Huge difference in prices paid at auction for two little-known watercolours by Archibald Thorburn

Two little-known watercolours by Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935) went under the hammer at a sale conducted yesterday by London auction house Roseberys. The Mallard alighting fetched £4,461 while the Herring Gull on sand sold for £367. 

Signs are it could be a bumper 'irruption' winter in Britain for visiting Bohemian Waxwings

                                                 

Winter 2026-27 is shaping up to be a bumper season for Bohemian Waxwings. By mid-November, there have already been numerous UK sightings, especially in eastern counties. Below is an extract of what Howard Saunders wrote in his Illustrated Manual of British Birds (1889).

For upwards of two centuries this beautiful bird has been known to visit our islands at irregular intervals, and sometimes in considerable numbers  as in the winters of

* 1686

* 1830-31

* 1834-35

* 1849-50

* 1866-67

* 1872-3

As might be expected in the case of an inhabitant of the Arctic regions, the visits of the Waxwing have been more frequent in the northern and eastern portions of Great Britain than on the western side, and do not appear to have extended to the Outer Hebrides; while to Ireland they have been few and far between. 

In England it has been recorded in almost every county, including the south and the extreme south-west; and, on the spring migration, in Norfolk up to the first week in May.

Its visits depend on the severity of the weather on the Continent, but it does not follow that the same winter should be rigorous in the British Islands.    

                                       

Trio of Waxwings that have been present this week at Tetney Lock, near Grimsby, in Lincolnshire 

                               

                                  

Study of Eider Duck by celebrated wildlife artist Charles Tunnicliffe sells for £787 at London auction earlier today

               

A hammer price of £787 was achieved for this study of Eider Ducks by Charles Tunnicliffe (1901-1979) when it went under the hammer this afternoon at a sale conducted by London auction house Rosberys. It measures approximately 22.2 x 13.5cm. Bidding took it to the higher end of the pre-sale guide price of £600-£800. 

Captivating study by Prince Louis (aged just 12) of Kingfisher features in this week's Country Life magazine

 

   

There have been plaudits aplenty for this colour drawing of a Kingfisher by 12-year-old Prince Louis that is included in this week's special edition of Country Life magazine that has been edited by his father, Prince William. The publicity generated by the picture, issued by Kensington Palace, and by the project overall can only be beneficial to birds and birding as well as to the magazine. Below are more pictures from this week's special  Royal edition.  

                                        

                                                          

RSPB offers 'exciting opportunity' to 'control' crows, foxes and mink on newest Northern Ireland reserve

                                    

Curlew - one of the ground-nesting waders that the RSPB is keen to safeguard

IT looks like curtains for many if not all of the corvids that live on the RSPB's laatestland acquisition  in Northern Ireland - the 60-hectare Inishcreenry Nature Reserve.

The charity is recruiting for a predatory control officer whose job will be to repel or shoot crow family birds, foxes, mink and any other vertebrates that threaten breeding waders.

Describing this is an 'exciting opportunity', the RSPB says:  "We are looking an individual who will lead on predator control and thus take an active role in ensuring we reach our targets for the reserve's ground-nesting waders such as Curlew.

Inishcreenry supports a range of habitats, including grasslands, wetland habitats and wet woodland. 

The role of the appointee will be to: 

* Plan and undertake  a seasonal programme of appropriate predator control to enable management plan targets for the protection of ground nesting waders to be reached

* Operate all predator control activities within RSPB permission and procedures to ensure compliance with legal requirements including the legal compliance and safe operation of firearms

* Maintain all site infrastructure relating to predator control across the site to ensure management plan targets to be reached and investment in infrastructure to be protected

* Act as the predator control expert for Inishcreenry by sharing knowledge and advice to a range of audiences, both internal and external, and to share best practice and manage reputational risk

* Advocate RSPB’s policy on vertebrate control and the benefits to wildlife to both internal and external audiences to increase support for and understanding of the for these measures

* Keep detailed records and write regular reports to site/area/country and national staff as required by RSPB monitoring and reporting procedure for sites undertaking vertebrate control

It also states that the successful candidate must have knowledge in the installation and management of predator-proof fences and hold the  appropriate fire arms licences for control of fox, mink and corvids - plus the ability  to shoot a fox at a range of 100 metres.

This is a part-time, seasonal role with 30 hours a week to be worked between January and July 2027.

The role will include working outside normal office hours, including nights.

The salary is the equivalent of  £27,579 - £29,445 per annum

Applications close at midnight on November 30, and more information is available from:  Nancy.Reed@rspb.org.uk.

Most of Britain's breeding Ring Ouzels have now migrated to North Africa for winter, but there is one . . .

It is not often that a Ring Ouzel is featured  in art but that appears to be the species depicted on the left of this painting attributed to the Flemish artist Pieter Casteels III (1684-1789) or one of his followers. Higher up in the picture there is a Starling, but the other birds appear to be domesticated varieties including what looks like a 'bonsai' Mallard. The painting, which is unframed, is expected  to fetch between £300 and £500 when it goes under the hammer at a sale to be conducted by South London auction house Rosebery's on Wednesday November 11.

MP explains why she is backing Greenpeace UK's controversial North Sea boulder-dropping gambit

                                            

Over she goes - one of the boulders being dropped on to the ocean bed (photo: Andrew McConnell/ Greenpeace)

WILDLIFE activist group Greenpeace UK believe seabirds such as Guillemots, diver species and Gannets will benefit from its latest direct action initiative.

It has been dropping boulders in the Southern North Sea's Marine Protected Area to discourage bottom trawlers and dredgers from 'hoovering' up fish and damaging the sea bed.

Greenpeace has not specified the precise locations nor the number of boulders but says they weigh up to two tonnes each.

As such they could cause significant damage to expensive fishing  and dredging equipment.

Says Greenpeace UK  co-executive director Will McCallum: "Out of sight, destruction  is happening off our own shores.

"Hulking great ships are prowling the sea day after day, stripping it of fish and killing - directly or indirectly - precious wildlife such as porpoises, sharks and seabirds.

"With our ships, we’re doing what the Government is not doing - protecting our sea. 

"We announced in June that if Whitehall did not act soon Greenpeace UK would take direct action.

" Nothing has happened since then.

"Now we are setting a challenge to ministers: Ban destructive fishing across all our protected waters at home, and lead the charge for a network of global ocean sanctuaries right across the Atlantic."

Among MPs who are said by Greenpeace to support the project are Ellie Chowns (Green, North Herefordshire), Carla Denyer (Green, Bristol Central), Barry Gardiner (Lab, Brent West) , Kerry McCarthy (Lab, Bristol East), Simon Opher (Lab, Stroud)  and Roz Savage (Lib-Dem, South Cotswolds). 

Says Ms McCarthy, who is a  former Climate Minister and member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Ocean, comments:

"Industrialised fishing is having a hugely destructive impact on our marine environment, yet less than one per cent of our seas are protected from it. 

"Enterprises  can legally tear through supposedly protected areas of the ocean, wreaking havoc upon the seabed, precious habitats and the sea life that lives there. 

"Progress is too slow and nature can’t wait, so I have added my name to one of Greenpeace UK’s boulders."