KILLING ‘COS HE CAN AND THE BRAZENESS IS DISGUSTING

It could be said that the photo ‘says it all’ and in some respects that would be enough, but for me it will never be enough. Legal Justice in their newsletter took this photograph from The Shooting Times & Country Magazine of 30th January. Details of the days bag is listed on bottom right.

The ‘aim’ and ‘target’ for the event was 10 in 10 hours. Ten dead species that are there for all of us but instead are dead. Killed because someone set out to reach his target of 10 in 10 hours. A man with a gun against birds and animals whose only defense would be to move fast or stay hidden. I pause to think about what he missed or worse what did he injure and leave to die? 

This is the mindset that many of us consider criminal and morally reprehensible. It belongs to a culture that has existed through the centuries of those that had the power to impose their will not only upon the natural but upon people as well.

My two previous blogs of 23rd and of 27th say more about my feelings. The latter was headed ‘Another take on Feudality and the Status Quo’ where I published my poem, Heritage, which contained these lines:

                                                      ‘it’s the tradition that’s 

                                                       etched into the mind

                                                           that subdues’

Culture along with tradition seems to be the mantra to go out and kill what you can as in the case published by The Shooting Times & Country Magazine. The ethos seems to be a country for the shooter. But there is a change happening and even though it is not fast enough for me but it is happening. There are organisations and individuals who oppose these so called ‘country sports’. More of us need to speak more, speak more loudly and be more determined to ensure change.

Putting it simply there has to be change in the mind. The ‘mind-set’ has to change. Yesterday evening on Gardiner’s World the subject of the use of peat was discussed in bags of compost. We need our bogs but for one person it was the price of compost that decided what she would buy and not the content. Ignorance is out there but it should never be an excuse. So peoples’ minds need to be changed for the benefit of everyone and everything.

Now back to that list of ten in ten hours. What can justify that killing?

Reynard the red fox with a bad name of centuries old

Rabbit and for many years the poor man’s chicken until Myxomatosis came along 

Red-legged Partridge just another species imported for the shooters

Carrion Crow where the name suggests it’s food source

Woodcock that flighty bird of the woods

Wood Pigeon no longer a one of the woods but a hungry bird over the corn

Pheasant like the Partridge bred for the rich-man’s shooting

Jay the corvid family member among the trees

Mallard an easy shot on the water and one that is a multiple success story

Teal is a beauty to behold and better left alive

We need - must - change the mindset. Wanton killing such as this should never be sanctioned.

Another well done to Legal Justice and Raptor Persecution who make every effort to keep us informed and to fight for our wildlife.

SIERRA DE SALINAS AND SURROUNDING AREAS

 This Tawny Pipit was spotted by Gareth and photographed by Bryan.  It was a first for Gareth and as second for me, thanks to Bryan´s ID skills.

What a bird!  What a shot! Two Short Toed Eagles seemingly appeared out of nowhere.  What a view, even though they soon disappeared Bryan was able to get this magnificent shot.

There were other Larks around, including Calandra and this Greater Short Toed Lark stayed long enough to be photographed. 

This is an area we will have to revisit.

LEGAL JUSTICE NEWSLETTER - A BREACH OF GENERAL LICENCE?

 Wild Justice 62 - a breach of the general licences?

This newsletter is shown with photos of the kills and the headline reads

“Three species in the bag before breakfast bodes well for one of those magical days when everything comes together”

My comment is simple, before I paste in the rest of the newsletter, and ask ‘what is magical about killing?’ Does anyone individual have any right at all to go out and kill our wildlife. What moral right has that individual go to do that? I say ‘no one has’. That is totally apart from the rules that govern our environment and the legislative control of wildlife. 

(My views only in this paragraph)

The headline above appeared in the Shooting Times on 10 February 2021 and starts an article by a regular Shooting Times contributor about his day's shooting on 30 January when he went out to shoot 10 different species of wildlife in a day just 'to see if it could be done'.  He'd never done that before.

