RSPB leadership burns its fingers badly with clumsy and insulting foray into party politics

 

The insulting image that has caused the rumpus

THE RSPB faces losing hundreds, if not thousands, of members after it accused the Prime Minister and two of his cabinet colleagues of being 'liars'.

Most of the charity’s 1.2-million strong membership is likely to be Conservative voting, and many of them will be spluttering with outrage about the insulting message put out earlier this week on social media.

Under the photograph was a caption saying: “You lie, and you lie, and you lie again.”

At least one trustee of the RSPB has expressed his displeasure, and others may do likewise at the next board meeting when the issue will be top of the agenda.

The Charities Commission is also investigating because there are strict rules about party political partisanship.

In the wake of the rumpus, the RSPB’s chief executive has apologised for the slur to Rishi Sunak and his colleagues, Therese Coffey and Michael Gove.

She says she had not been consulted in advance of the offensive message being posted which leaves her open to accusations of not having a grip.

But as of last night, even though the apology had been made,  the offending message had not been taken down.

In another twist, many environmental activists have applauded the original post and accused the RSPB of lacking 'backbone' in making the apology.

Ms Speight’s position is now in question, but she has shown no inclination of a readiness to step down.

It is not known if the three ministers have accepted the apology.

Politeness pledge - the apology

How grimly ironic - New Zealand species hunted to extinction set to attract brisk bidding at Yorkshire auction

 

Distinguished by bill shape and size - the female is on the right

ALL eyes will be on Lot 382 - a cased pair of  New Zealand huias - when it goes under the hammer at auction in Yorkshire next month.

This is because the species is now extinct - partly because of the activities of trappers who caught  birds like these to be displayed in glass cases.

Although not as conspicuous in this picture, there are also  three hummingbirds within the display.

According to auction house Tennants of Leyburn,  the piece dates back to the late 19th Century and is the work of plumber-turned taxidermist James E. Whiting (1848-1930), originally from Steeple Claydon in Buckinghamshire and Welbeck in Nottinghamshire before moving to Hampstead in North London.

A note in the sale catalogue states: "The huia's extinction had two primary causes. 

"The first was rampant overhunting to procure huia skins for mounted specimens and their tail feathers for hat decorations. 

"The second major cause was the widespread deforestation of the lowlands of the North Island by European settlers to create pasture for agriculture. 

"Most of these forests were ancient, ecologically complex primary forests, and huia were unable to survive in  secondary-regenerated forests."

The note continues: "The huia was already a rare bird before the arrival of Europeans.

"It was confined to the Ruahine, Tararua, Rimutaka and Kaimanawa mountain ranges in the south-east of the North Island. 

"It was remarkable for having the most pronounced sexual dimorphism in bill shape of any bird species in the world, the female's being long, thin and arched downward while the male's was short and stout like that of a crow." 

The last confirmed sighting of a huia is believed to have been  in 1907 although there was a credible sighting in 1924.

The lot will go under the hammer at Tennants' September 8 sale with an estimate that it will fetch between £15,000 and £25,000.

Celebrity naturalist Chris Packham could miss out on damages award despite winning libel court case

                     

Another week, another controversy for the TV naturalist

IT looks like celebrity naturalist Chris Packham could miss out on a hefty pay-out following a court case earlier this summer.

After winning his libel case against two writers, the popular broadcaster was awarded £90,000 damages.

But it is understood that, within seven days of the verdict, both of the two defendants had declared themselves bankrupt.

There has been no public comment about the bankruptcy from Mr Packham, but his friend, Ruth Tingay, says he has thus been left with "mammoth court costs" - this despite an appeal which raised more than £115,000 from almost 6,000 donors.

He was intending a further separate libel action, but it is not clear whether he intends pursuing this or if he has allowed it to lapse. 

Meanwhile, the Springwatch presenter  has  found himself at the centre of a fresh rumpus in the wake of a stunt involving goshawk chicks that was recently screened on BBC TV's One Show. 

Following a complaint, the matter has according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph, been referred to police.

