Josh Sollitt

...also on the ringing front: we've received notification of a fantastic recovery of a Firecrest ringed here last October that was controlled a few days ago by a ringer in the Czech Republic - the first movement of a UK-ringed Firecrest to the Czech Republic or indeed to anywhere in central Europe

29 ‘missing’ Hen Harriers & nearly 40 birds of prey poisoned, trapped or shot in Yorkshire Dales National Park since 2015 Media attention has been drawn to the Yorkshire Dales National Park this week, following the RSPB’s press release on the suspicious disappearance of a satellite-tagged Hen Harrier named &#821…

29 'missing' Hen Harriers & nearly 40 birds of prey poisoned, trapped or shot in Yorkshire Dales National Park since 2015.

Not so much a National Park - more of a National Disgrace.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #Ornithology #Yorkshire

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/10/04/2...

A great thread dismantling the latest 'conservation populism' to be floated in Britain. With funding available for species recovery, this is business for some. We'll see more of this pitching for commercial projects that scientists & species experts think is useless. #ornithology #ukbirding

Goshawk doing far better in lowland Derbyshire than its previous strongholds in the Peak where it was persecuted. Rather close to Derby and other towns now so why the need to “reintroduce”? Can’t help but think it will happen anyway with abundant food and good wooded areas.

Turkestan Shrike - ad male, Dunwich Heath this afternoon. An excellent bird and find; photos in gloomy light not the best and was a little elusive early evening #ukbirding #suffolkbirding

Hardly any Hen Harrier nesting attempts on English grouse moors for second year running Natural England has finally got around to publishing the data for the 2025 Hen Harrier breeding season, which demonstrate very clear differences between areas managed for conservation and those man…

Natural England confirms ongoing & relentless illegal persecution is reason why Hen Harriers are still rare in England.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #Ornithology

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/10/02/h...

We're incredibly concerned about the welfare of two satellite-tagged golden eagles, Tarras and Wren, that have recently disappeared in Dumfries and Galloway.

Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland.

Read more 👉 bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce80l4jgd1qo

📷 Chris Gomersall, RSPB Images

Two Golden Eagles ‘disappear’ in south Scotland – Police appeal for information Press release from Police Scotland, 29 September 2025: APPEAL FOR MISSING GOLDEN EAGLE Detectives are appealing for information after a satellite-tagged golden eagle disappeared in the hills to the…

Gosh, what a mystery. Whatever could have happened to them?

No bodies, no tags, no prosecutions, no accountability, no deterrent. This will continue.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/09/29/t...

This was a satellite-tagged territorial pair so the sudden disappearance of both of them at the same time is highly suspicious.

Thankyou

Brill! Thanks Peter 👍

Absolutely cracking shot! Do you know where it was ringed, Peter?

Stanford Reservoir - more #patchgold when I found this moulting eclipse drake Lesser Scaup, first for the site & for Northants. Also, 3 Glossy Ibis, Bittern, 2 Pintail, Common Tern, Common Sand & Great Egret. @lrosbirds.bsky.social

YouTube video by Carl Baggott Goshawks

A lovely film of Leicestershire’s first confirmed breeding by Goshawks, filmed under licence by county recorder Carl Baggott
youtu.be/FhI39qG4pQo?...

Change of trial date for Scottish gamekeeper accused of killing a goshawk on a Perthshire shooting estate The trial date has been changed for a Scottish gamekeeper who has been charged with killing a Goshawk on a Perthshire shooting estate last year. Goshawk photo by Pete Walkden The alleged incident t…

NB: Comments are turned off as criminal proceedings are live ⚖️

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/09/17/c...

Nice Marsh Harrier 👍

“They’re perfectly capable of breeding & recolonising their former range, over a relatively short space of time, IF, and only IF, their survival isn’t curtailed by grouse moor gamekeepers shooting, trapping and poisoning them, pulling off their heads and legs, or stamping on their eggs and chicks.”

‘A last resort’: is culling foxes the only way to save Britain’s vanishing curlews? Keeping predator numbers down may be last hope for the ground-nesting birds – but critics say real problem is farming practices

Mary Colwell asks whether it's time to talk about a fox cull. I argue it's time to talk about the absurd annual release of 60 Million non-native gamebirds that undoubtedly supports the over-abundance of foxes & other mesopredators.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

At what point are Rooks and other corvids going to be given special protection, similar to primates, based on their intelligence and greater capacity for suffering?

