Birding247.co.uk
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    • Gear, Tech & Books >
      • Five things to look for when purchasing a bird nest box
      • Country Innovation launches new RSPB Avocet jackets
      • Walkstool - a Swedish three-legged stool invention that's ideal for birding
      • KITE Optics expand their SP range with compact 65mm model
      • SWAROVSKI OPTIK release PA-i8 digiscoping adapter for iPhone 8 owners
      • BirdSpotter - what it does & why should you use it
      • First Look at the popular field pouch from Country Innovation
      • SWAROVSKI OPTIK to launch brand new BTX binocular spotting scope at some of UK's most popular nature reserves
      • First Look: new Raptor smock and trousers from Country Innovation
      • Steiner launch new Observer series Binoculars with 10 year warranty
      • Swarovski launches new EL family of Binoculars
      • Swarovski Optik launches new digiscoping adapter for the iPhone 6
      • First Look: Country Innovation's New Raptor (15 Pocket) Waistcoat
      • Swarovski Optik launches new CL Companion Africa range of binoculars
      • Field test: New Vanguard Endeavor ED II series 8x42 binoculars
      • Insightful new book details climate change impacts, extinction risks of global bird populations and conservation responses
      • First look: new Steiner SkyHawk 3.0 8x32 binoculars
      • Swarovski Optik and World Land Trust announce new ranger programme partnership
      • New range of BUFF® multifunctional headwear designed for birdwatchers by wildlife artist Jane Smith
      • Just in: New edition of classic handbook, released to celebrate 125 years of the RSPB
      • The latest innovation from Swarovski Optik will allow a new perspective in smartphone photography
      • New Vortex Viper HD 12x50 Roof Prism Binoculars arrive in the UK
      • Swarovski Optik launches new range of compact CL pocket binoculars
      • Swarovski Optik prepares to unveil new SLC binocular range in October
      • First Look: Country Innovation's Rover Jacket
    • Rarities & Conservation >
      • Bald eagle rescued after developing huge ball of ice on his tail
      • Swifts are in trouble... here's how you can help them
      • Hen harrier named 'River' disappears in suspicious circumstances over North Yorkshire
      • History made as world’s rarest bird released into the wild
      • Take a walk with penguins in immersive 3D short film experience
      • Which penguin species will be most affected by climate change?
      • Figures released reveal 2018 has been the most successful year for Britain's tallest bird - the common crane - since the 17th century
      • New report says grouse moor regulation is vital to ending illegal killing of Scotland's Birds of Prey
      • Bitterns breed on Isle of Wight for first time ever
      • New report finds a third of Welsh birds are in decline
      • Proposal to allow legal killing of barnacle geese has been rejected!
      • If a proposal by Norway to the EU is adopted, it will soon become legal to kill wild barnacle geese in the UK
      • European storm petrel chick has been recorded calling on the Shiant Isles for the very first time
      • Spoon-billed sandpiper reared by a WWT conservationist in Russia was sighted by a friend over 3,000 miles away in China just weeks later
      • Project to create Europe’s first solar-powered flamingo house and boost breeding conditions wins funding bid through public vote
      • National Lottery award £4.1m grant to support transformation of WWT Slimbridge
      • British charity urges support for Vulture and Birds of Prey Conservation Projects in Bulgaria, India and South Africa
      • New behaviour seen in rare wading birds
      • British film stars lead support for first ever lone female expedition to save Europe's smallest swans
      • Murky past of Britain’s rarest duck revealed by Big Ben - a giant sediment corer...
      • Spoon-billed Sandpiper team recognised for innovative ornithology
      • New figures reveal UK's smallest and rarest Swan suffers alarming crash in numbers
      • Autumn migration: Swallow in focus
      • First ever Spoon-billed Sandpiper chick hatches in the wild by a hand-reared bird
      • Seabirds on autumn passage: Little Gull in focus
      • First ever study of the world’s rarest bird has revealed that 96% of its chicks die before fledging - new wetland home needed
      • Open debate hosted by World Land Trust and Chris Packham to tackle controversial subject of hunting and its impact on conservation
      • Critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper gets renewed support from Leica Camera AG
      • 16 young Great Crane chicks graduate from last ever school class
      • World bird news: first hand-reared Spoon-billed Sandpiper returns to breed in Chukotka, Russia
      • Cranes are like buses, you wait 400 years and then two come along at once!
      • Recently-hatched Crane chicks give conservationists fresh hope about seeing a new generation of wild Cranes in the west of Britain
