[Johnny Brown]

Yes, its the right time of year for Harriers. Any later and the gamekeepers have dealt with them.

[Nigel]

Cheers word, like I say I was fairly confident given that it flew past me fairly close and fairly slowly, but I didn't want to get called out when I put it on my 8a.bird scorecard. Do the gamekeepers still knock these birds off then? How do they get away with that? How big is the population? I would have thought not very given how rarely you see them?

[Johnny Brown]

Probably the most endangered raptor in the UK, only in the odd place like Hoy and Uist do a few pairs survive unmolested.

Their habitat is moorland - and their diet mainly small/ young birds. On a moor managed for Grouse, which most moors in the Uk are, they will eat grouse chicks. Gamekeepers kill them in various ways, but the law is weak and amassing evidence is very difficult. Despite the fact they pass through the Peak (should be prime habitat) every spring only one pair have nested successfully in twenty years.

8a.twitch

[Dolly]

Dolly you reminded me of this 
 

Good -  it was very much like that

[crimp]

Probably the most endangered raptor in the UK, only in the odd place like Hoy and Uist do a few pairs survive unmolested.

Their habitat is moorland - and their diet mainly small/ young birds. On a moor managed for Grouse, which most moors in the Uk are, they will eat grouse chicks. Gamekeepers kill them in various ways, but the law is weak and amassing evidence is very difficult. Despite the fact they pass through the Peak (should be prime habitat) every spring only one pair have nested successfully in twenty years.

8a.twitch

All this is why the only access arrangements i won't abide by are those to do with shooting estates. Fuck em, in my opinion.

[Johnny Brown]

Agreed. I represented the BMC at a meeting between grouse moor owners and conservationists. The shooters viewpoint was that the law was wrong because harrier predation would affect their profits. Given the current minister for the environment I suspect they feel untouchable currently.

In 2012 while Wildlife Minister Richard Benyon refused a request from other MPs that possession of carbofuran, a deadly poison used to kill raptors that is banned in Canada and the European Union, should be made a criminal offence. Green Party MP Caroline Lucas was quoted as saying: "The minister's shocking refusal to outlaw the possession of a poison used only by rogue gamekeepers to illegally kill birds of prey would be inexplicable were it not for his own cosy links to the shooting lobby."

[andy_e]

I also agree, but am a bit wary about going on grouse moors when there's potential for shoots occurring. "Oh look, I bagged a prole too! Hurrah!"

[tomtom]

Agreed. I represented the BMC at a meeting between grouse moor owners and conservationists. The shooters viewpoint was that the law was wrong because harrier predation would affect their profits. Given the current minister for the environment I suspect they feel untouchable currently.

In 2012 while Wildlife Minister Richard Benyon refused a request from other MPs that possession of carbofuran, a deadly poison used to kill raptors that is banned in Canada and the European Union, should be made a criminal offence. Green Party MP Caroline Lucas was quoted as saying: "The minister's shocking refusal to outlaw the possession of a poison used only by rogue gamekeepers to illegally kill birds of prey would be inexplicable were it not for his own cosy links to the shooting lobby."

Sadly that sounds like the work of our 'environment' minister..

[crimp]

I also agree, but am a bit wary about going on grouse moors when there's potential for shoots occurring. "Oh look, I bagged a prole too! Hurrah!"

i wouldn't worry about it. They're rich pricks with guns who get their kicks killing defenceless animals. What they hate most is their cruelty exposed. Fuck them.

Every pheasant pen in Glos is now plotted online. The shooting estates are outraged.

And whatever you do, dont look at the legal website badgerkillers.com. Every time someone looks at that our environment minister, now commonly called 'the swivel eyed loon, cries.

[crimp]

And for anyone who doesn't follow them, the RSPB today tweeted that wildlife crime has spiralled out of control this month. And although not specifically saying it, the inference is it's linked to govt policy

[gardinrm]

My brother and i saw a pair of peregrines today at Carrock Fell which was nice. Also saw a Sparrowhawk yesterday in the garden.

