END OF THE SUMMER - HOUSE MARTINS FLYING SOUTH

 Lovely to see these wonderful birds heading south to Africa.  A great site to see.  Unfortunately it also means it is the end of the summer.  Good luck on your long flight.

CAMUCHUELA TROMPETERO DESAPARACIDO

Up the mountain of Monnegre this morning in a cool 17 degrees and some wind.

Our first stop gave us views of a couple hundred of House Martins - Avión Comun with others flying and feeding. On a rock face another hundred at least were warming in the sun. Bryan even got a shot off of a flying one! All to be shown later. We thought that was a good start to our day and it proved to be the best bit. A Blue Rock Thrush - Roquero Solitario called and was spotted on a ridge. 

Our objective was to  ascertain the presence of Trumpeter Finches - Camachuela Trompetero and they were not around. Sometime during September they may have dispersed from their breeding ground and away. But where? The quest is on.

We went over the mountain and down through Tibi. We checked out Tibi Embalse although it was full of water there was nothing on it. I enclose two photos - one showing the water looking towards Alicante and one for a notice on Zebra Mussels. Apparently they are not indigenous and came from Northern Europe. 

Below Tibi we checked out the river and there was nothing of note. Seemed to echo our day.

Next week we will return to our default position and circumnavigate the lagoons and go inland.

LEGAL JUSTICE UPDATE ON SEWAGE

 Good morning! Yesterday we were in court seeking permission for judicial review of Ofwat's failure to regulate sewage discharges. Our barrister, David Wolfe KC argued our case, Hanif Mussa KC represented Ofwat. The judge, Mr Justice Bourne, reserved judgment which means that we have to wait for a while (probably days rather than weeks) for his decision on whether the challenge can go to a full judicial review.  

 

We are certain that we have a strong case, but all we can do now is wait and see. Thank you for getting us this far, and we hope that we can take the challenge further. Fingers crossed!

 

We'll let you know the outcome as soon as we are able.

 

If you like what we do and would like to make a general donation which will be used across our range of work, then please consider donating through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post -

BUT HOW LONG WILL WE HAVE TO WAIT?

LEGAL JUSTICE - DEFRA - AND WOODCOCKS

 I have written several pieces on this very beautiful bird and blogged often. This is the latest from the wonderful people of Legal Justice.

Defra shooting rethink offers lifeline to endangered Woodcock

The thought angers me as legally this beautiful woodland bird can be shot from 1st October. Why anyway would but please read on.

In today's Times newspaper (here is the online version) there should be a piece on our Woodcock challenge which catches up with the information that we told you in our last newsletter. DEFRA has agreed to review shooting seasons of species including Woodcock and that has followed us raising this issue and you supporting a petition. 

 

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the shooting season for Woodcock opens on 1 October - that's this Saturday.  We have argued that the shooting season should be pushed back a whole 2 months to 1 December and DEFRA has listened, it seems, and has promised to consult with the other three UK administrations (in Scotland the shooting season opened on 1 September) on a review of shooting seasons. This is slow progress, but it would not have happened without our campaign and your support for it. Thank you! And if you haven't signed the petition yet, then please have a look at it now and, if possible, ask your friends to sign too -

LEGAL JUSTICE AND THEIR ACTION ON SEWAGE DISPOSAL

 Symbols matter as they hold the eye giving thoughts the chance to follow. The Legal Justice does exactly that and is emotive. I love them and all those persons who try to protect what we have. In their last newsletter we have the old topic of sewage waste disposal. I say old because it has been continually happening for millions of years. Humans cause waste and getting rid of it was seen as easy by letting it go into our brooks, rivers and seas. Today apart from agricultural run-off we have privatized shareholding companies who take the consumers money and dump. It seems legal but it never can be. Big money seems to thwart decency. Just a few thoughts this morning and now Legal Justice’s action regarding human waste.

Good morning! Today we are in court seeking permission for judicial review of Ofwat's failure to regulate sewage discharges.  Also today, The Times publishes a story on the progress we have made with limiting the Woodcock shooting season. And here we give you a heads-up on the assault against the environment that seems to be being launched by the new Westminster government.

(After a photo - it carries on with this)

This morning, in Court 3 of the Royal Courts of Justice, in front of Mr Justice Bourne, our legal team will be making the case that Ofwat has failed to meet their responsibilities to regulate discharges of raw sewage. Ofwat's lawyers will argue that there is no case to answer and the judge will decide, perhaps today, perhaps over the next few days, whether this should go to a full hearing at a later date.  It's fairly unusual for these decisions to be made in court rather than by a judge reading the papers from both sides in private and then making a decision, so we don't know quite what to expect.

