Conservationists alarmed by killing of protected birds in Lancashire

·         Large numbers of a protected bird killed on a grouse moor

·         RSPB calls on Natural England to take urgent action

The RSPB has learned that large numbers of protected birds are being killed on a grouse moor in Lancashire.

A RSPB staff member working in the Bowland area discovered two estate workers shooting nesting lesser black-backed gulls - on a grouse moor managed by the Abbeystead Estate - leaving their chicks to be either killed by dogs or left to starve. 

Lesser blacked-backed gulls have been nesting on the moors of Lancashire for more than 80 years. The recovering colony in Bowland is one of the most important in the UK and is protected under British and European law, having once been in excess of 20,000 pairs. Lesser blacked-backed gulls are declining across the UK and the RSPB is becoming increasing worried about their future in the UK. 

This species can only be legally culled if they pose a threat to human health, risk spreading disease or are having a negative effect on other species of conservation concern. The RSPB understands Natural England - the government agency for responsible for protecting the countryside – granted consent for the cull. But while the nature conservation organisation has repeatedly asked Natural England for scientific evidence which would justify a cull, none has been forthcoming. 

Although the RSPB has yet to see the full details of the consent, it has reason to believe that the landowner may have breached both the letter and the spirit of the agreement, and is calling on Natural England to investigate the matter urgently. 

Graham Jones, RSPB Conservation Area Manager for North West England, said: “We are devastated that this cull of a protected species has been taking place, apparently without any justification. 

“Although it may occasionally be necessary to cull a small number of large gulls for conservation and health reasons, there is absolutely no evidence to support it in this case.

“We want Natural England to tell us why they think the gulls at Bowland met the legal criteria for a cull and also want them look into whether the terms of an already flawed agreement have been broken.

“Bowland should be a safe place for this declining species and Natural England should be focussing on helping the colony’s recovery.”

“We believe the only reason these protected birds are being killed is simply to satisfy the requirements resulting from the ongoing unsustainable approach to grouse moor management.”

RSPB-led study reveals extent of upland burning across Britain

Burning found in over half of conservation areas assessed

Peat bog wetland

A new study led by the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science has revealed the extent of moorland burning across Britain’s upland areas. Burning on moorlands, a mixture of bog and heath habitats, is widely used to increase the numbers of red grouse that are available for recreational shooting. 

Burning was detected in 55 per cent of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and 63 per cent of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) assessed in the study, and significantly more burning took place within them than on comparable moorlands outside. These sites are designated under EU legislation for their conservation importance, and governments are charged with protecting them from damage and ensuring that they are restored to the best condition. However, many SACs and SPAs are in unfavourable condition, with burning identified by governments and statutory agencies as a primary reason for this poor status.

Dr David Douglas, Senior Conservation Scientist at RSPB Scotland and lead author of the study said: “Upland ecosystems are highly sensitive to burning practices. Knowing how much burning takes place and where is crucial to developing sustainable land management policies for these precious environments.”

This study, published in Biological Conservation, is the first time upland burning has been mapped in detail across mainland Britain. Using aerial photography and satellite images, 45,000 1-km squares were mapped across Scotland, England and Wales, and revealed that burning occurred across 8551 of these squares. In the ten year period covered by the study from 2001 to 2011, the number of burns recorded increased rapidly by 11 per cent each year. Other studies have found that the potential number of red grouse shooting days in some areas of Britain has risen over a similar period, and moorland management has also intensified.

Red grouse

In Scotland and England, a third of burning took place on deep peat soils, an important carbon store. The UK has 10-15 per cent of the world’s blanket bog peatlands. Locking in 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon[1], this deep peat in the uplands is the largest carbon store in the UK[2]. Upland areas are also a vital water source, supplying around 70 per cent of our drinking water[3]. Burning has been linked to poor water quality in these areas, requiring large sums of money to treat the water.

Martin Harper, Director of Conservation at RSPB said: “Our uplands are amongst our most precious habitats in Britain and home to important wildlife. However, many of our uplands are in poor condition, due to intensive land management practices. It’s very worrying that burning is increasing, given the damage it can cause and that it occurs in many of our conservation areas.

“Governments and statutory agencies across Britain need to take action to reduce burning in our uplands rather than allowing them to be increasingly damaged year on year.  Although their regulations already advise against burning on blanket bog it is often used on these areas with their consent. These regulations need to be strongly enforced so that uplands are properly protected against this damaging practice.”

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[1] The amount of carbon stored in the UK’s blanket bogs is detailed in the 2011 “IUCN UK Commission of Inquiry on Peatlands.”

[2] The size of the UK’s blanket bog as a carbon store is contain in the 2012 study “A GIS based MCE model for identifying water colour generation potential in UK upland drinking water supply catchments.”

[3] The amount of UK drinking water from upland areas is detailed in the 2001 study “Long term variation in water colour from Yorkshire catchments.”

BEEKIND- be Bee friendly

How Bee kind is your garden?

Bumblebees rely on particular flowers for food throughout the year. By using our Bee kind tool, you can discover whether the flowers in your garden are bee­‐friendly.