                                

The Wryneck says: We always maintained that Chris Packham's court action was a mistake. Few people will have read the articles deemed to be defamatory and even fewer will have given credence to their contents. The legal  proceedings will not only have swallowed up huge amounts of time and money but will have prompted his opponents (many, if not most, of them supporters of game shooting) to intensify their efforts to hoist him on his own petard. The matter involving the goshawk chicks is probably a storm in a teacup, but it  is a distraction the broadcaster could do without.   

   

Hammer comes down at £250 at auction sale of barn owl sketch by acclaimed artist Robert Gillmor

What am I bid  for this wise old barn owl? 

THE hammer came down at £250 on this 10cm x 10cm sketch of a barn owl at a sale in Yorkshire on Friday.

It was catalogued by auction house Tennants of Leyburn as being the work of Robert Gillmore, MBE.

But it is thought the spelling is a mistake. The well-known artist, who was an RSPB gold medallist, spelt his name Gillmor - ie without the ‘e’.

Gillmor died last year.

It is not known who bought the sketch.

It lies opposite Spurn, but, alas, it is the reserve that the RSPB seems to have forgotten

 

Spurn Lighthouse, on the other side of the Humber Estuary, provides the backdrop for these two ruff 

IS Tetney Marshes, near Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, the RSPB's forgotten reserve?

It is many years since it was wardened, even on a part-time basis, and investment has been conspicuous only through its absence.

The site, mostly consisting of saltmarsh and saline lagoons plus a sandy shoreline fringe, is not even listed in the most recent RSPB handbooks.

Word is that wildfowlers are given the nod to shoot pintail, wigeon and other duck in winter.

Time was when the 870-hectare reserve hosted a small colony of little terns, but the society did little to safeguard them and has done nothing to encourage their return.

Only to check whether small numbers of redshank breed do society officers carry out  rare monitoring visits.

Happily, impressive  birds are still to be found at most times of the year as the accompanying photographs - taken earlier this month - reveal.

So, on second thoughts, perhaps the RSPB's do-nothing policy is the correct one - that of non-interference. Nature is sometimes best left to its own devices.

Greenshank

Great white egret

Common sandpiper

Common snipe

Next time you're in the dentist's chair for a filling, listen out for the 'amalgam' call of the sandwich tern!

 

Ornithology or orthodontology?

Name that bird! Clue: declining as a breeding species in Britain but widespread on the coast in autumn and winter

 

Much to admire about this painting currently on display in a show at the library in Cleethorpes, near Grimsby, but (especially given his surname) could the artist have done better with the caption? 

Signage at RSPB 's Tetney Marshes reserve in Lincolnshire is criticised in new council report

The RSPB's antiquated signage at its Tetney Marshes reserve needs to be removed says council

 

DOG-management signage at the RSPB's Tetney Marshes reserve  has come under fire from North East Lincolnshire Council.

Says a report to councillors: "The dog management signage lacks consistency of style, message and presentation to maximise efficacy.  

"The only  signage relating to the beach area requires dog owners to pick up faeces." 

The document continues: "Old signage should be removed.  

"It serves no useful purpose.  

"It may even downplay the importance of issues in readers' minds if the messages appear to relate to the past rather than the present."

The report then advises as follows:

* Signage should elicit a desired behavioural outcome.  Messages should be targeted to key users, and be simple, clear, and concise.  

* Supporting educational text and wider strategy should be provided elsewhere with a link to further information on the sign.  Message tone should be appropriate.  Unduly authoritative messaging may elicit a negative or inappropriate response. 

* Signs should be location specific 

* Signs should be repeated at all key access points to a sensitive location 

* Signage change should be supported by advertising/marketing campaigns to increase general awareness 

* Where possible messages should be supported by enforcement or advisory personnel. 

* Where multiple messages need to be provided at the same location, they should all be equally clear and targeted to appropriate user groups.  

* Messages could also be provided by apps on mobile phones and on websites

There are also some more recent signs paid for by a donation from the Grimsby and Cleethorpes branch of the RSPB after its leader, Martin Francis, gave a talk to members of Probus, the club for retired businessmen.

Unfortunately, along with the other signs, these are quickly  showing signs of deterioration. Also, some refer to Tetney Marsh rather than the correct name, Tetney Marshes.

The Tetney Marshes reserve seems to have low status among the powers that be at the RSPB. 