In England they can be shot, trapped and kept alive as decoys to trap & kill others. Little/no enforcement of limited protections.

House of Lords move to make bird-safe glass mandatory in new buildings All new buildings in England could be required to use bird-safe glass and other wildlife-friendly features, under amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposed in the House of Lords. The cross-party push follows criticism of the government's plans by its own Animal Sentience Committee, which warned of risks to millions of birds, hedgehogs, rabbits and other wild animals. Campaigners say the measures are low-cost, practical and could save countless lives.

All new buildings in England could soon be required to incorporate bird-safe glass and other wildlife-friendly features, after peers in the House of Lords tabled a series of amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill:

Bottom trawling to continue in English protected waters, government rules Defra says blanket ban on ‘destructive’ fishing practice disproportionate as MPs urge minister to reconsider

This is infuriating. What is the point of a Marine Protected Area if trawlers are allowed to keep ploughing it?
Yet again, the government has succumbed to commercial lobbying.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

And pitching up just south of a Black-winged Kite...

RSPB announces another record year for Hen Harriers in the Forest of Bowland Statement from the RSPB (4 September 2025) ANOTHER RECORD YEAR FOR HEN HARRIERS IN THE FOREST OF BOWLAND Hen Harriers are one of the most charismatic yet also most threatened bird species nesting i…

Well done RSPB, raptor fieldworkers and everyone else involved with protecting breeding Hen Harriers on United Utilities land in Bowland.

Elsewhere, HH breeding results on privately-owned grouse moors are down for another year.

#RaptorResearch

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/09/05/r...

Hungarian-ringed Great Egret seen in Lincolnshire A ringed Great Egret in Lincolnshire this summer has been confirmed as a bird from Hungary. The sighting marks the first-ever recovery of a Hungarian-ringed Great Egret in Britain. The bird, bearing a red ring with the code 'AU64', was ringed as a chick at a nest south of Budapest in May 2024. It had not been reported anywhere since until it appeared at Baston Fen in June 2025, some 1,500 km to the north-west.

A ringed Great Egret in Lincolnshire has been confirmed as the first-ever recovery of a Hungarian-ringed individual in Britain:

Remembering the 'great fall' of 1965 Sixty years to the day of one of the most sensational falls of migrant birds ever to have been documented in Britain, Moss Taylor looks back at this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Remembering the 'great fall' of 1965

Sixty years to the day of one of the most sensational falls of migrants ever to have been documented in Britain, Moss Taylor looks back at this once-in-a-lifetime event:

Bluefin tuna are miraculously returning to UK shores – only to be tormented for ‘sport’ | George Monbiot A tournament in Cornwall will pit anglers against these magnificent creatures, as part of a rising trend for so-called ‘sportfishing’, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

This week's column. The details will make you gasp and rage. This massive desecration of nature is almost unbelievable, but it is happening in the UK right now.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Study backs reintroduction of Golden Eagle to England Golden Eagle could soon return to England, with a Forestry England study expected to confirm there is enough habitat to support the species' reintroduction. Once persecuted to extinction, the birds may follow the success of Scotland's reintroduction programme, which has grown the population to more than 50 pairs. DEFRA says plans will consider ecological impacts and public engagement, marking a major step for the UK's most iconic bird of prey.

Golden Eagle may soon be reintroduced in England, following the results feasibility study by Forestry England:

Stanford Reservoir - another cracking species delivered by the efforts of the ringing group this AM with this smart Wood Warbler. Only the 5th site record - birds ringed in 1977 & 1982 with 2 other non ringing group records in 1999 & 2020. Great work by the team & well deserved.

Stanford Reservoir - the ringing group deliver again. In crappy conditions with low bird numbers a 1st for the site & for Northants - BARRED WARBLER. Well deserved for the dedicated efforts of the group in their 50th year ringing at the site. Haven’t sweared so much for a while!!

Wasn't until the use of nest cameras that it became clear just how important raptors are as nest predators: Goshawks, Sparrowhawks, Red Kites, Common Buzzards, all seem to regularly take chicks from a wide range of nests. Hobbies probably do, too. Footage like this is always a tough watch, though.