Reed

Birding in Botswana

1700 Dan Brown 

Which Antarctic Expedition Cruise?

1730 Atilla Steiner

Georgia and Armenia, treasures of the Caucasus

Saturday 13 July

Avocet Lecture Stage 

0930 Jon Mason

A Year in Reserve

1000 Mark Pearson

Filey International - autumn migration thrills on the Yorkshire coast

1030 Jakub Kronenberg

From birds as hat ornaments to interspecies justice

1100 To be confirmed

1130 YaYa

Why The Gambia is famous for bird watching

1200 Marcy Summers

Successful community based conservation leads towards recovery of the Maleo

1230 Guy Kirwan

Birds of the World - in-depth life histories of every bird

1300 To be confirmed

1330 Tony Williams

Birding News from France 

1400 Dr Sean McCormack

Ealing (West London ) Beaver Project

1430 Bret Charman

Colombia Bird Photography

1500 To be confirmed

1530 Craig Jones

Fantastic Falkland 

1600 Emma Strong

What we feed our wild birds - the true impact!

1630 Peter Eeles

British & Irish Butterfly Rarities

1700 Craig Fellowes

National Wildlife Crime Unit

1730 Jon Hall and Charles Foley

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Golden Age of Mammal watching

Curlew Lecture Stage

0930 Krisztina Scheeff

Grebes 

1000 Hannah Bourne-Taylor

Campaigning for Swifts

1030 Tonia Cochran

Birds of Australia

1100 Marek Borkowski

Maybe the best breeding birds garden in Europe

1130 Raffaele Di Biase

Wildlife and  Birds of The Route of the Parks of Patagonia

1200 Rockjumper presentation

1230 Pedro Prata

Rewilding in Portugal's Greater Côa Valley

1300 Nikhil Devasar

Bird Tourism in Uttar Pradesh

1330 Raymond Jeffers

Dominica -the nature island of the Eastern Caribbean-home to parrots, hummers and more

1400 Dan Brown

In Search of Iberian Lynx and  Raptors in Southern Spain

1430 Sabah Representative

Birding in Borneo

1500 Rockjumper presentation

1530 Mike Dilger

Enchanting Ecuador

1600 Paul Howden-Leach

Listening in the dark: The sounds of nocturnal migration

1630 Helen Bryon

Patagonia’s Pumas and Orca

1700 Rebecca Nason

Shetland Seabird Tours - The Noss Boat. Northern Seabirds, Cetaceans & Photography

1730 Benjamin Ward. 

Birds Beyond Borders - Film Screening & Q&A

Plover Lecture Stage

0930 Scott Whittle

Powering up Conservation - using technology to save wildlife

1000 Andrew St Joseph

The East Atlantic Flyway of Coastal Birds

1030 Richard Parsons

Biodiversity and Bellavista: Discover the beautiful birds of North-western Ecuador

1100 Ben Chapple - Naturetrek

India’s Wild Heart

1130 Boris Belchev

Autumn migration magic at Curonian spit National Park

1200 John White

Getting Started with Birda Birdwatching App

1230 Sophie Dingwall

South Pole Expedition insights to the birding world

1300 Claudien Nsabagasani

Birding and wildlife tourism in East Africa

1330 Norby Lopez

Rediscovering the Biodiverse Amazon of Ecuador

1400 Ben Chapple - Naturetrek

Mammals of Madagascar

1430 Tobago Birding Representative

Birding in Tobago 

1500 Wild Rutland

White Storks

1530 Peter Waanders

Australia's amazing outback birding spectacle

1600 Alberto Bosque Coello

Proposals for fauna and flora observation in the region of Castilla y León (Spain)

1630 Oliver Wright 

Adventures of a Macro Photographer in Wildlife Rich Bulgaria

1700 Arjun Sinsinwar

Voyage across Bhitarkanika National Park, Orissa, & immerse in this unique ecosystem.

1730 Harry Munt

Rewilding The Anthropocene

Sunday 14 July

Avocet Lecture Stage 

0930 David Chandler

An introduction to binoculars and telescopes

1000 David Zingfa

Overlap between bird conservation and agriculture in Hadejia (Nigeria) wetland complex

1030 Lizzie Lemon

Nattergal - High Fen

1100 RSPB presentation

1130 Carolyn Robertson

Lek It Be - Capercaillie emergency in the Cairngorms

1200 Sony presentation

1230 Łukasz Mazurek

Białowieża Forest - the last primeval forest of Europe

1300 RSPB presentation

1330 Mark Pearson

The School of Birding - How to Become a Better Birder

1400 Dominic Garcia-Hall

Naked Birding - how listening and audio recording are transforming birding

1430 Mary Colwell

What's happening with the Natural History GCSE?

