RSPB chief insists organisation is striving to improve ethnic diversity of workforce

Beccy Speight - working hard to remove barriers

THE RSPB's Chief Executive, Beccy Speight, insist the charity is "working hard to remove barriers for marginalised communities including  people of colour".

Her comments come in the wake of statistics showing that just 3.7 per cent of the workforce are non-white. This compares with 2.9 per cent the previous year

According to insiders,  the RSPB now has no fewer than 10 "equality, diversion and inclusion officers" - more than its team of ecologists - working to improve the racial balance.

Continues Ms Speight: "Together with our fellow environmental organisations, we recognise the role we have to play in creating an inclusive and equitable sector. 

"Progress and transparency if we are to achieve our vision of a shared world where wildlife, wild places and all people thrive."

Across the whole environmental sector, non-white staff form just 4.5 per cent of the workforce compared with 16 per cent in other spheres of employment.

The Wryneck says: It would indeed be more socially healthy if there were to be greater diversity within the workplace at all environmental organisations. But the RSPB’s approach seems heavy-handed, not to say downright patronising to ‘people of colour’. What it is more, the charity continues  to pursue - unsuccessfully - a recruitment policy of reverse discrimination which seeks to bestow advantage on non-white applicants. The RSPB should stop dabbling in social engineering and get back to the core purpose of its existence - protecting birds.

Impressive painting by great British landscape artist set to go under the hammer at Salisbury auction

                                                         

A flash of movement amidst a scene of tranquillity

CAN anyone spot (and identify) the waterbirds in this painting by Kettering-born and Glasgow-trained artist Sir Alfred East?

It is due to go under the hammer with a guide price of £700-£1000 at the Salisbury salesroom of auctioneers Woolley and Wallis on March 5.

It was Sir Alfred who famously (and cryptically) wrote: "The greatest errors in landscape painting are to be found - contradictory as it may appear - not so much in the matter of technique as in the painter's attitude toward Nature."

Former RSPB conservation chief: Cumbria reserve is on 'front line between intensive grouse shooting and nature'

The RSPB has issued this photograph of its Geltsdale reserve 

THE RSPB's former conservation director, Mark Avery, has welcomed his former employer's decision to extend its Geltsdale reserve in Cumbria by purchasing adjacent land.

However, he has warned of increasing conflict ahead with the owners of neighbouring grouse shooting estates who resent the encouragement given by the charity to raptors such as Hen Harriers whose diet includes grouse chicks.

Says Dr Avery: "The RSPB is  coy about how much money this has cost, how much land is involved and exactly where it is at Geltsdale. 

"The elephant in the room is that of intensive grouse shooting. 

"Geltsdale is not just a valley it is a series of hills and they border intensively managed grouse moors. 

"I had conversations with a land manager with interests near Geltsdale and he left me in no doubt of what he thought about birds of prey and the RSPB.

"Be in no doubt, Geltsdale is on the front line when it comes to the conflict between intensive grouse shooting and nature conservation. 

"The RSPB strengthening their land ownership and management options here is a very good thing. 

"But nobody would expect that all grouse moors can be bought out (but that day might come when grouse bags fall low enough) - and persuading decision-makers to ban driven grouse shooting would be a decisive victory."

Geltsdale is a patchwork of blanket bog, heath, grassland, meadows, woodland and rolling hills - habitats that are home to a range of threatened species  including Golden Plovers, Curlew, Ring Ouzel, Merlin and Short-eared Owl as well as  Hen Harrier.

There are also hopes that Golden Eagles might be encouraged to breed just as they probably did in previous times before they were persecuted to extinction in England.

The RSPB is hoping to raise the money for its land purchase via a fund-raising appeal to members.

Spot the species - the RSPB likes to present Geltsdale as a 'North Pennines Paradise'

'Frenchmen' under the hammer - opportunity beckons to bid for impressive painting of Red-legged Partridges

Beautiful feather detail - Lodge's impressive study of Red-legged Partridges

A RARE opportunity has arisen to bid for one of the original paintings that was commissioned by publisher Harry Forbes Witherby to illustrate The Handbook of British Birds.

The signed watercolour and gouache study, which measures, 23.5cm by 36cm, is by Lincolnshire artist George Edward Lodge (1860-1954).

Featuring a family of Red-legged Partridges, sometimes colloquially known as 'Frenchmen', it is due to go under the hammer - as Lot 1010 - at a sale of British, European & Sporting Art to be held by auction house Tennants at Leyburn in North Yorkshire on  March 15.