It has long ceased to be wardened, even on  part-time basis, and it is no longer included in  the society's handbook of 200-plus reserves in Britain.

Bizarrely, the society also permits wildfowling on the reserve, with  with pintail and other duck  being among the quarry.

Great grey shrike shot in Yorkshire 164 years ago to be sold at auction next month

 

Shot on the Yorkshire Coast - the great grey shrike 

A GREAT grey shrike that was shot near Whitby in  1859 is set to go under the hammer in a Yorkshire saleroom.

It is Lot 151  in an auction to be held by Tennants of  Leyburn on September 8.

A note in the catalogue describes it as "an adult perched upon a small lichen encrusted branch, amidst dry grasses and fauna, set above painted moss covered groundwork beneath, mounted against a white painted interior".

The lifeless bird comes in a display case measuring 29cm by 8.5cm by 23cm.

The pre-sale estimate is that  the hammer will come down at  between £120 and £180.

Book review: Finding W.H. Hudson - The Writer Who Came to Britain to Save the Birds

 

Plaudits to Conor Mark Jameson for his timely biography of a fascinating naturalist

WHAT is the secret of staying cool in hot weather when the sun is beating down with brutal ferocity?

The answer comes from  W.H. Hudson as quoted by Conor Mark Jameson in his absorbing book, Finding W.H. Hudson - The Writer Who Came to Britain to Save the Birds:

 "My custom is to carry a wetted  pocket handkerchief or piece of sponge in my hat.

"By renewing the moisture three or four times, or as often as water is found, I am able to keep my head perfectly cool during a ramble of 10 or 12 hours on a cloudless day in July and August."

On one summer's day, he forgot his 'brain-protector', an oversight for which he was soon to suffer.

"I experienced that most miserable feeling of a boiling brain - like a pot boiling on the fire, bubbling and pouring out jets of stream."

Although based in London - where impecunious circumstances forced him to change address many times - Hudson (1841-1922) found city life oppressive and spent whatever time he could in the countryside.

The author and naturalist spent many hours - and sometimes days - at a time communing with Nature, in particular celebrating the richness of birdlife (including nightjars, wrynecks, wheatears and red-backed shrikes) in favoured counties such as  Sussex and Hampshire.

The amusing passages above (which prove that Hudson had a sense of humour) are from Nature in Downland, but others of his works are of a different complexion.

One of the most spiritual is Hudson's account of moments spent in in  the New Forest in Hampshire as recounted in A Traveller in Little Things:

"Such was the loveliness of that green leafy world that the silence, the melody and the divine sunlight wrought in me a mystical state - that rare condition of beautiful illusions when the feet are off the ground when we appear to be one with Nature, unbodied like the poet's bird, but diffused in it."

At various times and to various extents, the fulfilment experienced by Hudson in Nature was, sadly, compromised by what was happening around him as civilisation 'advanced'.

Birds were being abused everywhere - by taxidermy, by recreational shooting, by egg-collecting, by trapping and caging and particularly by the millinery trade which sought to 'decorate' women's hats with brightly-coloured feathers.

Hudson was repeatedly dismayed and outraged such that he fuelled his emotions into campaigns - many of them ultimately successful - to raise awareness and to bring about bird protection legislation.

Hudson's activism provides the core of Jameson's exploration of the life and times of a man who, until this book, had largely been forgotten by time.

The author weaves a tapestry of  late-Victorian and early-Edwardian society which provided the context for Hudson's eventful life.

As the above examples illustrate, Jameson has, through his exhaustive study of Hudson's many book and pamphlets, tracked down some memorable passages, revealing Hudson to be a man of  passion and conviction.

Unless they are motivated by animosity biographers invariably  develop a tender, almost parental, to their subjects and Jameson's portrait of his man is certainly sympathetic and approving.

But not entirely so.

He acknowledges that Hudson's relationship with women (including his much older wife, Emily) seems to have been slightly eccentric for the time.

Because of  his lack of formal education, Hudson lacked social confidence and declined invitations to speak in public, preferring his pen to be his sword.

At various times, he also fell out both with individuals such as Charles Darwin and John Gould and with organisations such as the British Ornithologists' Union.

But Hudson's forthright, let's-not-beat-about-the-bush and honest attitude comes across as highly refreshing. 

