The biofuels campaign

Can wildlife survive the biofuels surge?

The current rush to biofuels is causing nothing short of disaster for wildlife habitat across the world.
In some areas, extensively farmed lands with wildlife-friendly features are being converted to more intensive farming for biofuel crops. In other areas, valuable natural ecosystems such as forests, peatlands and grasslands are being cleared, drained and ploughed up to grow biofuels.
Wonderful places for wildlife are being made into wastelands for wildlife.

Don't put wildlife in your tank

Read about it here:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/biofuels/

Laura

Mere Sands Wood Outing

Mere Sands has always been a favourite of mine for a quiet walk around and see a good number of birds in a short amount of time. Last Sunday, 24th Feb. I lead the group walk around this wonderful Lancashire Wildlife trust site. We all watched the goings on at the various feeding stations. Good numbers of reed buntings, chaffinch, blackbirds there is 3 in this picture, tree sparrows, nuthatch and lots more, kept us all amused for awhile. We were informed that the water rail shows quite well at the Lancaster hide but we had missed it and there was no food out.

Some of the action at the feeding the stations was being photographed by Laura. A pair of siskins joined the rest of the birds and that helped highlight some of the differences of the finch family.

A stroll around the mere and the hides between the rain shows helped to really increase our list for the day including treecreeper and lots of ducks such as gadwall, teal, wigeon and a female pochard.

We had lunch back at the Lancaster hide and the feeding table had been filled, and so out popped the water rail. When you look at it's toes they look like worms are escaping over the wood!!

The only downside to the day or not was seeing a dead tawny owl in the visitor centre that had been found on the reserve.

It was a good day out for all 25 of us.

Keep birding.

Chris

Monday night talk

Monday 18th February, Stephen Murphy, who works for Natural England, will giving the group talk on his work with Hen Harriers in the North West. Doors open at 7p.m. and Stephen's talk starts at 7.30p.m. Laura will be there with a vast amount of bird food and feeders.
See you there.

GET TO KNOW YOUR WOODLAND BIRDS

Some of the members of the group asked for some local walks looking at habitats and the birds that live there. So yesterday I led a short walk around the Black Woods and Childwall Woods and fields.

As this was a woodland walk we expected lots of tits, thrush's, magpies and what ever turned up.

Well what did we see you ask? In the Black Woods it was really good to see lots of dead and rotting trees. In this small wood there was probally 4 to 5 pairs of great spotted woodpecker. With all this rotting timber, treecrepper and nuthatch were doing very well feeding on the wood munching insects.

One of the major surprises for all of us was the wonderfull views of a buzzard flying over the wood 4 miles from the centre of Liverpool. Could this be a new breeding bird in Liverpool for 08!

The outing was quickly over but as we were all saying goodbye a goldcrest flew from the conifers on the roundabout on Woolton rd.

Keep birding.

Chris

Send a climate Valentine

Send a climate Valentine <-click

This year, send a Valentine's message with a difference. With our quick and easy online action, help us call for an effective climate change law that will truly last.

Without immediate, effective action to tackle climate change, we risk committing the world to mass extinctions in less than 50 years. Support our campaign by contacting your MP. Take part and send them a Valentines message calling for a sustainable 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and a programme to help birds and wildlife adapt to the climate change that is already occurring.