THE RIGHT TO ROAM CAMPAIGN

The Right to Roam campaign has been going from strength to strength this year and we thought it was time to share an update!

 

Hundreds of people have taken part in our mass trespasses this year, with our two most recent actions focusing on the magic of the night sky and the importance of saving ancient woodland.

 

We’ve also been very excited to have a new Bill introduced to Parliament by Caroline Lucas MP, that would – if passed – extend the public’s Right to Roam to rivers, woods and Green Belt land.

 

But Liz Truss’ new government seems dead-set on an attack on nature - so we’re calling on supporters to mobilise in its defence, including joining upcoming marches.

FOLLOWING ON FROM LEGAL JUSTICE - THIS IS FROM RIGHT TO ROAM - OUR RIGHT TO ROAM

 Stopping the Government’s #AttackOnNature

 

We’ve been as horrified as everyone else by the new Government’s attack on nature – with Liz Truss threatening to rip up environmental regulations, create free-for-all ‘Investment Zones’ where planning rules are ‘liberalised’, and scrap much-needed reforms to farm subsidies. But we’ve also been heartened to see conservation and access groups reacting strongly to the attacks and starting to mobilise their millions of members. If you’ve not already taken the RSPB’s email action, please do so here. Better still, go meet your MP in person and tell them exactly what you think. We’re anticipating things are only going to get worse, however – so hopefully see you on the streets (and in the fields) in the near future. And on that note...

 

... JOIN US at the land access bloc of the Good Food, Good Farming march at 12pm in Parliament Square in London, 15th Oct!

 

Right to Roam is very proud to be supporting Landworkers' Alliance in their Good Food, Good Farming march next Saturday 15th Oct. We will be forming a Right to Roam/Land Access bloc so be sure to come and bring signs!

 

Access to land and support for small scale, ecologically-minded farmers are two sides of the same coin. The historical acts of enclosure which ploughed up the commons also tore people away from countryside access, caused environmental destruction and devastated small farming communities. Today the countryside has become home to a monoculture of corporate industrial agriculture and a landowning elite.

 

In our vision for free, fair and informed access to nature for all and for a New English Countryside, Right to Roam stands in solidarity with landworkers and their struggle for a more socially and environmentally just food system. We want a countryside where landworkers, ramblers, kayakers - everyone is able to enjoy nature freely and responsibly.

 

Love and rage,

Nadia, Jon, Guy, Harry & the rest of the Right to Roam crew x

 

PHOTOS FROM OUR DAY OUT LAST THURSDAY

All photos taken with a Nikon P900.

2nd photo of Greenshank - Archibebe Claro on a distant shore at El Pinet

Starling - Estornino Pinto - just to show the spots 

Male Booted Eagle - Águila Calzada What a beauty and we saw 4 in total

What we always need is a flooded field 

Ruff - Combatiente

Green Sandpiper Andarrios Grande

 WOODCOCK OUR WONDERFUL WOODLAND WINTER BIRD 

LEGAL JUSTICE UPDATE ON THE PETITION TO CHANGE THE MIND OF POLITICIANS AND  DEFRA

Our Woodcock petition: Good news! Yesterday, 15 minutes before midnight (we were watching!) our petition to protect Woodcock from overshooting passed 50,000 signatures. That's half way to getting 100,000 signatures and a Westminster debate on the subject. Thank you for your support.

 

The first 50,000 is the easier 50,000 signatures!  It's hard work to get another 50,000 people involved but you can help, please. If you haven't signed the petition yourself then please have a look and please sign - click here to see the petition.  If everybody who has already signed would find someone else to sign too then we'd be there! Can you please find someone else to sign this petition - maybe someone with whom you live, or work, or meet for a coffee or beer now and again? Maybe if you forwarded this newsletter to some friends, they would sign the petition too?

 

We'll be promoting this petition widely, but we don't know your friends so you're the best person to ask them please.

 

Remember, this petition has already won some concessions, notably a promise to look at shooting seasons, from DEFRA, but there are no specific promises on what might be done at some future date, so it's important to keep up the pressure.  It's a microcosm of #attackonnature - it's #attackonwoodcock.

 

NEW LETTER FROM LEGAL JUSTICE

 LEGAL JUSTICE NEWSLETTER N0. 122

STOP THE ATTACK ON NATURE

Attack on Nature: we gave you a quick heads-up about what is now widely known as the Westminster government's 'attack on nature' in a newsletter the week before last. Wild Justice was one of scores of wildlife and environmental organisations who wrote to the new Prime Minister warning against widespread and damaging deregulation - click here to read the letter. There has been much media coverage of this issue and the Westminster government is clearly aware that it risks upsetting huge numbers of people if they press ahead with measures that will harm wildlife. The question is, do they care? 

 

Wild Justice is having a strategy meeting with our legal team soon, and we'll be discussing options for legal action if Lizz Truss and Janil Jayawardena don't see sense.

 

But, we'd like you to play a part too - maybe you already have? The RSPB has put together an e-letter that you can send to your MP protesting at the #attackonnature. We recommend that you sign up to that letter and send it today please - click here for details. It's very easy and quick (3 minutes) to do. Just over 100,000 emails have already been sent and we think that Wild Justice supporters can swell that number significantly.  Please give it a look.  We're very happy to promote the RSPB's e-letter rather than produce one of our own.

