Vagrant American songbird brings RSPB Minsmere's tally of birds up to an impressive 350 species

                                                              

Congratulations to RSPB Minsmere's estate operations manager Robin Harvey for snapping this shot of a rare Red-eyed Vireo - a North American  vagrant and the first for the reserve and the fifth for Suffolk. Says he: "I was lucky that the bird  perched at the top of a tree for a few minutes while I set the telescope up. They are hastily grabbed 'phone-scoped' shots so OK considering!". The birds was present over September 29-30.  No fewer than 350 bird species have now  ben recorded at Minsmere which is widely reckoned to be one of the RSPB's flagship reserves.

Even foreground presence of Spoon-billed Sandpiper failed to elevate bids for Robert Gillmor artwork

                    

Somewhere in Asia  . . . 

ROBERT Gillmor's enchanting study of wading birds - including a Spoon-billed Sandpiper - in an Asian estuary failed to sell at a weekend auction.

Pre-sale, it was thought that the hammer would fall at between £300 and £500, but this was not the case - presumably because bids failed to reach the reserve price.

The work by Gillmor (1936-2022) was Lot 86 in the auction  conducted by Tennants of Leyburn in Yorkshire on October 3.

The catalogue note states: "Asian Estuary, Migrant Waders. Signed, inscribed and numbered 10/10, linocut designed for Birdfair 2012, 31.5cm by 41cm".

It may be that the auction house will consider post-sale offers for the study. 

Failing that it likely to be returned to the vendor or offered for sale at a future auction. 

                                       

A little bit of estuary magic - the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is the bird on one leg

Now, about those sandwiches! RSPB executive defends quality of society’s catering after AGM protest

                                             

Visit England award winner - the visitor centre and cafe at Burton Mere 

AN assurance has come that the RSPB is exploring how to introduce "a lot more variety" to the food on offer at its reserve cafes.

It came at the society's annual meeting from marketing director Emma Marsh  after one member protested that the quality of the sandwiches had fallen since the products from a local baker were dropped in favour of those from a national supplier.

As well as pledging more "variety", the director emphasised the importance of selling food that was "reliable and safe".

                                   

Emma Marsh - 'good progress'

She continued: "We're making good progress - we're looking at more local supplies as well as introducing more gluten-free and plant-based foods."

The director added that the cafes at the reserves at South Stack on Anglesey and at Burton Mere on the Dee Estuary had both won awards for the quality of their fare.                                                    

The cafe at South Stack

                                            

Doubtless a hard worker, but is RSPB boss really worthy of so much higher a salary than Prime Minister?

                                             

Beccy Speight - her remuneration amounts to almost  a quarter of a million pounds a year

THE latest RSPB (2025-26) annual report reveals  that the chief executive of the RSPB earns substantially more than the Prime Minister.

The basic annual  salary of Beccy Speight, who has been at the helm of the bird protection charity since 2019, is between £180,000 and £190,000.

But last year, pension and top-ups took her remuneration to £218,969.

This was a £6,800 more than the previous year.

By comparison Andy Burnham has to rub by on an annual salary of £174,039 (to which can be added the benefits of free accommodation at a famous address in Downing Street plus use of a country retreat at Chequers in Buckinghamshire).

In her introduction to the annual report, Ms Speight  states: "Our income remains strong, but our rising costs are outstripping it, which means every pound must now  work harder for wildlife. 

"We are focusing on making the best use of our resources, working more cohesively as a single organisation and ensuring our resources are organised as effectively as possible to maximise our impact for nature." 

Quizzed at Saturday’s AGM about the size of the salaries paid to her and her executive colleagues, the chief executive said these were "benchmarked" against those paid to their counterparts at similar-sized charities.

There is apparently  no independent remuneration panel, and it seems that she determines the salary increase of her individual colleagues in the RSPB boardroom, while her own is set by the chairman, Sir Andrew Cahn.

She noted that "performance" was a consideration, and the increases also needed the nod of approval from the charity's trustees.

The directors work from home, only occasionally gathering at the RSPB's HQ in Sandy, Bedfordshire, for board meetings or other meet-ups.

"This hybrid arrangement works well," said Ms Speight who gave a rundown of some of her engagements last week, starting with attendance at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool (she said the RSPB was represented at all the main political party conferences).

There was also a visit to Edinburgh to  interview candidates for the post of director RSPB Scotland - a trip across the border that was preceded a few days earlier by a walkabout at the Abernethy reserve in The Cairngorms to view the habitat damage caused by the forest fires in summer.

"I also regularly go to London," she continues. "In fact, I'm all over the place."

Elsewhere at the organisation, the 2,450 or so staff received a 2 per cent pay increase in 2025 and a 3 per cent  pay increase this year, with the exception of lower paid staff who received a 6.7 per cent hike. 

A total of 100 RSPB staff  - 15 more than last year - receive salaries upwards of £60,00.                                        

Happy people - Beccy Speight (fourth left) and her executive colleagues 

Anger simmers anew over RSPB decision to surrender Rye Meads lease back to controversial water company

                                   

Feelings continue to run high over the RSPB's decision to wash its hands of the Rye Meads nature reserve in Hertfordshire. At Saturday's annual meeting of the society, finance director Russell Powell sought to reassure attendees that Thames Water, the organisation to which the lease has been returned, was legally obliged to safeguard the reserve and its wildlife because of its status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. However, below, as the chatbox messages show, members were less confident.   Photo of Rye Meads: RSPB 

                                         

Was RSPB's annual conference appropriate occasion for president to deliver cancer awareness messages?

 

Dr Amir Khan - cancer awareness advice

WAS it appropriate for the president of the RSPB to deliver cancer awareness tips at the society's annual meeting on Saturday.

As last year, Amir Khan used Saturdays event to remind attendees that,  during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it was important to check for suspicious growth or lumps, including in armpits and around the collar bone.

His message was not just for women.

He went on to note that 400 men a year died from breast cancer.

Dr Khan also emphasised the importance of making use of bowel testing kits that, at intervals,  people of a certain age receive through the post.

The president's observations sparked protests in the chatbox of the meeting, that was held online, that the society's AGM was not the time nor the place to raise such subjects.

However, the majority of those who posted comments were in favour of this curveball  contribution from the president.

RSPB's most prestigious award goes to Lead Ammunition Collective for power of its research and campaigning

                                                            

The 2026 RSPB Gold Medal has been awarded to the Lead Ammunition Collective for its scientific research and campaigning which have sparked a forthcoming  ban on use of lead ammo because of  its adverse impact on the environment including the welfare of waterfowl unlucky enough to ingest it as they feed. Lead has long been used in gamebird shooting. Representing the collective, Dr Ruth Cromie (left) and Prof Debbie Pain,  received the award - a medal apiece - from  the RSPB's chief executive, Beccy Speight at the organisation’s annual meeting on Saturday.