The pre-sale estimate is that it will fetch between £400 and £600.

RSPB recruiting now for assistant warden at its showcase Rainham Marshes reserve near London

                                                            

Opportunity beckons for job at charity's Rainham Marshes reserve

JUST weeks after it revealed a  shake-out of staff and amenities at its showcase Rainham Marshes reserve, the RSPB is recruiting for an assistant warden on a 12-month contract.

Says the job description: "Are you passionate about nature conservation? 

"As assistant warden you will be at the forefront of our conservation efforts, participating in a variety of practical activities that drive positive change.

"As part of the  team,  you will develop your skills in identifying species, conducting ecological survey, and understanding how all these aspects relate to the reserve management plan and wider vision for the site.

"Roll up your sleeves and carry out habitat management tasks such as trail and infrastructure maintenance, reedbed cutting and clearance of rank vegetation.

"Take charge of organising and leading reserve work parties where you will motivate and inspire participants from all backgrounds actively to contribute to conservation efforts." 

The post also carries a requirement to carry out predator control, apply pesticides and knowledge of  servicing and maintaining vehicles, machinery, tools and equipment to agreed standards.

Health and safety records and assessments will also have to be updated.

However, there will be no call to work in the cafe or visitor centre because these both closed at the start of this month.

The salary is perhaps not the most generous - £26,379 - £28,319 per annum.

For further information,  contact phil.hutton@rspb.org.uk

Did Meghan rip off logo of town in Majorca? And what bird species are depicted - swifts or martins?

                                                 

Controversy surrounds the hummingbird-and palm tree logo chosen by Meghan Markle for  her new lifestyle brand, As Ever. Although the birds are of different species, the design shows a remarkable similarity to that of the town of Porreres in Majorca. While the mayor of that town ponders whether to take legal action against the California-based former Royal for plagiarism, can anyone determine whether the black and white birds are  swifts or  martins?  

                                                               

Surf Scoter, Wryneck, Nightjar and more - birder's sparkling Yorkshire Coast talk delights RSPB audience

         

The bay at Filey where  Mark has witnessed many memorable birds (photo: Events Yorkshire via Wikimedia Commons)

THE show must go on . . .

Despite a road prang which left his 'scope and laptop computer "crushed to a pulp", ace Yorkshire birder Mark Pearson determined to press ahead with a talk to the February meeting of Grimsby RSPB.

His intended presentation was entitled Champions of The Flyway, but with much of its content lost on his computer's smashed hard drive,  his replacement topic was: Filey International - Arrivals and Departures on the North Yorkshire Coast.

This proved to be truly captivating and inspirational, demonstrating that you don't have to travel to the frozen Antarctic or the Amazon jungle to see awe-inspiring birds.

Especially at times of migration, rich rewards can be reaped just a mile or so from home, in his case at the north end of Filey, the small  seaside town which has mostly been unsung since the closure in the 1980s of Billy Butlin's popular holiday camp.

Mark, a professional bird guide and contributor to publications such as Birdwatch and Birdwatching, is also a superb photographer.

                                                                      

Mark - informative and amusing speaker

The audience of 50 or so was treated to a  mesmerising array of such gem species as Waxwing, Goldcrest, Redstart, Nightjar Red-backed Shrike, Iceland Gull, Temminck's Stint, Surf Scoter, Grey Phalarope, Purple Sandpiper and a Knot crouching to make itself invisible to an overhead Peregrine.

Mark used the meeting to offer a belated and amusing apology to the Filey Prom's many strollers whom he scattered, back on December 3, 2013, as he sprinted to catch a photograph of a Brunnich's Guillemot (the first recorded Yorkshire sighting) before it swam far out to sea. 

Often the pictures were in close-up because, though much of Filey is what he described as "sub-optimal habitat" for many migrants, they sometimes touch down within yards, or even feet, of observers such as him because it may be  "the only port in a storm" for an  exhausted bird seeking a brief breather and a peck or two to eat.

But the Yorkshireman also peppered his presentation with shots in which birds were just barely identifiable specks which is, of course,  just how we often see them when out in field and forest, mountain and wetland.

Indeed, one of his star pictures - and a talking point during  the interval of the meeting -  was of a  Pallas Leaf Warbler (famously once  described as a "seven-striped sprite" by the late D.I.M.Wallace) which was almost invisible so well was it camouflaged amidst autumn foliage.

