Saturday 31 August 2019
EMERGENCY ACTION FOR GROUSE
The call to ban driven grouse shooting has this morning received 88,000 signatures. The petition requires another 12,000 before Parliament is prorogued. If you hadn't signed it - please do so because I want the mindless slaughter of birds ended which negate the excuse for landowners to burn moorland and let their staff killing our wildlife. Spread the word after you have signed. Thanks.
Monday 19 August 2019
THE BIRD FAIR VIDEO INTERVIEW
TALKING TO THE ENEMY - LEGAL JUSTICE VERSUS FIELDSPORTS TV
Raptor Persecution UK have posted that the directors, Dr Mark Avery, Ruth Tingay and Chris Packham of Legal Justice were interviewed by Charlie Jacoby of Fields Sports TV at The Bird Fair. The latter being invited to an event that promotes wild life!
There is only 26 minutes of video to watch and there are many facts that can be heard. I will say that it is like ‘talking to the enemy’, but that dialogue is always necessary.
It was evident from the comments that there were two sides on the platform and it was clear that Charlie Jacoby was not going to ‘give an inch', but that is what he gets paid for!
It was not an anti-shooting conversation and this was reiterated by Chris Packham. There is a solution out there, somewhere and it just has to be found if we can find enough reasonable people!
Raptor Persecution UK have posted that the directors, Dr Mark Avery, Ruth Tingay and Chris Packham of Legal Justice were interviewed by Charlie Jacoby of Fields Sports TV at The Bird Fair. The latter being invited to an event that promotes wild life!
There is only 26 minutes of video to watch and there are many facts that can be heard. I will say that it is like ‘talking to the enemy’, but that dialogue is always necessary.
It was evident from the comments that there were two sides on the platform and it was clear that Charlie Jacoby was not going to ‘give an inch', but that is what he gets paid for!
It was not an anti-shooting conversation and this was reiterated by Chris Packham. There is a solution out there, somewhere and it just has to be found if we can find enough reasonable people!
Saturday 17 August 2019
BIRDING ON COSTA BLANCA IN AUGUST
THE SALINAS, EL PINET & EL HONDO IN ALICANTE PROVINCE, SPAIN
We didn’t expect it to be a ‘mega-bird-day’ and by our standards, it was not. But we saw some great specimens, so read on.
On Friday, 16th August we decided to stay local to see what was happening with our summer residents and what had already arrived from elsewhere. Before dawn, suddenly a Red-necked Nightjar flashed over the road, in front of us.
We saw the sun come up over Santa Pola when we stopped at the lagoons and salinas. It was relatively quiet, but the terns were active with some Little and Whiskered, two Common and a whole tranche of 200 Sandwich were viewed. A Little Bittern called, a large flock of House Sparrows flew and Little Grebes were on the water. We looked for Purple Herons, but only Grey was seen. There was nothing exceptional here.
Flying overhead we saw Swifts, Barn and Red-rumped Swallows together with a few Sand Martins. The latter was very good to see.
We moved on to The Salt Tower and the small area next to it. Flamingos were abundant. Mallards were in good numbers for the first time in a while. A Common Sandpiper and Redshank were viewed distantly. A lone Marsh Harrier flew in the distance.
El Pinet was much better, Black-tailed Godwits and Avocets were numerous. Other waders were Kentish Plover, two Greenshank, Redshank and the Pratincoles are still with us.
We then headed inland and at Pallet Farm Road we located Rollers. They are always good to see and some looked ‘tatty’ as they were moulting. As it was quiet we decided to try Sante Águada. It was bone dry and checking out the sky through 360 degrees, the search, yielded hardly any birds at all. In the same area eagled-eyed, Bryan spotted in the same dead tree a Roller, one Turtle Dove and a Little Owl. Hoopoes obliged too.
During the summer we have seen many Woodchat Shrikes and this species showed well today. They are a very neat bird! The Iberian Southern Grey Shrikes were on the high wires.
The Bee-eaters made our day. We could clearly hear them as they assembled on electric cables, and what a colourful sight they made. I love that noise and it suggests that they will be going south shortly. We had hoped to find a flooded field, but seasonally too early may be, and it appears that we will have to wait for the autumn.
The scrapes in front of the information centre had two metre high growth and others areas looked neglected. We ventured along the boardwalk more in hope than anything and were rewarded with excellent views of Moustached Warblers. Sadly, there was not much to see. Again this area disappointed us. Jackdaws were seen and we had several flypasts of Glossy Ibis with one group of thirty.
The summer season is about to change and there has been a drop from the high temperatures that we have been experiencing, Some birds are already moving. The Pallid Swifts have flown from San Miguel although we still have House Martins.
Summing it all up. That’s a great list without getting stuck in traffic and avoiding rain. But we are never satisfied as we alwaysEE want more and looking for another mega one. So, here’s to the next time!
