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Azores Bullfinch gets funding (Conservation News) |
Go to article One of Europe's most critically endangered birds is to receive a major boost with new funding towards its conservation thanks to the efforts of Birdwatch magazine and its readers. |
Written by: Birdwatch (13 Nov 2009) | |
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Kite poisoned in Northern Ireland (Conservation News) |
Go to article A Red Kite has been found illegally poisoned in Co Down, Northern Ireland only a few months after its release as part of the scheme to reintroduce the species. |
Written by: Birdwatch (10 Nov 2009) | |
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Farmland birds still declining (Conservation News) |
Go to article Britain’s farmland birds show a continuing downward trend in populations, according to latest figures, published by the Government. Woodland birds have also declined while wetland birds have increased. |
Written by: Birdwatch (29 Oct 2009) | |
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Wind farm go ahead on Lewis (Conservation News) |
Go to article A decision to grant consent to a wind farm within a designated Special Protection Area on the island of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, has been greeted with dismay by RSPB Scotland. |
Written by: Birdwatch (29 Oct 2009) | |
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Wildlife haven reduces flood risks (Conservation News) |
Go to article A new RSPB project which re-creates a rare and vanishing habitat for wildlife, as well as helps to reduce the risk of flooding along the River Forth has reached fruition this week. |
Written by: Birdwatch (20 Oct 2009) | |
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Glossy Ibises show their colours (Conservation News) |
Go to article The amazing influx of Glossy Ibises into Britain and Ireland this autumn has brought with it a number of colour-ringed birds and the BTO has been trying to track them. |
Written by: Birdwatch (20 Oct 2009) | |
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Rare ibis shot (Conservation News) |
Go to article One of the world’s rarest birds has been shot by a hunter in Saudi Arabia. This leaves the known wild Middle Eastern population of Northern Bald Ibis reduced to only just four individuals. |
Written by: Birdwatch (25 Sep 2009) | |
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Seabirds on the rise (Press report) |
Go to article Worries over the depletion of Sand Eels and other vital food for Scotland's seabird colonies were assuaged somewhat this year, as most northern colonies have had their most productive year for over almost a decade, counts by the RSPB have revealed. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Sep 2009) | |
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A boom in numbers (Press report) |
Go to article Long term conservation planning has seen bittern numbers rise again in Britain's expanded and revived wetland habitats. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Sep 2009) | |
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Money for machair conservation (Press report) |
Go to article The conservation of the unique Hebridean machair is set to receive funding to the tune of £2 million, thanks to a massive money boost from Scottish and EU grant funds. |
Written by: Birdwatch (28 Aug 2009) | |
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Broady the birding Bullfinch (Press report) |
Go to article An extremely tame juvenile Bullfinch is proving a popular draw at one of the RSPB's wetlands reserves, this August. |
Written by: Birdwatch (28 Aug 2009) | |
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Caught red-handed! (Conservation News) |
Go to article A camera has captured the moment a thief tried to make off with the eggs of a rare bird. |
Written by: RSPB (18 Aug 2009) | |
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Osprey on track (Conservation News) |
Go to article Loch Garten’s Osprey chicks have started their long journey south to their wintering ground in Africa. As they move down through Britain and across to Europe you can track them online to see where they go. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 Aug 2009) | |
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Animal poisoning falls in Scotland (Conservation News) |
Go to article The number of animal poisoning incidents in Scotland has fallen between 2007 and 2008. However, the government admits that more must be done to control pesticide abuse. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 Aug 2009) | |
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Egg hoarders in court (Conservation News) |
Go to article Endangered birds’ eggs were among several hundred discovered at a North Wales man’s house. Pleading guilty at Llandudno Magistrates Court, he has now been sentenced. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 Aug 2009) | |
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Grouse up, harriers down (Conservation News) |
Go to article With this year’s grouse shooting season about to start, news of increased numbers of Red Grouse will please the shooters, while reports of persecuted Hen Harriers have enraged conservationists. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 Aug 2009) | |