      • World Land Trust and Sir David Attenborough celebrate 25 years of successful conservation projects at the BAFTA theatre, London
      • Rare Rufous Owl sightings in Australia's Northern Territory delights birders with their return
      • Rare hand-reared Spoon-billed Sandpiper spotted after flying quarter-way round the world
      • New hope for two of the most world's most threatened birds, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann's Greenshank
      • Researchers from WWT using Facebook style 'Likes' to record Flamingo data
      • New species of Tailorbird discovered in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh
      • Spoon-billed Sandpipers gain much-needed financial help from Leica Camera AG
      • Twenty critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper chicks hatch under expert care in the Russian Far East.
    • Phonescoping & Digiscoping >
      • DIGISCOPING SERIES: watch Kowa's powerful 'System' in action
      • Paul Hackett Phonescoping: ​Juvenile Eurasian Bittern, RSPB Lakenheath Suffolk UK 🇬🇧 July 2018
      • Update for Digiscoper of the Year by SWAROVSKI OPTIK: 13th edition
      • PhoneSkope's new C-4 Universal Mini Adapter arrives in UK
      • Digiscoping Tutorials
      • Digiscoping Gear
      • Digiscoping Top 10's
    • BTO >
      • Britain's owls need twenty minutes of your time this winter
      • Wading birds are benefiting from conservation action
      • Bird Photographer of the Year 2018 winners announced
      • BTO fits 10 Cuckoos with tiny satellite tags in a bid to follow them back to their wintering grounds in central africa
      • Bullfinches are flourishing in Britain's gardens according to the BTO's garden birdwatch survey
      • On eve of world migratory bird day - survey celebrates platinum anniversary
      • New report states many rare UK breeding bird species are already being affected by climate change
      • Next Generation Birders and the BTO are running a competition to find Spurn Bird Observatory's young birder of the year
      • UK bird populations benefitting from innovative partnerships between conservation organisations and corporate industries
      • Nature alert: nearly one-in-five bird species in Europe is at risk of extinction
      • Decades of data analysed to establish breeding movement change
      • New BTO BirdTrends report says twenty-eight UK species have exhibited a fall in numbers of greater than 50% over the last 35-45 years
      • Unusual weather in 2014 prompting the question: what will the winter hold for our garden birds?
      • Latest Breeding Bird Survey annual report reveals all three UK breeding wagtail species are in long-term decline
      • Latest data collected by thousands of Wetland Bird Survey volunteers show that populations of the UK’s most familiar coastal waders have declined markedly in the last ten years
      • Chris the Cuckoo sets off on another Congo adventure, waves goodbye to Britain for the fourth time - follow his progress...
      • People power: New survey launches to learn more about the intelligence of our garden Rooks
      • Record breaking birds: remarkable Buzzard clocks out at 28 years, 1 month and 11 days - more than double the species' usual lifespan
      • Fifteen satellite-tagged Cuckoo's will take to the skies in a bid to tackle their worrying decline
      • Summer bird feeding tips from the BTO
      • UK Scientists hold their breath for the return of a very special Cuckoo
      • New study demonstrates that climate change alters natural relationships between bird species
      • All of Britain and Ireland’s birds mapped digitally for the first time ever
      • What a difference a year makes; early nesting in 2014
      • Dedicated birders receive special recognition after counting birds for twenty years in the name of science
      • Garden BirdWatch results just in, revealing a roller coaster 2013...
      • Record numbers of British Puffins caught up in recent Bay of Biscay storms - outlook not good...
      • Early breeders bring major cause for concern as numbers fall rapidly
      • Why putting up a nest box is one of the best things you can do for bird research
      • BTO announce Chris Packham as their new President for the next four years
      • Where are all the thrushes?
      • Nesting birds take inspiration from the swinging sixties after cold spring
      • The Marsh Award for Ornithology presented to Dr Jane Reid
      • UK’s internationally important seabird populations are being affected by fishing activities in the North Sea
      • Bird Atlas 2007–11: hugely ambitious volunteer project throws up some startling results
      • New research provides strong evidence on how climate change is affecting British birds
      • Latest results from BTO's small army of garden birdwatchers spells problems for Collared Doves, Greenfinches and Starlings
      • Reduction in garden pesticide use and changes in farming practices stabilising our House Sparrow numbers