Once you know how your garden scores, we can recommend some other flowers that you may want to plant – to really get your garden buzzing!

You can also add your Bee kind score to our map – to help us get a clear picture of bee-­friendly gardens across the country.

http://beekind.bumblebeeconservation.org/

Bee  on Ragwort

Blackpool has secured a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant of almost £330,000 to undertake one of the biggest green space projects the town has seen in many years.

Marton Mere

Blackpool Council, The Conservation Volunteers, Blackpool Environmental Action Team (BEAT) Nature Watch group and Bourne Leisure are teaming up to develop a new visitor centre, build new and renovate existing bird hides and carry out a whole host of environmental improvements at Marton Mere Local Nature Reserve.

Marton Mere is the only designated Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the town and is nationally recognised for its bird populations.

It also supports a number of other regionally important species such as otters, dragonflies, butterflies and orchids.

The funding will help safeguard the variety and quality of site’s ecosystems and biodiversity and make the reserve more accessible.

A project manager will also be allocated to the reserve to oversee the works and encourage the local community to get involved as well as develop volunteer and education programmes.

The three year project is set to begin in January 2014 and volunteers are now being urged to get involved.

Cllr Graham Cain, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, said: “Securing this funding will help to safeguard, protect and improve Marton Mere for decades to come.

“As well as providing an important habitat for wildlife including rare species, it is also an extremely positive educational and ecological resource for Blackpool.”

Kath Godfrey, from The Conservation Volunteers, said: “People often don’t realise there is an incredible eco-system and wildlife habitat right here on the doorstep in Blackpool.

“What we want to do now we’ve secured the funding is work together with the local community, including everyone from schools to community groups, to help improve it.

“We’ll be reaching out to local groups to ask for their input and I hope lots of people will want to get involved in this very exciting project.”

And Sara Hilton, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund North West, added:  “Today’s HLF support will help protect and enhance the wealth of natural heritage, including many rare species, at Marton Mere.

“As the largest green space in Blackpool, this project will not only help boost the area’s biodiversity but by developing the site as an educational resource, local people and visitors will have a fantastic range of opportunities to get involved and take care of this important landscape for many years to come.”

As well as the new visitor centre – which Bourne Leisure have agreed to be sited on the fringe of the Marton Mere Holiday Village site – and improvements to the hides, there will also be a whole host of other work taking place.

Entrances will be upgraded and made more welcoming and the footpath network will be refurbished to create safe and secure access for visitors and enable wheelchair access.

A significant amount of specialist reed, scrub and grassland habitat management work will take place as well as the creation of special feeding and nesting habitats for waders and skylarks.

Vegetation clearance and pond works will also take place, helping to restore former orchid habitats and create better conditions for amphibians to flourish.

A comprehensive range of new education and training programmes as well as an interesting programme of events, will also be funded from the grant.

For more information on how you can get involved, email Lisa Foden, Stanley Park & Parks Development Manager atlisa.foden@blackpool.gov.uk/ tel: 01253 477477 or Kath Godfrey, Area Manager at k.godfrey@tcv.org.uk/ tel: 07764 655711.

Sixty per cent of UK species in decline, groundbreaking study finds

UK nature is in trouble   that is the conclusion of a groundbreaking report published today by a coalition of leading conservation and research organisations.

Scientists working side-by-side from 25 wildlife organisations have compiled a stock take of our native species   the first of its kind in the UK. The report reveals that 60% of the species studied have declined over recent decades. More than one in ten of all the species assessed are under threat of disappearing from our shores altogether.

In Merseyside, experts are particularly concerned about the state of nature in farmland areas. According to the report, out of the 1,064 farmland species for which there is information, 60% of them have declined.

David Morris, the RSPB s Conservation Manager for North West England, said:  Many of the species that are in trouble live in the extensive farmland areas of the county. These range from skylarks to hedgehogs

and brown hares. If we want to reverse these declines we need to ensure that farmers are given sufficient resources and support to be able to manage their land in a wildlife-friendly way. 

In the fields and meadows of Merseyside brown hares and water voles, once abundant in this region, have suffered following the removal of hedgerows and the modification of water courses.

Anne Selby, Chief Executive for the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside said:  Our Trust has been involved in major projects to help these species recover and prosper. The region is

still a stronghold for hares and water voles but numbers are a fraction of what they used to be. Many farmers have worked with us to try to reverse these declines.

The State of Nature report will be launched by Sir David Attenborough and UK conservation charities at the Natural History Museum in London this evening (May 22), while simultaneous events will be held in

Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

Sir David Attenborough said:  This groundbreaking report is a stark warning   but it is also a sign of hope.

For 60 years I have travelled the world exploring the wonders of nature and sharing that wonder with the public. But as a boy my first inspiration came from discovering the UK s own wildlife.

Our islands have a rich diversity of habitats which support some truly amazing plants and animals. We should all be proud of the beauty we find on our own doorstep; from bluebells carpeting woodland floors and delicately patterned fritillary butterflies, to the graceful basking shark and the majestic golden eagle soaring over the Scottish mountains.

