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| Fresh aims to protect Uists' waders (Conservation News) |
Proposals by Scottish Natural Heritage to mount a fresh drive to help some of Europe's most important numbers of wader birds were today backed by community leaders in the Outer Hebrides.
More here > |
| Written by: Scottish Natural Heritage (26 Feb 2015) | |
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| Bay of Panama saved from destruction (Conservation News) |
| Panama Audubon Society is celebrating after winning a hard-fought effort to reverse the Panama government's 2012 decision to withdraw protected status for the Bay of Panama Important Bird and Biodiversity Area. More here > |
| Written by: BirdLife (26 Feb 2015) | |
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| Mark Golley's weekly round-up: 18 - 24 Feb 2015 (Weekly Roundup) |
| Another week without too many new birds but the rarity list is beginning to resemble the roll call from Noah's Ark! To join the pairs of Black Scoter, American Coots and Laughing Gulls we now have two Harlequins and two Pacific Divers and a brace of Black-bellied Dippers. More here > |
| Written by: Jon Dunn (25 Feb 2015) | |
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| Bird hides - birding and innovation (Personal Account) |
Following our poll on noise in hides we asked Tormod Amundsen to tell us a bit more about Biotope and their innovative hide designs. Find out how this Norwegian company is changing the way we look at hides.
More here > |
| Written by: Rare Bird Alert (25 Feb 2015) | |
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| Flamborough - Celebrations and Expectations (Conservation News) |
| Martin Garner looks ahead to the Flamborough Bird Observatory AGM in March and gives details of Flamborough Presents an evening with Martin looking and what birds to expect in 2015 and talks about his Challenge Series of books. More here > |
| Written by: Rare Bird Alert (25 Feb 2015) | |
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| Book review: Crossbill Guides - Iceland (Book review) |
| Andy Stoddart reviews the latest offering from the Crossbill Guides covering Iceland. Previous guides, such as those to the Spanish Pyrenees, Hungary's Hortobagy and France's Loire Valley, have focused on famous bird-rich areas but here, for the first time, we have a guide to a whole country. More here > |
| Written by: Andy Stoddart (25 Feb 2015) | |
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| Game farm owner found guilty of pole trap offence (Conservation News) |
The owner of Westfield Farm, Cropton, North Yorkshire, has been found guilty of permitting the use of a pole trap on the farm on 11 June 2014, and has been fined £4,000 at Scarborough Magistrates' Court today.
More here > |
| Written by: RSPB (25 Feb 2015) | |
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| Wildlife conservation re-establishing in Iraq (Conservation News) |
Despite the all-too gloomy news of the terrible troubles in Iraq, there are still highlights, little jewels, that show the resilience and determination of the Iraqi people to treasure and protect their natural heritage.
More here > |
| Written by: BirdLife (25 Feb 2015) | |
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| Mark Golley's weekly round-up: 11 - 17 Feb 2015 (Weekly Roundup) |
| A quiet week on the new rarity front with Harlequin, Black Scoters, American Coots and Pacific Diver all remaining put. The Laughing Gull in Cheshire also continued to put on a show and off Filey a splendid drake Surf Scoter proved very popular. Plus this week you can compete against Mark in a feature we are calling the Long-stayers Lottery! More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (18 Feb 2015) | |
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| Asia's migrant songbirds in trouble (Conservation News) |
| Migratory songbirds in East Asia are in trouble, according to new research. The study calls for national action and international cooperation to deal with threats, as well as more monitoring and research to help understand and protect this unique migration system. More here > |
| Written by: BirdLife (16 Feb 2015) | |
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| Britain's finest Nightingale site gets reprieve from development (Conservation News) |
| The Government has listened to the pleas of over 12,400 people concerned about the future of Britain's finest Nightingale site and has called in for public inquiry an application to build 5,000 homes on Lodge Hill, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, in Kent. More here > |
| Written by: RSPB (16 Feb 2015) | |
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| Birding gear reviewed: listing apps - Bird Journal (App Review) |
In the 2nd in his series of reviews of listing apps Marcus Nash gives Bird Journal a comprehensive review. Available for both iPhone and Android and designed to be used alongside a desktop application.
