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Welcome
In this issue, we celebrate a remarkable comeback – the return of the White-tailed Eagle. The success of these magnificent birds on the Isle of Mull is largely due to the efforts of our recently retired colleague Dave Sexton. After 21 years on Mull monitoring nests and working closely with local people to give the eagles a flying start, Dave, now an RSPB Ambassador, looks back at the history of the raptor’s return (p18).
Chantal MacLeod-Nolan writes about some incredible landscape-scale work taking place on England’s east coast (p70). Here, new and restored islands and marshes host Little Terns, Redshanks, Ringed Plovers and a wealth of other birds and wildlife.
The illegal killing of wildlife continues to present a significant problem across the UK. Heather Mathieson explains the work of the RSPB’s Investigations team, set up to halt the persecution of birds of prey (p29).
And we visit wonderful Rathlin Island with writer Sarah Hardy (p48). This haven for nesting seabirds has recently seen the return of Corncrakes thanks to ongoing conservation work, while other wildlife is getting a boost from the LIFE Raft project.
None of this would happen without you, and the support that your membership gives the RSPB. Thank you. We hope you enjoy reading the magazine.
Jamie Wyver Editor
Protecting habitats, saving species and helping to end the nature and climate emergency.
Beccy Speight
A rightful place in the skies
Beccy Speight has been the RSPB’s Chief Executive since 2019 and has led the organisation through some of nature’s most urgent challenges.
@beccyRSPB
Several years ago, I visited a Neolithic tomb on South Ronaldsay in Orkney. The remains of more than 300 prehistoric islanders were interred there, marking this as an important place for the former residents. Placed alongside the human remains were the bones of several White-tailed Eagles. We can only guess the reason, but I think it is safe to assume that these magnificent birds were culturally significant to these ancient people.
Birds of prey feature throughout human history, in our art, literature and even the names of our sports teams. But they have fared less well in modern times. In the UK, they were at their lowest ebb during the last century, but through legal protection and targeted conservation work many species have now returned to our skies. I still get a thrill seeing a Red Kite or Buzzard, recalling how rare these birds were in my childhood.
White-tailed Eagles perfectly encapsulate this change in fortune, from extinction as a breeding species to the start of the reintroduction programme half a century ago. And they have again become part of our culture, nowhere more so than on the Isle of Mull, where they have added significantly to the local economy. The tourist pound has been considerable, and my own visit last year was topped by an eagle snatching a fish from the water next to our boat. There are still some tensions to manage with sheep farmers
‘Birds of prey have been at the heart of the RSPB’s work for as long as it has existed, and we remain committed to those species still in need of our help’
as these apex predators return, but with recent introductions to the Isle of Wight and other areas now under consideration, this species is being restored to its rightful place in our skies and is here to stay.
Birds of prey have been at the heart of the RSPB’s work for as long as it has existed and we remain committed to those species still in need of our help. Illegal persecution remains an issue and, for species such as the Hen Harrier and Golden Eagle, is why populations are yet to recover to former levels.
Despite legal protection, birds of prey are still being routinely shot, trapped and poisoned. Our Investigations team are at the heart of this work, and in this issue you can read about the most recent Birdcrime report. It shows that between 2009 and 2023, the team recorded more than 1,500 incidents involving the illegal persecution of at least 1,344 birds of prey. The majority of these are associated with land managed for gamebird shooting where some individuals are targeting birds of prey to try to maximise the number of gamebirds available to shoot for sport and profit. We know that these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg but change is coming, albeit slowly, and we continue to fight for the necessary laws that will accelerate the changes needed.
Stricter and better-enforced legislation can and will be the catalyst for struggling species, but it is only through protecting and restoring our land and seas at scale that our wildlife can have a long-term future. We are leading by example at Geltsdale in Cumbria, where our recent land purchase makes this our largest reserve in England. But, across the UK, we need to integrate nature and climate action from the start of all our decisions – economic and societal. This will not only save money and time, it will also ensure that our growth and development as a country is achieved without destroying the natural systems we all depend on and the nature we all love.
This season
10 Wildlife challenge: three butterflies for you to find as spring turns to summer
11 Designed by nature: what makes birds erupt into song at dawn?
12 Photography: Ben Andrew shares how photographing nature can bring you joy
13 Nature notes: Nicola Chester on passing on a love of nature, and a will to save it
15 Tiny & wild: which species thrive among the blooms of Bluebell woods?
Comment
05 Beccy Speight: discover why birds of prey are at the heart of RSPB work
27 Simon Barnes: a very special thank you letter... to cows!
76 David Lindo: on saving Swifts in cities
Action for nature
38 Places: RSPB nature reserves grow
44 Policy: putting renewable energy on the agenda
46 Science: the results of the latest Big Garden Birdwatch
Features
18 Wildlife: celebrating 50 years since the White-tailed Eagle’s return to the UK
29 Bigger picture: in the 15th year of the Birdcrime report, why is persecution still such a huge issue for birds of prey?
36 Your membership: get more from your membership with our digital experience
48 Our places: meet the wild characters of RSPB Rathlin Island on this whirlwind tour
70 Our work: how the RSPB is growing a network of connected wetlands, thanks to your support
82 Takeouts: three things to think about and do after reading this issue
Together for nature
55 Your stories: the couple saving seabirds
56 Your say: your letters and stories
58 Your photos: share your most amazing wildlife pictures with us
60 Your gardens: James has turned his family garden into a paradise for nature
64 Your questions: The RSPB answers your wildlife queries and species ID mysteries
page 18, read the extraordinary comeback story of the White-tailed
in the UK.
On
Eagle
Photo: Rodney Wilson (Alamy Stock Photo)
How the RSPB is building a vast habitat that works for nature
This season
What to see in nature | Great days out | Ways to help wildlife
Species New life
Just hours after struggling forth from its egg, the Curlew chick wobbles up on its gangly legs. It will feed itself for five weeks, closely guarded by its parents, until it can fly.
Curlew chicks have become a rare sight in the UK. Due largely to poor breeding success, UK Curlew populations have fallen by nearly half since the mid 1990s. But thanks to four years of work by the Curlew LIFE project at five sites – led by the RSPB – Curlew abundance, hatching and fledging success have increased. Funded by the European Commission LIFE programme and regional partners, the initiative used a mix of conservation solutions to improve thousands of hectares of habitat for breeding Curlews. Its success is due in large part to the incredible work of collaborating conservationists, local communities, landowners and farmers.
SWOT UP Passionate about bird ID?
Take a look at the new ID Handbook of European Birds by Nils Van Duivendijk. The groundbreaking two-volume guide provides the most comprehensive, in-depth coverage of European birds available.
Words: Emma Pocklington. Photo:imagebroker.com
(Alamy Stock Photo)
Botany for biodiversity No Mow May
Don’t mow your lawn (or at least a part of it) each May to give wildflowers a chance to bloom and long grasses a chance to grow to provide a feast, home and shelter for wildlife. This also helps to reduce heat retention as well as soak up excess water. Since the 1930s, 97% of wildflower meadows in the UK have disappeared, so gardens are a life-saving bridge and boost for wildlife. For the rest of the summer, mow your lawn only once every four to eight weeks in different patches and allow taller species to flower and set seed. An autumn cut-andcollect helps set next year’s flowers off to a good start, and uncut tussocks provide shelter over winter. Start a revolution for wildlife in your neighbourhood. You can visit the website plantlife.org.uk for more advice.