[JackAus]

Clipped a fucking kangaroo the other night... Barely missed 2 others in the space of 15 minutes... Fuckers.

[wintermute]

Hate it when that happens.

Can't move for the bastards round Bristol.

[Will Hunt]

Not sure whether this should go in the food and drink forum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-23082846

[andy_e]

An excellent excuse for the daily mail to go on a massive anti-wind binge. This is a terrible occurrence, but how many hundreds and thousands of species are being pushed to extinction by continued use of fossil fuels?

Anyway, on a much happier note, just got back from a cracking trip geologising around Orkney Shetland. Saw tonnes of birds including diving gannets, rock pipits, one million oystercatchers, curlews, bonxies (great skua, my personal favourite of the trip), tammy-norries (puffins, by the thousand), a family of red-throated divers, a great northern diver, black guillemots, guillemots, fulmar, seals, terns, a possible merlin and many more. Would have been good to have seen a pod of orcas but no such luck! Fantastic time.

Phone picture of a bold peerie tammy-norrie!

[Yoof]

Good haul!

When Puffins stop and look at you on the path, it's not because they're trying to bond with you. It's because you're on their way home, and they don't understand that their path is on the other side of you. Total existentialists 

Saw a huge southern hawker, a merlin, a family of thrushes feeding, and some excellent microscopic mould sporangia

[Johnny Brown]

just got back from a cracking trip geologising around Orkney

Great place innit? Whereabouts were you?

[andy_e]

I was on that part of Orkney known as Shetland. Fuck knows why I wrote Orkney, probably to do with the lack of sleep on the overnight ferry, the 6-hour drive, the couple of beers and big meal I had just before writing that post making me sleepy. I wonder if mods could change that for me?

[Johnny Brown]

You idiot. Again though, big place. Care to be any more specific?

[andy_e]

We toured around quite a bit. Two days staying near Brae and looking at stuff on Mainland (particularly Northmavine, various shear zones and faults), then travelled up through Yell to look at ophiolites on Unst, stayed at Saxa Vord, then Fetlar to look at the Funzie conglomerate, then to Lerwick where we put on a public outreach/Geopark promotion lecture evening, then down towards Sumburgh to look at copper deposits (and puffins). Such a fantastic place, can't wait to go back!

[SpanishJuan]

Had some lovely views of the peregrine falcons at Helsby Crag the other evening and before then I was on the Lizard in Cornwall where I got some lovely adder shots



Although this one is a tad blurry

[andy popp]

The peregrines at Helsby were making a right racket the other day. Tomtom and I had a great view of a Jay recently at Harmers. Not notable at all I'm sure but I don't think I've seen one before and was really glad to have seen it.

Great adder shots SJ.

[mrconners]

Saw a family of stoats cross the path as I walked back to the car at roach end after an evenings soloing at Back Forest. They crossed in front of me, then I watched as they mooched about in and out of a dry stone wall for ten minutes.
Magical.

I wasnt even going to go out (couldnt be arsed) and it turned out to be one if the best evenings climbing I have ever had.
Back forest is a special little place.
 

[underground]

Sparrowhawk flying awkwardly over the garden with a passerine in its talons being mobbed by what were presumably the ones it relieved of a gang member. Seeing the hawk is a regular occurrence but it was pretty cool to see it post-catch.

I also held an 8 week old Asian brown wood owl today, he was pretty ace 

[gardinrm]

While climbing in the south lakes at Farleton (a beautiful limestone pavement if you've not been) my dog scared a Roe deer and her Fawn out from the bracken and they shot off down the path at full speed, my little fat terrier in full pursuit. Was very tempted to shout "Fenton, fenton......JC......Fenton!" but there was nobody to hear. Naturally they left my dog for dust, man they can move! Very beautiful animals, was a delight to see them.