Davies Commission Report on Future of Aviation

The Davies Commission into the future of aviation has once again highlighted the environmental destruction an airport in the Thames Estuary would cause. In his report, Sir Howard favours new runways at existing airports with Heathrow ahead of Gatwick. But he has included a second-division level of a new airport on Kent's Hoo Peninsula in the Thames Estuary, which he acknowledges would be both expensive (up to £112 billion) and environmentally damaging.

The RSPB believes that further airport expansion will undermine efforts to reduce our climate impact in the UK and that further scrutiny of an option in the Thames Estuary will lead to it being ruled out completely. The tidal mudflats, saltmarsh and reedbeds that line the estuary are one of the most important wildlife habitats in Europe, home to a rich ecosystem that includes hundreds of thousands of threatened wintering birds. It is designated with the highest environmental protection available.

Sue Armstrong-Brown, RSPB Head of Policy, said: "Every time a spotlight is put on the Thames Estuary as a potential site for an airport it is revealed to be both an environmental disaster and economic lunacy. The more scrutiny put on this proposal the clearer it will be for all concerned that it is a non-starter. However, climate change remains the greatest long-term threat to wildlife. We believe that there should be no further airports in this country until the Government can demonstrate how they can be built and operated without busting our legally binding climate targets".

Time to end Japanese Dolphin hunt cruelty...

Nick Harvey MP has tabled an EDM concerning the hunting and slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Lobby your MP to sign up for this. This horror has to stop. 

Time to end Japanese dolphin hunt cruelty - Nick

nickharveymp.com

Letter to Simon Kirby MP

Dear Mr Kirby

Re: Live exports can be stopped, and the law can be changed.

Recent statistics have revealed that in 2012 over 47,000 young calves and sheep were exported from the UK live on long grueling journeys to fattening farms and slaughterhouses abroad. These journeys cause huge amounts of suffering and are totally unnecessary.

As you may be aware, campaigners have called for amendments to the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act (1847) to allow individual ports in the UK to refuse the export trade in live farm animals. However, the UK Government has taken absolutely no action to stop this cruel trade and instead hides behind EU legislation. Inaction is not an option, while thousands of animals suffer needlessly.

Defra Minister George Eustice has said “Achieving a ban [on live exports] by means of amending national legislation to allow port authorities to restrict trade as they see fit would … be illegal under EU free trade rules.”

It is true that this is a complex area of law, but I believe that the government would have a reasonable argument if it made amendments to the 1847 Act and was challenged under EU law. This case is not as simple as Defra portrays it to be; a court may conclude that no breach of  EU law on free movement is involved in  amending the 1847 Act to enable individual ports to choose not to allow their facilities to be used for live exports. The problem here is lack of political will. 

Examples of earlier court cases which are often cited in defence of inaction are arguably of limited relevance. One was only in relation to UK law*; the other revolved around EU law** but predates the enactment of Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (Lisbon Treaty) which requires the EU and the Member States, in formulating and implementing EU policy on agriculture, transport and the internal market to “pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals”.

The UK Government must act as a leader on live exports and amend the 1847 Act. If they are taken to court they should defend the case as vigorously as possible. The Government must take action to stop this trade in line with public opinion that it is inhumane and unnecessary. 

As my representative in Parliament I would be grateful if you would press for amendments to the 1847 Act. Please write to George Eustice and urge him to reconsider the blanket-view that this legislation cannot be amended. We must stand up for the thousands of animals that face suffering at the hands of this totally unnecessary trade and fight this case in the European Court if necessary. 

Thank you in advance for your time and interest in this matter, which is of great importance to me. I look forward to hearing from you regarding any action you take following my letter.

* R v Dover Harbour Board (ex parte Gilder), R v Associated British Ports ex parte Plymouth City Council

** C - 1/96 R v MAFF ex parte CIWF

Yours sincerely

Michael J Sumner

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

No, it doesn't mean that you have to have a big garden to participate. 'Big' refers to the extraordinary number of people across the UK who do take part over this weekend. All you need to do is set aside one hour, either today or tomorrow, and record which birds and in what numbers, you see in your garden. Then send your record to the RSPB. This approach requires discipline. So, you start at 10:00am; that means you stop recording at 11:00am. You can almost guarantee that a bird you do not have on your list, suddenly appears at 11:10am. No, you mustn't!

