Britain’s loudest bird, once extinct in the UK, has enjoyed its best year since records began, according to a new survey by the RSPB and Natural England. The bittern, a threatened relative of the more familiar grey heron, has seen its population rise over the last 15 years from 11 males in 1997 to 104 this year. Last year the survey revealed 87 males. 82 males were … [Read more...] about Bittern numbers recovering according to research
Conservation Director
Birds struggling in freezing conditions
Garden and migratory birds will suffer if arctic conditions continue according to a leading bird charity. Following the prolonged icy blast bringing Arctic weather to Britain and Northern Ireland, the RSPB is calling on birdwatchers, walkers, anglers and water sports enthusiasts across the UK to minimise disturbance to groups of ducks, geese, swans and wading birds until … [Read more...] about Birds struggling in freezing conditions
Bittern numbers increase
Bittern numbers are on the increase, according to the latest research. This threatened heron has enjoyed its most successful year since it recolonised the UK in 1911, following 25 years of British extinction. Conservationists add that this year’s success is even more remarkable, following the long spell of cold weather earlier in the year, which was known to have … [Read more...] about Bittern numbers increase
Ten years of saving skylarks
The RSPB’s ten year long project at Hope Farm in the Cambridgeshire countryside has been a "bigger success than expected", says the charity. The organisation embarked on the project in 2000 in an attempt to show that a modern commercially-run farm could make a profit and provide habitats for wildlife at the same time. In that time the number of farmland birds at Hope Farm … [Read more...] about Ten years of saving skylarks
Rare birds faring better – RSPB report
Over the last decade, rare birds in the UK have been faring far better than their more common counterparts, according to the latest assessment produced by the UK’s leading conservation organisations. The research shows that almost 60 per cent of the 63 rare birds that breed in the UK have increased over the last ten years compared with only just over one third of common … [Read more...] about Rare birds faring better – RSPB report