Mammal of the moment Water Vole
Our largest vole should be widespread and common, but habitat loss, pollution and predation by American Mink has removed the Water Vole from 95% of its former habitat. Distinguishable from Brown Rats thanks to their blunt noses, small ears and short, fur-covered tails, Water Voles are found in waterways and wetlands. Listen for a ‘plop’ as they enter the water and look for riverbank burrow holes and tiny grazed lawns. Where concentrated conservation efforts are in place, these mini ecosystem engineers are showing signs of stabilising and expanding their range. You can record your sightings of Water Voles at wildlifetrusts.org
Wildlife challenge
Butterfly bonanza
This is an excellent time of year to see some of the most colourful members of the natural world
Easy to find Green-veined White
This common and widespread species can be seen in areas of damp and lush vegetation such as hedgerows, ditches, damp grassland and woodland rides. Keep your eyes peeled for wings with grey-black tips and prominent, greenish veins on the underside.
Tricky to find Purple Hairstreak
These late-summer butterflies can be tricky to see because they feed and live in the canopy of oak trees. Females are black on top with a purple patch; males have purple upper wings with a black border. The underside is silvery-grey with an orange eye spot.
Lucky to find Heath Fritillary
The ‘Woodman’s Follower’ is now restricted to a few specialised habitats in southern England. Favouring warm coppiced woodland or sheltered heathland, they fly very close to the ground. Looks vary but mostly include an orange-brown chequered pattern.
Words: Nicola Chester, Katie Nethercoat.
Photos: Mike Lane, Simon Roy, Eric Woods, Phil Cutt, Steve Knell (all rspb-images.com);
Our Wild Life Photography (Alamy Stock Photo)
Day song, unpaired bird: Fast song with 5–6 syllables, delivered rapidly. Long gaps between song phrases.
Purpose: Territorial defence, but also advertising its unpaired status.
Day song, paired bird: Slow and hesitant, with 3–4 syllables. Fewer notes at a moderate pace. Short gaps between song phrases. Purpose: Territorial defence.
Dawn song, paired bird: A great deal faster than usual, with an almost continuous stream of short song phrases lasting 2.5 seconds each with a very short half-second gap in between.
Purpose: Attracting another female for extra-pair copulation.
Designed by nature Dominic Couzens
The
secrets of the dawn chorus
If you’ve ever listened to a chorus of birdsong on a spring morning, you may also have wondered – why do they do that? Dominic Couzens explains…
If you’re a human being, the last thing you normally want to do in the pre-dawn darkness is burst into song! But birds are different. At this time of the year, the very lightening of the sky signals a dramatic outpouring of vocalisations. Multiple individuals of many species of bird launch into a loud, almost ecstatic singing bout: the dawn chorus.
Beginning in the dark and lasting 20 minutes to an hour, the dawn chorus opens with one or two voices but quickly surges as new individuals and species join in with the increasing light. The running order is quite specific and consistent, usually with Robins, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes getting involved early.
Studies have shown that a bird’s place in the order is determined by how well it sees in dim light; a Robin has large eyes with large pupils and sings early, while a Chiffchaff, with relatively small eyes, sings later. There is also a correlation with height. A Skylark, singing in the air, is also an early bird.
The precise time of singing also depends on the degree of moonlight at dawn as well as temperature, rain and cloud cover.
Of course, the dawn chorus isn’t the end of the day’s broadcasting. But in general, birds sing at their quickest rate during the dawn chorus and then continue singing the same song during the day.
The actual purpose behind the early burst, however, has puzzled scientists for many years, and still isn’t fully clear. However, singing in the dark, when you cannot yet find food and day-predators cannot see you, makes good energetic sense – you don’t waste precious feeding time singing. And dawn tends to be a still and calm time, when a song can be transmitted further than later in the noisy day.
But why do it at all? The main reason boils down to the purpose of song as a whole: males defending territories and communicating their fitness to all around them, including their own mate.
The dawn chorus could be seen as a roll call, telling rivals that you’re still alive after the night and on territory. It communicates to your mate, at her most fertile period of the day, that you’re up to the task of mating. Females usually lay eggs at dawn and are then immediately ready to copulate again. If a male misses his singing appointment, his mate may stray elsewhere, and the male loses its paternity.
What this comes down to is a natural experience that brings joy to our hearts, and provides us with a lucky opportunity to learn what species are around us.
Listen to your local birdsong on International Dawn Chorus Day on 4 May 2025. Try keeping your own record of the different birds you hear and comparing them year on year.
Dominic Couzens is a wildlife writer and tour leader living in Dorset. Visit birdwords.co.uk or @DominicCouzens
The male Reed Bunting is unusual among UK birds in that it utters a very specific dawn song that has a very specific purpose.
Photography Ben Andrew
My favourite species and places
Wildlife photographer Ben Andrew shares the special nature photography moments that boost his wellbeing
Jay
My favourite UK bird is the Jay (above). It’s a species that I love spending time with. They’re challenging birds to photograph, often quite secretive and shy, but I have a local spot where, during winter, they become more confiding.
The location is a short drive from my house – this is important because, even if I don’t have long, I can still get a few hours of time in nature and get some photography done. I find this really helps my overall wellbeing. It’s still a challenge to get a good photo of a Jay, though, so while it’s relaxing to sit in the woods, I’m also creatively challenging myself.
Turtle Dove
In late spring and early summer, there’s another local subject I enjoy spending time with – the Turtle Dove. Its evocative call in the still mornings, often cooler and more atmospheric than on warm sunny days, is so soothing that just hearing it helps my mental health. I often spend just as much time watching the birds and listening to them as I do photographing them. There’s often a small window when they are actively building their nests –that’s the best time. The adults are very active, flying back and forth with twigs, and always perch and sing after each visit to the nesting area. It’s beautiful.
Mountain Hare
Other than my home in Bedfordshire, I don’t think there’s anywhere better than the Scottish Highlands. My trips to this location are few and far between, but I think that’s what makes me savour and enjoy my visits. I feel so lucky to be able to be in this part of the world, and the species I spend time with up there all feel so wild. No species sums this up more than the Mountain Hare. Being out on a cold but crisp sunny day, hiking up to the top of a summit to find these wonderful animals, makes me feel alive. Spending time in their company is simply a brilliant and unforgettable experience.
Dipper
For me, there’s nothing more relaxing than sitting beside a crystal-clear river in the Peak District, waiting to photograph Dippers – the sound of the water puts me at ease. Photographing Dippers is often about patience, identifying the rocks in the water that they prefer to perch on and simply waiting in position for them to land. I like to get as low to the water as I possibly can (without getting too wet!) so I can include the gushing water around the rocks in my photos. You could even experiment with using a slow shutter speed to slow down the movement of the water.
Inspiring the next generation
In raising children with nature at the heart of everything, I’ve observed delightful and profound side-effects: care and compassion, love, action and vigilance for all their neighbours. It’s a social awareness and a deep sense of justice. In some ways, it feels like an accidental mindset that has come with loving, looking out for and caring about nature, but in reality it’s an entirely natural association. Nature and people are part of the same community.
All almost-grown now (my youngest is 17), my three have been raised through this column and the pieces I wrote with them for the RSPB children’s magazine Bird Life (now Wild Explorer). They know the importance of nature and that there’s no growth on a finite planet unless nature and everyone is included.
As soon as I was aware of nature as a world beside and entwined with mine, I knew the loss of it – and my children and many young people I know are no different. It’s not easy to stand up and stand out for a cause when so much of school is about keeping your head down and fitting in.
But when young people find the courage to do so, and are supported by adults, they often find they are joined by others. And there’s no better feeling. The euphoria and hope engendered by the family-friendly Restore Nature Now March (below) in June last year was extraordinarily uplifting and galvanising. So how do we go about supporting and encouraging our young people? When I began campaigning for nature, the challenges were similar, but not the same. Connecting with others and being heard was difficult, as was taking
action and knowing what to do to help. Much has improved in this vein through positive social media and organisations such as the RSPB leading on campaigns with guidance, but it’s important to acknowledge that so much has become harder both to deal with and act for.