AND PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO BAN DRIVEN GROUSE SHOOTING
We didn’t expect it to be a ‘mega-bird-day’ and by our standards, it was not. But we saw some great specimens, so read on.
On Friday, 16th August we decided to stay local to see what was happening with our summer residents and what had already arrived from elsewhere. Before dawn, suddenly a Red-necked Nightjar flashed over the road, in front of us.
We saw the sun come up over Santa Pola when we stopped at the lagoons and salinas. It was relatively quiet, but the terns were active with some Little and Whiskered, two Common and a whole tranche of 200 Sandwich were viewed. A Little Bittern called, a large flock of House Sparrows flew and Little Grebes were on the water. We looked for Purple Herons, but only Grey was seen. There was nothing exceptional here.
Flying overhead we saw Swifts, Barn and Red-rumped Swallows together with a few Sand Martins. The latter was very good to see.
We moved on to The Salt Tower and the small area next to it. Flamingos were abundant. Mallards were in good numbers for the first time in a while. A Common Sandpiper and Redshank were viewed distantly. A lone Marsh Harrier flew in the distance.
El Pinet was much better, Black-tailed Godwits and Avocets were numerous. Other waders were Kentish Plover, two Greenshank, Redshank and the Pratincoles are still with us.
We then headed inland and at Pallet Farm Road we located Rollers. They are always good to see and some looked ‘tatty’ as they were moulting. As it was quiet we decided to try Sante Águada. It was bone dry and checking out the sky through 360 degrees, the search, yielded hardly any birds at all. In the same area eagled-eyed, Bryan spotted in the same dead tree a Roller, one Turtle Dove and a Little Owl. Hoopoes obliged too.
During the summer we have seen many Woodchat Shrikes and this species showed well today. They are a very neat bird! The Iberian Southern Grey Shrikes were on the high wires.
The Bee-eaters made our day. We could clearly hear them as they assembled on electric cables, and what a colourful sight they made. I love that noise and it suggests that they will be going south shortly. We had hoped to find a flooded field, but seasonally too early may be, and it appears that we will have to wait for the autumn.
The scrapes in front of the information centre had two metre high growth and others areas looked neglected. We ventured along the boardwalk more in hope than anything and were rewarded with excellent views of Moustached Warblers. Sadly, there was not much to see. Again this area disappointed us. Jackdaws were seen and we had several flypasts of Glossy Ibis with one group of thirty.
The summer season is about to change and there has been a drop from the high temperatures that we have been experiencing, Some birds are already moving. The Pallid Swifts have flown from San Miguel although we still have House Martins.
Summing it all up. That’s a great list without getting stuck in traffic and avoiding rain. But we are never satisfied as we alwaysEE want more and looking for another mega one. So, here’s to the next time!
AND PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO BAN DRIVEN GROUSE SHOOTING
Wednesday 14 August 2019
BALMORAL - ROYAL GROUSE SHOOT CANCELLED
WILLFUL BLINDNESS IS NO LONGER AN OPTION THE PETITION STATES
This should be a ‘call’ to everyone that is a decent person. It is a call that should have the volume of a scream. Allowing the killers to have their own way for centuries is coming to an end, The monied that have the power, but not through their power only have been allowed to maintain that position because of history, tradition and culture. The mind-set needs to be changed!
Today at 2.45pm 22,859 names were the total of people that added theirs to a petition to BAN DRIVEN GROUSE SHOOTING. The target is 100,000 names so that it can be heard in Parliament.
We have organizations fighting hard to safeguard our wildlife and not allowing the good and the beautiful to be slaughtered at the behest of landed aristocrats, grouse moor owners and other shoot organizers. Their need to supply game birds is to the detriment of indigenous species.
There are killers out there who do it wantonly. Guns in the hands of game keepers and vicious traps make it deadly for any natural predator. On Thursday we saw a first year Golden Eagle flying with a trap on its leg. That was no accident, I believe, because in April two young Golden Eagles disappeared in the Crathie area of Deeside. The same area where the ‘trapped eagle’ was flying. It has not been seen since and what death did it suffer?
I spoke of the need for a change of mindset in an earlier paragraph. This is what we need to change not only for a group of people, but in the way that it is reported upon. The following is a straight lift from The Telegraph Newspaper. It says it in a ‘matter-of-fact-way’ that makes it sound so correct and proper. There is no balance in it that goes anywhere near to show how moors are mismanaged for the sake of the grouse industry.
The Guardian states
“It has long been one of the highlights of the royals’ calendar but it will be a less Glorious 12th for the Queen this year after grouse shooting was cancelled at Balmoral due to a shortage of birds.
The extreme weather and an outbreak of heather beetle, which has decimated food supplies in the Scottish Highlands, has been blamed for the decision to cancel all grouse shooting on Her Majesty’s estate in Aberdeenshire.