1500 RSPB

1530 Holly Page

Birding the Scottish Highlands and  Islands in Autumn

Curlew Lecture Stage

0930 Rachel Bigsby

A Seabird Summer Pole to Pole

1000 Balazs Szigeti

Snow Leopards and the spectacular wildlife in Mongolia

1030 João Jara

Mértola Birds & Nature Festival

Brief description of the event, including information about the field activities, talks and conservation projects

1100 Nick Acheson

Norfolk: Wild Habitats, Wild Species and Wild Adventures

1130 Javier Elorriaga Navarro

Known and unknown highlights of birding in Andalusia

1200 Rockjumper presentation

1230 Mike Dilger

South Coast Wildlife Extravaganza

1300 Carmen Rueda 

Conservation for Iberian Lynx

1330 Sean Cole & Mike Waller

The Orchids & Other Wildlife of Northwest Eire

1400 Marcelo Gavensky

Birding in Argentina: how to plan your trip

1430 Sally Nowell

Alladale Wilderness Reserve And The Wild Sutherland Coasts

1500 Rockjumper presentation

Plover Lecture Stage

0930 Paul Hackett

Phonescoping - the basics learn how to take pictures with a scope

1000 Vicente Pantoja-Maggi

Science and community together in Birds Of The World: the case of Chile

1030 Louis Schopp

Ranger life - living and working as a Ranger

1100 Paul Stanbury - Naturetrek

Costa Rica - Quetzals & Cloudforests

1130 Sara Frost - Naturetrek

St Kilda

1200 Hugh Vere Nicoll, Wild Rutland

Wild Rutland - The destination for the curious adventurer

1230 Steven Stansfield

Bird Observatories - what are they all about?

1300 Mohit Aggarwal

Saving the threatened avifauna of Gujarat and Rajasthan

1330 Craig Jones

Ethical Wildlife Photography - we need to step back, think twice about we’re doing

1400 Andy Tucker - Naturetrek

Galapagos

1430 Charles Anderson

The Wandering Glider Dragonfly – the World’s Greatest Migrant

1500 Eleni Galinou

Spring/summer 2024 highlights for Lesvos, Greece.

RSPB sign up for 2024 Global Birdfair, but question marks over attendance of BTO and Wetland Wildlife Trust

                        

This year's Global Birdfair will be hosted by a caravan and camping site 

BETTER late than never - the RSPB has signed up to be an exhibitor at this year's Global Birdfair to be be held at Lyndon Top, Rutland. from July 12-14.

It was thought the conservation charity might give this year's event a miss, but its chiefs that this is a a date in the birding calendar too important to be missed.

Also returning are The Wildlife Trusts, who had boycotted previous events, but it is not yet clear if the BTO or the Wetland Wildlife Trust will be present. 

Below is the list of exhibitors as of May 8, but there may still be a few more to come.

2by2 Holidays

Abelmosaics

Action for Swifts

African Bird Club

Albatross Birding and Nature Tours in  Chile

Alcedo Wildlife Tours

Alexia Claire - Wildlife Stationery

Alison Ingram, Artist

All India Birding Tours

Alyssa Robinson Textiles

Aqua-Firma Worldwide Ltd

Asian Adventures

Ashanti African Tours Ltd

Asturias Tourism

Atropos Books

Bamboo Feet

Azerbaijan Tourism Board

BDWCA (British Decoy & Wildfowl Carvers Association)

Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge

Bellbird Tours

Bespoke India Travel

Biebrza Wildlife Trust

Bird Finder Philippines

Bird Observatories Council

Bird's Wildlife and Nature Tours

Birda

Birdfeedertree

Birdfinders

Birdfy

Birdguides

Birding Haapsalu

Birding Pantanal

Birding The Islands

Birding Zambia

BirdLife Cyprus

BirdLife International

BirdLife Malta

BirdLife Spain - SEO

Birds Chile

Birds and Nature Tours Portugal

Birds Argentina & Southern South America

Birds of the World - The Cornell Lab

Birdtour Asia

Birdwatch Magazine

Birdwatching Magazine

Bloomsbury Wildlife

Bluetail Birding/India Nature

Bradt Travel Guides

Brazil Birding Experts

British Divers Marine Life Rescue

British Dragonfly Society

Brockleby's Pies 

Buteo Photo Gear

Butterfly Conservation UK

Button and Squirt

Cairngorms National Park Authority

Canopy Family, Panamá

Carry Akroyd

Castilla y León Tourism Board (Spain)