This report shows that our species are in trouble, with many declining at a worrying rate. However, we have in this country a network of passionate conservation groups supported by millions of people who love

wildlife. The experts have come together today to highlight the amazing nature we have around us and to ensure that it remains here for generations to come.

Dr Mark Eaton, a lead author on the report, said:  This report reveals that the UK s nature is in trouble - overall we are losing wildlife at an alarming rate.

These declines are happening across all countries and UK Overseas Territories, habitats and species groups, although it is probably greatest amongst insects, such as our moths, butterflies and beetles.

Other once common species like the lesser spotted woodpecker, garden tiger moth and hedgehog are vanishing before our eyes.

Reliable data on these species goes back just fifty years, at most, but we know that there has been a historical pattern of loss in the UK going back even further. Threats including sweeping habitat loss,

changes to the way we manage our countryside, and the more recent impact of climate change, have had a major impact on our wildlife, and they are not going away.

None of this work would have been possible without the army of volunteer wildlife enthusiasts who spend their spare time surveying species and recording their findings. Our knowledge of nature in the UK would be significantly poorer without these unsung heroes, and that knowledge is the most essential tool that conservationists have.  

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/stateofnature_tcm9-345839.pdf

RSPB disappointed by marine wildlife proposals for Irish Sea

The RSPB has responded to proposals unveiled last week (Thursday 13 December) for the protection of Englands coasts and seas.

Clare Reed, Marine Conservation Officer for North West England said:

The announcement by environment minister Richard Benyon is hugely disappointing. These proposals risk selling short the huge numbers of people who have shown their support for the creation of a network of marine protected areas around our shores.

A process intended to protect our seas through the establishment of a coherent network of marine conservation zones has drifted dramatically off course when measured against the scale and urgency of the threat they face. Less than a third of the sites proposed in the Irish Sea have been put forward for designation in 2013, and there appears to be no clear commitment to any further rounds of designation.

"Furthermore, the areas that have been put forward for designation will not deliver the protection we had hoped for. We are particularly disappointed that black guillemot has been removed as a feature of the Cumbria Coast recommended Marine Conservation Zone. St Bees Head, on the West Coast of Cumbria, is home to 10,000 of breeding seabirds, including the entire English breeding population of black guillemot.     

St Bees cliffs

The coalition Government s commitment to achieve an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas now looks undeliverable. The RSPB will now be examining the consultation in detail, including the lamentable attention given to the protection of seabirds and other  mobile species .    

  

The Defra press release announcing the new Marine Conservation Zones can be found here - http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2012/12/13/marine-conservations-zones/

Details of the  recommended marine zones including Sefton Coast/Hilbre island/Cumbria Coast.
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http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/1746003

RSPB launches Hen Harrier Hotline

Male Hen Harrier

A special hotline has opened to encourage people who live or spend time in the English uplands to report sightings of England’s rarest breeding bird of prey, the hen harrier.

Refreshed and updated for its fifth consecutive year in operation, the Hen Harrier Hotline is being relaunched by the RSPB in the hope of discovering more about where these birds are potentially breeding in northern England.   

The hen harrier is one of our most awe-inspiring birds of prey with the male harrier performing a magnificent aerobatic courtship display in spring known as skydancing, and providing food to the female in spectacular mid-air food passes.

Sadly, the species is also affected by illegal persecution, a fact reinforced by the government-commissioned review – the hen harrier framework - which concluded that illegal killing and disturbance is the biggest single factor limiting the population of this species in Northern England.

 It is estimated that the heather moors of England have the potential to hold at least 320 pairs of nesting hen harriers, but in 2011 there were only four successful nests, all of which were confined to one area of Lancashire.

Harriers are smaller than a buzzard and larger than a crow, with a 100 -120 cm wingspan.  These long wings are complemented by long tails and an obvious white rump.  They are usually seen flying low over the ground with wings slightly raised in a characteristic V-shape.  Male and female hen harriers have strikingly different plumage, so much so that they were once thought to be separate species.  The male is a ghostly pale blue-grey, with black wingtips, while the larger female is dark brown with a series of horizontal stripes on her tail, earning her the nickname “ringtail”.

Female Hen Harrier

Amanda Miller, the RSPB’s Conservation Manager for Northern England said: “Hen harriers in England are very rare so we are interested in hearing about any sightings of these amazing birds. By receiving information about possible nests, we can help give hen harriers the best possible chance of breeding successfully.”

  

The Harrier Hotline number is 0845 4600121 (calls charged at local rate).  Reports can also be e-mailed to henharriers@rspb.org.uk.  Reports of sightings should include the date and location of sighting, with a six-figure grid reference where possible.

The Hen Harrier Hotline is part of Skydancer, a four-year RSPB project aimed at protecting and conserving nesting hen harriers in the English uplands. The project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, United Utilities and SITA Trust, with additional support from the Forestry Commission.

For more information about Skydancer visit www.rspb.org.uk/skydancer.