It comes after many moors in the north of England and the Scottish borders had to abandon planned events last year in order to allow the grouse stocks to recover.
But they have not recovered enough at Balmoral, where the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York shoot regularly during the grouse season from August 12 to December 10.
A royal source said: “It is a real blow to the royals’ summer holiday plans because grouse shooting is usually the main activity for the royals and their guests”.
Now it's me and I want to ‘spit feathers’ at this guff! To make any suggestion that it is glorious to kill defenseless birds on any day makes me angry. Do the people in the circles of royalty not know that there is a ground swell of opinion objecting to this antiquated ‘sport’. And if they did know it; it shows their arrogance in letting it continue.
For me, the quote from a royal source, - hopefully accurate - makes it plain that there is bugger all to do up there except carry on the Victorian habit of shooting birds. Come on, get real and move on. The visit of Boris will no doubt lift the gloom and boredom when he arrives later!
This should be a ‘call’ to everyone that is a decent person. It is a call that should have the volume of a scream. Allowing the killers to have their own way for centuries is coming to an end, The monied that have the power, but not through their power only have been allowed to maintain that position because of history, tradition and culture. The mind-set needs to be changed!
Today at 2.45pm 22,859 names were the total of people that added theirs to a petition to BAN DRIVEN GROUSE SHOOTING. The target is 100,000 names so that it can be heard in Parliament.
We have organizations fighting hard to safeguard our wildlife and not allowing the good and the beautiful to be slaughtered at the behest of landed aristocrats, grouse moor owners and other shoot organizers. Their need to supply game birds is to the detriment of indigenous species.
There are killers out there who do it wantonly. Guns in the hands of game keepers and vicious traps make it deadly for any natural predator. On Thursday we saw a first year Golden Eagle flying with a trap on its leg. That was no accident, I believe, because in April two young Golden Eagles disappeared in the Crathie area of Deeside. The same area where the ‘trapped eagle’ was flying. It has not been seen since and what death did it suffer?
I spoke of the need for a change of mindset in an earlier paragraph. This is what we need to change not only for a group of people, but in the way that it is reported upon. The following is a straight lift from The Telegraph Newspaper. It says it in a ‘matter-of-fact-way’ that makes it sound so correct and proper. There is no balance in it that goes anywhere near to show how moors are mismanaged for the sake of the grouse industry.
The Guardian states
“It has long been one of the highlights of the royals’ calendar but it will be a less Glorious 12th for the Queen this year after grouse shooting was cancelled at Balmoral due to a shortage of birds.
The extreme weather and an outbreak of heather beetle, which has decimated food supplies in the Scottish Highlands, has been blamed for the decision to cancel all grouse shooting on Her Majesty’s estate in Aberdeenshire.
It comes after many moors in the north of England and the Scottish borders had to abandon planned events last year in order to allow the grouse stocks to recover.
But they have not recovered enough at Balmoral, where the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York shoot regularly during the grouse season from August 12 to December 10.
A royal source said: “It is a real blow to the royals’ summer holiday plans because grouse shooting is usually the main activity for the royals and their guests”.
Now it's me and I want to ‘spit feathers’ at this guff! To make any suggestion that it is glorious to kill defenseless birds on any day makes me angry. Do the people in the circles of royalty not know that there is a ground swell of opinion objecting to this antiquated ‘sport’. And if they did know it; it shows their arrogance in letting it continue.
For me, the quote from a royal source, - hopefully accurate - makes it plain that there is bugger all to do up there except carry on the Victorian habit of shooting birds. Come on, get real and move on. The visit of Boris will no doubt lift the gloom and boredom when he arrives later!
Monday 12 August 2019
BOOK REVIEW - ANOTHER OUTBACK STORY BY JANE HARPER
JANE HARPER, THE DRY, FORCE OF NATURE AND NOW, THE LOST MAN.
A Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller the front cover pronounces. It's not that I needed that quote as I have read two of her ‘outback’ books before. The Lost Man by Jane Harper matches in stature her previous two. She is a great story-teller.
Set in Australia in an immense area of hardship, extreme heat and loneliness. Families live there too and the way the interactions are formulated is very interesting to the point of being intense!
The story is mainly confined, to within the family, but that's a ridiculous comment as this outback farm is set in an area the size of Wales! The distances, burning glaring sun, wind driven sand and grit makes this a tough place to live. It's what it can do to people that add dimensions to her story that can be uncomfortable to live with. It's the location that drives the story on quickly.
Jane Harper takes a myth, maybe a legend, or even a bar-told-story and uses it for a focal point. Then she wraps it around her fingers and adds layers to it to finish up with a story as good as this one. But, for me, it is the telling that makes it a great read.
She acknowledges those that gave her the skeleton on which she hangs it all. There was a lot of research that prefaced her writing. As a footnote ‘The Dry’, her first book, has a script worthy of a film.
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