      • Changing fortunes for Britain's winter birds
      • Where have all your Blackbirds gone?
      • All change in the finch family; Siskins and Lesser Redpolls increase while Greenfinches decline
      • More food in spring brings earlier egg laying and increased productivity for Great Spotted Woodpecker
      • Where on Earth do British House Martins go?
      • How did the 2012 downpours affect nesting in garden birds and what will the rest of 2013 hold?
      • Garden birds indicate widespread failure in seed crops of various trees
      • Cuckoo's are on their way back - so its hello BST!
      • Green gauge: twice as many Siskins as normal are currently visiting the nation’s gardens.
      • Give a bird a home for National Nest Box Week 14-21 February 2013
      • Farming in the tropics: how can both food production and biodiversity be maximised?
      • Citizen Scientists reveal how snow brings birds into gardens
      • Latest Sightings: BTO's Garden Blackcap Survey
    • RSPB >
      • The UK’s second rarest breeding seabird, the little tern, benefits from nest site protection at vulnerable beach sites
      • Lake District nature reserve awarded grant for woodland creation
      • Albatross-eating mice responsible for two million fewer seabird chicks on UK island each year
      • RSPB’s Birdcrime report reveals 68 confirmed incidents of bird of prey persecution in the UK during 2017, but many illegal killings are going undetected or unreported
      • Arctic skuas could become extinct as a breeding species in the UK according to a new study
      • Nightjars breeding at RSPB HQ for first time in 45 years
      • We take a closer look at the south coast RSPB reserve which attracted the American Royal tern - Pagham Harbour
      • HD Video: White-tailed Eagle chick has successfully hatched in Orkney for the first time in 140 years
      • Rare Black-tailed Godwit eggs hatch after being saved from Spring flooding
      • Three more satellite-tagged hen harriers have disappeared in suspicious circumstances
      • First RSPB record of bittern booming on Isle of Wight
      • Rescue effort saves rare black-tailed godwit eggs after spring flooding
      • Male Osprey at Bassenthwaite lake adding flowers to his nest to impress new mate
      • Have you seen a Hen Harrier? RSPB reboots Bird of Prey hotline
      • Reintroduction project celebrates flight of first wild White-tailed Sea Eagle chick
      • Rare birds suffer as the effects of an exceptionally late spring take hold
      • Robins, not Nightingales, are the mystery evening songsters
    • Nature Reserves >
      • Get your 2019 off to a flying start with a visit to one of these five marvellous nature reserves on New Year's Day
      • Video from the annual ‘swanfall’ at WWT Slimbridge
      • The annual ‘swanfall’ at WWT Slimbridge has kicked off with a flurry of Bewick’s swans checking in for the winter
      • Winter owls! Plan your trip with Birding24/7's six best places to watch owls this winter
      • Starling spectacular!
      • Common Crane breeds for the first time at WWT Welney Wetland Centre
      • London Wetland Centre provides success story as European nature declines overall
      • Video series highlights - boom time for wetland birding as highest ever Shoveler numbers are recorded at WWT Slimbridge
      • Visitors expected to flock to WWT Slimbridge to see work of famous Flamingo artist, Jeremy Houghton
      • Video series - weekly wildlife round-up from WWT Slimbridge
      • Power line research to reduce risks for tens of thousands of swans and geese
      • Wildlife enthusiasts offered a piece of conservation history
      • Top 20 birdwatching Highland highlights
    • Wildlife & Insects >
      • Please feed your garden birds this Christmas - but not with turkey fat
      • The Wildlife Trusts have condemned HS2's phase 2B draft environmental statement - saying the impact on wild plants and animals will be absolutely devastating
      • Advice and top tips to improve your garden birds chances of survival this winter
      • Record breaking number of Pink-footed Geese arrive at Lancashire reserve
      • The WWT’s entire history of scientific publishing is now available online to all waterbird and conservation enthusiasts, dating back to 1947
      • Britain’s biggest public-led investigation into the health of native wildlife begins
      • Spectacular results for British garden butterflies after fantastic summer
      • Otter snapped by camera trap at Steart marshes for first time
      • Wetlands futures conference to address flooding and drought
      • Columbian golden poison frog's being reared in cups of redbush tea by WWT
    • Tours & Events >
      • European Bird Tours >
        • Short bird tour - experience the delights of the Black Forest and Lake Constance
        • Birdwatching in the Algarve
      • Birdfair 2013 - Destination Hotspots
  • WOF 2019
  • MARKETPLACE
    • Optics Specials