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Rare terns flourish (Conservation News) |
Go to article One of Britain's rarest seabirds has had a record-breaking breeding season on its main colony in Northumberland, thanks to special conservation measures by the RSPB. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 Aug 2009) | |
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Shetland seabird success (Conservation News) |
Go to article This summer, seabirds on Shetland have had their best breeding season for years but the reasons for the success are not clear but must be linked to food availability, say ornithologists. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 Aug 2009) | |
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New grants for woodland birds (Conservation News) |
Go to article New grants are being offered to landowners and managers who join a scheme to help a range of woodland birds in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, says the Forestry Commission. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 Aug 2009) | |
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Tagged eagle poisoned (Conservation News) |
Go to article A Golden Eagle, fitted with a radio transmitter, has been found dead on a Scottish estate and tests have shown that it was illegally poisoned. Police are making enquiries and have raided a property. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 Aug 2009) | |
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New additions to BOU list (Conservation News) |
Go to article Four new species and one new subspecies have been added to the British Ornithologists’ Union’s list after reviews by the BOU Records Committee. |
Written by: Birdwatch (29 Jul 2009) | |
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Cause of seabird wrecks found (Conservation News) |
Go to article French biologists believe they have uncovered the reason why hundreds of seabirds are so often washed up ashore dead during the winter in what are known as ‘wrecks’. |
Written by: Birdwatch (29 Jul 2009) | |
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Europe’s oldest Puffin (Conservation News) |
Go to article Biologists visiting a remote island off the west coast of Scotland have found the two oldest Puffins in Britain, one of them also being the oldest in Europe. |
Written by: Birdwatch (22 Jul 2009) | |
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Spoonbill movements plotted (Conservation News) |
Go to article One of a group of Spoonbills present in Norfolk for several weeks has been on quite a journey, judging from reported sightings of this ringed bird. The BTO has been plotting its movements. |
Written by: Birdwatch (22 Jul 2009) | |
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Cranes return to East Anglian fens (Conservation News) |
Go to article In the last few days, two juvenile cranes have been seen at the Lakenheath Fen RSPB reserve, creating a wave of interest from visitors. |
Written by: RSPB (22 Jul 2009) | |
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Set-aside replacement gets support (Conservation News) |
Go to article A new scheme for Britain’s farmers will encourage them to take up subsidised environmental options as part of a voluntary system, and has been given full support by the RSPB. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Jul 2009) | |
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Osprey chicks tagged (Conservation News) |
Go to article Loch Garten's most famous offspring can be followed online thanks to satellite tags fitted by the RSPB which will transmit data on their southward journey to West Africa. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Jul 2009) | |
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Ravens breed in Kent (Conservation News) |
Go to article A pair of Ravens have raised young in Kent for the first time in more than 100 years |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Jul 2009) | |
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Puffin movements to be tracked (Conservation News) |
Go to article The latest GPS technology is being used to track the movements of Puffins from their breeding grounds in the hope that it may give an insight into their recent worrying declines. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Jul 2009) | |
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Hawfinch reveals secrets (Conservation News) |
Go to article One of Britain’s least known birds has revealed some of its secrets to biologists who are studying it in Scotland using ringing and radio tagging techniques. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Jul 2009) | |
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Fears over Dartford crash (Conservation News) |
Go to article Conservationists fear that heavy snow and cold temperatures in February may have caused a dramatic crash in Dartford Warbler numbers at some key British breeding sites. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Jul 2009) | |
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Fair Isle funding reaches final furlong (Conservation News) |
Go to article The race to fund the construction of a new eco-friendly bird observatory on Fair Isle is in the final stages and urgent donations are needed to ensure its swift completion. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Jul 2009) | |