So, I started at 9:00am this morning and almost inevitably birds I have been seeing all week decide to disappear or visit someone else's garden during my nominated hour! So, for what it's worth, here is my record for this morning:

10 x Goldfinch
8 x House Sparrow
2 x Blue tit
2 x Woodpigeon
8 x Starling
1 x Dunnock
2 x Feral Pigeon
1 x White Dove

And I haven't seen a Robin or a Blackbird or a Chaffinch or a Greenfinch or a Thrush - all day!

Weather - Forecast or Fantasy

I should not have taken notice of the local weather forecast this morning: 80% chance of rain all day. So, I postponed my visit to Warnham Nature Reserve and busied myself preparing all the garden bird feeders in readiness for the Big Garden Birdwatch that occurs this weekend. And I did all this in the dry - no sign of rain and it is now 12:30pm. I should have stuck to my original plan. Oh well...

I was watched closely by a Robin as I topped up the feeders - the first Robin I have seen this year. And a juvenile Dunnock showed keen interest in the food that finished up on the ground.

And the Goldfinches got stuck into the sunflower seeds as soon as I disappeared indoors.

Meanwhile I shall have lunch and then continue reading the book about Bletchley Park and the wartime code-breakers......

Warnham Nature Reserve, West Sussex

All being well (including the weather) I intend to visit this local nature reserve tomorrow, located to the Northwest of Horsham, West Sussex. A Mealy Redpoll was recorded here today feeding amongst a small flock of Lesser Redpolls. That alone makes it worth a visit. But will these birds still be there tomorrow......?

Birding at Brighton Marina

I took my car for a spring-clean this morning to the carwash at Brighton Marina. As I had 1½ hours to kill I took a stroll along the Marine Parade fronting Brighton Beach, with a pair of trusty Zeiss binoculars. Not much to report on the birding front; this is a spot where my scope would have come in useful for looking out to sea. I did manage to record Cormorant, Turnstone, Pied Wagtail, Black-headed Gull, Meadow Pipit and Herring Gull and what I suspect was an Oystercatcher but too far away for certain.

A cold, sunny morning, a pleasant walk, a few birds and a pristine car. Not bad...

Photos taken with iPhone 5S

Two become Three

Our White Doves are multiplying. This morning we had three visit the bird table. A friend of mine commented that they have twenty-four visit their garden daily. I can envisage the seed bill escalating....

The White Doves of Redvers Road

Forget leucism and albinism. A rather preposterous idea on my part as it turns out. Today, two White Doves appeared on my bird table, the ID confirmed as one of the two was a Fan-tailed White Dove. It does however beg the question - where are they from? White Doves are domesticated, often kept as 'pets'. These two are availing themselves of the ample amount of food available in my garden, much to the disgust of many other local garden birds!

Something of a mystery....

Albino or Leucistic Woodpigeon

A pure white bird landed on my bird table this morning. Pigeon type. At first I thought it was a feral pigeon but it appeared too large, slimmer in appearance with a longer neck. Could this be a leucistic or albino Woodpigeon I wondered. This identification seemed more probable when a regular plumaged Woodpigeon landed on the adjacent fence and I was able to compare the two birds in close proximity to each other.

Everything pointed to Woodpigeon as the correct ID apart from the pure white colour.  Albinism is another genetic condition that can turn a bird's plumage pale but there are distinct differences between albino and leucistic birds. Leucism affects only the bird's feathers and typically only those with melanin pigment - usually dark feathers. A leucistic bird with different colours may show some colours brightly, especially red, orange or yellow, while feathers that should be brown or black are instead pale or white. Some leucistic birds however can lose all the pigment in their feathers and may appear pure white. It's a complex puzzle.

So, leucistic or albino? I really don't know...

   

Celtique Energy want to frack in the South Downs

Will they ever stop? The South Downs National Park - a designated area of outstanding natural beauty - is now the target of frackers.

In December, Celtique Energie applied to drill for gas and oil in Wisborough Green, West Sussex. Now they’re at it again, with a second application to drill in Fernhurst, which is within the South Downs National Park. This is a precursor to a fracking programme which could spread across this treasured landscape for the next 15-20 years.