  • EDITOR'S CHOICE
  • NEWS, FEATURES & REVIEWS
    • Gear, Tech & Books >
      • Five things to look for when purchasing a bird nest box
      • Country Innovation launches new RSPB Avocet jackets
      • Walkstool - a Swedish three-legged stool invention that's ideal for birding
      • KITE Optics expand their SP range with compact 65mm model
      • SWAROVSKI OPTIK release PA-i8 digiscoping adapter for iPhone 8 owners
      • BirdSpotter - what it does & why should you use it
      • First Look at the popular field pouch from Country Innovation
      • SWAROVSKI OPTIK to launch brand new BTX binocular spotting scope at some of UK's most popular nature reserves
      • First Look: new Raptor smock and trousers from Country Innovation
      • Steiner launch new Observer series Binoculars with 10 year warranty
      • Swarovski launches new EL family of Binoculars
      • Swarovski Optik launches new digiscoping adapter for the iPhone 6
      • First Look: Country Innovation's New Raptor (15 Pocket) Waistcoat
      • Swarovski Optik launches new CL Companion Africa range of binoculars
      • Field test: New Vanguard Endeavor ED II series 8x42 binoculars
      • Insightful new book details climate change impacts, extinction risks of global bird populations and conservation responses
      • First look: new Steiner SkyHawk 3.0 8x32 binoculars
      • Swarovski Optik and World Land Trust announce new ranger programme partnership
      • New range of BUFF® multifunctional headwear designed for birdwatchers by wildlife artist Jane Smith
      • Just in: New edition of classic handbook, released to celebrate 125 years of the RSPB
      • The latest innovation from Swarovski Optik will allow a new perspective in smartphone photography
      • New Vortex Viper HD 12x50 Roof Prism Binoculars arrive in the UK
      • Swarovski Optik launches new range of compact CL pocket binoculars
      • Swarovski Optik prepares to unveil new SLC binocular range in October
      • First Look: Country Innovation's Rover Jacket
    • Rarities & Conservation >
      • Bald eagle rescued after developing huge ball of ice on his tail
      • Swifts are in trouble... here's how you can help them
      • Hen harrier named 'River' disappears in suspicious circumstances over North Yorkshire
      • History made as world’s rarest bird released into the wild
      • Take a walk with penguins in immersive 3D short film experience
      • Which penguin species will be most affected by climate change?
      • Figures released reveal 2018 has been the most successful year for Britain's tallest bird - the common crane - since the 17th century
      • New report says grouse moor regulation is vital to ending illegal killing of Scotland's Birds of Prey
      • Bitterns breed on Isle of Wight for first time ever
      • New report finds a third of Welsh birds are in decline
      • Proposal to allow legal killing of barnacle geese has been rejected!
      • If a proposal by Norway to the EU is adopted, it will soon become legal to kill wild barnacle geese in the UK
      • European storm petrel chick has been recorded calling on the Shiant Isles for the very first time
      • Spoon-billed sandpiper reared by a WWT conservationist in Russia was sighted by a friend over 3,000 miles away in China just weeks later
      • Project to create Europe’s first solar-powered flamingo house and boost breeding conditions wins funding bid through public vote
      • National Lottery award £4.1m grant to support transformation of WWT Slimbridge
      • British charity urges support for Vulture and Birds of Prey Conservation Projects in Bulgaria, India and South Africa
      • New behaviour seen in rare wading birds
      • British film stars lead support for first ever lone female expedition to save Europe's smallest swans
      • Murky past of Britain’s rarest duck revealed by Big Ben - a giant sediment corer...
      • Spoon-billed Sandpiper team recognised for innovative ornithology
      • New figures reveal UK's smallest and rarest Swan suffers alarming crash in numbers
      • Autumn migration: Swallow in focus
      • First ever Spoon-billed Sandpiper chick hatches in the wild by a hand-reared bird
      • Seabirds on autumn passage: Little Gull in focus
      • First ever study of the world’s rarest bird has revealed that 96% of its chicks die before fledging - new wetland home needed
      • Open debate hosted by World Land Trust and Chris Packham to tackle controversial subject of hunting and its impact on conservation
      • Critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper gets renewed support from Leica Camera AG
      • 16 young Great Crane chicks graduate from last ever school class
      • World bird news: first hand-reared Spoon-billed Sandpiper returns to breed in Chukotka, Russia
      • Cranes are like buses, you wait 400 years and then two come along at once!
      • Recently-hatched Crane chicks give conservationists fresh hope about seeing a new generation of wild Cranes in the west of Britain