More here > |
| Written by: Marcus Nash (11 Feb 2015) | |
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| Mark Golley's weekly round-up: 04 - 10 Feb 2015 (Weekly Roundup) |
| Another week and the winter's long-stayers were still in situ including the Harlequin, Black Scoters and American Coots. The Laughing Gull in Cheshire proved a photographers delight whilst a super showy Little Bunting in South Wales was one of three found this week. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (11 Feb 2015) | |
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| Urban Gulls prefer human food (Research) |
Black-headed Gulls in urban environments are better at responding to human foods than their rural counterparts, shows new research in Bird Study; the Journal of the British Trust for Ornithology.
More here > |
| Written by: BTO (05 Feb 2015) | |
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| Mark Golley's weekly round-up: 28 Jan - 03 Feb 2015 (Weekly Roundup) |
| A reasonably quite week to end January and start February. In Aberdeenshire the Harlequin remained on show on the river Don whilst Lincolnshire landed a rare winter record of Pacific Golden Plover and Cheshire birders enjoyed a first winter Laughing Gull. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (04 Feb 2015) | |
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| Mark Golley's weekly round-up: 21 - 27 Jan 2015 (Weekly Roundup) |
In Aberdeenshire the Harlequin remained on the River Don whilst remains of another kind made headlines in Norfolk. Elsewhere it was typical winter fayre with plenty of geese, ducks and gulls.
More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (28 Jan 2015) | |
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| Mark Golley's weekly round-up: 14- 20 Jan 2015 (Weekly Roundup) |
| The big news of the week came from the far north west of Ireland, where the country's second ever Slaty-backed Gull is found at the gulling hotpost of Killybegs. Elsewhere it was all about the long stayers, Harlequin, Ivory Gull, Black Scoters, Pacific Diver and American Coots. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (26 Jan 2015) | |
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| High cost to Spoonbills migrating over the Sahara (Research) |
| A recent study has shown that the mortality rate in Eurasian Spoonbills wintering in Mauritania is significantly higher than those wintering in France and Iberia, and is caused in part by the birds having to migrate large distances over physical barriers such as the Sahara Desert. More here > |
| Written by: Rare Bird Alert (21 Jan 2015) | |
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| Blakeney seals its place in the record books (Conservation News) |
| Blakeney Point on the North Norfolk coastline has shot to number one as the largest breeding site for Grey Seals in England. 2426 Grey Seal pups have been born there this season compared to the 25 pups 14 years ago, when the first pups were born on the spit. More here > |
| Written by: Rare Bird Alert (19 Jan 2015) | |
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| Complaints against the RSPB rejected (Conservation News) |
Two formal complaints against the work of the RSPB have been rejected by the Charity Commission. The Countryside Alliance and 'You Forgot the Birds' - an organisation linked to shooting interests and fronted by Sir Ian Botham - made the complaints through the Charity Commission about the RSPB's charitable work.
More here > |
| Written by: RSPB (19 Jan 2015) | |
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| Rarity of 2014 - the results (Poll) |
For the last week we have been asking you what your birds of 2014 were. The poll has now closed, your votes have been cast and counted and your winners are named. What came out on top?