 

As you can see, he got his 10 species: Red Fox, Rabbit, Carrion Crow, Red-legged Partridge, Woodcock, Mallard, Teal, Pheasant, Wood Pigeon and Jay. What a nice day out!

Three of the species on this list are species that can only be killed by complying with the conditions of the General Licences for England. Wild Justice questions whether the General Licence conditions were met when the shooter killed these species.

 

We believe that the current General Licences represent casual licensing of the killing of protected species (all wild birds are protected by law) and that the licences provide cover for the casual killing of protected wildlife simply for 'fun'.  This account of a day's shooting, published in a leading magazine for the shooting community, illustrates our concerns. 

 

We have asked the Secretary of State for DEFRA, George Eustice, whether this behaviour is or isn't in line with the General Licences for which he is responsible. The Secretary of State has the power, simply by writing a letter to an individual, to withdraw the permission to use the General Licences. 

 

The shooting described in the article took place on 30 January 2021, and was published in the Shooting Times on 10 February 2021. We wrote to DEFRA on 26 March drawing this matter to the Secretary of State's attention. DEFRA told us they would look into this matter but then on 26 April said they would not be providing any further updates, to which Wild Justice replied saying that we believe this is a matter of public interest on which the Secretary of State should act and that we would be bringing this matter to the public's attention.

 

This is us bringing it to your attention. We still await action from DEFRA on this matter.  We'll keep you updated on progress.

 

There are, in any case, questions for the shooting community and the Shooting Times too; is this the type of recreational shooting that you support and wish to promote? It appears that it is.

 

If you like what we are doing then please consider making a donation through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post.

 

That's it for now but we'll be back with more news soon. Have a go

ANOTHER TAKE ON FEUDALITY AND THE STATUS QUO

 Following on from my blog of 23rd May - IS THIS FUEDALITY - with a sub-heading of

MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO OKAY FOR SOME?

I wrote HERITAGE during March of this year. It compliments another poem entitled ‘FEUDALITY’

I may post it later as it is still work in progress to some extent.

HERITAGE

there’s a myth

strolling around

in soft suede shoes

a methodical incessant rhythm

of ongoing sound 

images too                 

images that resonate and resonate

turn the pages

we should

but we don’t 

we can’t 

it’s the drip feed found

with continuity

with familiarity

it’s the tradition that’s

etched into the mind

that subdues

that has subjugated

for centuries

so here we are

still paying our dues

still tugging the forelock

(or should it be fetlock!)

and opening doors

but not our door

as submit we have 

continuously done

as the distance for you

between being able 

to put food on the table

and wealth of a few

dictate to the many 

the you

that really matter

John Edwards (C) 

19th March 2021

Theakestons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award

 Book Review.               The Last Crossing

Author.                          Brian McGilloway

Publisher.                      Constable (in 2021)

I’ve not read Brian McGilloway before but since it was on the Harrogate Crime Writers Festival long list I felt I had to give it a go. I did not know what it was about and started to read without any  knowledge of any comments from any other authors. I like to read it as I find it without influence.

Initially it was bloody depressing and I persevered for several chapters before deciding that I would read more, but I stuck at it! I am glad that I did for it is an incredible story. I know it has been said that stories are to entertain the reader and with the scenarios created within The Last Crossing that could have been difficult for me. Entertaining or otherwise this is an exceptionally well crafted story, and told with a vigour that encouraged me to read on and want to know more. To want to know what the hell was going on and why.

The background is of the sectarian violence in Northern Island thirty plus years ago and with a more recent dialogue in Scotland. It is not just about violence and retribution and whatever that created for human behaviour and wellbeing can be read within these pages. There are so many personal issues included within the main theme and I applaud the author for doing that skilfully. The characters are complex but well sought out. I did not grow to love any of them, but I could feel their sadness and regrets.