Would that there were more like him today.  Conor Mark Jameson has done well to bring him back into the spotlight. 

Finding W.H. Hudson  is published in paperback at £21.99 by Pelagic Publishing.

www.pelagicpublishing.com

     

I caught the woodpigeon - you can have the feathers, but the flesh is all for me!

                                             

Two against one - but, having caught the woodpigeon, a sparrowhawk was in no mood to share its prey with two opportunistic magpies which soon arrived on the scene. After a beakful of feathers - followed by a brief scuffle - the corvids flew off in search of easier pickings. The incident played out yesterday evening on  the foreshore in Cleethorpes, near Grimsby, in North East Lincolnshire.

RSPB determined to wipe out stoats before they do 'major damage' to Orkney's other wildlife

                                                                  

Orkney - the RSPB wants rid of all its stoats

THE RSPB has pledged to "remove" stoats from Orkney "before they do major damage other wildlife".

The society is currently recruiting for a "monitoring officer" to help oversee eradication of a non-native predator which is thought to pose a threat to the Orkney vole, a species found nowhere else in the world, as well as hen harriers, short-eared owls, red-throated divers, waders and seabirds.

The contract runs until December 31 next year, and the appointee, to be based in Kirkwall, will be paid a salary of between £28,331.00 and £30,415.00 per annum with 26 days' annual leave.

Says the RSPB: "The project works with hundreds of landowners in the local community to undertake the largest stoat eradication of an inhabited area anywhere in the world. 

"It is a partnership between RSPB Scotland, NatureScot and Orkney Islands Council, and it is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, EU LIFE, NatureScot and the Nature Restoration Fund.

"Monitoring sites are spread throughout Orkney Mainland and the outer isles, and the appointee will manage a team of volunteers and seasonal staff.

"Maintaining good relationships with local landowners  is paramount as is the ability to train and enthuse volunteers."

The closing date for applications is Sunday August 27.

                                         

Red-throated diver - its eggs and young are thought to be targets of the stoat 

                                     

Last throw of the dice in bid to save 'Pennine finch' from extinction in England

                                               

Twite - population in decline

SOME 16 years after launching its Twite Recovery Project in the north of England, the RSPB has warned that the future of the species - also known as the Pennine finch - is now as imperilled as ever.

It says: "A bird once widespread and locally abundant in the uplands is  now close to extinction in England."

Unlike other fast-declining (or disappeared) breeding species such as the nightingale, the wryneck and the turtle dove, the diminutive  twite does not enjoy 'celebrity' status.

Dowdy of plumage (apart from its pink rump) and with an unremarkable call, few would notice if it disappeared from our landscape.

But the RSPB is determined to keep fighting the twite's corner. It is currently recruiting for an officer to oversee the recovery project into its 17th year.

Previous post holders have included Tim Melling and Katie Aspin.

The favoured breeding habitat of the twite is moorland, but, in England, there are now thought to be only a handful of breeding sites, all in the South Pennines in a triangle of uplands between Manchester, Leeds and Halifax.

Since 1999, the population decline has been well over 70 percent, but why?

Says the RSPB: "Reasons for the decline include reduced availability of seed, especially later in the breeding season, loss of suitable breeding habitat (which is primarily mature heather or bracken) and predation by other creatures.

"Accidental and deliberate moorland fires are also thought to be a factor."

To date, the  recovery project has involved encouraging some 68 landholders to sign 10-year agri-environment agreements with clauses to benefit twite, including late-cut dates so seed is available for second broods.

Some 700 ha of hay meadow and pasture is now managed to provide natural food sources for twite throughout the breeding season.

There has also been extensive planting of key twite food plants such as dandelion, common sorrel and autumn hawkbit, plus provision of supplementary food.

Further information about the project officer vacancy is at:

Part Time Twite Project Manager | RSPB (vacancy-filler.co.uk)

* Photo: Mike Pennington via Wikimedia Commons

Unusual white starling could be vulnerable to predation by passing peregrine or sparrowhawk

The ploughed field which the starling has made its favourite feeding ground

SPOTTED last week on a ploughed field at Tetney Lock, near Louth, in Lincolnshire, was a white starling.