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An armchair Sandwich? (Conservation News) |
Go to article New genetic evidence appears to support the splitting of the Sandwich Tern complex into two only distantly related species. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Jul 2009) | |
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Kite satellite tagged (Conservation News) |
Go to article A new project will enable the movements of one of Scotland’s rarest birds of prey to be followed online thanks to attached satellite tags, says RSPB Scotland. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Jul 2009) | |
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Swifts in steep decline (Conservation News) |
Go to article Common Swifts are the sound of summer to the ears of Britain’s birdwatchers as they speed through the air in tight, screaming flocks but this iconic species is in serious trouble, says the RSPB. |
Written by: Birdwatch (15 Jul 2009) | |
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Eagle poisoned in Scotland (Conservation News) |
Go to article A Golden Eagle, recently discovered dead Argyll in west Scotland, is believed to have been poisoned, says the RSPB. An appeal for information has been made to the public. |
Written by: Birdwatch (20 Jun 2009) | |
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Oldest bird's nest found (Conservation News) |
Go to article The world’s oldest bird of prey nest that is still in use has been discovered in Greenland but climate change may threaten its continuing use, believe ornithologists. |
Written by: Birdwatch (19 Jun 2009) | |
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Seabird cities may soon be empty (Conservation News) |
Go to article A new report, just published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, reveals major declines in many UK seabird species, especially in Scotland. This may result in seabird cliffs becoming devoid of birds in the near future. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 Jun 2009) | |
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Ospreys breed in Northumberland (Conservation News) |
Go to article For the first time in at least 200 years Ospreys are nesting in Northumberland, according to the Kielder Partnership. A special nesting platform is being used by the birds. |
Written by: Birdwatch (17 Jun 2009) | |
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Reintroduced Great Bustards breed in Britain (Conservation News) |
Go to article For the first time in more than 175 years, Great Bustards have hatched chicks in Britain. The birds are part of a controversial reintroduction project based at Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. |
Written by: Birdwatch (03 Jun 2009) | |
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Loch Garten Ospreys in jeopardy (Conservation News) |
Go to article In the fiftieth anniversary of the Osprey viewpoint at the Loch Garten eyrie, three chicks successfully hatched over the bank holiday weekend. However, further success is in jeopardy due to both parent birds becoming entangled in fishing line. |
Written by: Birdwatch (29 May 2009) | |
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Cuckoo added to red list (Conservation News) |
Go to article Birds of Conservation Concern 3, the 'red list' compiled by Britain's biggest conservation organisations, has bad news for some of the country's most familiar and loved bird species. |
Written by: Birdwatch (28 May 2009) | |
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Waders in rapid decline (Conservation News) |
Go to article A new atlas of wading bird distributions for Europe, Asia and Africa, launched this week, shows that populations of many species are declining at an ever-rapid rate. |
Written by: Birdwatch (28 May 2009) | |
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Black Swans and other exotics - have you seen any? (Conservation News) |
Go to article The BTO is asking for details of escaped and naturalised non-native species as part of the voluntary survey work for the 2007-11 national Bird Atlas, with a particular focus on Black Swan, which is generally under-recorded. |
Written by: Birdwatch (22 May 2009) | |
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No May shooting in Cyprus (Conservation News) |
Go to article Cyprus has abandoned plans to allow the shooting of birds this May. The decision is seen as a landmark success for the three-year long BirdLife International and BirdLife Cyprus campaign. |
Written by: Birdwatch (22 May 2009) | |
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Rare terns get protection (Conservation News) |
Go to article A team of volunteers is busy on the beach at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, helping to protect the UK's largest colony of Little Terns from both predators and human disturbance. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 May 2009) | |
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Chough webcam goes live (Conservation News) |
Go to article A new webcam features Britain’s rarest crow and brings live images from deep within a sea cave in North Wales, thanks to the RSPB. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 May 2009) | |