The speaker's focus was on the migration that occurs during 'autumn', a season which, for any dedicated birder, starts at the end of June when the first shorebirds, such as Dunlin and Sanderling (often in stunning summer plumage), arrive from their breeding grounds in the north of Europe and beyond. 

Later in the season, the weather may cool down, but the birding heats up, culminating in December when unusual diver, duck  and and gull species put in an appearance, sometimes staying for several weeks (or months) and sometimes only for a day or two (or less).

Like all devotees, Mark is on the look-out for birds every minute of every waking hour (and also, quite possibly, while he is asleep).

But  he revealed that he is always on particularly high alert in the last week of October and the first fortnight of November when he never ceases to be thrilled by the sight and sound of parties of overhead Whooper Swans and individual Short-eared Owls and Woodcocks, sometimes dodging high waves as they fly in over the North Sea from the continent.

From time to time, migrants that have been ringed turn up at Filey - most notably a Redpoll that had been trapped on island off the Norwegian Coast at about noon on one day, then re-caught at 8am the following day.

Recalled Mark: "There had been a strong north-easterly wind that night, and the bird obviously decided it was game-on and to go for it."

Another curiosity was a Snow Bunting which was, at first, understandably  assumed to have flown in with a 40-strong flock of fellow-buntings from northern climes, but in fact had been ringed in western France.

The likelihood was that, far from migrating south, it was returning north having over-wintered on the other side of The Channel.

Helpfully,  the speaker provided identification pointers - for instance shape of head and width of bill - in how to differentiate two superficially similar species, Cormorant and Shag. 

He also had an amusing anecdote about his childhood when often the family home also served as a rehabilitation centre for stricken birds with injured gannets accommodated in the bedrooms and puffins in the bathroom.

"I remember the days well," he chuckled. "It was like being in Paradise.”

Mark also had a word for 'Albie', the super-rare Black-browed Albatross that spent much of the summers of 2020, 2021 and 2022 at nearby Bempton and Flamborough but occasionally wandered to the waters off Filey.

"This magnificent bird was commonly said to have been either 'lost' or 'in the wrong place'," said Mark. "But is that necessarily so?

"Might it have been a case where an outlier species was exploring a new migration path? 

"Nature sometimes has a way of throwing mud at the wall and seeing what sticks."

As further examples of such a phenomenon, he cited Blackcaps that have now started over-wintering in Britain and Yellow-browed Warblers, once rare visitors from Russia that are now seen and heard in ever increasing numbers within our shores during October.

                                     

Male blackcap - this bird has been over-wintering in a garden not far from where Mark was giving his talk

Mark acknowledged that its location on the coast gave Filey something of an advantage in attracting passing migrants, but he noted that 'birding patches' everywhere in Britain have their own individual capacity to do likewise.

Most of his talk's audience live close to the coast, and he remarked that Lincolnshire was "an under-watched county". 

What better incentive to his listeners to rise early next morning, grab their binoculars and head out and about! 

* Mark has his own website: Mark James Pearson and is tour guide for the company, Yorkshire Coast Nature Yorkshire Coast Nature - Nature Tours, Workshops & Gallery 

RSPB in new fundraising bid to exterminate non-native stoats from Orkney Isles

Sarah Sankey: "We can't stop now."

THE RSPB has this week launched its latest initiative to wipe out Orkney's population of non-native stoats.

Not only is it asking members to dig in their pocket to raise £57,000 for the ongoing  campaign but it is also seeking to recruit an extra officer on up to £28,319 to join the  team.

Says project manager Sarah Sankey : The unexpected arrival of Stoats on Orkney in 2010 spelt disaster for native wildlife. 

"They prey on the chicks and eggs of ground-nesting birds such as Curlews and Oystercatchers. 

"They also prey on the unique Orkney Vole, a subspecies found only on Orkney - and nowhere else in the world."

The Orkney Native Wildlife Project has made progress in culling stoats, and the balance of wildlife on the islands is starting to recover. 

Between 2019 and 2023, the Orkney Vole population increased by 189 per cent, the Hen Harrier nest success by 100 per cent and Curlew nest success by  289 per cent.

Continues Ms Sankey: "We can’t stop now! We’re so close to securing the future for Orkney’s native wildlife. 

"We have already raised over £143,000 of our £200,000 target to help complete this ambitious project."

Meanwhile, the society is offering a salary of  between £26,379 and £28,319.00 per annum for a community engagement officer with a brief to persuade landowners of the merits of the project  and to coax them into securing new land access agreements and maintaining historic ones.