 

We wrote to Ofwat about this matter in April and launched a crowdfunder when we filed detailed legal papers in June (see our blog for more details).

 

We are certain that we have a strong case, and we know that this subject is one that attracts considerable public attention - which is why our crowdfunder was so successful.  Thank you for getting us this far, and we hope that we can take the challenge further. Fingers crossed!

SAN PEDRO DEL PINATAR - SATURDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER

Periodically we check out these large expanses of water hoping to turn up something out of the ordinary. I was lucky enough to watch a Wilson’s Pharalope and in previous years a few other good birds too.

Today there was not much to see. I did the searching and Michelle with Nikon P900 photographed what was there. 

Ruff

Sanderling

Black Tailed Godwit

Curlew Sandpiper

REFERRING TO A PREVIOUS POST FROM LEGAL JUSTICE AND THE PRESERVATION OF WOODCOCK

 

I keep a file on happenings with the shooting/conservation of Woodcock. There have been conversations between DEFRA and those involved in the protection of this species. I am opposed to killing - particularly ‘for fun’.

NB. MY WORDPRESS SITE IS jejohnedwards.Wordpress.com

cock of the woods

sitting  

         checks his looks in the rear view mirror

still                                                            

      window down 

                             listens

(stillness excites        feeds his hunger        feels his need 

slides out of his topoftherange SUV

squeezes the door silently shut

silently taking the bestgunevermade

                                  

                   he is going tohavehisfun

treads  into the trees  listens  waits  walks  focuses

he wants it as difficult as it can ever be for      funfunfun

a target fast fleeing for life in erratic whirring flight

is soon doomed           just a trophy 

                                                                               

as the sureshotsniper ambles to his success

smashed into a patch of brambles 

LEGAL JUSTICE WITH THEIR UPDATE OF THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE TO SHOOTING OF WOODCOCK

 I keep a file on this wonderful winter woodland bird and have used this species as an inspiration to develop and to write poetry. If only I could do more!

ANOTHER REPORT FROM LEGAL JUSTICE CONCERNING WOODCOCK

Woodcock petition: We have passed 25,000 signatures and have lots of promotion ready to roll, but events have meant that petitions on the Westminster parliament website are now frozen for a while.

 

However, there are two bits of progress that have already been made. The less important is still worth mention; you may remember that in the last newsletter we expressed our view that the response to the petition by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was inadequate and that we had complained to the Petitions Committee. Well, the Petitions Committee agreed that DEFRA's long response was inadequate. DEFRA was rapped on the knuckles and has to re-do its homework. Such an order from the Petitions Committee is unusual, and we thank them for it. It's a small thing, but we believe important. If government can respond with disdainful nonsense to a public petition that is a serious matter. DEFRA has been made to think again.

 

More importantly though, on his last day, in fact his last few hours, as Secretary of State for DEFRA, George Eustice wrote to us giving ground, as follows:

 

I am considering taking this thinking a step further and will engage with key stakeholders and the Devolved Administrations to review the protection we afford to wild birds and in particular establish whether the list of species of birds in Schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 should be revised - to ensure that shooting certain species for recreational purposes is sustainable and does not undermine their recovery. This might, as with your proposal concerning woodcock, include amending the close seasons for native species. 

 

While my department is still in the process of gathering evidence to confirm the level of benefit that our native woodcock may derive from extending its close season, I trust this response will demonstrate the Government’s commitment to help protect declining species.

 

It's a pity that the word 'considering' is in the first sentence, but it is pretty clear that DEFRA is rethinking its position on this matter - pretty fundamentally. It may be that a review of shooting seasons may produce some changes we don't like, as well as some we do, but the prospect of shaking up the legislation and regulations which shape recreational shooting is a welcome one.

 

We thank you if you wrote to your MP about the DEFRA position after the last newsletter - that will have made a difference.  You will probably, in due course, get an update from your MP that confirms this news.

THE NATION PAYS A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE QUEEN ELIZABTH

I have had a connection with London ever since my childhood. I remain a countryman but the capital has retained a draw for me. I have early memories that I can recollect and there have been occasions where I felt a privilege to be a witness too. Wearing a top hat, a high collared tunic with shiny buttons I lined the route from the Royal Apartments to  St George’s Chapel in Windsor for The Garter Ceremony. Also Sir Winston Churchill when ‘lying-in-state’ in Westminster Hall and, not shying away from politics, being on Trafalgar Square when Harold Wilson’s Labour Party ousted The Tories. 