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Golden Orioles early return (Conservation News) |
Go to article Golden Orioles returned remarkably early this year, and could be heard singing at the end of April at their British stronghold in Norfolk. |
Written by: Birdwatch (18 May 2009) | |
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Malta slaughter increases (Press report) |
Go to article BirdLife’s Spring Watch teams recorded more than 950 shots taken by hunters at several locations in Malta during the nine days since the beginning of the international bird monitoring camp on 11 April. |
Written by: Birdwatch (25 Apr 2009) | |
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Climate change moves waders north (Press report) |
Go to article Recently published, BTO-affiliated research has uncovered a sizeable north-east movement in the main distribution of wintering wading birds |
Written by: Birdwatch (21 Mar 2009) | |
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Joy at Maltese hunting ban (Press report) |
Go to article BirdLife International, BirdLife Malta and the RSPB have welcomed the Maltese Prime Minister’s announcement that the spring hunting of quail and turtle dove will be banned on the islands in 2009. |
Written by: RSPB (21 Mar 2009) | |
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Spoon-billed surveys (Press report) |
Go to article Two surveys of the wintering grounds of Spoon-billed Sandpiper starkly illustrate the extreme and growing pressures this Critically Endangered species faces. |
Written by: BirdLife (18 Mar 2009) | |
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BBRC Announces Changes (Conservation News) |
Go to article As of 1st January 2009 records of White-billed Diver, Cattle Egret and Parrot Crossbill will no longer be assessed by the British Birds Rarities Committee. |
Written by: BBRC (12 Mar 2009) | |
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Climate changing wildlife now (Press report) |
Go to article Climate change is already having a detectable impact on birds across Europe, say a group of scientists publishing their findings to create the world’s first indicator of the climate change impacts on wildlife at a continental scale. |
Written by: RSPB (07 Mar 2009) | |
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Goose conservationists gather (Press report) |
Go to article An international conference aimed at halting the decline of one of Europe’s rarest wildfowl took place on the Scottish island of Islay this week. |
Written by: Birdwatch (28 Feb 2009) | |
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Songbirds fly further (Press report) |
Go to article The migration of two North American songbird species has been directly tracked for the first time, revealing that they fly further in a day than was previously realised. |
Written by: Birdwatch (21 Feb 2009) | |
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Mixed year for Black Grouse (Press report) |
Go to article Black Grouse experienced mixed fortunes on RSPB nature reserves in 2008 - with declines in Scotland but increases on southern reserves. Scotland is still the stronghold of the Black Grouse population in the UK. |
Written by: RSPB (28 Jan 2009) | |
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Sooty Falcon requires urgent action (Press report) |
Go to article A Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor) has been tracked from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to its wintering areas in Madagascar. BirdLife believes this will provide useful information to help conserve this declining species. However, urgent action is now needed to protect breeding sites of this rare falcon on Abu Dhabi islands and elsewhere in the Gulf. |
Written by: BirdLife (28 Jan 2009) | |
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A new dawn for Malta? (Press report) |
Go to article In 2004, as part of the European Accession Treaty, Malta negotiated a five year phasing out period of trapping migrating birds. 2009 will be the first spring when trapping should be banned, conservationists are waiting to see what happens. |
Written by: BirdLife (23 Jan 2009) | |
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Freeze threatens wetland birds (Press report) |
Go to article For the first time in over a decade, nature conservation bodies are calling on birdwatchers, walkers, anglers and water sports enthusiasts across Britain to minimise disturbance to groups of ducks, geese, swans and wading birds. |
Written by: RSPB (10 Jan 2009) | |
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Enough is enough (Press report) |
Go to article The RSPB has welcomed a new report from Natural England, which highlights the threat to the country’s Hen Harriers from illegal killing. |
Written by: RSPB (01 Jan 2009) | |
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The month ahead: December (The month ahead) |
Go to article Short days and cold nights winter is truely here but there is plenty of birding still to do. Wetlands are packed with wintering wildfowl whilst coastal sites are hosting many winter visitors. You might even want to spend some time at your local tip in search of rarer gulls, then again! |
Written by: Rare Bird Alert (03 Dec 2008) | |
