FROM PLANTLIFE - LET THE GRASS AND MEADOWS BLOOM IN JUNE

Let's Let it Bloom View this email in your browser Donate Join Shop Hi John, May might be over, but the No Mow Movement is still well underway, and it's not too late join - welcome to Let it Bloom June! While May is a great time to start the Movement, letting your lawn grow through June can be great too - and every little space adds up to huge gains for nature. All you need to do is mow less and create space for nature to thrive. In return you lock up more carbon, help your garden deal with the heat and provide pollinators and other wildlife with a vital lifeline. Say no more, I'm ready to join Let it Bloom Your Way The No Mow Movement isn't about throwing away the mower altogether - it's about trying to replicate some of those lost meadows at home. How you choose to continue (or begin) the Movement is up to you: Hands celebrating Go Wild - go all in and let your lawn grow like a mini hay meadow through to the end of July. Flower Create a Mow-saic Mix - think short paths, flowering lawn patches and longer areas with taller wildflowers and grasses, variety is the spice of life! Green heart Beautiful borders - leave some space around your border to bloom and see what wildlife takes sanctuary in the tufts of grasses. Let's Let it Bloom With the hottest May temperature on record this year, there has never been a better time to help our wildlife. The benefits of less mowing are blooming brilliant! You'll boost biodiversity, provide safe and cooler spaces for insects and animals and protect your lawn from drought. So please do tell us and add your name to the No Mow Movement if you’re letting the grass grow - you’ll help us to keep track of the space that is being created for nature across the UK. We can't wait to welcome all the new No Mow Heroes! Thank you. Charley Adams, Plantlife Nature Editor Follow Plantlife on: Instagram Instagram Facebook Facebook YouTube YouTube LinkedIn LinkedIn Website Website Copyright © Plantlife All rights reserved. Plantlife International is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered Charity in England and Wales (1059559) & Scotland, (SC038951) Registered Company in England and Wales (3166339) Registered Office: Brewery House,36 Milford Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2AP, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1722 342730 enquiries@plantlife.org.uk www.plantlife.org.uk Plantlife respects your privacy. You can read more about how and why we use your personal data at www.plantlife.org.uk/privacy-notice Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

FROM THE HUNT SABOTEURS — FROM TRAIL HUNTING TO DRAG HUNTING?