Catalan Tourist Board

Charles Farris Ltd

China Bird Tour

Clinton Banbury illustration

Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS)

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Costa Rica Birding & Birdwatching Central America

Costa Rica Wildbird Tours

Craig Taylor Wildlife Artist

Crane's Cape Tours & Travel

Crow Artist

Curlew Action

Darren Woodhead, Artist

David Finney, Artist

D Smith Glasscraft

Doug Nicholson Sculpture

eBird

Ecotours Wildlife Holidays

Elite Optical

El Septimo Paraiso - Mindo

Ento U.P Ltd

Estonian Business and Innovation Agency/Visit Estonia

Extremadura, Spain

Eyebrook Wild Bird Feeds

Fair Isle Observatory Trust

Falkland Islands Holidays

Falkland Islands Tourist Board

Falklands Conservation

Far South Expeditions

Fauna & Flora International

Finnature

French Paris - Parc Naturel Regional des Marais

Fujifilm Electronic Imaging Europe

Gambia Tourism Board

Ganders Travel Limited

Gareth Watling British bird paintings

Geckoman - John Noble-Milner

GP Optics

Grant Arms Hotel (BWWC)

Greenpeace

Greentours

Greenwings Wildlife Holidays

Guyana Tourism Authority

Hadco Experiences - Asa Wright Nature Centre

Hawke Optics

Heatherlea Birdwatching

Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust

Helen Whittle

Heritage Expeditions

Highland Boundary

Inala Nature Tours

Iceland Birding / Visit North Iceland

Irene Brierton - Artist

Jane Gibson Sculptures

Jetwing Travels Pvt Ltd

JIm Starr, Painter, Illustrator & Print Maker

Jina Gelder Illustration

John Gale Artist

Jonathan Pomroy

Julie Wilson Sculptures

Kate Cree Art

Keith Brockie Wildlife Art

Ken Mullins Books

Kite Optics

Kuntur Birding

La Selva Eco Lodge and Retreat

Langur Eco Travels, Bhutan

Lawson's Birding, Wildlife & Custom Safaris

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

Leica Sport Optics

Leicestershire & Rutland Ornithological Society (LROS)

Letaka Safaris

Limosa Holidays

Livingstone African Safaris Limited

Los Caimanes Trail - La Segua Wetland

Lotus Bakery

Louise Crookenden-Johnson Ceramics

Luke Western Art Ltd

Lynn Hazel ~ British Wildlife Sculptor

Lynx Nature Books

MAC Group Europe Limited, Benro, Tenba and Shimoda

Malaysia Tourism

Mammal Society

Manakin Nature Tours

Maven

Meadowlark Birding Tours

Michael Potts Photography

MyBirds Story Books

Mythic Hippo Photography

Mongolia Quest

Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA), Greece

Nattergal

Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest

Nature Experience Ecuador and Galapagos

Naturetrek

Neal Griffin Art

Neophron Tours

Neotropical Birding and Conservation

NHBS - Natural History Book Service

NT Bird Specialists, Australia

OM System

On Track Safaris

One Stop Nature Shop

Operation Seabird

Opticron

Orcadian Wildlife

Oriental Bird Club

Oriole Birding Ltd

OSME -  Ornithological Society of the Middle East, The Caucasus and Central Asia

Our Indian Tours

Paramo Directional Clothing Ltd

Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime

Partnership for International Birding

Peak Boxes

Plantlife

Princeton Nature

PromPeru

Quijos Valley Birdwatching

Rare Bird Alert

Rebecca Nason Photography

Reef and Rainforest Tours Ltd

Richard Lewington, Artist

RSPB

Sabah Tourism Board

Sarah Brabbin Sculpture

Sarus Bird Tours

SAVE Vultures

Secret Atlas

Sicklebill Safaris

Simon King and The Wildlife Community

Skua Nature Group SRL

Smart Images

Society of Wildlife Artists

SongBird Survival

Southern Sky Adventures

Sounding Wild

Speyside Wildlife

Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force (EAAFP SBS Task Force)