On the adults’ part, listening and inviting opinions from young people without judgement is key. We can learn a lot, and must also own that it is our and preceding generations that have got ourselves into this nature and climate emergency, even if we are not individually responsible.
Standing by their actions for nature while matching, elevating and enabling them with our own can create a strong, lasting bond. School and youth organisations can be great enablers too, but initiatives often need to be instigated and sustained by adults. But connecting young campaigners to each other is vital, too – the RSPB’s Youth Council is phenomenally inspirational.
Eco anxiety is real and worsening in the face of governments that do not prioritise nature and climate. And the harsh treatment of peaceful protesters raising the alarm is frightening. We seem damned if we do speak up and damned if we don’t stand up for nature. But with solid insistence and resistance in all we do for nature, we let our young people know we’ve got their backs as we stand with them. Loving nature makes the best citizens of us all.
Nature notes Nicola Chester
Nicola Chester is a columnist, nature writer and award-winning author. nicolachester.wordpress.com or @nicolawriting
Photos: Ben Andrew; Eleanor Bentall (rspb-images.com)
Ben Andrew is an award-winning wildlife photographer. @benandrewphotos
RSPBshop.co.uk
Get closer to birds this season
RSPB Birdsong and bluebells jigsaw puzzle (£16)
Challenge both your puzzling skills and your bird knowledge with this 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle featuring charming watercolour paintings of UK birds and other wildlife It’s made from sustainable puzzle-board and features a print-out for reference as well as a handy fact sheet to keep your game night interesting
More ways to help nature
l RSPB Ultimate easyclean® cheater bird feeder, small (£24) allows smaller bird species to access the food while keeping squirrels and parakeets at bay.
l RSPB Buzzard 80mm ED telescope with 20-60x eyepiece and case (£700) will help you see bright, sharp images, even in low light. It’s also fully waterproof.
Out now Bookshelf
Rathlin, A Wild Life
Ruby Free, £12.99
This book makes nature accessible, sharing the ups and downs of seabirds’ perilous lives. Ruby is honest about nature, conservation issues and her own life. Read about Rathlin on p48.
The Starling Biography
Stephen Moss, £14.99
Master musicians and creative choreographers, Starlings are some of nature’s greatest artists. Discover these amazing birds’ fascinating lives in this new book.
Everyday Guide to British Wildlife
Charlie Elder, £14.99
On sale from 22 May, this guide is ideal for wildlifewatching beginners. The book will help you identify over 100 of the UK’s most common and widespread species.
Shopping with the RSPB Shop helps keep our world wild. Profits go to conservation, and all products are as nature-friendly as possible. RSPBshop.co.uk
What’s on Nature’s symphony
Visit an RSPB nature reserve near you and experience the magic of the dawn chorus first-hand. Whether you’re a seasoned dawn chorus festival-goer or a newcomer keen to experience nature’s celebratory symphony, you will find a wide range of engaging events and guided walks designed to help you get the best from this awesome aural spectacle. events.rspb. org.uk/dawnchorus
What’s on RSPB at RHS
The RSPB is joining up with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to create a garden that is inspired by Swifts for the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival (taking place 1–6 July 2025) to coincide with Swift Awareness Week. The Swift Garden will be brought to life by landscape architect and garden designer Lilly Gomm. RSPB supporters will have access to discounted tickets. Simply enter the code RSPBVIP15 when purchasing tickets on the RHS website, rhs.org.uk/rspb
Our people Three questions
Guy Anderson, Migratory Birds Programme Manager
What’s your role?
One of my jobs is to help Spoon-billed Sandpipers. In 2010, the RSPB joined an emergency international conservation response to news that the spoonie population was very small and in freefall towards likely global extinction. Spoonies were quickly identified as a flagship species for a whole range of threatened migratory waterbirds that rely on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for their annual migration. Helping spoonies would help many other birds.
What does this entail?
Working with partners in East and Southern Asia, sharing RSPB expertise in science and monitoring, policy and advocacy and how to design, create, restore and manage coastal wetland reserves for migratory waterbirds.
How is it going?
The precipitous rate of decline reported around 2010 has slowed, coinciding with successful work to tackle hunting threats in some areas and a halt to the loss of coastal wetlands around the Yellow Sea. We know more about numbers and migration routes. But the world population is now only around 400 breeding-age birds and is still slowly declining. That we still have a viable world population is a success, but there is still much to do.
Words: Alison Maney; Emma Horton, Emma Pocklington.
Illustrations: Mike Langman (rspb-images.com).
Photos: RHS Hampton Court Palace, Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com).
Tiny & wild Dr Ross Piper
The bugs of the Bluebells
After a long winter, the sight of a woodland floor transformed by Bluebells, with a birdsong backing track, is a restorative treat. A herald of spring, our native Bluebell is distributed along the coast of western Europe, but 25–50% of the global population is found here in the UK. Our Bluebell woods are also important to a range of insects emerging in early spring, providing a source of nectar to bumblebees, hoverflies and butterflies such as the Orange-tip and Brimstone.
Among the insects drawn to the Bluebell, it’s probably the early-emerging bumblebees that are its most important pollinators. Sometimes, though, they don’t fancy getting dusted with pollen, so they bite through the base of the flower to access the nectary directly. This is a reminder that most of the interactions we observe in nature and perceive to be harmonious are anything but. Plants need to get their pollen moved around, but they want to do this as ‘cheaply’ as possible. Likewise, pollinators would rather quaff the nectar without getting involved in the plant’s reproductive affairs. At the extreme end of this relationship, some bumblebees even injure plants to stimulate them to produce more flowers, and therefore nectar.
Dr Ross Piper is an entomologist, zoologist and explorer. Visit rosspiper.net or @DrRossPiper
Identification
Warblers
Use this handy guide to ID these summer visitors, then head to the RSPB website to hear their songs…
Garden Warbler
About the size of a Great Tit, these are a soft olive-brown with pale underparts and grey on the sides of their necks. They’re plump birds with a faint, short supercilium and thick, stubby beak.
Chiffchaff
Similar in size to a Blue Tit. They’re brownish-green with a subtle, pale supercilium above the eye, dark cheeks and an white eye-ring. Chiffchaffs are compact and plump with dark legs and short wings.
Willow Warbler
Slightly larger than a Chiffchaff, with longer wings and shape. They’re brighter and more yellow, and pale underneath with a yellow hue, a distinctive yellow supercilium, pale cheeks and pale pink legs.
Wood Warbler
Similar size and shape to a Willow Warbler, with stronger, pointier wings. Mossy green with white underparts, a dark eye-stripe, a long yellow supercilium and yellow cheeks, throat and sides of the breast.
Some bumblebee species rob the flowers of their nectar by chewing a hole directly into the nectary.
A profusion of Bluebell flowers is a welcome early nectar source for many insects.
This season
Water worlds Sea cliffs
Sea cliffs can be ‘hard’, with enduring rock faces of plunging granite, sandstone, basalt or limestone, or ‘soft’, with crumbling, folding slopes of shale and mudstone. Both are created as an interaction between the land and the erosion of wind, waves and salt water. Hard, inaccessible and steep cliffs provide safe nesting sites for seabird colonies.
RSPB Bempton Cliffs (pictured) is home to half a million seabirds between March and August. You can also spot Choughs at RSPB South Stack, visit RSPB Fowlsheugh or head to RSPB Rathlin Island (see p48).
An internationally significant eight million seabirds return to UK cliffs to breed each spring and early summer after months out at sea in an unforgettable sensory spectacle.
Gannets (pictured) make spectacular dives from heights of 30 metres, arrowing into the sea at up to 60 miles an hour. Bass Rock, off Firth of Forth, houses the world’s largest colony.
Tightly packed, raucous Guillemots and Kittiwakes nest on ledges alongside Gannets, Shags and Cormorants as well as gulls, Fulmars and Razorbills.