The position is a 12-month contract.

Assistant warden sought for Coquet Island to help safeguard Britain's last colony of Roseate Terns

                                                            

Accommodation will be in the island's lighthouse (photo: Mick Knapton/ Wikimedia Commons)

THE RSPB is looking to recruit an assistant seasonal warden for its Coquet Island  reserve off the Northumberland Coast.  

In summer, the island is home  to more than 40,000 breeding seabirds  including Puffins, Eiders,  Arctic, Common, Sandwich and Roseate Terns. 

For the Roseates, Coquet is the last British colony and of global importance. 

The post runs from mid-April to mid-August this year, and the pay is the equivalent of £26,379 and £28,319 per annum. 

The role will include laying rodenticides and  using a laser device to  scare off gulls which predate seabird eggs and chicks. 

Accommodation will be in the island's lighthouse. 

For further information, contact stephen.westerberg@rspb.org.uk

               

The sort of laser gun used to scare off gulls - it is commonly used at British airports to reduce the chance of bird strikes

The Wryneck says:  It is a shame that the RSPB has deemed it necessary to use laser devices to beam into the eyes of gulls. If challenged, the society would probably clam there is no evidence that lasers are harmful to birds' eyes, but on how much research would such a claim be based? Are there not safer and more ethical means of safeguarding Roseates?                              

What am I bid for this charming hummingbird? Clockwork toy failed to set pulses racing at Lincolnshire auction

 

An unusual tin plate clockwork humming bird, made in West Germany, failed to live up to expectations when it went under the hammer at John Taylors Auctions in Louth, Lincolnshire. The pre-sale guide price was £40-£50, but, in the event, the wind-up toy only fetched £25.

RSPB seeking Spurn-based field officer to safeguard welfare of shore-nesting birds during summer 2025

Oystercatchers over the Humber Estuary

THE RSPB is looking for a field officer to safeguard the interests of shorebirds on the North Bank of the Humber.

The salary is the equivalent of £23,401- £25,122 per annum. 

The job description states: "We are looking for an enthusiastic, practical person with ecological experience and good communication skills to join our Humber conservation team. 

"The successful candidate will support monitoring and protection of beach nesting bird populations (Little Tern, Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher) on the North Bank of the Humber.

"Beach nesting birds are a high conservation priority for the RSPB, and this role will help towards securing a future for them. 

"This is a partnership project, and you will work closely with colleagues across organisations such as the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, and Spurn Bird Observatory.

"This position is a fixed-term contract from April to August 2025."

It continues: "As the seasonal field assistant, you will support all aspects of on-the-ground survey and monitoring delivery throughout the busy breeding season (April-August) in line with project objectives. 

"You will be based at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Spurn National Nature Reserve." 

Activities will include:

* Monitoring breeding success of beach nesting Ringed Plovers, Little Terns and Oystercatcher.

* Maintenance of seasonal site fencing (including electric fencing), signage, and other infrastructure as required.

* Carrying out predator monitoring duties including deploying and maintaining trail cameras on site.

* Day-to-day engagement with beach users to inform, educate and raise awareness of beach nesting birds and their threats to empower positive behavioural change.

* Supporting a growing team of dedicated volunteers including assisting with inductions and on-site support as needed.

* Maintaining and building relationships with existing partners and stakeholders.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience: 

* Higher level qualification in a relevant subject or ability to show equivalent work experience eg agriculture practices.

* Knowledge of bird and wildlife ecology, habitat requirements and identification to enable credibility in the role.

* Knowledge of a range of delivery mechanisms for conservation work relevant to the operational area of this role e.g. agri-environment schemes.

* Organisational skills e.g. maintenance and analysis of datasets, and managing conflicting priorities.

* Ability to work effectively as a team player both internally and externally.

* Effective communication skills (verbal, written and presentational) - including an ability to speak confidently and cogently in public to a variety of audiences.

* Experience of managing volunteers and setting clear work priorities.

The closing date for applications is March 2, 2025.

For further information, contact mike.pilsworth@rspb.org.uk 

                                                     

Spurn where the field officer will be based 

Three men quizzed as part of long-running probe into illegal waste dumping in woodland beloved of Nightingales

                                                        

Inquiries  continuing following incident at songbird-rich  Kent woodland (photo: Kent Wildlife Trust)

THREE men are being questioned as part of  as part of a probe  into industrial-scale, illegal tipping of waste at a Kent woodland long noted for its summer population of breeding nightingales.