Spurn Bird Observatory Trust

Stephen Message Art

Sunbird Images OHG

Suzy Ager Textile Design

Symbiosis - Grassroots project 

Taiwan Tourism Administration

Tasmanian Odyssey Ltd

Terra

The Bagh Wildlife Resorts

The Birdway

The Coach House Studio-Hayley Jones Wire Sculptures

The Feather Lady

The Urban Birder World

The Whale and Dolphin Company 

The Wildlife Trusts

Thermal4Birding

Tragopan

Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge

Trogon Tours

Tropical Birding

Trymwood Studios 

UK Birding Pins

Venture Uganda

Victoria Carr, Artist

Vortex

WaderQuest

Wild Discovery

Wild Herz Ltd (Wild Herzegovina Birdwatching Holidays)

Wildernistrek

Wildfoot Travel

Wildlife Acoustics

Wild Poland

Wild Sounds and Books - with book signing sessions

Wildlife Poland

Wildlife Worldwide

WildSpace Project

WildWings

Woodland Trust

Woolley Wildlife

World Pheasant Association (WPA)

World Wildlife Fund

Yorkshire Coast Nature

* More details at https://globalbirdfair.org                             

A team from Azerbaijan Tourist Board will be back for this year's event

Setback for firm which wanted to build houses close to Kent haven for singing nightingales

Cute and cuddly - but potentially deadly to songbirds

A DEVELOPMENT company which sought to build houses on land near a site rich in singing nightingales has lost its appeal to proceed.

Esquire Developments Ltd appealed after Medway Council refused its application to build nine houses on land at Chattenden, near Rochester, in Kent.

But the independent planning inspectorate, Mr E. Grierson,  upheld the council's refusal decision because he thought the birds would be vulnerable to predation from any cats  that the householders might own.

His decision notice reads as follows:

" The appeal is dismissed.

"Birds can be disturbed by the urbanising impacts of residential development including recreational pressures and predation from domestic pets. 

"Whilst not a precise correlation, the potential for adverse effects increases with the number of dwellings nearby. 

"Therefore, whilst the appellant has identified over 1,000 existing dwellings within 400 metres of the SSSI, additional dwellings would still have the potential to increase adverse effects upon it.

"Whilst there is no direct access from the appeal site into the SSSI, there are two public rights of way in close proximity, which future occupiers of the proposed development could use to access parts of it for recreational activities.

"Although it is likely that they would stick to designated routes, the additional footfall and the associated noise and activity this would generate would still result in some disturbance to the habitats for which the site is designated for.

"Due to the scale of the proposed development, the numbers of additional people accessing the SSSI would not be substantial. 

"Nevertheless, although limited, the proposal would still result in additional recreational pressures, resulting in disturbance that would have an adverse impact on the habitats within the SSSI and the species which inhabit it. 

"I understand that this is particularly relevant for the nightingale population due to their sensitivities to disturbance and their ground nesting tendencies.

"From information submitted by the appellant based on figures relating to cat ownership, the development proposed on the appeal site and the neighbouring site in combination would result in the introduction of around seven domestic cats.

"Although this number is not significant, due to the predatory nature of cats and their ability to roam, the proposed development and the likely increase in the number of domestic cats in the area would still have an adverse impact on the population of nightingales within the SSSI. 

"To reduce the impact of the proposed development on the notifying features of the SSSI, the appellant has put forward a number of mitigation measures.

"These mitigation measures include a 'no cat' policy for the occupiers of the proposed dwellings via a restrictive covenant inserted into the title deeds of each property and enforced by an independent management company. 

"The appellant has stated that they will enter into a legal agreement with the Council to secure this, however this has not been provided as part of the appeal.

"However, even if regular inspections are carried out by the management company, it would be difficult to identify the owners of any cats discovered and enforce any suspected breach of the covenant, thereby making it ineffective.

"The appellant has also proposed cat-proof fencing between the appeal site and the boundary with the SSSI, with additional planting to provide a robust, thorny boundary. 

"However, limited details have been provided regarding its design and maintenance, and it is likely that cats could traverse around such a boundary. 