View this email in your browser Hi, Supporter From Trail Hunting to Drag Hunting: The Next Smokescreen? Trail hunting does not exist as a genuine activity; it exists only as a myth. It was invented after the hunting ban as a smokescreen for the continued hunting of wild mammals - exactly as campaigners warned it would be, and exactly as hunts themselves said they would do. The convicted Crawley and Horsham Fox hunt in 2023/24 - now a registered drag hunt as of 2025/26. Image Credit West Sussex Hunt Sabs In 2020, fifteen years after hunting was banned, the sport’s governing body held a series of Zoom calls during the Covid lockdowns which were later leaked to the Hunt Saboteurs Association and released on ITV News. The recordings exposed hunting’s leadership, coaching masters and huntsmen on how to circumvent the law and avoid prosecution. It was from these webinars that the now-infamous term “smokescreen” entered the public debate — used to describe trail hunting as a cover for continued illegal hunting. The leak marked a turning point. The beginning of the end of hunts operating with impunity while publicly insisting they were acting within the law. Twenty-one years later, the public has more than had enough, and finally a government was elected with a manifesto pledge to ban the fiction of trail hunting. But banning the myth alone does not deal with the underlying activity. How can you ban something that does not truly happen? What must be outlawed is the use of any smokescreen that enables the hunting of wild mammals to continue under another name. During the infamous leaked Hunting Office webinars, Richard Gurney who was master and huntsman of the Crawley & Horsham hunt, referred to laying trails as a 'Plan B' held in reserve for when sabs turn up. That means ensuring hunts cannot simply reinvent themselves through another supposedly “alternative” activity. And there is every reason to believe they already are. The most obvious replacement smokescreen is drag hunting. That is not speculation — it has effectively been admitted by the hunting lobby itself. As reported by the BBC News, Countryside Alliance representative Polly Portwin said that if trail hunting were banned, hunts would adapt: “We will find a way, we’ve had to find a way and we’re going to have to adapt”. So why is the government simultaneously saying it wants “alternative practices such as drag hunting and clean-boot hunting, which use non-animal scents, to continue to thrive”? “Thrive”? There are only seven registered drag hunting packs in the UK. The Drag Hunting Reality Berks & Bucks Draghounds — formerly kennelled with the Avon Vale Hunt and hunted by former Avon Vale huntsman Stuart Radbourne before the Avon Vale were exposed in multiple cases involving extreme cruelty to animals. Radbourne would slaughter foxes on Saturdays and hunt a drag on Sundays. He has since been seen riding as whipper-in for huntsman Andrew Van Oostrum despite multiple convictions relating to serious animal abuse. Cambridge University Draghounds describes itself as an “extra-mural study” for students, but openly presents itself as a training ground for future leaders of the hunting world, boasting a “long list” of former members who became masters of hounds. One example is Ronnie Wallace, associated with hunts including the Hawkstone Otterhounds, Exmoor Foxhounds, Ludlow, Cotswold and Heythrop hunts. Crawley & Horsham Draghounds switched from registration with the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) to the Masters of Draghounds & Bloodhounds Association ahead of the proposed ban. The fate of their fox hunting hounds remains unclear. The organisation has long been associated with “smokescreen” hunting practices. Former master and huntsman Richard Gurney was exposed in the Hunting Office webinars referring to trail laying as a “Plan B” to use when hunt saboteurs appeared. The Crawley & Horsham Hunt also has convictions for illegal hunting. In 2012, three members, including huntsman Andrew Phillis, were convicted on five counts of illegal hunting. In 2013, professional huntsman Nicholas Bycroft pleaded guilty to an offence under the Hunting Act. In 2021, two separate cases against then-huntsman William Bishop collapsed after CPS failures to disclose video evidence. Isle of Wight Hounds — another former BHSA-registered pack now making the switch before legislation changes. Jersey Draghounds Mid Surrey Farmers Draghounds Staff College Draghounds Drag Hunt huntsman Stuart Radbourne hunting the Drag hounds on a Sunday. And the same Stuart Radbourne digging out foxes on a Saturday. The Scent Contradiction Sabs have long documented what scents so-called ‘trail hunts’ claim to use, here are just a few from our reports; Staghounds Quantock Staghounds — aniseed (2018) Foxhounds Hampshire Hunt — Olbas Oil (2025/26) Royal Artillery Hunt — valerian root (2025/26) Portman Hunt — clove oil (2025/26) Wilton Hunt — aniseed (2023/24), then reportedly returned to fox scent in 2025/26 because alternatives “don’t really work as well” Harriers Holcombe Harriers — “cheap perfume” Beagles Bolebroke Beagles — aniseed New Forest Beagles — Olbas Oil (2017) Wilton Hunt offer sabs a sniff of their sock. Credit Wiltshire Hunt Sabs The original justification for trail hunting using fox scent after the Hunting Act was supposedly to “keep the dogs’ noses” trained while hunts campaigned for the repeal of the Act. Yet the extraordinary inconsistency in the scents now claimed — from aniseed and clove oil to cheap perfume and Olbas Oil — alongside admissions that animal-based scents work better, exposes a fundamental problem: they do not actually know what works best because hounds were never genuinely retrained away from live quarry. The example of the Wilton Hunt is particularly revealing. After publicly claiming to have switched to non-animal scent trails in 2023/24, it now reportedly admits that fox scent has been reintroduced because alternatives “don’t really work”. It cannot be acceptable for actual hunting to continue simply to preserve seven registered drag hunts — several of which have direct or deeply questionable links to convicted fox hunting activity and individuals associated with illegal hunting. A ban on trail hunting alone is not enough. The government must ensure that any new law covers all eventualities, closes every potential smokescreen, and removes the loopholes and exemptions that have allowed hunts to continue operating in practice while claiming compliance on paper. Nothing less will do. The government has launched a public consultation on Trail Hunting – this is our chance to stop cruel hunting for good. You can read the HSA’s guidance and take part in the consultation here. The deadline is 18th June 2026 – make sure your voice is heard. Take part in the Trail Hunting Consultation now: Have your say Join the Hunt Saboteurs Association! Support our vital work by becoming a member. Join The HSA Spread the word! Please share our news Share via email Facebook icon Instagram icon Twitter icon Logo Copyright (C) 2026 Hunt Saboteurs Association. All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Hunt Saboteurs Association. Our mailing address is: BM HSA, London, WC1N 3XX, U.K. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