Hoad's Wood, near Ashford, is a site of Special Scientific Interest with no approved public access.

But that did not prevent  30,000 tonnes of household and construction waste, piled 15 feet high in places, being dumped there on a date in 2023.

Since then Environment Agency enforcement officers, Kent Police and the Joint Unit for Waste Crime have been investigating jointly.

Two of the men – aged 44 and 62 – are from the Isle of Sheppey, while the third, aged 41, resides near Sittingbourne. 

All three have been interviewed, and their evidence will support any further stages of the investigation.

At this relatively early stage, it is understood that none of the trio has been formally charged with any offence.

Former Royal Marine Norman Orr's famous oil painting of Loch Garten Osprey goes unsold at Yorkshire auction

This famous study of a Loch Garten Osprey has today failed to sell at auction. The  pre-sale estimate for the imposing 77.5cm x 77.5cm oil-on-board by former Royal Marine Norman Orr (1924-1933)was that it would fetch between £700 and £1,000 but it seems no bidding came anywhere near this price. Any buyer would also have had to pay a 22 per cent commission. The possibility  is that auction house Tennants of Leyburn in North Yorkshire will now offer it another auction later in the year. 

It's all about Stone-curlews! Species monitoring officer sought by RSPB for five-month summer contract

                                                               

A bird worth fighting for! RSPB determined to increase Stone-curlew numbers in Wessex. Photo, via Wikimedia Commons, taken in Italy by Francesco Venonesi 

 

THE RSPB is seeking to recruit a Stone-curlew field officer in South-west England on a short-term contract.

The post will be based at the Winterbourne Downs nature reserve in Wiltshire and offers the salary equivalent of between £23,401 and £25,122 for the five-month post.

States  the job description: "We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic individual with skills in wildlife surveying to join our team conserving Stone-curlews across the Wessex area. 

"The ideal candidate will be self-led and have experience with complex and detail-orientated work."

Stone-curlews have undergone significant decline across the UK over the last century, leaving only two strongholds, the Brecks in East Anglia and Wessex. 

However, 30 years of conservation efforts have seen the population recover. 

The RSPB works closely with landowners and farmers, including the Ministry of Defence to provide suitable habitat for breeding pairs. 

The population in Wessex is now approaching 150 pairs, but, according to the RSPB, continued recovery of this species relies on monitoring and protection.

The job description continues: "The role has a strong fieldwork focus during the peak breeding season (April to September).

"Excellent field skills are required for this tricky and inconspicuous bird, including experience with optics and the ability to spot minute details from a distance. 

"The work includes locating pairs, monitoring breeding attempts, finding nests, liaising with farmers, contractors, and landowners and carrying out intervention measures on vulnerable sites. 

"The work also has a strong data gathering and recording component with the need to record measurements quickly and accurately. 

"The field officer will also be required to maintain electronic records. 

"Although the postholder will often be conducting field work alone using their own initiative, they will also be taking a lead role working alongside survey volunteers. 

Lone working often in remote locations is commonplace in this role, and some evening and weekend work will be required. 

"The field officer will need to be comfortable driving a 4x4 vehicle off road and spending multiple hours per day in a vehicle. 

"The Stone-curlew pairs are spread across a wide geographical area, and a significant proportion of the monitoring is done from inside a vehicle using a window mounted spotting scope.

"It is essential that the postholder is adept at managing time to balance a busy fieldwork schedule, responding to farmers, colleagues and partners in a timely manner and ensuring delivery of project management tasks such as data entry to deadlines. 

"For both the fieldwork and desk-based elements of this role, an ability to communicate confidently with farmers and landowners is essential. 

"It is also essential that the post holder can navigate complex spreadsheets.

"Experience of leading volunteers is also a requirement."

As with all its vacancies, the RSPB  notes: "People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector.

"If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application.," 

The closing date for applications is February 25, with interviews on March 3 and a contract start-date of April 1.

 Further information is available from: megan.gee@rspb.org.uk

                                       

Winterbourne Downs - photo: RSPB

What am I bid for clockwork humming bird? Amusing German-made toy expected to fetch up to £50 at auction

 

There has been some modest pre-sale interest in this tin plate clockwork humming bird, made in West Germany, which is due to go under the hammer at John Taylors Auctions in Louth, Lincolnshire, on the afternoon of  Tuesday February 4. By 5pm on Sunday, bids had reached £25. The estimate is that it will sell for between £40 and £50.