 

We'd be surprised if this is the last mention of #attackonnature in these newsletters. We don't think this subject will simply go away. We'll let you know how you can best help to get politicians to do right by wildlife

GAME KEEPERS GETTING CAUGHT AND MAGISTRATES’ POWERS TO SENTENCE.

 

INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE AND SOME GO TO A LAW COURT

“Sentencing Stroud, Magistrates said that he was lucky to escape jail today.”

My comment is that gamekeepers are unlucky to be caught and bloody lucky not to go away. I know prisons cost money and we have too many inmates which results in overcrowding. I suppose another drum to bang! In the scale of things I can understand why he was not imprisoned. There are more serious crimes. We can read about them everyday, unfortunately.

And so the answer has to lie elsewhere and in the way we manage our - or more significantly ‘their’ land - until we gain more access and have the freedom to be there.

THIS IS ANOTHER POST FROM RAPTOR PERSECUTION UK

The court heard from the defence that Stroud was under pressure to produce game birds for the shoot after two poor years, that he had taken no pleasure in killing the buzzards and that he should have been informed that the law had changed around pheasant releases.

This is one of many incidents of raptor persecution identified on lowland pheasant and partridge shoots, which the RSPB says is an area of increasing concern. There is also evidence that large-scale releases of pheasant and partridge for shooting is having a detrimental impact on native wildlife.

The RSPB Investigations team conducted lengthy enquiries on an area of land managed by Stroud for pheasant shooting at Fengate Farm in Weeting, within the Breckland SPA. Following a number of visits, on 19 August 2021 they discovered a pheasant carcass – later found to contain the banned toxic chemical strychnine. The use of a poison bait such as a pheasant, laced with pesticides, is one of the most common methods of illegally killing birds of prey.

A subsequent search with Norfolk Police and partners uncovered further poison baits plus shot and poisoned raptors. Stroud’s phone also contained the photo of a goshawk and several buzzards which he admitted to shooting. They also found the deadly banned poison strychnine and phostoxin, a dangerous fumigant which was stored improperly.

(There is more on their post)

FEEDING FRENZY 0N SALT LAGOONS AND FIELD FULL OF FEEDING BIRDS

 A BIRDING WEATHER REPORT

BISCAY, FINISTERRE SHANNON AND **CKALL. And the forecast gave a percentage chance of rain but we avoided getting wet. We have local rain here and so it proved as we returned home.  We could do with a good soaking but avoiding a deluge - please. But the birds - all of them made our day.

It’s back to normal business now winter is approaching with our default position set from Gran Alacant towards Santa Aguada  and back towards La Marina. We do it this way around as the sun stays shining on our backs. 

The lagoons at the bottom of the Santa Pola turn-off were devoid of most of the usual. A Sandwich Tern - Charran Patinegro flew over with a loud grating ‘kerrick’. There were many others too flying and perched. A group of gulls were in the same place as always but lacked the presence  of a Lesser Black-backed - Gaviota Sombría. 

By the Salt Tower and by The Stones we could see a large feeding frenzy in the far distance. We presumed Gulls, Terns and whatever else. Three Spoonbills - Espátula Comun flew over but where were the rest?

On the water 13 Gadwall - Ánade Friso showed well with some Mallard - Ánade Azulon. Two distant Large White Egrets - Garceta Grande were with Little Egrets - Garceta Comun. Waders mostly absent except for Redshank - Archibebe Comun and Green shank Archibebe Oscuro and we saw both of those at El Pinet.

At our fourth stop and in the distance a good number of Stone Curlews - Alcaravan which is the norm here. A Ringed Plover - Chorlitejo Grande and one Little Stint - Correlimos Menudo were on a distant shore. There are usually others and perhaps the winter months will bring more in. A few Linnets - Pardillo Comun passed by.

We ventured inland paying attention to everything. We are still searching for the winter areas for Trumpeters - Camachuela Trompetero and in doing so we had good views of Tree Sparrows - Gorrión Molinero which are always not easy to spot. On wires were large numbers of Starlings and the camera proved they were Estornino Pinto now wintering with us and one wire was loaded up with 150 Wood Pigeons - Paloma Torcaz. Later we counted 5 sightings of Common Kestrels - Cernicalo Vulgar with one bird being unusually pale. The photo will tell more. As we headed towards Santa Aguada we had our first autumn sighting of a male Booted Eagle - Aguila Calzada. He looked great and we later saw three circling.

There is now a ‘highway’ into the education centre at S.A. all new tarmac and so there had to be something else going on. Once I have assimilated all the information we gained I will blog further. Apart from small birds calling and remaining hidden there was little I can say. There was no bloody water!

Our birds of the day, so far were the Booted and Michelle had a great view of a Little Owl - Mochuelo Europeo and then!

We are always on the look out for a flooded field and there it was. A field full of feeding birds. We  had not seen a Glossy Ibis - Morito Comun all day and then there were up to 200 of them. And with about the same number of Cattle Egrets -Garcilla Bueyera. A green watery meadow of black and white and more.

Feeding too, were two Green Sandpipers - Andarrios Grande, 12 Wood Sandpipers - A. Bastardo and if that wasn’t enough - 14 Ruff - Combatiente. What was missing were any Wagtails! (Lavandera). Good on for Bry for his eyes and ID skills.

I haven’t listed all but I need to get a grip on my ID skills and look out for more as there are still so many that should be out there. It was very good to get out to see what there is. All to enjoy.