"As such, these mitigation measures would not fully prevent cat ownership on the appeal site or entirely mitigate the subsequent impact upon the nightingale population from an increased number of predatory cats.

"The appellant has also put forward the addition of a green buffer to separate the proposed dwellings from the boundary with the SSSI and create a dark corridor. 

"However, this has a limited width, and the proposed development would still be in close proximity to this boundary. 

"The provision of information packs to the occupiers of the proposed dwellings has also been suggested.

" This would help to educate residents on the features of the SSSI, but would only provide advisory measures, which are not enforceable and would be unlikely to last the lifetime of the development.

"Therefore, these measures would not significantly reduce the urbanising impacts from the proposed development."

Proposed pylons-and-cables route through Lincolnshire could harm nature tourism warns MP Matt Warman

 

Matt Warman met with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust chairman Paul Learoyd at Gibraltar Point earlier this month 

CONTROVERSIAL plans to erect scores of pylons along a 87-mile route through Lincolnshire will have "a negative impact on nature tourism".

This warning has been sounded by Boston and Skegness MP Matt Warman (Con) who has secured a debate to be held in the Commons later this week.

There are many nature reserves in Lincolnshire (RSPB Frampton and Gibraltar Point bird observatory are both in Mr Warman's constituency).

He has been alerted that migrating wildfowl such as ducks, geese and Whooper swans could be in danger of collision with the cables linking the pylons.

The so-called Great Grid Upgrade is proposed to be the largest expansion  of Britain's  electricity grid since the 1950s.

It aims to improve and build more of the infrastructure needed to meet the UK’s expanding energy needs as well as increased output of energy from offshore windfarms.

During an afternoon debate in the Commons on  Thursday May 2, backbenchers will scrutinise the issues.

Mr Warman has highlighted three specific objections to the pylons:

* The potentially negative impact on nature tourism

* The visual impact on Lincolnshire's flat landscape

* The likelihood of  agricultural land being taken out of production

Says he: "I am highly concerned that, at a time when pylons elsewhere in the country are being removed, residents in Lincolnshire are not being offered more than the one option  in National Grid’s narrow public consultation.

"It is clear that, not just my own constituents in Boston and Skegness, but also residents from neighbouring constituencies in Lincolnshire and the East of England, are opposed to strings of pylons polluting the rural and unspoilt parts of our county. 

"The future needs of the grid would be better served by a different approach.

"I have been making the case to ministers that, whilst National Grid is rightly burying cables underground in parts of the country such as Dorset, we should not be putting them up in Lincolnshire. 

"Ultimately, it is vital that other options are given greater consideration. Pylons should not seen as the default.

"I look forward to having the opportunity to raise this important matter in Parliament."

Fellow Lincolnshire MPs Victoria Atkins and Sir John Hayes, as well as Lincolnshire County Council, and Police and Crime Commissioner, Marc Jones, have all also formally objected to the proposal.

Their schedules permitting, it is thought that Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers and Grimsby MP Lia Nici might also seek to contribute to the debate.                                     

The pylons will be close to both inland and coastal havens for birds and other wildlife

Britain's largest housebuilder Persimmon keen to encourage swifts and other wildlife (including hedgehogs)

                                          

Artist's impression of one of the swift-friendly houses proposed for Wykham Park, Banbury 

PLAUDITS to Britain's largest housebuilder Persimmon plc which seems to be warming to wildlife more by the day.

It has begun installing swift-nesting bricks  houses in some of its developments where swifts are known to fly in the skies above.

The most notable of these is Wykham Park in Banbury, Oxfordshire, where no fewer than 225 swiftbricks are to be installed in  237 houses.

Says the company's latest annual report: These will provide precious homes for an endangered summer-visiting bird."

It continues: "A further 36 nesting features are provided for other important bird and bat species welcoming them into the development. 

"In addition, hedgehog pathways have been sensitively designed into our scheme, ensuring they are able to roam freely between gardens and out into the wider countryside. 

"Our show home features these important assets, highlighting their value and creating an opportunity to  engage every visitor with iconic creatures. 

"At Banbury , these valuable biodiversity features and wildlife communities will be supported with feeding opportunities and movement corridors through provision of swales, meadow planting, tree planting, scrub and retained native hedgerows throughout the development."

At today's Persimmon annual meeting in York, a shareholder commended the company for its initiative and asked if this might be a forerunner of similar ventures at forthcoming developments elsewhere.