More here >
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| Written by: Rare Bird Alert (16 Jan 2015) | |
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| Mark Golley's weekly round-up: 07 - 13 Jan 2015 (Weekly Roundup) |
| The first Black Scoter for Ireland was discovered this week in Co.Kerry whilst back in Britain a one-day Greater Yellowlegs became the second record for Hampshire. The most popular bird of the week was undoubtedly the smart drake Harlequin in Aberdeen and staying in Scotland what appears to be the wandering Ivory Gull turns up in Ullapool. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (14 Jan 2015) | |
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| RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2015 (Conservation News) |
| The RSPB's annual Big Garden Birdwatch is back on 24/25 January 2015, giving people across Britain the chance to be part of the world's biggest wildlife survey. Around half a million people across the UK took part in 2014. More here > |
| Written by: RSPB (14 Jan 2015) | |
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| 2014 - the year of the Hen Harrier (Personal Account) |
| Over the 12 days of Christmas we have been taking a look back at some the rarest birds to turn up in Britain in 2014 and we are currently running a Rarity of 2014 Poll. However, as exciting as these rarities have been, 2014 will be remembered by many for the Hen Harrier and 10th August. More here > |
| Written by: Rare Bird Alert (07 Jan 2015) | |
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| Birding gear review: RSPB eGuide to British Birds app (App Review) |
| Based on The RSPB Handbook of British Birds the eGuide to British Birds app for Android and iOS is one of the few British bird guide apps available for both platforms. Marcus Nash has put it through its paces and written a comprehensive review. More here > |
| Written by: Marcus Nash (07 Jan 2015) | |
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| Mark Golley's weekly round-up: 23 Dec 2014 - 06 Jan 2015 (Weekly Roundup) |
| Following the Christmas and New Year break it's a roundup double header as we begin 2015. Star of the show was the Little Bustard in Yorkshire helped to ease the hangovers of those amassed on site at dawn! Elsewhere a Thayer's Gull and Blyth's Pipit were also on offer in Yorkshire. Elsewhere a very obliging Harlequin put on quite a show in Aberdeen. All in all a bumper couple of weeks. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (07 Jan 2015) | |
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| 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas 2014 #11 - Eastern Crowned Warbler, Cleveland (Annual Rarity Review) |
| The penultimate species on our journey through the quality birds seen throughout the 12 months that we've just closed the door upon was a pleasing mainland weekend mega that would barely have been on many birders' radar a decade or so ago. That's all changed now and this British third drew a sizable and appreciative audience to the northeast of England for October's last hurrah. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (04 Jan 2015) | |
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| 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas 2014 #9 Siberian Rubythroat, Shetland Mainland (Annual Rarity Review) |
| Shetland's dominance continues apace in our ninth offering with a species that (shockingly) seems to be 'devalued' as every annual visit chalks another mark on the record books. However, whether the species in question is becoming more frequent or not, few would argue at the dramatic, striking beauty of October's cut-throat gem, a bird which enabled some stellar images to be captured and enjoyed. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (02 Jan 2015) | |
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| 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas 2014 #7 - Masked Shrike, East Yorkshire (Annual Rarity Review) |
| We return to East Yorkshire for the county's second outstanding species of 2014, in the form of a bird that came as something of a September surprise. To the delight of many, this third for Britain was a Saturday find and obliged the well-behaved crowds for days to come. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (31 Dec 2014) | |
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| 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas 2014 #6 - Great Knot, Norfolk (Annual Rarity Review) |
| Norfolk's wader watchers have had little to go at in terms of truly eye-catching shorebirds since the wintering Western Sandpiper at Cley in late 2011. All that changed in July 2014 when an oft-predicted addition to the county list was found on the vast expanses of Breydon Water. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (30 Dec 2014) | |
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| 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas 2014 #5 - Short-toed Eagle, Dorset (Annual Rarity Review) |
| For those who weren't all-at-sea off the Irish coast or who thought that sinking a few hundred pounds in to a plane ride to Shetland wasn't for them, the spring's 'best bird' arrived on the last day of May as early summer beckoned. This roaming, soar-away star toured southern England for three months and we've secured some unseen photos from its final port of call. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (29 Dec 2014) | |
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| 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas 2014 #4 - Cretzschmar's Bunting, Fair Isle (Annual Rarity Review) |