Great days out
3 nature reserves to explore this season You’ll find a wealth of events and activities for all the family to enjoy
Visit
Abernethy RSPB Loch
Keep an eye out for Ospreys who have returned to nest. Look for Red Squirrels among the trees.
Suffolk RSPB Lakenheath Fen
Enjoy a dawn chorus in this wetland. Bitterns, Cranes and Kingfishers benefit from the vast reedbeds and marshes.
Words: Nicola Chester, Jamie Wyver.
Photos: Mike Kipling Photography
(Alamy Stock
Photo), Andy Hay, Richard Revels, David Norton, (all
Rathlin Island RSPB West Light Seabird Centre
the vibrant seabird colony from 1 April. Read more on p48.
Garten
Back to a future
In 2025, the White-tailed Eagle hits a milestone – 50 years since its successful reintroduction to the UK. Dave Sexton explores the fascinating history of our largest bird of prey
There was a lot going on in 1975: the Vietnam War ended, Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Conservative Party, Pink Floyd’s WishyouWere Herewas at the top of the album charts and Jawswas the big movie of the year. Meanwhile, on a wind- and rain-swept Hebridean island, wildlife conservation history was about to be made.
Twenty years earlier, as a young birdwatcher in Hampshire, Roy Dennis was already dreaming about White-tailed Eagles, also known colloquially as Sea Eagles. He made a pilgrimage to Culver Cliff, on the Isle of Wight, where he gazed up at the massive white-chalk cliffs and imagined a White-tailed Eagle soaring overhead. He could see its broad, eight-footlong, plank-like wings; a gleaming white tail; a blonde head; a banana-yellow beak; feet with jet-black, finger-long talons; and those piercing, sunlit eyes. One of the world’s largest eagles.
This was their final nesting site in the south of England in 1780. By the mid-1950s, a teenage Roy was quietly daring to imagine their return. In 1968, as the National Trust for Scotland’s warden on Fair Isle, he was part of the small team that pioneered an early trial release of four young eagles. The RSPB’s director in Scotland was George Waterston, and George and Roy were a formidable team. Fair Isle paved the way for the main reintroduction project destined to begin on the Isle of Rum in 1975.
By then, Roy was the Highland Officer for the RSPB. In meetings with the Government’s Nature Conservancy (now NatureScot), a new ‘bigger and better’ White-tailed Eagle plan evolved. Celebrated scientists backed it, a licence was issued, release cages were built on Rum and Norwegian authorities agreed to donate chicks. Suddenly, it was all systems go!
Roy wasn’t part of the team in Norway collecting the first chicks, but what happened next was one of those moments that was always meant to be. As Roy says, he was “in the right place at the right time”.
Previous: The UK’s largest bird of prey, the White-tailed Eagle, is a majestic sight to behold
1. Roy Dennis (left) and George Waterston (right) with a recently arrived juvenile White-tailed Eagle, Scotland, 1968
2. A White-tailed Eagle on Mull
3. White-tailed Eagles hunt for fish over water
4. The first UK chick to fledge in 1985
Along with the Nature Conservancy’s Martin Ball, Roy went to RAF Kinloss to greet the consignment of four chicks from Norway. The new project officer, John Love, who had gone to Norway to collect them, was delayed getting home on a commercial flight and missed the all-important job of physically carrying the eaglets to their new home. That pleasure, it turned out, would be Roy’s.
Roy drove to Mallaig for a midnight sail to Rum and placed the eaglets in their holding pens. The date was 27 June 1975. He had finally realised his boyhood dream and would soon see White-tailed Eagles returning to their former haunts once more. It was to be the first chapter of three Scottish release phases between 1975 and 2012; a remarkable 50-year programme to bring White-tailed Eagles home to the UK was under way.
Once great
The White-tailed Eagle is part of the genus Haliaeetus, a global classification of sea eagles including the White-bellied Sea Eagle in Australasia, Fish Eagle in Africa and Steller’s Sea Eagle in Eastern Europe as well as their closest cousin, the Bald Eagle of North America.
The UK’s White-tailed Eagle, along with those across Europe, was once more widespread, nesting as far south as the Mediterranean. But a variety of human threats and pressures caused their range to decline and their populations to crash. In the UK, they were once the most abundant and widespread of our two eagle species, nesting from the south coast of England to the far-north tip of Shetland. They are supremely adaptable and able to thrive in a variety of habitats, from lowland woodland, marsh and fen to upland mountain, moorland and coast. Critically, they can readily adapt to life alongside humankind, too – even in semi-urban environments – when given half a chance.
But it was partly this close association and curiosity with human activities that led to their downfall. While once revered by ancient civilisations and buried alongside us in Orcadian Neolithic tombs, the species finally succumbed to obsessive Victorian hunters and collectors snatching up the last birds and eggs, as well as some land managers with a misguided belief in large-scale impacts on livestock – a perception that persists to this day in some areas.
‘White-tailed Eagles were once revered by ancient civilisations and buried alongside us’
By 1916, the last pair nested on Skye. Unlike Golden Eagles, which thankfully (for their sakes) tend to make themselves scarce near a nest site, White-tailed Eagles can make themselves very obvious indeed, often calling and flying close to those who might do them harm. This means that they were easier to eradicate than Golden Eagles and, in 1918, our last-known wild White-tailed Eagle was shot dead on a lonely Shetland headland. It was a shameful chapter in UK history.
Friends to the birds
But that same enthusiasm and obsession people once used to get rid of this species could now be harnessed to bring it back. It’s taken 50 years of dedicated,
Northern Ireland: In a triumph for nature, a pair of Whitetailed Eagles successfully bred in County Fermanagh in 2024, the first to breed in Northern Ireland in over 150 years! They raised a chick with help from a farmer and the Nothern Ireland Raptor Study Group. The project is led by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Golden Eagle Trust and partners.
Wales: Eagle Reintroduction Wales (ERW), a Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust programme, aims to restore White-tailed Eagles to south-east Wales and the
Severn Estuary with Gwent Wildlife Trust and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. The first release could be in summer 2026, with a total of 60 young eagles over five years.
Scotland: With up to an estimated 200 pairs in Scotland, the population is strong enough to enable the donation of chicks to England. By 2040, it’s hoped that the population could exceed 800 pairs.
England: Led by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England, 37 eaglets have been released. One pair raised a chick in
challenging work to turn the tide, with blood, sweat and even a few tears from some key, unsung heroes of White-tailed Eagle conservation, along with governments, NGOs and agencies.
One such hero is Roger Broad, who followed Roy Dennis as Warden on Fair Isle. Roger collected chicks in Norway and escorted them back to the UK; managed RSPB Species Protection Wardens (of which I was one) guarding the first Mull nests and chicks in the 1980s; and had the joy of seeing a new pair of White-tailed Eagles reoccupy an ancient site in the central Highlands. Another, Dr Alison MacLennan, the RSPB’s Senior Conservation Officer for North Highlands and Islands, has been at the forefront of White-tailed Eagle conservation in Scotland for 30 years. During her tenure, we’ve seen the population grow from a handful of pairs to the current Scotland-wide population of up to 200 pairs, including at least 25 pairs on Skye.
2023 and two in 2024. Three pairs are established across southern England. Thanks to licensing from Natural England and NatureScot, the team is looking at other sites, such as Exmoor, with plans to collect chicks from Scotland in 2025.
Rum
Mull
County Fermanagh 4. Severn
Exmoor
6. Isle of Wight
5. White-tailed Eagles largely eat fish but will also take rabbits, birds and hares
‘Over the five decades of bringing eagles back to Scotland, volunteers have played an enormous role’
And John Love will always be thought of as ‘the grandfather’ of the entire White-tailed Eagle reintroduction project. He was the new, young project officer in 1975 who went to collect those first eaglets in Norway and then cared for them on Rum, something he only expected to do for a short while. Still there a decade later, he released the final batch of young eagles. Overall, John had returned 82 eaglets to Scotland over those 10 years, and I’ll never forget his excitement when he visited us on Mull to see the first chick in 1985. Always prepared to speak up on behalf of this often-maligned eagle, the birds – and all of us – lost a devoted friend and champion with his sudden passing in 2023.