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Fund-raising for Fair Isle's future (Press report) |
Go to article To help raise funds for a new bird observatory on Fair Isle there is a fund-raising event being held in Aberdeenshire on 30th November which includes a charity auction. Don't worry if you can't make it in person, as you can bid online for the items up for grabs. |
Written by: Rare Bird Alert (25 Nov 2008) | |
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White-tailed Eagles in Norfolk? (Press report) |
Go to article Natural England, the RSPB and Anglian Water, have been investigating the feasibility of reintroducing the White-tailed Eagle to East Anglia. |
Written by: RSPB (22 Nov 2008) | |
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Identification of Red-backed, Isabelline and Brown Shrikes (ID Article) |
Following the recent number of interesting shrikes in Britain we present the most comprehensive artice available on the identification of this complex group. Please note this is a large pdf file (6.5mb) so please be patient when downloading |
Written by: Tim Worfolk, Dutch Birding (20 Nov 2008) | |
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"Greener Scotland" is sold down the river (Press report) |
Go to article The RSPB fears protected sites across Scotland could be vulnerable to developers after the Scottish Government granted planning permission for a huge golf course development in Aberdeenshire. |
Written by: RSPB (04 Nov 2008) | |
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Seabird breeding season worries (Annual Rarity Review) |
Go to article Analysis of this year's seabird breeding data on RSPB's coastal reserves shows that kittiwakes, Arctic terns and Arctic skuas have had a terrible season, with virtually no chicks reared to fledging in the far north of the UK |
Written by: RSPB (31 Oct 2008) | |
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Autumn influx of Scandinavian Kestrels (Conservation News) |
Go to article Following a hugely successful breeding season in Scandinavia unprecedented numbers of Kestrels from Norway, Sweden and Finland were found in Britain this autumn. See where they came from and where they ended up on an interactive map here. |
Written by: Mark Grantham, BTO (24 Oct 2008) | |
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Alder Flycatcher in Cornwall - why Alder and not Willow! (First for Britain) |
Go to article When an Empidonax flycatcher was found in Cornwall on the 8th of October it was clear it was going to be a first for Britain. However was it an Alder or Willow Flycatcher? Hear from the finder and ringer as to how it was determined to be an Alder. |
Written by: Mark Grantham, BTO , Kester Wilson (21 Oct 2008) | |
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Common Nighthawk in Cornwall - a finders account (Personal Account) |
Go to article Spending two weeks in Cornwall in October bird finding one might expect to find a scarcity or two, if very lucky maybe even a BB rarity but a Common Nighthawk in off the sea would exceed even the most optimistic person's expectations. Martin Bonfield recounts when he was on the receiving end of just such an experience. |
Written by: Martin Bonfield (09 Oct 2008) | |
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Bittern numbers boom in 2008 (Conservation News) |
Go to article Bittern numbers are up! That is the finding of the latest Bittern monitoring survey from the 2008 breeding season. The number of booming males increased 49% on 2007 figures and there were a number of other success stories. |
Written by: Simon Wotton, RSPB & Natural England (03 Oct 2008) | |
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Lapwings can't afford to lose the plot! (Conservation News) |
Go to Article Amber listed as a bird of conservation concern; the Lapwing has shown significant declines in recent years, along with other farmland birds. Results from a recent survey, carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology, show a ray of hope for this one of our most threatened farmland birds. |
Written by: BTO (03 Oct 2008) | |
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The month ahead: OCTOBER (The month ahead) |
Go to article From Shetland to Scilly October is to many the month when the unexpected can , and usually does, turn up. 2007 highlights were Brown Flycatcher, Siberian Rubythroat and Rose-breasted Grosbeak and 2006 will be remembered for the Canada Warbler in Ireland so what will 2008 bring? |
Written by: Rare Bird Alert (02 Oct 2008) | |
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It's time to get tough with illegal Maltese bird hunters (Conservation News) |
Go to article The illegal shooting of birds of prey and other protected species in the Maltese islands has peaked this autumn, prompting renewed calls from BirdLife Malta and the RSPB for tougher action to be taken by the Maltese authorities against the illegal hunters. |
Written by: RSPB (02 Oct 2008) | |
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Diary of death! (Press report) |
Go to article A gamekeeper has received a six month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to the systematic killing of birds of prey and badgers on the shooting estate where he worked. |
Written by: RSPB (22 Sep 2008) | |
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