      • World Land Trust and Sir David Attenborough celebrate 25 years of successful conservation projects at the BAFTA theatre, London
      • Rare Rufous Owl sightings in Australia's Northern Territory delights birders with their return
      • Rare hand-reared Spoon-billed Sandpiper spotted after flying quarter-way round the world
      • New hope for two of the most world's most threatened birds, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann's Greenshank
      • Researchers from WWT using Facebook style 'Likes' to record Flamingo data
      • New species of Tailorbird discovered in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh
      • Spoon-billed Sandpipers gain much-needed financial help from Leica Camera AG
      • Twenty critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper chicks hatch under expert care in the Russian Far East.
    • Phonescoping & Digiscoping >
      • DIGISCOPING SERIES: watch Kowa's powerful 'System' in action
      • Paul Hackett Phonescoping: ​Juvenile Eurasian Bittern, RSPB Lakenheath Suffolk UK 🇬🇧 July 2018
      • Update for Digiscoper of the Year by SWAROVSKI OPTIK: 13th edition
      • PhoneSkope's new C-4 Universal Mini Adapter arrives in UK
      • Digiscoping Tutorials
      • Digiscoping Gear
      • Digiscoping Top 10's
    • BTO >
      • Britain's owls need twenty minutes of your time this winter
      • Wading birds are benefiting from conservation action
      • Bird Photographer of the Year 2018 winners announced
      • BTO fits 10 Cuckoos with tiny satellite tags in a bid to follow them back to their wintering grounds in central africa
      • Bullfinches are flourishing in Britain's gardens according to the BTO's garden birdwatch survey
      • On eve of world migratory bird day - survey celebrates platinum anniversary
      • New report states many rare UK breeding bird species are already being affected by climate change
      • Next Generation Birders and the BTO are running a competition to find Spurn Bird Observatory's young birder of the year
      • UK bird populations benefitting from innovative partnerships between conservation organisations and corporate industries
      • Nature alert: nearly one-in-five bird species in Europe is at risk of extinction
      • Decades of data analysed to establish breeding movement change
      • New BTO BirdTrends report says twenty-eight UK species have exhibited a fall in numbers of greater than 50% over the last 35-45 years
      • Unusual weather in 2014 prompting the question: what will the winter hold for our garden birds?
      • Latest Breeding Bird Survey annual report reveals all three UK breeding wagtail species are in long-term decline
      • Latest data collected by thousands of Wetland Bird Survey volunteers show that populations of the UK’s most familiar coastal waders have declined markedly in the last ten years
      • Chris the Cuckoo sets off on another Congo adventure, waves goodbye to Britain for the fourth time - follow his progress...
      • People power: New survey launches to learn more about the intelligence of our garden Rooks
      • Record breaking birds: remarkable Buzzard clocks out at 28 years, 1 month and 11 days - more than double the species' usual lifespan
      • Fifteen satellite-tagged Cuckoo's will take to the skies in a bid to tackle their worrying decline
      • Summer bird feeding tips from the BTO
      • UK Scientists hold their breath for the return of a very special Cuckoo
      • New study demonstrates that climate change alters natural relationships between bird species
      • All of Britain and Ireland’s birds mapped digitally for the first time ever
      • What a difference a year makes; early nesting in 2014
      • Dedicated birders receive special recognition after counting birds for twenty years in the name of science
      • Garden BirdWatch results just in, revealing a roller coaster 2013...
      • Record numbers of British Puffins caught up in recent Bay of Biscay storms - outlook not good...
      • Early breeders bring major cause for concern as numbers fall rapidly
      • Why putting up a nest box is one of the best things you can do for bird research
      • BTO announce Chris Packham as their new President for the next four years
      • Where are all the thrushes?
      • Nesting birds take inspiration from the swinging sixties after cold spring
      • The Marsh Award for Ornithology presented to Dr Jane Reid
      • UK’s internationally important seabird populations are being affected by fishing activities in the North Sea
      • Bird Atlas 2007–11: hugely ambitious volunteer project throws up some startling results
      • New research provides strong evidence on how climate change is affecting British birds
      • Latest results from BTO's small army of garden birdwatchers spells problems for Collared Doves, Greenfinches and Starlings
      • Reduction in garden pesticide use and changes in farming practices stabilising our House Sparrow numbers