An ongoing project
Over the five decades of bringing White-tailed Eagles back to Scotland, volunteers have played an enormous role in keeping the eagles safe. This includes protecting them from old threats, such as egg collectors, and new ones, such as irresponsible photographers.
Round-the-clock nest watches as part of schemes such as Police Scotland’s Operation Easter have been crucial to this success. There has been a massive effort to collect data from annual nest clear-outs to look at the eagles’ diet, a comprehensive ringing and wing-tagging programme and, more recently, satellite tagging to analyse the birds’ movements.
Watching White-tailed Eagles at sites such as Mull Eagle Watch with a range of community partners has allowed people to witness these majestic
Estuary
birds for the first time and has contributed massively to local tourism. They’ve become media stars too with the likes of the BBC’s Springwatch, Countryfile, TheOneShowand BluePeterall keenly following their progress.
The success of this 50-year project is thanks to them and countless others, too numerous to mention. But, in the words of Roy Dennis, “We’re not done yet!” Phase four of the UK-wide White-tailed Eagle Project has been the translocation of Scottish chicks to the Isle of Wight, with Scotland helping England just as Norway helped us. I was privileged to be part of that team in 2018 and 2019 by helping with the community consultation process, collecting chicks from Mull and being there on the historic day of release – a lifetime highlight.
To watch the young birds soaring out over the Isle of Wight, where they last bred in 1780, was a sight to behold and an emotional moment for everybody involved. The eagles have settled into the hustle and bustle of modern life, though some of the threats which originally caused their extinction still remain. Illegal persecution, primarily by some gamebird shooting estates, of White-tailed Eagles and other birds of prey persists. New dangers, including the threat from avian flu, poorly sited wind turbines and high-speed trains (eagles feed on deer carrion near to the tracks and get hit themselves), combine to make a White-tailed Eagle’s life in the UK today a challenge. But, so far, it’s a challenge they’re meeting.
The RSPB has invested heavily over 50 years to bring this iconic species back. Along with our many partners, it has been a monumental team effort. This success has led to projects in all four nations of the UK seeking to restore White-tailed Eagles as apex predators in a thriving environment. While the species is not the widespread threat to livestock that is regularly claimed, some land managers still find living alongside them a challenge. So a positive Government-led White-tailed Eagle management scheme was introduced in Scotland which has helped in some ways. Fears of lamb losses for the Irish project never materialised and satellite tagging data
How to support our work
White-tailed Eagles, like all birds of prey, are protected by law Yet they are still persecuted When wildlife crime incidents occur and are made public, write to elected representatives to demand stronger sentences and deterrents, especially for gamebird sporting estates.
Support community consultation events which are considering the reintroduction of White-tailed Eagles in the UK.
Find out more at on page 33.
from the English project has shown zero livestock predation events.
And we never stop learning. In 2023, a young White-tailed Eagle on Mull fell from its nest and broke a wing. Over a year later, having postponed last year’s breeding attempt, its parents were still caring for and feeding their injured chick, which was slowly recovering and learning to fly – an incredible new behaviour for us to witness summed up by multiple news headlines that read ‘Where Eagles care’.
What’s next?
So, what of the next 50 years? Hopefully, we will see White-tailed Eagles nesting in Wales and continued widespread recolonisation across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. There’ll also be more mixing with populations from mainland Europe as birds travel across the North Sea and Channel.
I am lucky and privileged to have been involved with this bird for much of the last 50 years, since my first sighting on Mull in 1980. I have three hopes for the future: to hear that one of those chicks I helped collect from Mull in 2019 is breeding in England; in Scotland, where it all began, to find a pair nesting again on the cliffs of North Roe or Yell, in Shetland, where that last lonely bird was killed, which would be some kind of poetic justice; and for White-tailed Eagles to establish themselves on that furthest outpost of their former range – the remote and magnificent St Kilda archipelago, where they last nested around 1830. Thanks to the support of RSPB members, our conservation work can continue, and more White-tailed Eagle dreams will come true.
Dave Sexton was the RSPB Scotland Mull Officer (2003–2024) and is now an RSPB ambassador and Species Protection Volunteer. He was previously Head of Reserves in Scotland.
6. Dave (right) has carried out a huge amount of outreach work getting Whitetailed Eagles into the public eye, including by working on a TV show with Martin Clunes, 2021
Illustration: Mike Langman (rspb-images.com). Photo: Dave Sexton
Simon Barnes
The unsung greatness of grazers
Simon Barnes is a bird and wildlife writer and author.
Thank you, cows.
I say this not only on my own behalf, but also on behalf of orchids, Flag Irises, deer, Hemp-agrimony, rushes, sedges, Elephant Hawk-moths, gnats, bees, spiders, hoverflies, Red Admirals, Painted Ladies, Grass Snakes, Short-tailed Field Voles, Jackdaws, hares, Barn Owls, Buzzards and Marsh Harriers. Cows have many immense talents, but the greatest of these is eating. For 10 days, I saw 32 cows express this talent to the very limits of their ability and, as a result, all those living things already mentioned – and an awful lot more – have reason to thank them.
I rent a dozen acres in the Broads and manage them for wildlife. The most important management tool is cows. It’s their munching that makes this low, wet land so rich. They are tireless workers for conservation and, as I walk these scant acres, I send thanks for a good job well done. What would happen if the cows didn’t come by every year? The land would change. The vegetation would get higher. Brambles and scrubby plants would move in. In time, there would be trees. Soon enough it would become a wood, drying the land out and changing its nature. And the Marsh Harriers would have to go somewhere else to hunt.
‘Some land thrives on neglect, what conservationists call minimum intervention. But if you want the richness of, say, a wetland meadow, you need grazers to keep it’
What if the cows were there all spring and all summer? They would graze the vegetation down very low, and that would decrease the number of plant species and take away all the places where animal species live and hide. Ten days is perfect.
I was brought up a townie and I used to think, without ever actually putting my mind to it, that a wood was a wood because it was a wood and that a grazing meadow was grassy because of the grass, and they would remain as they were for ever after. Not so.
We think a landscape is timeless and still, for we look with hurrying human eyes. The truth is that every landscape is a dynamic thing, forever in motion, forever changing. It’s called the ecological succession: if the deer weren’t grazing Richmond Park, it would become a closed canopy oakwood. In such a wood, when a tree falls and creates a clearing, the deer keep it open and create a nice sward.
Landscapes are growing, living, breathing things. They are subject to perpetual change, because change is life. When you mow the lawn or weed the borders you are fighting the ecological succession – taking control, imposing your own preferences. A farmer does the same thing with a thousand-acre wheatfield. So do the cows near my place.
Animals that eat plants play a major role in this succession, and large grazing mammals do it in the biggest possible way. Some land thrives on neglect, what conservationists call ‘minimum intervention’. But if you want the richness of, say, a wetland meadow, you need grazers to keep it.
In pre-human times this was done by the now-extinct cattle called Auroch, plural Aurochsen. In modern times, the right level of grazing still creates and maintains wild places and allows thousands of species to thrive. By doing a favour to butterflies and Marsh Harriers, the cows have enriched the landscape and done great good for humans at the same time. Well played, cows!
Stop the killing
Heather Mathieson, RSPB Investigations
THE RSPB’S BIRDCRIME REPORT is the only long term data set of raptor persecution in the UK. Your support makes this work possible.