The Last Crossing is a stand-alone but he has six in The Inspector Devlin series and five more with The DS Lucy Black series. Mentioned in case you want to read more of his work. There are many plaudits by authors that I have read and which I only read afterwards. I can influence myself!

SIERRA DE SALINAS ALICANTE SPAIN

 It’s come around full circle, you could say. On Wednesday morning, 26th May, four of us met up to  re-explore some areas and for some of us make a first visit. 

Let me explain. Malcolm was invited to join myself, Bryan and Gareth to guide us to locations that he had investigated in past years. Malcolm for years has been a stalwart of the Costa Blanca Bird Club that is still an ongoing entity although the three of us have only tenuous links! That’s the connection and we are very grateful that club was formed. It brought us together and to share journeys looking for birds.

The specific target was to visit previous known habitats for the Orphean Warbler - Curraca Mirlona. Yes we wanted to see one and that would have been a ‘Werthers’ moment but what we wanted to achieve was to have historic knowledge of where they had been seen. It had been decided that the area close to Villena ( take A31) and Sierra de Salinas would be the best.

Having stopped down a farm track we heard the ‘cronk’ of a Raven - Cuervo and saw two. In the sky beyond them a multitude of Choughs - Chova Piquirroja and we have seen the same sort of numbers over Monnegre. Over a distant ridge it may have been a Golden Eagle - Águila Real but too far to be fully certain. Then seemingly out of the fields our first eagles of the year and looming large were two Short-toed - Águila Culebrera Europea. We watched them for several minutes, flying together and holding in the wind. At the same time flying low over the fields were Common Swifts that were id’d by the experts.

At another stop Gareth’s  sharp eyes located a bird on a wire. It was a Tawny Pipit - Bisbita Campestre. My second and for Gareth another first. Clear and unmistakeable and a photograph for the record. We heard Iberian Green Woodpecker - Pito Real and there it was stuck on the side of a pole like a door knocker. Distant but good in the scope.

We found our way to the sierra and this is a must place to visit. It’s top of my list for a return. It has suitable habitat for many species. We listened and there were clear bird calls around. A Bonnelli’s Warbler - Mosquitero Papialbo was in a Pine tree over our heads. Just prior to that a Goshawk was identified and that gave Gareth another first. I love the sierras and you can never tell what they will yield for you. It requires the effort to be there and to keep looking.

The wet weather we have had has provided the ideal moisture for flowering plants and I saw some terrific colors. A study in their own right. Butterflies too, but not many and only one glimpse of a Fritillary. There is always so much to see. We could be up there next week at about 700 meters

and to see all those vistas.

We obtained a good list for the day, but not all mentioned.

Bryan’s site - top right on my blog - is the one to see photos and it is worth looking on Instagram - michey._edwards and the nobinsbirdclub for other photos.

BOOK REVIEW - DOUG JOHNSTONE AND HIS ‘THE BIG CHILL’

 Book Review.            The Big Chill

Author.                       Doug Johnstone 

Publisher.                   Orenda Books

The front cover gives a bit away with a gurney and a quote ‘Nothing is as cold as the grave’.

In case you may think I have a penchant for death, destruction and any old ‘blood & guts’ then the excuse I will use that this is one of the books on the long list for the forthcoming Harrogate Crime Writers Festival in July. We hope to be there.

I love locations and this book is full of them. It is set in Edinburgh and many routes are described and if he is correct then you can find your own way around with out a map. Not over done, but I do like to know where I am at!

I have never read Doug Johnstone before and then I realized this is book number two in the lives of the family Skelfs. That’s a bit of a bugger really as I am now tempted to read the first one but with 18 books on the long list I could read before next week it will have to go on my own long list!

So back to this one. The Skelfs are involved in the funeral business. In fact three generations of them are, but with the founder - a man of course, now deceased - this family firm are run by women. They do get a bit of help from the male embalmer and on the side they are P.I.s and seem willing to take on any one and anything. It makes for very good reading. It is wonderful and personal.