      • Changing fortunes for Britain's winter birds
      • Where have all your Blackbirds gone?
      • All change in the finch family; Siskins and Lesser Redpolls increase while Greenfinches decline
      • More food in spring brings earlier egg laying and increased productivity for Great Spotted Woodpecker
      • Where on Earth do British House Martins go?
      • How did the 2012 downpours affect nesting in garden birds and what will the rest of 2013 hold?
      • Garden birds indicate widespread failure in seed crops of various trees
      • Cuckoo's are on their way back - so its hello BST!
      • Green gauge: twice as many Siskins as normal are currently visiting the nation’s gardens.
      • Give a bird a home for National Nest Box Week 14-21 February 2013
      • Farming in the tropics: how can both food production and biodiversity be maximised?
      • Citizen Scientists reveal how snow brings birds into gardens
      • Latest Sightings: BTO's Garden Blackcap Survey
    • RSPB >
      • The UK’s second rarest breeding seabird, the little tern, benefits from nest site protection at vulnerable beach sites
      • Lake District nature reserve awarded grant for woodland creation
      • Albatross-eating mice responsible for two million fewer seabird chicks on UK island each year
      • RSPB’s Birdcrime report reveals 68 confirmed incidents of bird of prey persecution in the UK during 2017, but many illegal killings are going undetected or unreported
      • Arctic skuas could become extinct as a breeding species in the UK according to a new study
      • Nightjars breeding at RSPB HQ for first time in 45 years
      • We take a closer look at the south coast RSPB reserve which attracted the American Royal tern - Pagham Harbour
      • HD Video: White-tailed Eagle chick has successfully hatched in Orkney for the first time in 140 years
      • Rare Black-tailed Godwit eggs hatch after being saved from Spring flooding
      • Three more satellite-tagged hen harriers have disappeared in suspicious circumstances
      • First RSPB record of bittern booming on Isle of Wight
      • Rescue effort saves rare black-tailed godwit eggs after spring flooding
      • Male Osprey at Bassenthwaite lake adding flowers to his nest to impress new mate
      • Have you seen a Hen Harrier? RSPB reboots Bird of Prey hotline
      • Reintroduction project celebrates flight of first wild White-tailed Sea Eagle chick
      • Rare birds suffer as the effects of an exceptionally late spring take hold
      • Robins, not Nightingales, are the mystery evening songsters
    • Nature Reserves >
      • Get your 2019 off to a flying start with a visit to one of these five marvellous nature reserves on New Year's Day
      • Video from the annual ‘swanfall’ at WWT Slimbridge
      • The annual ‘swanfall’ at WWT Slimbridge has kicked off with a flurry of Bewick’s swans checking in for the winter
      • Winter owls! Plan your trip with Birding24/7's six best places to watch owls this winter
      • Starling spectacular!
      • Common Crane breeds for the first time at WWT Welney Wetland Centre
      • London Wetland Centre provides success story as European nature declines overall
      • Video series highlights - boom time for wetland birding as highest ever Shoveler numbers are recorded at WWT Slimbridge
      • Visitors expected to flock to WWT Slimbridge to see work of famous Flamingo artist, Jeremy Houghton
      • Video series - weekly wildlife round-up from WWT Slimbridge
      • Power line research to reduce risks for tens of thousands of swans and geese
      • Wildlife enthusiasts offered a piece of conservation history
      • Top 20 birdwatching Highland highlights
    • Wildlife & Insects >
      • Please feed your garden birds this Christmas - but not with turkey fat
      • The Wildlife Trusts have condemned HS2's phase 2B draft environmental statement - saying the impact on wild plants and animals will be absolutely devastating
      • Advice and top tips to improve your garden birds chances of survival this winter
      • Record breaking number of Pink-footed Geese arrive at Lancashire reserve
      • The WWT’s entire history of scientific publishing is now available online to all waterbird and conservation enthusiasts, dating back to 1947
      • Britain’s biggest public-led investigation into the health of native wildlife begins
      • Spectacular results for British garden butterflies after fantastic summer
      • Otter snapped by camera trap at Steart marshes for first time
      • Wetlands futures conference to address flooding and drought
      • Columbian golden poison frog's being reared in cups of redbush tea by WWT
    • Tours & Events >
      • European Bird Tours >
        • Short bird tour - experience the delights of the Black Forest and Lake Constance
        • Birdwatching in the Algarve
      • Birdfair 2013 - Destination Hotspots
  • WOF 2019
  • MARKETPLACE
    • Optics Specials
Picture
Advertisement