Liaison Officer, is at the front line of the battle against bird of prey persecution in the UK
ABarn Owl was out early, flying around hunting. As I watched it, I picked up the Short-eared Owl, way over in the distance. I started watching it through my scope. It was drifting towards where this guy was positioned in the heather. While I was watching it, the bird burst into a cloud of feathers. I knew what had happened. The guy on the moor had fired the shot.”
This account was given to the police by a local birdwatcher after they witnessed the illegal killing of a Short-eared Owl on a driven grouse moor in the Peak District in 2022. Though a gamekeeper was identified as the primary suspect, there was insufficient evidence to charge him. This is just one of hundreds of examples of bird of prey persecution in the UK today.
‘Birdcrime’ is the term we use for the illegal killing of birds of prey; it’s also referred to as raptor persecution. Methods used to kill birds of prey in the UK today are similar to those used in the Victorian times – the key difference is that, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), these acts are now illegal.
Shooting is the most common type of persecution incident. While some birds die instantly, many are left with severe injuries, unable to fly, leading to a slow and agonising death from starvation or
Birdcrime in numbers What birds are being targeted?
1,529
exposure. Another common method used to illegally kill birds of prey is trapping. Criminals will misuse spring traps and crow cage traps and place them near feeding or nest sites to catch unsuspecting birds of prey. Footage gathered by the RSPB Investigations team has revealed that, in many cases, once trapped, these birds are then bludgeoned to death.
Criminals will also use poisons to kill birds of prey. Meat baits are laced with highly toxic and often banned pesticides and laid out in open areas of the countryside to purposefully attract scavenging and opportunistic birds of prey. Once exposed to these excessively high concentrations of dangerous poisons, death is typically swift but excruciating. This illegal and indiscriminate method poses a threat to wildlife, domestic animals and people.
The tip of the iceberg
Previous: Hen
Harriers are a key target of illegal persecution
1. Short-eared Owl
2 Four poisoned Buzzards found in Derbyshire
3. One of three illegal pole traps found on a grouse moor in North Yorkshire
4. RSPB Investigations Officer Niall Owen assists North Wales Police in recovering a Buzzard
Statistically, many of these crimes are linked to the commercial gamebird shooting industry, which has grown substantially across the UK in recent decades. In upland areas, where profits rely on wild Red Grouse populations, there has been an intensification of habitat and predator management practices to boost grouse numbers for shooting. Meanwhile, lowland regions have witnessed a dramatic rise in the release of non-native gamebirds. To try to maximise gamebird numbers, some individuals are illegally killing birds of prey to remove any risk of predation and to increase profits.
Although all birds of prey have been protected by law for over 60 years, the RSPB’s latest Birdcrime report reveals that there were over 1,500 confirmed incidents of bird of prey persecution between 2009 and 2023. All of these incidents were independently verified by post mortems, toxicology tests, forensic analyses or eyewitness accounts. This is a significant
bird of prey persecution incidents (a bird of prey has been illegally targeted, disturbed, injured or killed); 641 shooting, 229 trapping and 506 poisoning incidents between 2009 and 2023
1,344
5 0 154 54
8 7
24
17
9
Iolo Williams
The changing face of birdcrime
Iolo Williams worked for the RSPB Investigations team from 1985 to 1998. He shares what it was like working on the team then, what he thinks of the issue now and how we can bring about an end to this persecution.
“[In the beginning], there were no drones, no cameras. It was just bums on the ground. We got volunteers to guard Red Kite nests, because egg collecting was a huge issue. If we managed to fine someone, we were delighted because that was a huge result. Eventually we managed to get the army in and then things died down a bit because word got around. There’s less poisoning now because I think the landowners and the keepers know that, if they put out bait with poison on it, there’s an increased risk of being caught, whereas if they go out in the night with thermal sights on their rifles they can shoot whatever they like. It hasn’t got any better; it’s just shifted, in Wales anyway. I suppose the solution is to change those people that are making their livelihoods from grouse shooting and pheasant keeping. And the law needs to change as well, and it needs to be applied properly and these crimes need to be taken seriously. I’m a massive admirer of the RSPB Investigations team and the work that they do.”
number, but this figure represents only a fraction of the true number of these crimes being committed. Many incidents take place in remote areas where they often go undetected and those committing these crimes go to great lengths to hide them.
Mark Thomas, UK Head of Investigations, adds: “With their iconic status and incredible agility, birds of prey seem almost invincible, but they don’t stand a chance against a shotgun, highly toxic pesticides or an illegal trap. Sadly, these magnificent birds are
Birdcrime in numbers
Who is committing these crimes?
1,500
incidents of birdcrime in the last 15 years. Of these, 57 resulted in convictions and
just one in a jail sentence
often an easy target for those with criminal intent. The law isn’t protecting them and we need something to change significantly, especially in England, to effectively stop the killing.”
Hen Harriers were almost driven to extinction in England in recent decades as a direct result of persecution. The intensity of illegal killing in upland areas has suppressed Hen Harrier breeding numbers far below their natural population level in England, where there is enough suitable habitat to support over 300 pairs but only 50 territorial pairs were recorded in 2023.
Since 2014, the RSPB and other organisations have been monitoring Hen Harrier movements and survival using satellite tags. Data from these devices have revealed a catalogue of persecution incidents which would otherwise have gone undetected. This has informed scientific studies, revealing the devastating impact that these crimes are having on the conservation status of this species.
Boots on the ground
Conservation initiatives, reintroduction programmes and legal protection have helped some bird of prey species in the UK recover from historic persecution. White-tailed Eagles fly free in parts of Scotland and southern England, Red Kites have spectacularly bounced back from extinction and Golden Eagles are now making a comeback in Southern Scotland. Despite these incredible conservation successes, the continued persecution of bird of prey species is still hampering many conservation efforts.
For over 30 years, the RSPB Investigations team has been detecting and recording these crimes, assisting with police investigations and working tirelessly to put an end to raptor persecution. Now 15 strong and working across the UK, the team 75%
Three quarters of all individuals convicted of bird of prey persecution-related offences (2009–2023) were connected to the gamebird shooting industry 68% of these individuals were gamekeepers.
Over 40 million
Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges released each year
Red-legged Partridge Pheasant
continues to shine a light on these crimes, exposing the true scale of this issue. The Investigations team spend hours in the field in cold, wet, challenging conditions to detect these crimes.
“Fieldwork can be incredibly challenging when working long hours, walking over difficult terrain and in all weathers for little reward, but it’s the sense of camaraderie and belief within the team that pushes you on,” says Howard Jones, Senior Investigations Officer.
Investigatons Officer Niall Owen adds: “Being on the front line, combating raptor persecution, is a rewarding, tough but often demoralising business. Dealing with illegally killed birds of prey on a regular basis takes its toll, but knowing you’re out there to protect birds is an unrivalled sensation.”
Through intelligence gathering and fieldwork, the team has detected and reported hundreds of bird of prey persecution incidents, assisted in police-led investigations and supported the work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Although some incidents result in successful
‘Hen Harriers were almost driven to extinction in England as a direct result of persecution’
How You Can Help
Spread the word: Learn more about bird of prey persecution by reading the latest Birdcrime report. The RSPB creates the only long-term data set of raptor persecution in the UK. The team updates these figures every year. Get the latest information at rspb.org.uk/birdcrime
Report crimes: We rely heavily on the support of the public to help us detect and prevent crimes against birds of prey. You are our eyes and ears on the ground, and we need your help more than ever to put a stop to the illegal killing of these birds. To learn more about how to report crimes against birds of prey, visit rspb.org.uk/report-crimes
prosecutions, without strong evidence to link an individual to the crime, most cases are unresolved. The culprit goes unpunished, free to offend again.