Back came the reply: "Our aim is for all our sites to contribute towards nature conservation. 

"This may be through measures such as swiftbricks or hedgehog highways and will be supported by nature-friendly planting schemes as part of our biodiversity strategy."

Quizzed whether the company had partnerships with the RSPB or county wildlife trusts, the response was that the company worked with "a wide range of conservation and nature organisations across the UK"

It says its link-up with the Bee Friendly Trust in Suffolk had won a bee-friendly award.

The Wryneck says: "This is very encouraging. In the past, large housebuilders have sometimes been cast as villains for swallowing up vast acreages of land previously used for growing cereal crops. But with intensive use of chemical poisons, much of these sites have long since lost most of their wildlife. Houses with well-planted gardens and nest-sites can soon become nature reserves in miniature. Persimmon have shown they are willing to do their bit. Now it is up to wildlife conservation organisations such as the RSPB to reach out with creative ideas and a willingness to work in tandem.    

Will they never move on? The red-top tabloid media just can't stop demonising herring gulls

THE report inside today's edition reads: "A giant seagull as big as a dog is leading a squad of flying goons terrorising shoppers for food."

It goes on to quote one onlooker as saying: "I've seen baked goods swiped out of people's hands.

"These have moved on from being skilled scavengers.

"Now, they are brutish bullies. . . "

Is this really the best that the Daily Star can do?

RSPB-supporting MP tells Commons colleagues where he had first date with woman who was to become his wife

 

James Wild MP - supporter of Plovers in Peril campaign

RSPB-supporting Conservative MP James Wild has revealed where he and the woman who was to become his wife had their first date.

It was in the grounds of London Zoo.

The 47-year-old, who has represented the North West Norfolk constituency since 1994, confided this nugget during yesterday's Commons debate on the work of the zoo.

He told colleagues: "As it happens, my first date with my wife was at London Zoo."

The debate proceeded thus:

Sir Chris Bryant (Lab): You animal!

James Wild (Con): "Check out my surname. 

"We had a lovely time, and obviously it paid off! 

"My wife and I were at the zoo a few weeks ago with one of her friends and her young twins, and its ability to inspire is incredible. 

"I watched those two little girls run off to look at the animals, and it was great. 

"When my wife and I went on our first date, which was some time ago, we were a bit concerned about the state of the facilities. 

"Some of the cages had signs to assure visitors that the animals were not in distress, even though they may have been pacing backwards and forwards. 

"There was an urgent need for modernisation, and when I went back a few weeks ago I noted that some of the enclosures had been improved. 

"I am thinking in particular of the penguin area which is now a great facility and one of my favourite parts of the zoo.

" A few Members have spoken about Guy the gorilla. 

"I understand that his tooth decay was caused by him being fed sweets by people visiting the zoo, so it is very important that only zookeepers should feed the animals. It is important to get that on the record.

Bob Blackman (Con): "Gorillas are herbivores, so they should only be fed by keepers, as my hon. Friend rightly says. 

"They should certainly not be fed sweets. Does he realise that gorillas share 98.4 per cent of their DNA with human beings? 

"They are very close to human beings. Just as tooth decay in humans is concerning, particularly among young children who eat sweets, the same thing applies to gorillas."

James Wild: "My hon. Friend makes a very interesting observation."

Sir Chris Bryant: "I bet Guy could get a dentist!"

Norwich-born Mr Wild (47) and his sweetheart, Natalie Evans (now a Conservative peer in the House of Lords), were married in 2010. 

A keen jogger and cyclist, the MP hopes to beat his marathon best time of 3hrs 36mins when he competes in tomorrow's London event, is in regular contact with the RSPB.

He supports the charity's Plovers in Peril project and shared the charity's outrage when four quad bikers put paid to any chances of ringed plovers nesting on Snettisham Beach in his constituency three years ago.

The previous year, he visited the RSPB's coastal reserve at Titchwell, also in his constituency, to help celebrate World Wetlands Day. 

A keen football fan, Mr Wild's two favourite teams both have birds as their nickname - Division One side Norwich City (Canaries) and non-league Kings Lynn (Linnets).                                                   

The reserve at Snettisham where quad bikers caused devastation to breeding ringed plovers

                                 

Ringed plovers - as ground-nesters they are highly vulnerable to disturbance