If Golden Eagles are brought back to England, might some be 'shot, poisoned, trapped or bludgeoned to death'?

                                            

The Forestry England report identifies these eight locations as Potential Recovery Zones for the Golden Eagle. The Cheviots seems to be most favoured because it is already visited by birds from southern Scotland which seem to find this part of England conducive to their needs

THE UK's foremost authority on illegal raptor killing has sounded a cautious note on this week's proposal to restore the Golden Eagle as a breeding species to England.

In her regularly-updated blog, Raptor Persecution UK, Ruth Tingay notes that several of the locations identified by Forestry England as Potential Recovery Zones are subject to "systemic" slaughter of birds of prey, especially at sites where driven grouse shooting is a dominant land-use.

She writes: "Given the population-level effects of illegal persecution in these areas on species such as the Hen Harrier and the Peregrine, it is not difficult to comprehend the challenge of keeping Golden Eagles alive for long enough to establish a home range on these moors."

As much as £1-million is being earmarked by Whitehall for the project to restore Golden Eagles to England - but will this be money well spent?

Back to Ms Tingay who comments : "From my  perspective, I should  have been happier if the Government had also put up funding to establish a national, multi-agency response unit to investigate all offences that fall under the National Wildlife Crime Priorities which includes raptor persecution.

"Continuing to ignore the extent and impact of the issue, as successive Westminster governments have done, will inevitably lead to many of those England-based Golden Eagles being shot, poisoned, trapped or bludgeoned to death - and nobody being held to account."

Birdfood companies react with dismay to RSPB's advice to 'pause' feeding garden birds during breeding season

The RSPB is urging supporters to cease feeding birds such as this Goldfinch with sunflower hearts and other seeds between May and October 

BIRDFOOD companies have not taken well to the RSPB's call for people to halt filling garden feeders with seeds or peanuts during summer.

Lincolnshire-based Vine House Farm said: "We are disappointed with the RSPB’s announcement on supplementary garden bird feeding."

The latest advice of the charity - reinforced by its chief executive, Beccy Speight,  in an interview on on BBC Radio 4 -  was that filling feeders should be "paused" between May 1 and October 31 so as to reduce the chances of diseases spreading, especially among seedeaters such as Greenfinches.

The team at Vine House Farm have always acknowledged that spread of disease is a risk if feeders are dirty, or if uneaten food is allowed to deteriorate, but they insist  that, so long as hygiene is observed, their customers should continue during the breeding season.

Says their statement: "We have carried out extensive studies at Vine House Farm over many decades on the benefits of supplementary feeding during the breeding season, especially for Tree Sparrows. 

"These studies  have unequivocally demonstrated the benefits of supplementary feeding on breeding populations due to the huge decline in natural invertebrate and natural seed food sources because of climate change, intensive farming and urbanisation.

"We believe that stopping supplementary feeding during the breeding season would have a negative impact on the breeding success of many species which are already in decline." 

The statement continues: "A further issue which concerns us is the negative impact on the mental health of people whose lives are enriched by feeding garden birds. 

"Many of these people are relatively elderly, with garden birds often becoming a major focus of their day-to-day lives.

"It is also the case that retired people will typically have the time each day to ensure best practice such as keeping feeders clean which is surely a much better option than asking them to take the feeders down."

Similar sentiments have been sounded by Haith's, another Lincolnshire based birdfood merchant, which insists: "You do not need to stop feeding birds - you need to keep doing it properly.

"Across the UK, millions of gardens form a connected network for wildlife. 

"In a countryside under pressure from habitat loss and environmental change, these spaces help birds find food, shelter and stability. 

"That is not a small thing - its is one of the most powerful forces for nature we have."  

Whisper it quietly but are grouse moor gamekeepers now the 'guardian angels' of Britain's breeding Curlews?

                                                      

Adults Curlew - eggs and chicks all too regularly fall victim to predators

GAMEKEEPERS take immense flak for their activities on the great landholdings of Yorkshire, Scotland and elsewhere - particularly  when it comes to safeguarding the eggs and chicks of 'game birds' such as grouse  from predators.

Of particular controversy is the  illegal  killing - alleged  to be widespread and sometimes persistent - of protected raptors such as Hen Harriers, Golden Eagle and Red Kites.

But when it comes to the culling  of Carrion Crows and mammals such as foxes and stoats, the issue becomes more nuanced because these are creatures that prey not just on grouse and pheasants but also on other moorland-nesting species such as Curlews and Golden Plovers.

The spotlight fell on predator control at last month's parliamentary briefing on the Curlew Action Plan where one of the keynote speakers was former RSPB chairman and uplands birds expert Prof Ian Newton.

"We have to grasp the 'inconvenient truth' about predation," he declared. 

"In my view, grouse moors have been greatly underrated in their crucial importance, not just for grouse, but for all ground-nesting birds. 

"This is due both to their habitat management and to predation control. 

"You may be surprised to learn that some single grouse moors with their neighbouring fields in northern England now hold more Curlew than the whole of Ireland."