Drilling for hard-to-reach fossil fuels in the South Downs National Park is madness for the climate, local environment and Sussex communities. It also undermines the growth of the UK’s clean energy industries, which are vital in our fight against climate change.

The iconic white cliffs of the South Downs set it apart from any other national park in Britain. The South Downs National Park Authority are responsible for its care, and on their website promise to act in the “interests of the people who live and work within it.” Let’s ensure they do that, by saying no to fracking.

Read more and launch your objection here:

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/don%E2%80%99t-let-them-drill-south-downs-20140113?&utm_medium=email&utm_source=gpeace&utm_content=2+-+Click+to+tell+the+South+Downs+National+P&utm_campaign=fracking&source=fracking 

The Secret Life of Bletchley Park

This book has been in my 'unread' collection for a while but watching 'The Bletchley Circle' on ITV has stimulated a desire to bring this book to the front of the queue. Written by Sinclair McKay it tells the factual story of the WWII code-breaking centre and the men and women who worked there. Bletchley Park's cracking of the Enigma code was one of the greatest achievements of the war. This book reveals the stories, for the first time, of the ordinary men and women who made it happen. The Mail on Sunday said: "An eloquent tribute to a quite remarkable group of men and women, whose like we will not see again".

I will post my own review when I have finished reading....

Entry Island by Peter May

Entry Island by Peter May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wondered how Peter May could possibly follow his magnificent Lewis trilogy. I might have known that this master of suspense would not disappoint. 'Entry Island' is a complex story that fills 535 pages, a broad canvas of compelling narrative that stretches from the Highland Clearances of the mid 19th century to present day Canada, Quebec and the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St Lawrence. Detective Sime Mackenzie is summoned to join an eight-officer investigation team to investigate what appears to be little more than a formality; a crime of passion on Entry Island. Haunted by his past, his insomnia dominates his life as he struggles to come to terms with what haunts him. The tale switches with great finesse from his ancestral past and his present struggle to recognise his destiny. I cannot say more for the sake of spoiling a novel of supreme accomplishment that encompasses a desire to find out who we really are. A stunning mystery. Highly recommended.

View all my reviews

Don't Cull, say Trusts

While the first badger culls have been carried out in Somerset and Gloucestershire, The Wildlife Trusts continue to vaccinate badgers on their nature reserves and, with farmers, on surrounding land.

The cull, claimed to be the best way to reduce TB in cattle (bTB), is opposed by wildlife organisations, scientists and the public. More than 300,000 people supported a government e-petition against culling. Although sympathetic with farmers, The Wildlife Trusts are firmly against the cull and will not allow culling on their land.

Two years ago Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust began to vaccinate badgers in high bTB risk areas to demonstrate its practicality. There are now 13 Trusts either vaccinating badgers or raising funds to do so. Some are vaccinating in the zone between high and low risk areas - the 'firewall' approach.

They will continue to press for greater emphasis on badger vaccination. But the long-term goal is the development of a cattle vaccine alongside other measures to reduce bTB such as improved farm biosecurity, restrictions on livestock movements and breeding genetic resistance in cattle.

For the latest news and to donate to vaccination projects visit
wildlifetrusts.org/badgers-and-bovineTB  

Barn Owls dying from Rat Poison

The barn owl used to be a common sight in the United Kingdom, but now the birds have become increasingly endangered. One of the biggest causes of barn owl deaths is rat poison - and the government isn’t doing everything it could to help them.

To get rid of rats throughout the United Kingdom, farmers and civil servants frequently use rodenticide. But the rats aren't the only animals who suffer: animals that eat rats, including barn owls, are also poisoned. In 2010, 91% of the dead barn owls in a contaminated area had been exposed to rat poison, and that number just keeps growing.

Kestrels, red kites and other birds of prey have also died in huge numbers from ingesting rat poison.

These poisons should be used as a last resort, not first choice, and they should only be used by licensed, trained pest control officers. DEFRA, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs should introduce proper regulation on rodent poisons - before it’s too late to save barn owls.

Although not yet fully quantified, poisoning may well be the number one threat to the species.