Change is in the air
In 2024, Scotland’s Parliament took huge steps to effectively challenge the illegal killing of birds of prey by introducing the licensing of grouse shooting under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act. Now, if evidence shows that a raptor persecution incident is linked to the management of a licensed area, a shoot’s licence can be revoked, creating a significant deterrent to wildlife criminals.
This is groundbreaking legislation, and the RSPB is now calling for the licensing of all gamebird shoots by Governments across the UK. This will help put an end to the scourge of bird of prey persecution linked to this industry.
“We hope similar positive steps will soon be seen in England, where relentless persecution has left some upland areas devoid of bird of prey species,” says Ian Thomson, the RSPB’s Investigations Manager. “Current laws need to change, but with our members’ support, we have and will continue to make a difference for birds of prey. Now is the time for the killing to stop.”
Heather Mathieson works as a Liaison Officer in the RSPB Investigations team, overseeing the RSPB Birdcrime report and other projects relating to the illegal killing of birds of prey.
Above RSPB Investigations Officer Jack AshtonBooth undertaking fieldwork in The Forest of Bowland
M Get more from your membership
Love quizzes? How about videos and audio clips of your favourite birds? Sign up for the digital version of The RSPB Magazine today!
any of you wrote to us and said you’d prefer to receive The RSPB Magazine digitally, so we listened. And now you can choose to read your magazine online if you want to.
Join the thousands of other members already enjoying the many benefits of a digital magazine. For instance, you can access your magazine wherever and whenever you want; dive into extra video, audio and knowledge-stretching quizzes; and filter content by author or topic to find exactly what you’re after. By making the switch to digital, you’ll get seasonal stories, updates and wildlife tips direct to your inbox
RSPB members say...
“Fabulous! Soooooo much better already! I’ve just watched the video of the cranes which was a delight –couldn’t have got that from print! Such an excellent idea and nothing to
every month instead of quarterly with the printed magazine (switching to the digital magazine means you will no longer receive our print version). Plus, you’ll get digital-only content that you won’t find anywhere else.
Go paperless
If half of all RSPB members were to make the switch, we’d save a huge amount of paper; every six months, we’d save enough to cover the entire area of the RSPB’s Hayle Estuary nature reserve in magazine pages laid side-by-side. That’s equivalent to around 108 football pitches! Plus, saving money on postage means we can put more funds into our vital conservation work.
If you’re happy with your print magazine, you don’t need to do anything, but if you’d like to give the digital version a try, scan the QR code (left). If you change your mind you can switch back any time.
consign to the recycling when I’ve finished reading. It truly is not going to take any time at all to get used to the new format. It’s brilliant.”
“I absolutely loved the new digital magazine, especially the way you
showed those different pictures of the male and female Hawfinch and you could see it in different colourways and doing different things. It was also so useful to hear the call of the Hawfinch just by clicking on the link. All in all, yes, please, keep it up!”
Scan here
How to switch
If you’ve decided to go for the digital magazine, first of all, thank you! You can make the switch by scanning the QR code with the camera on your smartphone, or by visiting the link rspb.org.uk/gopaperless
Access your digital magazine wherever and whenever you want to read it.
Help the RSPB save paper and dedicate more money to wildlife by switching to this paper-free option.
Enjoy additional content such as audio, videos, quizzes and exclusive features.
“I’m finding the new magazine to be a lot better than the paper version. The biggest plus is reduced waste and fewer magazines to add to the existing stack.”
“I opted for the digital version to be more eco-friendly, and to save you (the
RSPB) some money. Since then I have been very, very happy with the digital magazine, so all in all I am glad I made the switch.”
“With the addition of remarkable films, the new online version of The
RSPB Magazine takes magazine reading/viewing to new heights. The online magazine provides even more food for thought and insights into miraculous nature than the already inspiring ‘hard-copy’ magazine did. Thank you, RSPB!”
Action for nature
How your support is helping wildlife
Places
Growing Geltsdale
Thanks to the generosity of donors, supporters and partners, we have recently secured the purchase of Tarnhouse Farm at Geltsdale, making it what is now the largest RSPB nature reserve in England. This is one of the most signficant land purchases in our history, and it’s thanks to your support.
This will help us build on decades of restoration work supporting key species, including Hen Harriers (male pictured) –the nature reserve is one of the few places in England where this Red List raptor nests, with eight precious chicks fledging in 2024.
RSPB Geltsdale, situated in the wild North Pennines National Landscape, comprises blanket bog, upland heath, acid grassland, meadows and woodland. Importantly, the site encompasses working farms where we collaborate closely with farmers to deliver livestock grazing to benefit nature.
At the nature reserve, we’ve already planted thousands of trees, rewetted peat bogs and restored watercourses back to their original meandering channels. In a landscape once heavily mined for coal, habitats have been restored with huge benefits for birds: in 2024, 36 lekking male Black Grouse were recorded, 73 pairs of curlews were recorded in 2022 and 25 Short-eared Owl territories in 2023. With your help, we’ll do much more. Our vision for creating a Pennines paradise will include wetland creation and the continued restoration of meandering watercourses, which will allow fish to spawn and invertebrates to flourish. We also have plans to plant Aspen, Juniper and Downy Birch to attract Cuckoos, Willow Warblers and Tree Pipits. And we’ll restore more peatland, thereby revitalising the bog and helping to lock up carbon, benefiting the climate.
Science Bird feeding update
In the previous issue of The RSPB Magazine, we promised to keep you up to date with our research into garden bird feeding and bird health. While the research is ongoing, we’ve paused the sale of our bird tables and other feeders that have flat surfaces, as these have the potential for harbouring infectious diseases. We will provide a further update in the next issue.
Places
A new RSPB nature reserve
A former intensive dairy farm in Wiltshire is set to transform into a haven for wildlife, thanks to a partnership between the RSPB and the Wiltshire Council. Over the next several years, the RSPB will turn the 120-hectare Roundbarrow Farm into a chalk downland nature reserve, filled with flower-rich chalk grasslands and diverse insect, plant and bird life.
Places
Wallasea gets bigger
Lapwing, Avocet, Corn Bunting and Nightingale are among the birds that should benefit from habitat creation work at the newly expanded RSPB Wallasea Island, in Essex, which is growing by 100ha with the purchase of four fields west of the existing nature reserve.
Wallasea was acquired by the RSPB in the 2000s. Its level was then raised by the addition of 3.2 million tonnes of soil excavated during the development of the Elizabeth Line in London. Its marsh, mudflats and saline lagoons are home to wildlife including Spoonbills and Black-tailed Godwits, with Short-eared Owls and Hen Harriers hunting over grassland where Adders and Shrill Carder Bees thrive.
A 6ha freshwater lagoon will be created on the additional land – bought thanks to a transformative grant from the Ida Davis Family Foundation – benefiting passage and wintering waterfowl and helping support breeding waders such as Lapwing, Redshank and Avocet. In addition, a mixed scrub/grassland mosaic will be established, providing extra habitat for breeding Corn Bunting and feeding habitat for wintering raptors. See p70 to learn more.
Words: Paul Bloomfield.
Photos: Mark Hamblin, Nigel Blake, Ben Andrew
(all
rspb-images.com),
RSPB;
Illustration: Richard Allen
Art
Greenfinch
New acquisition
Existing RSPB nature reserve
Places
Dorset, for peat’s sake
Work to restore precious peatland at RSPB Stoborough Heath and RSPB Salterns Copse launched in autumn 2024.
Over 80% of the UK’s peatland habitat is damaged and dried out, which has serious implications for wildlife and climate. Healthy wet peat is the UK’s biggest carbon store, because the plants it hosts –principally Sphagnum mosses – don’t decompose in acidic, waterlogged conditions. Carbon is locked away as long as peat remains intact and wet; as it dries out, though, carbon is released into the atmosphere.