The bird was one of a 100-strong flock that is thought to have flown in from Russia or elsewhere in northern Europe to spend autumn and winter in the warmer climes of Britain.

Because of its stand-out plumage, the bird is likely to be vulnerable to predation - perhaps from a passing sparrowhawk or peregrine falcon.    

The bird has been co-habiting with its dark-coloured counterparts

Here is the bird in all its whiteness - note also the pinkness of legs, an indicator of albinism 

If you want to be photographed in the great outdoors, don't carry binoculars - carry a shotgun!

 

Photo in today's edition of the Sunday Telegraph. Somewhat sad that carrying guns in order to shoot birds  is seen as stylish, trendy and glamorous whereas for the same women to have carried binoculars in order to watch and admire the same birds would be seen as  . . . well, fuddy-duddy and certainly not worthy of a photo. 

When panic sets in! The strange and hard-to-define exhilaration of encountering a rare bird

                                            

"I COULD hardly believe that I had got a Baillon's crake calling on my local patch, and, as the significance hit me,  panic started to set in . . ."

So writes Wayne Gillatt in the 2021 edition of the Lincolnshire Bird Report which has just been published.

Leaf forward a couple of pages, and here is David Wright describing his discovery of a Bonaparte's gull roosting alongside black-headed and common gulls in a channel between two dune ridges at Gibraltar Point bird observatory, near Skegness.

"As I tried to switch between my 'scope and binoculars to follow the bird in flight, I panicked and lost it."

Panic? Two birders, both using the same word.

It seems an odd term to describe an unexpected encounter with a rare bird, but it is an emotion with which  most keen birders will be familiar at least once, if not many times, in their birding careers.

The panic is deepest when you are a lone observer and unable to snatch a photograph or sound recording to help provide crucial species  verification. Will you be believed?

Luckily for Wayne, not only did the vagrant crake at Alkborough Flats, near Scunthorpe, tarry for a couple of days, but he was able (with some difficulty) to rouse a pal from his slumbers, and between them,  the pair were able not only to monitor the bird but also to secure snaps to back up their sound recording.

By contrast, David was was unable to secure either a photo or a sound recording. Nor did he have a witness because the bird had flown off before observatory manager Kev Wilson, whom he had alerted, was able to respond to the tip-off - he arrived moments too late.

But because he was familiar with the species from sightings in the past and because his notes were sufficiently detailed and coherent, the record rightly sailed past the Rarities Committees.

These two Finders' Reports - plus Graham Catley's commentary on another rarity, a white-tailed lapwing -  are among  highlights of this excellent county bird report.

They capture with vibrancy that hard-to-define adrenaline buzz that  can often make birding such an intensely enjoyable pursuit.

There are plenty of other good things in the report - for instance, an account by Geoff Mullett of the breeding season for a pair of peregrines on St James' Church in Louth and an exhaustive  study of how pigeon and dove (including turtle) species have been faring within the county.

As with the reports from previous years, the systematic list is a browser’s delight, charting every species recorded within the county during 2021, and, in some cases, their distribution and  population fluctuations.

Shortcomings or oversights? Just a few.

In the section on the shag, there is a photo, taken at Covenham reservoir, of a bird with a ring on its right leg.

This a species not often seen at inland waters, so it would have been interesting to know where the bird had been ringed - but there is no clue in the caption.

Nor is there any mention in the chapter on bird ringing which is long on commentary but falls somewhat short on precious detail.

Given the species' special status within the avifauna of Lincolnshire, more information would also have been welcome on why only three juveniles fledged from eight little tern pairs at the county's only breeding site, Gibraltar Point. Were any lessons learned?

And what prospects, if any, for the county's nightingales given that the species now appears to have been lost to its last known breeding site at Whisby, near Lincoln.

There is also a slight tangle about the status of some of the species - for instance, the twite which is described as "fairly common, declining to scarce coastal winter visitor". Which is it it - fairly common or scarce?

However, these quibbles are minor only. The editors have done an extraordinary job in compiling such a superb 250-page page volume which is authoritative and entertaining throughout.

Last but not least, as with previous reports, the colour photographs are seldom less than sumptuous.

It would have been easy to have succumbed to the temptation of putting a rarity on the front cover, so plaudits to whoever made the decision - a correct one - that Mark Johnson's magnificent study of a grey partridge should take pride of place.