| One of the year's most surprising and unpredicted "big rares" especially given the extreme date of arrival. What was less of a surprise was the far-off, distant island location which didn't dissuade some from a successful investment in aircraft charters. Includes an entertaining reminiscence of a previous occurrence of this stunning rarity by Bill Oddie. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (28 Dec 2014) | |
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| 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas 2014 #3 - Crag Martin, East Yorkshire (Annual Rarity Review) |
| There's always a frisson of excitement as spring begins to appear on the horizon and the dark days of winter drift in to sunshine and the arrival of migrants along our coasts. Amongst those new arrivals, there's always that outside hope of finding something special and an East Yorkshire rarity hotspot duly obliged in the second week of April. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (27 Dec 2014) | |
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| 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas 2014 #2 - Slaty-backed Gull, Co.Galway (Annual Rarity Review) |
| Larophiles looked on in shock and awe as the guller-friendly confines of the Irish west coast scored big time with a genuinely surprising mega, as February rolled in to town. Although a 'single observer' bird, there were photos aplenty to enjoy from a far, images that stirred the debate once more where Britain's only record was concerned too. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (26 Dec 2014) | |
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| 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas 2014 #1 - Bermuda Petrel, Co.Kerry (Annual Rarity Review) |
| This is our first wander back through the many birding highlights of 2014 and it is fitting that for the opening entrant in the '12 (ish) Birds of Christmas' we alight amongst the swell of the Atlantic Ocean for what was, surely, the 'bird of the year'. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (25 Dec 2014) | |
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| Weekly birding round-up: 17 - 22 Dec 2014 (Weekly Roundup) |
Out a day early this week due to Christmas, the weekly birding roundup features the fantastic Ivory Gull on Benbecula feeding on the carcass of an equally rare visitor to Britain, a Cuvier's Beaked Whale! Elsewhere the best new bird of the week was an American Herring Gull at Killybegs in Donegal.
More here > |
| Written by: Jon Dunn (23 Dec 2014) | |
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| COMING SOON - the 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas 2014 (Weekly Roundup) |
| Even though the last twelve months have proved to be a little bit less exciting than the extraordinary year that was 2013, in 2014 some top-drawer rarities were found, twitched, seen and dipped. Over the Christmas and New Year period, we will be taking a look back at the year's 'best birds' in our 12 [ish] Birds of Christmas. More here > |
| Written by: Rare Bird Alert (21 Dec 2014) | |
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| Bittern numbers are booming (Conservation News) |
Bitterns have had a record year in England with the highest number of individuals recorded since the 1800s.
More here > |
| Written by: RSPB (15 Dec 2014) | |
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| Waders Galore in the Western Isles (Conservation News) |
A recent bird survey confirms that machairs of Uist are one of the best places in Western Europe to see breeding farmland waders with over 9,000 pairs of breeding waders recorded.
More here > |
| Written by: RSPB (12 Dec 2014) | |
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| Gamekeeper convicted for illegally killing a Goshawk (Conservation News) |
| RSPB Scotland has welcomed the conviction of gamekeeper George Mutch at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. Mutch was convicted of four charges, illegal use of a trap, illegal killing of a Goshawk; illegal taking of a Goshawk and illegal taking of a Buzzard. More here > |
| Written by: RSPB (11 Dec 2014) | |
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| Weekly birding round-up: 03 - 09 Dec 2014 (Weekly Roundup) |
| Jon Dunn steps in for Mark this week as Yorkshire scores it's first ever Blyth's Pipit. Elsewhere male Eastern Black Redstarts remained in Scilly and North Yorkshire and a male Desert Wheatear in Norfolk complements two females in Cornwall. More here > |
| Written by: Jon Dunn (10 Dec 2014) | |
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| Mark Golley's weekly birding round-up: 26 Nov - 02 Dec 2014 (Weekly Roundup) |
| The discovery of two stunning Eastern Black Redstarts on Scilly and in North Yorkshire made all the headlines this week. Elsewhere the Isabelline Wheatear in Cleveland lingered for a few more days whilst Cornwall landed it's first Desert Wheatear for a few years. More here > |
| Written by: Mark Golley (03 Dec 2014) | |
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| Scottish Birdfair gets new home for 2015 (Conservation News) |
| Scotland's Big Nature Festival, which includes the Scottish Birdfair, will return next year and it is being held at a brand new venue for 2015; the beautiful Levenhall Links alongside the Firth of Forth and famous racecourse at Musselburgh, just east of Edinburgh. More here > |
| Written by: RSPB (03 Dec 2014) | |
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