FROM PROTECT THE WILD - SO MUCH TO READ AND TO TAKE ACTION ON

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more How did we fit all of this into one month? From national news to Parliament, another busy month for Protect the Wild! PROTECT THE WILD MAY 31 READ IN APP These donation appeals are vital to keeping Protect the Wild moving forward. We are not funded by corporations. We do not rely on large grants. Everything we do is powered by ordinary people choosing to give small amounts because they believe animals deserve a voice. Before I ask for your support today, I want to show you what that support achieved in May. Because honestly, when I sat down to write this email, I found myself asking: How did we fit all of this into one month? June Fundraiser Taking animal issues into the national spotlight For years, animal protection campaigns have often struggled to break into the mainstream. Not in May. Over the course of a single month, our campaigns appeared on ITV, BBC, STV, national newspapers and even Have I Got News For You. Just six weeks after my campaign as a giant Gannet candidate in the Scottish elections was featured on Have I Got News For You, I found myself back in the headlines - this time standing in the Makerfield by-election dressed as a giant fox. Some people ask why we do this. The answer is simple. Animals don’t get a vote. The Guga hunt had remained largely hidden from public scrutiny for generations. Hunting with hounds has survived years of political delay, loopholes and broken promises. These campaigns are designed to force those issues into the public conversation. What started as a giant Gannet costume ended with the campaign appearing on BBC News, ITV News, STV News, front pages and prime-time television. Millions of people who had never heard of the Guga hunt suddenly knew exactly what it was. That momentum continued throughout May. June Fundraiser We appeared on Scotland’s most watched news programme challenging NatureScot over a fresh licence application for the Guga hunt. A once obscure issue has become a national debate. And our petition demanding an end to the licensed slaughter of Gannet chicks has now passed 192,000 signatures and is rapidly approaching 200,000. Earlier this month, we travelled to NatureScot's headquarters in Inverness to deliver what is now the largest petition in the organisation's history, only to be told it would need to be submitted by email instead. The campaign to end the Guga hunt continues and you can add your name to the petition here. Exposing the bird shooting industry While our campaigners were generating headlines, our investigators were generating evidence. In May, ITV News aired footage from Protect the Wild’s undercover investigation into the bird shooting industry. The footage was the result of over a year of work and hundreds of hours of evidence gathered from “game” bird farms across the country. Millions of birds are bred and released every year to be shot for sport. But the public rarely gets to see what happens before those birds arrive on shooting estates. We pulled back the curtain. And we didn’t stop there. Throughout May we continued publishing findings from the investigation, exposing industrial breeding systems, raised cages and the factory farming practices that sit behind an industry that constantly attempts to present itself as conservation. This investigation is ongoing. And some of our most significant findings are still to come. Please head over to our End Bird Shooting Substack to stay in the loop. June Fundraiser Taking the fight directly to Parliament In May we also took our Rehome the Hounds campaign to Westminster. Alongside rescue organisations, behaviourists and Alfred the rescued hunt hound, we met with MPs to challenge one of the hunting lobby’s most persistent arguments: that hunting dogs cannot be rehomed if hunting ends. The truth is they can. And the response from MPs was overwhelmingly positive. At the same time, we continued driving participation in the Government’s consultation on hunting, ensuring that public pressure for meaningful reform continues to grow. Over 30,000 of you have now used our handy 15 second tool to respond to the consultation. You can do so here if you haven’t already! Turning campaigns into victories Not every campaign makes national headlines. Some save lives directly. Following pressure from supporters and local campaigners, swifts were once again able to access their nesting site in Banstead after obstacles blocking access were removed. Our new rapid-response bird netting campaign also secured the removal of harmful bird netting from two locations, preventing further suffering and deaths. To support that campaign, we released a new animation exposing the cruelty of bird netting. More than 1.5 million people have already watched it. This is what your support makes possible When I look back at May, it doesn’t feel like one month. It feels like six. An undercover investigation aired on ITV. We featured on Have I Got News For You for the second time in six weeks. We saw tens of thousands add their name to our petition calling for an end to the Guga hunt. National television appearances. Conversations with MPs. Wildlife victories on the ground. Millions of people reached. Protect the Wild continues to punch far above its weight because thousands of people choose to stand alongside us. We’ve set a goal of £2,500 for our June fundraiser to power us on this month and would be so appreciative of any support you can give :) Thank you. Rob June Fundraiser SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