There is a very important thread that I have missed out deliberately in that one member of this family is not very nice!. It is an integral part as well as all the dead and investigations they conduct. No more clues, though. There is some touching personal elements interwoven throughout. And each of the women from grandmother, daughter and through to granddaughter have chapters in which they bring the reader up to date. I enjoyed it. It was different. It was entertaining and on another day I will scan the shelves for the first in the Skelfs Series, entitled A Dark Matter.

IS THIS FEUDALITY

 MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO IS OKAY FOR SOME

On reading The Times today, Sunday 23rd May, my eyes settling on an article referring to her book, Greater: Britain after the Storm where Penny Mordaunt says that Parliament and The House of Lords ‘is an anachronism that does not serve democracy’ and where, it is suggested, that we need ‘to forge a new culture’. 

I agree. I have written poems that are about habitat loss, over use of insecticides and intensive farming and even more poignantly on the killing of birds in general and birds of prey in particular. (Please refer to Raptor Persecution UK for an ongoing litany of death)

The connection is that our society of this very day allows those in power to stay in power. In other words ‘the status quo’ should not be challenged and if you dare to do that you will be over-ridden because they can.

WE 

What has sparked my ire is that the Right Honourable Richard Benson, a Conservative Life Peer and a Privy Councillor is now a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for DEFRA. Lord Benson, as he is entitled to be known, replaces another Lord - Lord Gardiner. Do you really need titles to do jobs like these? Am I being naive when it comes to how people get elevated to positions where they decide what is best for us. 

Right. I will come to my point about this to say that there will always be people that will have a vested interest in something and where those self influences will only allow them to make decisions that will only be a benefit themselves. That’s not fair enough. Lord Benson is involved in an organisation that presides over our countryside and our rural affairs. 

Raptor Persecutions post of 13th this month makes the announcement of his appointment. Incredibly he is the owner of a ‘Grouse Moor’ so it can be argued he will know about country matters.  But if you follow the news on driven grouse shooting ‘muir burning’, use of toxic lead shot and the considerable number of deaths of birds of prey then you, like me, have reason to be perturbed. I would urge you to read their last post. You can see that grouse moor management the way it is done today is not compatible with the manner in which our countryside should be treated. It is obvious that large tracts of our land is organised for the few and not the many. That’s the few that have the power. I think that is living in a feudal state and an un-democratic one. 

What can we do? Well, keep up the noise of opposition and disgust and support organisations that care for our land and our lives. I support them and I wish that I could be proactive and do much more. MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO IS OKAY FOR SOME

On reading The Times today, Sunday 23rd May, my eyes settling on an article referring to her book, Greater: Britain after the Storm where Penny Mordaunt says that Parliament and The House of Lords ‘is an anachronism that does not serve democracy’ and where, it is suggested, that we need ‘to forge a new culture’. 

I agree. I have written poems that are about habitat loss, over use of insecticides and intensive farming and even more poignantly on the killing of birds in general and birds of prey in particular. (Please refer to Raptor Persecution UK for an ongoing litany of death)

The connection is that our society of this very day allows those in power to stay in power. In other words ‘the status quo’ should not be challenged and if you dare to do that you will be over-ridden because they can.

What has sparked my ire is that the Right Honourable Richard Benson, a Conservative Life Peer and a Privy Councillor is now a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for DEFRA. Lord Benson, as he is entitled to be known, replaces another Lord - Lord Gardiner. Do you really need titles to do jobs like these? Am I being naive when it comes to how people get elevated to positions where they decide what is best for us. 

Right. I will come to my point about this to say that there will always be people that will have a vested interest in something and where those self influences will only allow them to make decisions that will only be a benefit themselves. That’s not fair enough. Lord Benson is involved in an organisation that presides over our countryside and our rural affairs. 