Prof Newton: 'Predator control will need government support if it is to be effective'

Prof Newton noted that as recently as in the 1980s, Curlew were widespread, "breeding abundantly in every county", and he attributed their decline not to loss of habitat or lack of food but to predation on eggs and chicks.

He continued: "Clearly, there are factors operating in modern Britain that have enabled certain predators, notably foxes and badgers, to increase far beyond previous levels, and achieve much higher densities than in any other European country for which we have information. 

"Unless we can resolve the predation problem, we face the likelihood that most ground-nesting species will disappear in the coming years from most of Britain, surviving perhaps in game-rearing areas and offshore islands lacking the relevant mammalian predators. "

He concluded: "For restoring Curlew and other ground-nesting birds, we know what should be done, but it needs coordinated efforts by all relevant stakeholders at national level.  

"Predator control will need government support if it is to be effective across landscapes." 

                                             

 

Still as chirpy as ever - House Sparrow again comes out tops in RSPB's 2026 Garden Birdwatch survey

 

THE House Sparrow remains the most populous bird in  British gardens according to research collated by the RSPB from its  Garden Birdwatch held in January this year.

It was seen in more than 1.27-million individuals counted  - well ahead of the Blue Tit which was runner-up with a tally of just over 1.11-million.

The others in the Top Ten are as denoted above.

The rest of the Top Twenty was as follows:

11 Jackdaw

12 Feral Pigeon

13 Chaffinch

14 Coal Tit

15  Collared Dove

16  Dunnock

17 Carrion Crow

18  Greenfinch

19  Wren

20 Great Spotted Woodpecker

More than 650,000 counters took part in the annual survey, with  9,473,932 birds counted.

Cabinet minister pledges £1-million Whitehall funds to support breeding return of Golden Eagles to England

                                        

On the hunt for something to eat - Golden Eagle (photo: Forestry England)

COULD the  Golden Eagle be poised to make a breeding return to England after an absence of more than 150 years?

Once widespread across England and mentioned more than 40 times by Shakespeare, the species was decimated to breeding extinction by persecution, especially during the Victorian era. 

The last resident Golden Eagle died in the Lake District in 2016. 

But a study published by Forestry England confirms that England has the capacity to sustain Golden Eagle populations.

The following eight locations have been identified as 'Potential Recovery Zones':

* The Cheviots

* North Pennines

* South Pennines

* Lake District

* Yorkshire Dales

* North Yorkshire Moors

* Forest of Bowland

* South-west of England

The Environment Secretary, Emma Reynolds, has  approved £1-million  Defra funding to explore a reintroduction programme with the potential for juveniles, six to eight weeks old, to be released as early as next year.

It is not yet known where the juveniles might be sourced.

 

Says Ms Reynolds: "This government is committed to protecting and restoring our most threatened native wildlife - and that includes bringing back iconic species like the Golden Eagle.

"We will work alongside partners, including Forestry England and Restoring Upland Nature,  to make the Golden Eagle a feature of English landscapes once again." 

Not everyone will necessarily welcome the reintroduction proposal, with some estates managers, gamekeepers and farmers likely to fearful that such a large predator could put their own livestock and sporting interests in jeopardy.  

Last word to Forestry England which states: "Over the next few years, we will work with project partners to:

* Carry out stakeholder mapping to identify people to engage with, listen to and build trust with, leading to detailed consultation with landowners, land managers, farmers, raptor working groups, game keepers, community groups, and conservation organisations.

* Look at local habitat, potential nesting sites and natural prey availability.

* Learn more about how people feel about the possible return of Golden Eagles.

* Share information openly and regularly.

"If the project moves forward, any release of young eagles would only happen once studies and consultation are complete, and if there is strong support from local communities."

Anyone wishing to comment on the proposal is invited to do so by sending an email to:  goldeneagleproject@forestryengland.uk

                                     

Does the species have breeding future in England? (photo: Forestry England)

Bring on the Choughs! Actors Sam West and Ade Edmondson to star in three-part TV birding series

                                                      

It's destination Cornwall in search of Choughs for the first in three episodes of Sam & Ade Go Birding to be screened on 5 TV at 8pm on Tuesday April 14. Sam West (left), who has been a birder for 20 years, looks forward to showing fellow-actor Adrian Edmondson, a newcomer to birding, the Choughs, plus various wader species and  rare American vagrants in the sweeping coastal landscape habitats in the  west of the county. Over the three shows, which also take in Norfolk and Somerset, the duo also indulge in candid and often amusing conversations which touch on the nature of the birding obsession, acting, ageing and childhood loss. Oh yes, and they also visit a pub or two. 

Crevice created by eroded canal stonework not quite right as potential nesting site for returning Sand Martins

Suitable nesting sides are often hard to find for returning Sand Martins, so fingers crossed in their quest for three birds that, earlier this week, were prospecting a wall of the Caledonian canal near Fort William in northern Scotland. One bird briefly tried out a crevice for size and comfort, but it did not  seem right, so the martins moved on.