A POEM THAT IS ABOUT GAMEBIRD INDUSTRIAL FACTORY FARMING

Written in response to Protect The Wild post on game bird factory farming linear concept solar farm panels fit the norm conform to a notion of order row upon row headstones line up conform in deathly order row upon row row upon row small cages elevated hope and excrement to fall there have been camps that proximated death this one is no exception industrial bred cage birds to be allowed out as a supposed wild thing to fly to be peppered by leadshot or to escape into their unworldy wild it’s all for fun as an elite blast poison into the skies John Edwards (C) 18th May, 2026

FROM BUGLIFE - THE LATEST NEWS

Buglife Logo saving the small things that run the planet View this email in your browser Dear John Welcome to the May edition of Buglife's e-newsletter, BugBytes! This month we have seen thunderstorms and heatwaves, new projects getting underway, Bugs Matter making a splash in France, consultations and of course Solitary Bee Week. So, let’s buzz on over and take a look! The Summer Edition of The Buzz is almost here! This summer issue of our magazine for Community Members is buzzing with bees and wasps! Jam-packed (or should that be ham-packed - it’ll make sense when you receive it!) with: 🐝 articles showcasing various Buglife projects with a focus on their wasp and bee heroes; 🎉 some great Silver Jubilee celebration supporter incentives; 💤 Bug Buzz Buddies; ➡️ and so much more! Want to know more and receive a copy through your letter box during the second week of June? Join the Buglife Community today and you’ll get The Buzz too! Join the Buglife Community Solitary Bee Week 2026 Solitary Bee Week 2026 Wednesday 20 May to Wednesday 27 May saw us celebrating Solitary Bee Week once again, with lots of great information and amazing photography shared across our socials. We explored the intricate lives of solitary bees, sharing their stories, fascinating facts, and actionable steps we can all take to protect these vital invertebrates from environmental challenges. Solitary Bee Week may be over for another year, but it’s still a great time to celebrate these pollinator heroes, and do our bit to encourage them into our green and brown spaces. Green-eyed Flower Bee (Anthophora bimaculata) © Buglife 'Shutterbug' Radoslav Valkov Let’s take another look at some of the distinctive (and often rare) solitary bees you may see over the next few weeks. Longhorn Bee (Eucera longicornis) The males have huge antennae. They love soft clay cliffs but have suffered much decline so this is a species Buglife is helping to protect through projects such as Life on the Edge and Kernow Wyls. Green-eyed Flower Bee (Anthophora bimaculata) These bees have beautiful bright green eyes. They live only in the south of Britain and are uncommon. Green Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum morio) At just 5 to 6mm in size these are one of our tiniest bees. They have a bright metallic bronzy green shimmer. Box-headed Blood Bee (Sphecodes monilicornis) This is a distinctive bee with a bright red abdomen. It’s a nest parasite of mining bees and is common in East and South of the UK. Hairy-footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes) The males of this bumblebee-sized bee have a “yellow moustache” and “hairy feet”. His feet are used in an unusual mating dance where the male mounts the female and waves his front legs in the air, fanning her with his hairy feet. Common in southern and central England and Wales. Pantaloon Bee (Dasypoda hirtipes) Females sport large yellow "pantaloons" on their legs to dig burrows and carry pollen. Female Pantaloon Bees build individual nests in sandy soil, often near other bees of the same species. Rare and found in the South. The Six-banded Nomad Bee (Nomada sexfasciata): A "cuckoo" bee that lays eggs in solitary bees' nests. The Six-banded nomad bee’s choice host is the Longhorned Bee (Eucera longicornis). Extremely rare and limited to Southern England. How to be the best bee hotel manager Where do solitary bees nest? And how can we be the best 'bee landlords' for them? Well, having a variety of nest sites will help, since many native UK bees are ground-nesters, while others choose bricks, wood, plant stems, and even snug little cavities like empty snail shells! While bee hotels are a popular choice for gardeners, only mostly mason and leafcutter bees will use them successfully – if managed correctly. Sadly, shop-bought bee hotels are often poorly designed, and can even cause more harm than good due to dampness, mould and splinters. Fortunately, there are simple, inexpensive ways to create the ideal spaces to support many nesting bee species: 🪵 Drill holes into untreated wood blocks or use clean bamboo canes that are protected from the rain, and smooth off splinters to make your own DIY bee hotel; ☀️ Pick a sunny south or southeast location which helps to keep the nesting bees warm; 🌱 Leave a patch of vegetation-free soil as mining bees will use it to burrow, and mason bees use the mud to create sealed doors over their nest holes; 🔨 Maintain in early spring, replacing old or broken sections after the wetter weather has passed. Want to know more? Take a look at our blog originally written by Andrew William Kirkland in July 2020, reviewed by Buglife for Solitary Bee Week 2026, “How to be the best bee hotel manager”. Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis) © Steven Falk Discover how to be a buzz-y landlord Exciting opportunities for the Buglife Community! The Biological Recording Company are offering our buzz-y supporters an incredible 50% discount on their entoLEARN online self-study courses. These pre-recorded webinars and associated content cover a wide range of invertebrate topics, including: Bumblebees of the UK Social Wasps of the UK Damselflies of the UK Dragonflies of the UK Earthworms of the UK & Ireland Freshwater Leeches of the UK Longhorn Beetles of the UK Discover entoLEARN ℹ️ To claim your discount, simply add buglife50 into the coupon box during checkout (you may need to click on 'Have a coupon?' for this box to appear). The coupon is not limited to a single use, so you can use it to get the 50% discount on multiple courses! Browse our Bug Directory Did you know that we have almost 200 invertebrate species profiles on our website, and counting? Let’s meet one of the species that you’ll likely be seeing a lot of at the moment! Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) © Zoe Foster This month we’re meeting the aptly named May Bug. The Common Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) often referred to as the May Bug, but you may also know them as the Spang Beetle, Dumbledory or the Billy Witch, amongst many other names. These beetles are loud and clumsy and can frequently be seen and heard flying into lit windows, lamps or even you! ℹ️ Did you know: They've had a troubled past. During 1320 cockchafers (as a species) were taken to court in Avignon, France, where they were ordered to leave town and relocate to a specially designated area, or be outlawed. All cockchafers who failed to comply were collected and killed! For more information about this clumsy character and its unique flying (or should that be crashing!) style, visit our Bug Directory. Take me to the Bug Directory! Which bug would you like to see added to the directory next, there's plenty to choose from! ICYMI ~ Spring is sprung? Did you catch the first in a series of blogs being written by Buglife Development Officer, Beth, celebrating the seasonality of our gardens? Just in case you did we’re sharing it again, whilst spring is still with us - just! Celebrating the arrival of spring Beth penned “Spring is sprung” looking at what may be happening in your garden at this time of year and what jobs you can do to welcome insects and other wildlife into your green spaces. So, lets join Beth, as she shares lots of great tips and ideas in our recent blog "Spring is sprung”. Read the blog… Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) on Nepeta (Cat Mint) © Claire Pumfrey Upcoming events a person holding up a cell phone displaying the words Bugs Matter Tuesday 2 June ~ Friend, Foe, or Freeloader? The Flower Crab Spider with The Biological Recording Company (online) Wednesday 3 June ~ Introduction to Botany with Kernow Wyls (Par, Cornwall) Thursday 4 June ~ Small Blue Butterfly & Bordered Brown Lacewing talk with Species on the Edge (Montrose, Scotland) Friday 5 June ~ Small Blue Butterfly Survey Day with Species on the Edge (Angus, Scotland) Sunday 7 June ~ Bug Hunt at St Andrew’s Nature Reserve with Kernow Wyls (Par, Cornwall) Tuesday 9 June ~ Bookworms! preschool story time at Canvey Island Library (Canvey, Essex) Wednesday 10 June ~ Discover the Bordered Brown Lacewing and Northern Brown Argus with Species on the Edge (St Cyrus, Scotland) Wednesday 17 June ~ The Bug Bunch! For Home Ed Families (Canvey Wick, Essex) Saturday 20 June ~ Discover the Bordered Brown Lacewing and Northern Brown Argus with Species on the Edge (St Cyrus, Scotland) Tuesday 23 June ~ Bordered Brown Lacewing ID and survey taster with Species on the Edge (Aberdeen, Scotland) Saturday 27 June ~ M.G. Leonard Author Talk & Book Signing as part of Canvey Festival of Insects (Basildon, Essex) Saturday 27 June ~ Canvey Festival of Insects (Canvey Island, Essex) Saturday 27 June ~ Moor Invertebrates Bug Hunt (Bovey Tracey, Devon) Wednesday 1 July ~ The Bug Bunch! For Home Ed Families (Canvey Wick, Essex) a flyer for the Canvey Wick Festival of Insects Please do remember that our website Events Page is being updated all the time so, to keep up to date with both current and future Buglife events, as well as events from partners and supporters, be sure to visit regularly. What’s the buzz? Buglife backed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to give a brighter future for Dartmoor’s threatened invertebrates Moor Invertebrates is an exciting new Buglife project on Dartmoor, made possible thanks to initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery Players, Moor Invertebrates will help to give a brighter future to eight threatened invertebrate species found across Dartmoor National Park. Moor Invertebrates will engage local communities and visitors, inspiring a love of Dartmoor’s special bugs and helping to connect people with the wonderful invertebrates living right on their doorsteps. a close up of a hoverfly on a plant Female Bog Hoverfly (Eristalis cryptarum) © Steven Falk Read the story… For all our latest news please visit our website News Pages. Buglife shop The Buglife Shop is open for all your invertebrate needs, offering more ethical options and ways for you to support bugs. Whether you’re looking for clothing, insurance, home accessories or gifts for a loved one; there’s something for everyone! a packet of native wildflower seeds Nurture the Night Shift Jute Bag Visit Buglife’s shop Adopt a Bug Exciting shop news! In addition to our usual offerings our Spring/Summer Brochure, brought to you in partnership with Red Robin, is here! From stationary to home furnishings, bee hotels to clothing - bring a little cheer to your home and support Buglife in the process! Spring/Summer Brochure Don't forget you can stay up to date with the work of the Buglife team via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube! Thank you for your continued interest in and support of our work; together we can save the small things that run the planet! The Buglife Team Join the Buglife Community Donate Facebook icon Instagram icon LinkedIn icon YouTube icon Website icon Buglife Logo Copyright © 2026 Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive communications electronically from Buglife. Thank you. Our mailing address is: Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust Allia Future Business Centre London Road Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE2 8AN United Kingdom Company No. 04132695 | Registered Charity No. 1092293 | Scottish Charity No.SC040004 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