Raptor Persecutions post of 13th this month makes the announcement of his appointment. Incredibly he is the owner of a ‘Grouse Moor’ so it can be argued he will know about country matters.  But if you follow the news on driven grouse shooting ‘muir burning’, use of toxic lead shot and the considerable number of deaths of birds of prey then you, like me, have reason to be perturbed. I would urge you to read their last post. You can see that grouse moor management the way it is done today is not compatible with the manner in which our countryside should be treated. It is obvious that large tracts of our land is organised for the few and not the many. That’s the few that have the power. I think that is living in a feudal state and an un-democratic one. 

What can we do? Well, keep up the noise of opposition and disgust and support organisations that care for our land and our lives. I support them and I wish that I could be proactive and do much more.

IN AND AROUND THE LAGUNAS

A GREAT MORNING WITH BRYAN AND WITH SOME ABSENTEES TOO. 

There is definitely nothing that beats getting out there. This morning (18th) we stayed local and did what we know best and it started very well. It was the usual route. The salinas opposite Playa Lisa gave us our first raptor for ages. It was a “percher” sitting distant on a pylon - a Peregrine Falcon - Halcón Peregrino.  Generally it was quiet on the water with Red Crested Pochard - Porrón Europea and a Squacco Heron - Garcilla Cangrejera in the reeds. Opposite the Salt Tower were several Collared Pratincole - Canestera Común. The Stones gave us several good views of Yellow Wagtails - Lavandera Boyera. They must be nesting here. Scores of Little Terns -  Charran Común were very busy. Oddly there was a solitary Great White - Garceta Grande

We checked El Pinet out from the urbanisation side in an effort to see if there were any Caspian Terns - Pagaza Piquirroja there. None on view but the islands contained nesting Black-headed Gulls - Gaviota Cabecinegre, and Common Terns - Charran Común 

Inland now and we headed to the ‘Monastry’ for Rollers - Curraca and on the way we watched and photographed at least four Great Spotted Cuckoos -  Criala Europea. There was a lot of squabbling going on with plenty of calls. They were at the ‘Monastry’ too as we watched at least 4 Rollers giving us flypasts as they fought for territory. They reminded me of Lapwings - in their ariel acrobatics. We enjoyed them. Common Kestrels - Cernicalo Vulgar were in attendance too. On route there we saw over 30 plus Auduoin’s Gulls - Gaviota de Auduoin sitting in a tilled field. They are a smart gull. Add into that route Bee-eaters - Abejaruco

After all of that we needed a flooded field and it was very evident that fields have been cut and harvested but not the corn. Cattle Egrets - Garcilla Bueyara were feeding behind the tractors and Glossy Ibis - too.

On one field, recently cut, Whiskered Terns - Fumarel Cariblanco were flying fast and low in substantial numbers. What a show.

We kept on checking the skies and where are those Eagles? Not a one and not even a Common Buzzard - Ratonero Común or a Marsh Harrier - Aguilucho Luganero. We’ll get them sometime.

Palm Farm Road yielded us a spooked Purple Heron - Garza Imperiel and only our second of the day. Butterflies were around feeding in the verges. Small and Large Whites, Painted Ladies and a couple of Red Admirals. By the canal there is a field of thistles in bloom and that is worth checking out.

Heading back via Bellavista in those fields where work is being carried out many Collared Pratincoles. 

At the Caribassi Road we saw a gorgeous male Greenfinch - Vederon together with Serin - Verdecillo and amongst the pines several Spotted Flycatchers - Papamoscas Gris were only glimpsed. But as usual we end with some good ones. Long tailed Tits - Mito, in a family group with some in juvenile plumage and being fed. They are so wonderful to see. And one lizard too.

Next time out we will give more thought to search in other areas which we do know but require more attention.

Oh! I almost forgot we worked hard but no Lanner Falcon! (Halcón Borni)

Then when writing this up I find that the news declares a Peregrine Falcon has been shot near the home of Boris Johnston - that’s number 10 which belongs to the people! What else will people blame him for. He only decorated a flat.