If a proposal by Norway to the EU is adopted, it will soon become legal to kill wild barnacle geese in the UK

'This week, an important decision will be made that will affect the future conservation of the barnacle goose. The barnacle goose is currently afforded special protection across Europe because it is listed on Appendix II of the Bern Convention, an agreement on the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats in Europe and parts of Africa.' - WWT’s Director of Conservation, James Robinson

26 November 2018
Picture
Barnacle goose
If a proposal by Norway to the EU is adopted, it will soon become legal to kill wild barnacle geese in the UK

​The reason being put forward is that the species has increased enough through conservation efforts to stop it sliding towards extinction. UK numbers of Svalbard barnacle geese have risen from possibly just 100s in the 1940s to 42,000 today.
 
Key to this success story, has been organisations such as WWT. They provided scientific research to make the case for legal protection, and since 1970 have given the Svalbard population safe wintering sanctuary at the Caerlaverock Wetland Centre.
 
The current listing allows for limited numbers of “barnies” to be shot where there is significant risk to farmers’ crops or air safety. It also allows for limited bags of species to be shot in a sustainable way that adapts to ebbs and flows in species population changes.
 
The WWT believes this current listing is enough to handle any conflicts and complements the strict protection offered by the Birds Directive within the European Union.
 
They have rescued barnacle geese from near-extinction in the UK and we don’t know yet whether the current number is naturally low, high or sustainable. So putting “barnies” on quarry lists could destroy decades of good work and put them right back at risk again.
 
With the specific details, here’s WWT’s Director of Conservation James Robinson: “This week, an important decision will be made that will affect the future conservation of the barnacle goose. The barnacle goose is currently afforded special protection across Europe because it is listed on Appendix II of the Bern Convention, an agreement on the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats in Europe and parts of Africa.
 
“We know that there is a proposal from the Norwegians to change the status of Barnacle Goose within the Bern Convention, moving it from Appendix II to Appendix III which would reduce the level of protection. This proposal will be discussed at the Standing Committee in Strasbourg this week. We understand that the Council of the European Union are also supporting this downgrade in protection.
 
“The Barnacle Goose was listed on Appendix II at a time when the species was threatened. Although the overall numbers of barnacle geese have increased rapidly across Europe since then, WWT does not see the need to change the listing of the species at this time. Existing exemptions, as set out under Article 9 of the Bern Convention, provide adequately for regulated management where significant conflict with agriculture or air safety is identified. We understand this is sometimes necessary.
 
“In addition, another international agreement, the African–Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) is planning to create adaptive management plans for the separate populations of Barnacle Geese, some of which remain small compared to other goose populations.
 
“WWT has no objection to adaptive management if certain strict conditions are met to ensure the conservation status of the target species/population is not compromised. But the downgrading of the barnacle goose within the Bern Convention appears to be knee-jerk reaction for which the consequences for the geese that visit the UK, including those that benefit from protection at our WWT Caerlaverock nature reserve, are not known.
 
“We have expressed our concerns to Defra, who will be attending the Standing Committee, and the AEWA Secretariat. We hope the Standing Committee sees sense and gives the evidence-based approach to goose management a chance.”
Picture
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