WADER APPEAL FROM THE BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY

View this email in your web browser Banner: Curlew, by Neil Calbrade / BTO Together we can create a brighter future for these wonderful birds Dear John My name is Sam Franks. I'm a Senior Research Ecologist here at BTO, and I'm passionate about wading birds like Lapwing, Snipe, Curlew and Redshank. I want to share with you information about the serious challenges they face, the important work that BTO is undertaking for these vulnerable birds, and how your support can help their recovery. Whether it's the swooping display and 'pee-wit' calls of a breeding Lapwing or the haunting cry of a Curlew over a hay meadow, our breeding waders give us some of the most iconic sights and sounds of the countryside. Yet, with their numbers in serious decline, there is a real danger that these experiences could become just a distant memory. Lapwing and Curlew numbers have sadly decreased in the UK by over 50% in the last 30 years, which is why I am asking you today to donate to help them. BTO needs your help today, to restore and protect wader populations. Please give what you can. Donate here today Nesting on the ground, waders are especially vulnerable to predators and habitat change. Waders are one of our most threatened groups of birds, with BTO data documenting severe declines. While conservation efforts, such as agri-environment schemes, habitat restoration and the development of protected areas, have shown signs of stemming some declines, we need to do more and we need to do it now. Curlew, by Rich Bunce Walking Photographer / BTO Curlew Currently only one in eight chicks survive Golden Plover, by Paul Hillion / BTO Redshank Numbers have fallen rapidly, with a 45% decrease since 1995 Golden Plover Its mournful fluty call, evocative of wild places, is now ever rarer BTO is a cornerstone of national efforts to recover breeding wader populations, working in three key areas: collecting evidence, testing solutions to save eggs and chicks, and engaging and supporting stakeholders in wader conservation. Your support can help our work to reverse their declines and create a brighter future for these wonderful birds. Here are some of the projects we need support for, in order to help these vulnerable species. Curlew Solutions Trial BTO has played a leading role in design, data collection and analysis for a pivotal project to assess the evidence for solutions that improve Curlew breeding success. Headstarting This is a promising conservation tool for Curlew recovery which involves collecting eggs from nests at risk of destruction, rearing the hatched chicks in captivity and releasing them into the wild. Working with farmers We are working with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, the Bolton Estate and farmers to collect vital information on vulnerable Curlew populations. With your help there's hope - of finding the most effective ways to protect breeding waders, ensuring their beautiful calls and displays grace our skies for years to come. Find our more and donate to this transformational work. Give Thank you so much for all your support - together we can make a difference for birds. With best wishes, Sam Franks Senior Research Ecologist Dunlin, by Gray Images / BTO You have received this email because your email address is subscribed to BTO email. The British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU Registered Charity No. 216652 (England & Wales) SC039193 (Scotland) Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