LEGAL JUSTICE NEWS LETTER. RESEARCH INTO LEAD CONTENT IN GAME MEAT

 This newsletter is all about the lead levels in game meat sold by Sainsbury's. The full details of our study can be found here.

 

The background to why we chose Sainsbury's game meat and why lead levels matter were described in two previous blogs Sainsbury’s game meat – and why we tested its lead levels and Lead levels in game meat.

 

What follows is a simple summary.

 

If you walk into a supermarket and buy a chicken off the shelf you can be pretty sure that it has low levels of lead, a poison, in it.  That's because it would be unlikely to pick up high lead levels and because there are maximum allowable levels set for lead in most types of meat, including chicken, pork, beef etc.

 

If you move down the aisle and buy Pheasant or other game meat then there is a reason why they might have high lead levels - they are likely to have been shot with lead pellets (or lead bullets), and tiny fragments of lead are likely to be spread through the meat.  But, bizarrely, there are no maximum allowable levels set for game meat so there could, legally, be any amount of lead in that meat and no offence would have been committed. 

 

We collected samples of chicken, Game Mix and Pheasant breasts from Sainsbury's stores and sent them to a university laboratory to find out how much lead was in the meat.

 

Here is what we found:

 

 

The chicken had very low lead levels - all less than 0.04 units. None of the chicken samples was anywhere near the maximum level allowed.

 

Both the types of game meat had much higher lead levels whether you look at the highest levels detected, the median levels or the mean levels. And if the maximum allowable levels of lead that apply to other meats applied to game meat then Sainsbury's wouldn't be able to sell these products to you because so much of this game meat, 24 out of 30 in our samples, is above the threshold level.

 

It's as simple as that: game meat has high lead levels because lead is shot into game and government does not require retailers only to sell game meat with low lead levels and retailers don't do this voluntarily.

 

What do you think should happen next? Please answer the six questions in this very short questionnaire which should take less than a minute to complete: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WildJusticePb

 

This project cost about £5,000 - purchase, preparation, packaging and postage of samples and the cost of laboratory analysis. If you like what we are doing then please consider making a donation through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post - see details here. 

 

That's it for now but we'll be back with more news next week.  Look out for a blog tomorrow on the levels of lead in Waitrose game meat.

 

LEGAL JUSTICE NEWSLETTER

 THE LATEST NEWSLETTER FROM LEGAL JUSTICE Good morning! It's been a month since our last newsletter and so we have some catching up to do - it's not as though we haven't been doing anything.  In fact, there will be a second newsletter this week and there may well be another one next week.  You see, Wild Justice newsletters are like buses, you wait for ages and then three come along at once.  Today's is a general catch-up and ends with a couple of requests for help.

  

And let us say a big hello to all the new subscribers who have joined this newsletter in the last month.  You are very welcome.

 

Stalled: we are still waiting for a date for our appeal on our Badger legal challenge.  It's been ages now. There's nothing we can do to hurry things along, the court system is creaking - you may have read about it in the papers. Also, we have two e-petitions that are in the queue for debate in the Westminster parliament - one on banning driven grouse shooting and the other on Badger shooting.  The Petitions Committee staff have kept us up to date with possibilities but these debates are not imminent.  It's a covid impact on life - we just have to put up with it.

 

Glyphosate: glyphosate is a herbicide and is also used as a crop desiccant - you may know it as Roundup marketed by Monsanto. The use of such powerful pesticides is regulated but we believe that many local authorities and their contractors are using this chemical in ways that are unlawful - the laws exist to protect both people and the environment. We've identified some local authorities who have greatly reduced their use of herbicides and others who seem to be ignoring the laws. We'll tell you more about both in future newsletters.This project has been running for months and we'll soon be able to bring you news.

 

General licences in Wales: Natural Resources Wales has refused to answer a great many perfectly sensible and legitimate questions about the operation of their own licences for killing birds. That is quite astounding. We will be following up. Thank you to the very large number of you who have contacted NRW - we're sorry you have had such poor responses from them.