* The 2021 Lincolnshire Bird Report is free to members of the Lincolnshire Bird Club and £15 (plus P&P) for non-members.

https://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/

Keeping up with social media trends - RSPB set to recruit £30,000-per-annum TikTok executive

                                                                       

              

IN its determination to move with the times, the RSPB is creating a £33,000-per-annum vacancy for an executive whose responsibility will be to provide video clips for the fast-growing social media channel, TikTok.

The Bedfordshire-based organisation is aware that its image is less than vibrant - not to say a trifle stodgy -  among under-30s, and it wants to reach out to a more youthful section of society.

Says a spokesperson: "TikTok is the fastest growing social platform in the world, with a global membership of over one billion.

"We recognise the opportunity with this new role to grow our brand and reach new and diverse audiences!"

The charity says the successful candidate will know how to "optimise trending opportunities"  and "be skilled at understanding what makes highly engaging social content and confident in developing short form video which gets impactful results."

He or she will also be be responsible for  recruiting volunteers to contribute to output.

Isn't this just jumping - at unnecessary expense - on the latest social media bandwagon?

Not so says the RSPB which believes the initiative will benefit its "strategic objectives and communication plans".

As part of a wider attempt to refresh and rejuvenate its image, the RSPB  is also seeking to recruit a head of marketing, a head of brand, a strategic communications manager and a media relations manager.

The deadline for applications for the TikTok vacancy is 11.59pm on Sunday August 13.

More information from Joshua Boyd at: joshua.boyd@rspb.org.uk 

30-minute twitch: cruise ship terminal, Kirkwall, Orkney

                                           

Date: July 23, 2023

Time: 5.30pm-6pm

Weather: Clear skies, partly sunny, cool breeze

Target species: Black-throated diver

Star species seen: Sand Martin

Full list of species seen: 

Eider

Pied wagtail

Meadow pipit

Sand martin

Ringed plover

Fulmar

Kittiwake

Common gull

Herring gull

Arctic/ common tern

Redshank

Oystercatcher                    

Departure of Patricia Zurita creates vacancy for top job at Cambridge-based BirdLife International

                                               

A VACANCY has arisen for a chief executive to take over at Cambridge-based BirdLife International.

After eight years at the helm, Patricia Zurita left the role last month to return to the USA to take over as chief strategy officer at Conservational International.

Martin Harper, a former director of conservation at the RSPB, is holding the reins at BirdLife International, pending a replacement for Ms Zurita being appointed. He may well throw his hat into the ring as a candidate.

BirdLife International is a partnership of environmental NGOs and national conservation organisations, all of whom share a common aspiration - to mobilise sustainable protection for the world’s birds, their habitats and global biodiversity in general.

The organisation always like to quote Dr Thomas Lovejoy who said: "If you take care of the birds, you take care of most of the environmental problems in the world."  

The job description for the chief executive vacancy states: "The ideal candidate will bring vision, ambition and inspiration to the BirdLife International.

"With a track record of working globally with key audiences, you will bring proven strategic leadership experience gained in an internationally diverse and multi-stakeholder environment.

"Bringing a high level of emotional intelligence and the ability to listen to understand, you will have significant interpersonal and relationship-building skills."

The deadline for applications is 9am on Monday 4th September 2023.

                                               

Martin Harper - acting chief executive 

15-minute twitch: Departing Port of Tyne, near Newcastle

                                                                 

Date: July 15, 2023

Time: 6pm - 6.15pm

Weather: Remaining  overcast after heavy showers earlier

Target species: Roseate tern

Star species seen: Razorbill

Full list of species seen: 

Swift

Arctic/common tern

Kittiwake

Fulmar

Herring gull

Black-headed gull

Guillemot

Razorbill

Gannet

The delights of hand-feeding turtle doves - but how sad that so few are to be seen (or heard) today

 

How enchanting! William Quiller Orchardson's painting, entitled Feeding Pigeons, dates back to 1901 when turtle doves were more conspicuous - far more conspicuous - than they are today. But was ever there really a time when they could be fed by hand? Orchardson was a prolific Scottish artist who lived between 1832 and 1910.