FROM THE BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY - A MEMBERS UPDATE

The BTO logo – Birds Science People View this email in your web browser Puffin, by Sarah Kelman / BTO Dear John, Welcome to the Members Edition of the May BTO newsletter. Some broods of Blue Tits and Great Tits have already left the nest, while others are still receiving beakfuls of caterpillars from their busy parents. Migrant warblers are largely on eggs and our seabird colonies are a hive of activity. Elsewhere, returning Swifts have prompted posts of joy on social media, all adding to the sense of a busy spring. BTO staff and volunteers have been equally busy, as evident from the stories included below. The biggest of these stories concerns the results of the recent Winter Gull Survey, which make for alarming reading. The data from this survey provide vital evidence that will support policies aimed at helping this familiar group of species. Help BTO's work to restore wader populations Waders are one of our most threatened groups of birds, with BTO data documenting severe declines. Nesting on the ground, they are especially vulnerable to predators and habitat change. While conservation efforts, such as agri-environment schemes, habitat restoration and the development of protected areas, have shown signs of stemming some declines, we urgently need to do more. That's why we are asking for your support through our new fundraising campaign. Learn more and donate here Curlew chicks, by Harry Ewing / BTO Rethinking how we feed garden birds As reported in last month's newsletter, the best practice advice around garden bird feeding has changed, following an 18-month review of the scientific evidence led by the RSPB and involving BTO and other partners. BTO Senior Research Ecologist Dr Kate Plummer was one of the scientists on the group that reviewed published evidence on the pros and cons of feeding wild birds. In a new BTO blog, Kate sets out the rationale behind the conclusions reached. Read the blog Blue Tit, by Jill Pakenham / BTO Nesting Neighbours Prize Draw! Our Nesting Neighbours project is designed to help us improve our understanding of Britain's breeding birds. Whether you're already signed up or completely new to the scheme, it's the perfect time to get involved because we're running a prize draw this season for all Nesting Neighbours participants! Green Feathers are giving two Nesting Neighbours participants the chance to win a £175 voucher each to spend in their online shop, which stocks a range of wildlife camera and nest box kits. To be in with a chance to win, all you need to do is submit a record for the 2026 nesting season by midnight on Sunday 21 June! (T&Cs apply) Get involved Cover and pages from BTO News Latest News Wintering waterbirds Half a century of Wetland Bird Survey data provide a unique insight into changing waterbird populations, as a new paper shows. Wintering trends have become more negative over the past 25 years, and there is an urgent need to better understand why. Pintails, by Edmund Fellowes / BTO We need to act now A new study, involving BTO staff and using data from the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey, shows that actions taken during the next 20 years will be crucial if we are to mitigate the worst effects of climate and land-use change for Britain's biodiversity. Golden Plover, by Edmund Fellowes / BTO Winter Gull Survey results The results of the recent Winter Gull Survey (WinGS) have just been published and reveal substantial population declines for four of the five main wintering species. While Herring Gull numbers have remained largely stable over the last 20 years, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and Great Black-backed Gull had all experienced notable declines. Over the two decades since the last WinGS, the total number of gulls wintering in the UK has decreased from 3.9 million to just under 2.5 million. The substantial overall downturns in wintering gull populations largely reflect broader declines affecting these species across their geographical range. The drivers of these downturns include the impacts of avian influenza, changes in land use and agricultural practices, climate change, and updates in waste management and fisheries discards practices. Although not all the gulls that winter in the UK stick around to breed here, some do, so these declines in wintering gull counts also have implications for the numbers encountered in the UK during the summer months. Common Gull, by Edmund Fellowes / BTO Thank you for your continued support! Happy birding, The BTO Membership Team DONATE VOLUNTEER British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU. www.bto.org | info@bto.org. Registered Charity no. 216652 (England & Wales) SC039193 (Scotland). Company Limited by Guarantee no. 357284 (England and Wales) Unsubscribe from the BTO e-newsletter