 

General licences in England: we made a deliberately cryptic allusion, in the last newsletter, to sending  DEFRA 'a dossier of legal arguments and factual information, about what may be a recent breach of general licence conditions in England' and we've been in correspondence with DEFRA in the intervening period. DEFRA tell us that they 'will not be providing further updates' so we feel perfectly entitled to tell you all about this case in the near future.  Watch this space.

 

Gamebird releases: DEFRA intend to issue their new licences on gamebird releases soon, probably this week. We will review them closely to assess whether they meet the requirements of the laws protecting designated sites of nature conservation importance.  Did DEFRA listen to the consultation responses from Wild Justice supporters and others on this subject? We'll see, and we'll tell you soon.

 

Lead levels in game meat: back in newsletter 52 at the end of February we told you that we had collected samples of game meat from Sainsbury's stores and sent them off for analysis, and that we would tell you, and Sainsbury's, about the results 'in the spring'. We got the results back from the laboratory last Thursday evening and we will tell you about them in a second newsletter this week - that's the plan.  Here is the blog we wrote about the project back in mid-February.

 

Can we ask for your advice please?: we are planning to give our website a spring clean. If you would be prepared to answer a few simple questions about what you think of it then email us at admin@wildjustice.org.uk with the title of the email being WEBSITE please, and we will send you a short questionnaire.  You don't have to be a website designer to take part - we are interested in views from a range of people with different perspectives.  Thank you.

 

Thank you - you are stars!: in newsletter 53, on 1 March, we told you about a petition calling for better protection for wildlife in the Environment Bill. You responded phenomenally and from day 1 to the present day Wild Justice supporters, your friends and relatives have provided the second highest number of signatures to that petition of any of the 60 supporting organisations. We're pleased that the petition passed 150,000 signatures at the weekend.  That's pretty good, but we want more!  Please spread the word further to friends and colleagues and ask them to sign the #StateOfNature petition today - click here.  Thank you!  The petition has another month or so to go - it would be good to get well past 200,000 signatures and on to 250,000 - that's possible with your help.

 

That's it for now - you'll hear from us again on lead in game meat later this week.

 

Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).

 

A POEM THAT TELLS IT IS WORLDWIDE. A NEED TO SAFE

 ^{Nearly one-third of the wild birds in the United States} 

^{and Canada have vanished since 1970, a staggering 
loss that suggests the very fabric of North America’s 
ecosystem is unraveling.  
              –The New York Times (September 19, 2019)}

As the world’s cities teem
with children—flooding 
our concrete terrains with shouts 
and signs—as the younglings balance 
scribbled Earths above their heads, 
stand in unseasonal rain 
or blistering sun,

the birds quietly lessen 
themselves among the grasslands. 
No longer a chorus but a lonely,
indicating trill: Eastern meadowlark,
wood thrush, indigo bunting—
their voices ghosts in the 
chemical landscape of crops.

Red-winged blackbirds veer
beyond the veil. Orioles 
and swallows, the horned lark
and the jay. Color drains from
our common home so gradually,
we convince ourselves 
it has always been gray.

Little hollow-boned dinosaurs,
you who survived the last extinction, 
whose variety has obsessed 
scientific minds, whose bodies 
in the air compel our own bodies
to spread and yearn—
how we have failed you.

The grackles are right to scold us, 
as they feast on our garbage 
and genetically-modified corn. 
Our children flock into the streets 
with voices raised, their anger 
a grim substitute
for song.

BOOK REVIEW - JUST ABOUT IN THE CRIME GENRE

 Book Review

Title.            Those Who Disappeared

Author.         Kevin Wignall

Publisher.     Thomas & Mercer, Seattle

I like to pick up a book ‘cold’ without prior knowledge of the writer although the genre will be known and the fame of the author will give an indication. We receive two books per month from Capital Crime with this one arriving with a Lynda la Plante novel.