Today, through all the media channels we can view history as it happens. It’s wall to wall stuff with views being expressed from a multitude of angles. 

Yesterday, the day unfolded quickly and then we knew that the second Elizabethan era had closed with Queen Elizabeth’s death in the afternoon. I felt sadness but still knowing that I had lived through all of her remarkable reign. Total applause for that. 

The emotions swirled and the media added their voices and scenes of people standing around gateways and leaving bouquets. Some wonderful tributes left by ordinary folk. 

My son, a London Cabby, - the proper sort in a black cab - was working in town and knew what was going on. Cabbies will always pay their respects by thronging The Mall as they have done before. This morning my grandson was at Hyde Park Corner, on duty as a modern day policeman, helping to prepare London for what was to come. I spent two years at that location working out of the then smallest Police Station in London within Wellington Arch. 

In the afternoon crowds had gathered at Buckingham Palace awaiting the arrival of our new King. I was hoping that he and his wife would stop, get out from the monarch’s car and go on walk-about. They did. It was the proper thing to do. To go and chat with our people although it must take a strong character to do so having lost his mother the afternoon before. He gets a very large tick from me. Adding in a personal note from me a friend was there to see Charles arrive when standing outside the Palace.

I listened to his speech. it was good and I expect it will be dissected by the media. I applaud him for mentioning Harry and Meghan. They are his family after all. And now tonight people are being asked whether they would prefer William instead of his father. That is nonsense. Let’s just get on with what we have and support the new King. 

The Queen at Balmoral receives two politicians

 Really cannot help myself today but write something because there are several things that I find irksome.

I have just logged on in Valencia where later this evening we will see Texas. As I logged on a tweet came up purporting to be Gary Neville stating the obvious about the Tory Party leadership election. It may have been a bore but it was only the Tory Party members who were eligible to vote. Why? Because they - the Tories - won the last election by a large number of constituencies. So, get over it, if you lost.

And then last night pathetic voices outside Parliament chanting ‘Tories Out’. Pathetic as a general Election will be required to change that.. 

Now, this morning, Her Majesty The Queen, is on her estate at Balmoral and is staying there for a while. She will be there to receive the resignation of our outgoing Prime Minister, Boris Johnston and then to allow Liz Truss to form her own government. And she will do that as we do need a government to govern.

What I find unacceptable is that the outgoing PM and the incoming PM both flew on different planes from RAF Northolt to Scotland. In the first place why two separate flights and why the need to travel there anyway other than through the ether?

It is a nonsense when there is technology available - and you can choose which one. Many of us do so often. 

Bearing in mind heatwaves, water shortages, an energy crisis and a war why not set the correct example and use the technology available? I suppose protocol gets in the way and why not go and see Her Majesty?

It’s the example that is important. ‘Top Down’ should set the tone but it appears that many prefer ‘Bottom Up’ and that is why we see so many demonstrations. I believe in order and a legal way of effecting change and that is why we need a good strong government with a robust opposition. When will we see both? 

Monnegre and Trumpeter Finches - Camachuela Trompetero

 Thursday 1st September was a good day to make another journey up Monnegre to see what was around. Our primary target has been for months to monitor Trumpeter Finches - Camachuela Trompetero in the ravines and slopes below the village of Montnegre. We have not checked on them this late in summer before and for the month of August they have been flying well and today was the same. A mixture of adults in good plumage and juveniles flying all around us and perching too. We will check again as we would like an end date for them on this mountain. And, then where do they go? We want to know.

Sitting, waiting and looking we have found pays us back. We saw flypasts of Red-rumped Swallows - Golondrina Daurica just below us and there were about 40 House Martins - Avión Común perched obviously on their way south.  Swifts - Vencejo Pallido or Comun were absent. 

Later we added to our list Spotted Flycatcher - Papamoscas Gris, a juvenile Blackeared Wheatear -  Collalba Rubia and perched and on distant rocky platform two Blue Rockthrushes - Roquero Solitario sat. Add into that mix a couple of warblers - Sardinian - Gurruca Cabecinegra      Cetti’s  and a Melodious - Carcero Comun probably on passage.

We don't normally go up to the top but this morning we did. High up over the ridge were three cruising Griffon Vultures - Buitre Leonardo and as we were about to leave three Ravens -  Cuervo

Also flying high and passing south were other raptors. Too distant to be sure but possibly Marsh Harriers - Aguilucho Luganero and we did our best to find any eagle for Matt.

We will be out there again to see what is about. Again not all species hear and seen listed.