The prologue sets out the precept of what the story could be about. The location intrigues and is told through ‘Brett’ who had no further part to play! I thought that was strange and by the end of the book I had forgotten about him.

Thirty five chapters and just over 200 pages makes it a shortish read. I was comfortable with the style and the pace it moved at. I enjoyed and it kept me wanting to know what the end result was going to be. On that front it worked well.

Foster Traherne never knew his parents and when one is found in a glacier that is when his search  starts. The book takes off from there and he enquires about the people who knew his father. Again characters drive the story onwards and into the world of the group who 30 years previously had known both parents. That interested me immensely and how Foster managed to inveigle the truth out of resistant interviewees. 

There is a love story included and Foster’s past with his fellow art students is a facet that runs through the pages until the very end. I felt that the a new found companion was ‘a bit of an add on’ and the reason they met is contrived and if she had became an important piece of the plot that would have seemed better. I even began to think that she had a dark side! But, no.  I also thought his thoughts on his previous arty-mates condescending. That’s my view but for all of that an enjoyable read.

THE GREAT PLAINS OF ALBACETE

 THE BORDERS ARE OPEN AND WE WENT NORTH INTO CASTILE LA MANCHA

SO JUST GET OUT NOW THERE IS FLOODED AREAS WITH STANDING WATER

Monday 9th was our first chance to get to  Corral Rubio, Petrola, Bonete and Higuerruela and we gave it a thorough going over. We did the miles and it was a good days work. I thought that it might become a good Eagle day and it wasn’t. It was cold by ‘Costa’ standards, cloudy and with a threat of rain. But we worked together and our list for the day was outstanding. There were some notable exceptions though.

It was reasoned that there would be plenty of water there and that was correct. The dried out areas of two years ago were under water and that is what we wanted. 

Our aim was to get see those beautiful Great Bustards - Avutardo Común to give Gareth his first views of them. We managed to get a good look at four before 10am and later we saw a total of twenty-eight. Such a sight and close enough to give clear views. In one tight group of ten they were all male except for one. What’s going on there? As we were watching them a lone Little Bustard - Sison Común flashed past and was gone.

We paid attention to everything. The verges were gorgeous with their colours and Poppies (Amapala) showed a bright read. We listened hard and on four separate occasions we heard  Quail -  Codorniz Común and of course they remained hidden. But they were there. Some of the fields yielded many larks that included Calandula - Calandria and Lesser Short-toed -Terrera Marismena and we had constant fly pasts.

I am going to generalize and say where there was water there were birds. Much can be easily seen and on one lake there was six species of Duck, including Gadwell - Ánade Friso, two species of Terns, species of Grebe and more besides.

Lagunas de Petrola was overflowing and the wind had blown the ‘foam’ onto the shore line. On the side of the track two Kentish Plovers - Chorlitejo Patinegro were so close they gave me the best views ever. Not far away a Redshank - Archibebe Común showed brilliantly.

We did the rounds and most tracks were firm and good. By the Madrid railway line our passage was blocked by water that we had not seen there before. We turned back and went to Higueruela by a metaled road. I love this spot which has yielded seventeen species on a previous occasion. Today our total included Bonnelli’s Warbler - Mosquitero Papialbo, two Wood Larks - Totovia, a Mistletoe Thrush - Zorza Chario, a singing Nightingale - Ruiseñor. A thrice tapping Great Spotted Woodpecker - Pico Picapinos, a possible Redstart, a Serin -Verdecillo, a Greenfinch - Verderón Común, a Tree Creeper - Agateador Común heard only and an Iberian Green Woodpecker - Pito Real and then a Chaffinch - Pinzon Vulgar. That’s not a bad  list for about 30 minutes and there would have been more if we had stayed.

We had many great views and today ‘holding-in-the -wind a male Kestrel was photographed and confirmed it was a lesser - Cernicalo Primilla. And with old buildings nearby they could be nesting.

It was a long day but we had our rewards. Now we wait and see who gets up there and see what they have seen. But we did it first!