In 2021, the Dorset Peat Partnership was launched, bringing together the RSPB, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the National Trust, Forestry England, BCP Council, Environment Agency and one private landowner. Having secured £1 million of funding from the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, it’s restoring 16 sites across Dorset.
“The key aims of the works are to restore the hydrological connectivity of our valley mire and bogs system,” explains Grace Herve, Dorset Peat Partnership Project Manager. “Blocking up drainage systems helps reduce nuisance flooding and starts to store more water and reconnect landscapes.” At RSPB Stoborough, this involved creating leaky dams (pictured) and clearing scrub that extracts moisture from the ground. This should not only help to tackle the nature and climate emergency but also benefit species such as sundews, Black Darter dragonfly and the rare Southern Damselfly.
Building homes for nature
A major new initiative to support wildlife through homebuilding has been launched, with 28 of the UK’s largest developers – responsible for building nearly 100,000 homes each year – signing up to the Homes for Nature commitment (find out more at futurehomes.org.uk).
This initiative was developed by the Future Homes Hub, a body set up to develop a long-term delivery plan for the sector in line with the Government’s legally binding net zero and wider environmental targets. It will see Swift bricks (pictured), Hedgehog highways and pollinator-friendly planting on every new
development of the signatories taken through planning from September 2024.
This follows work by the RSPB and other wildlife organisations, together with Future Homes Hub, to develop guidance for the installation of nature measures. The RSPB writes about and promotes climate-resilient, nature-rich development in the National House Building Councils’ Biodiversity in New Housing guide, which resulted from the RSPB’s partnership with Barratt Homes.
Species Sumatran stork sensation
An endangered juvenile Storm’s Stork, possibly the world’s rarest species of stork, was among the exciting sightings made during a two-part survey of Hutan Harapan Rainforest in Sumatra, conducted in 2023 and 2024. The RSPB, with BirdLife International and local partner Burung Indonesia, works with partners to protect Hutan Harapan, one of few surviving dry lowland rainforests on the island.
Words: Paul Bloomfield.
Photos: Fadlurrahman/PT
REKI; Simon Stirrup
(Alamy Stock
Photo)
Species
Rare insects at RSPB Insh Marshes
Work to manage habitat for rare insects at RSPB Insh Marshes is bearing fruit. This Strathspey nature reserve supports an important population of the Critically Endangered Aspen Hoverfly (above left), which lays its eggs in rotting cambium under the bark of decaying Aspen trees, as well as in sap runs on living trees. Last spring’s survey recorded two males and four females at three different trees, with one female seen egg-laying.
Places
The RSPB stars in The Outrun
Hit British film The Outrun was nominated for two BAFTAs, bringing the beauty of RSPB nature reserves to an even wider audience. Adapted from Amy Liptrot’s memoir, the film shows the protagonist, played by Saoirse Ronan, surveying Corncrakes (pictured) for the RSPB in Orkney, as well as scenes filmed at nature reserves including RSPB North Hill on Papa Westray. The film is available to stream on Netflix.
Another insect burgeoning here is the rare Dark Bordered Beauty (above right), a golden-orange moth that’s Endangered in the UK, which enjoyed its best-ever year at Insh Marshes. The caterpillars feed on young leaves from Aspen saplings, known as suckers. At Insh Marshes, we work to reduce grazing pressure to ensure more suckers are available for caterpillars and ensure decaying Aspen wood is available for breeding hoverflies.
People
Active in nature
Cameron’s Cottage, our activity centre in the New Forest, has helped more than 2,000 young people connect to nature since opening in 2024. Funded by the Cameron Bespolka Trust and National Lottery Heritage Fund, the centre offers 14–25-year-olds opportunities to learn new green skills and create lasting memories. Book your residential stay or day visit at rspb.org.uk/camerons-cottage
People
Helping nature with your savings
Your savings could support vital conservation work, thanks to the PlanetSaver account from Market Harborough Building Society. This account, developed with financial technology (fintech) company ekko, offers a competitive interest rate plus a donation to selected wildlife charities – including the RSPB, which collaborates with ekko and vets its investment partners – of £4.50 for every £1,000 saved.
Species
Action for birds
Over its 20-year existence, the Action for Birds in England (AfBiE) partnership has had many successes. Collaboration between the RSPB and Natural England, starting long before the launch of AfBiE, has delivered a host of species-focused projects targeting nearly 50 birds, involving research-informed, targeted habitat conservation work. Some 70% of research and recovery projects achieved their goals.
One notable success has been the recovery of the Bittern (pictured) following reedbed restoration. In 2024, an amazing 283 booming males were recorded. Cirl Buntings have also recovered in the West Country thanks to scientifically informed conservation and engagement with farmers and landowners.
Despite these wins, the scale of investment in conservation action needs to increase substantially to successfully address the biodiversity crisis in England.
Places
Leighton Moss hide renewed
The much-loved but creaking Lower Hide at RSPB Leighton Moss has been replaced, thanks in large part to a generous philanthropic gift that funded two-thirds of the cost.
The wonderful new hide features upgrades such as an entrance ramp for improved access, bigger windows and an outdoor veranda, plus intimate sightings of the Lancashire nature reserve’s pools and wildlife.
People
Welcoming our new ambassadors
Four passionate, well-respected nature champions – a wildlife photographer, a content creator, a conservation expert and a campaigner – have volunteered their voices and expertise to the RSPB as ambassadors. They join our current ambassadors in supporting the RSPB through campaigns, outreach and more.
The new recruits include Rachel Bigsby, an award-winning wildlife photographer who shares her critically
Science
acclaimed seabird photos with her 30,000 Instagram followers; Sam Bentley, who makes uplifting videos about sustainability news, reaching two million people on TikTok and Instagram; Dave Sexton, a former RSPB staff member who played a key role in reintroducing Whitetailed Eagles to the UK; and Mya-Rose Craig, an environmental and diversity campaigner and charity founder. Visit rspb.org.uk/president-and-ambassadors
Steering renewable energy
Tackling climate change through renewable energy is essential for saving nature – but development of sites such as solar farms can pose conservation challenges.
So, we’re continuing our efforts to put nature on the energy agenda with Government and energy developers, as well as conducting research into how renewables can best be rolled out to benefit nature.
Research led by RSPB conservation scientists shows that solar farms with mixed habitat host more bird species and individuals than intensive arable farmland. This adds to growing evidence that solar farms can enhance bird populations and overall species richness when placed on sites selected to reduce impacts on wildlife and managed for biodiversity by planting hedgerows and wildflowers, for example.
Words: Paul Bloomfield.
Photos: Dave Sexton, Sam Bentley, Maya-Rose Craig, Rachel Bigsby; Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Dave Sexton
Mya-Rose Craig
Sam Bentley
Rachel Bigsby
Species
Migratory
shorebirds declining
Four UK waders are among 16 species worldwide that have been moved to higher threat categories on the global IUCN Red List, reflecting substantial declines in the past few decades.
The conservation status of Grey Plover, which overwinters on UK estuaries, has been revised from Least Concern to Vulnerable. Dunlin (pictured), another
Places
Restoring Iceland’s wetlands
Many species migrating through the UK breed and feed elsewhere, so it’s vital to conserve habitat overseas – and we’re collaborating on efforts to do just that in Iceland.
Iceland’s lowland wetlands are of International importance for birds using the East Atlantic Flyway – the migration route from the Arctic to South Africa –particularly waders and waterfowl, many of whom also depend on sites in the UK. The vast majority of Redshanks seen on our coasts and estuaries in autumn and winter breed in Iceland, for example. But it’s estimated that over 70% of Iceland’s wetlands have been impacted by drainage for agriculture (see photo) and for non-native tree planting.
The RSPB is supporting Fuglavernd/ BirdLife Iceland, who will be restoring wetlands later this year with key national and regional organisations. This will
resident of our estuaries, is now classed as Near Threatened, as is Turnstone – a species preferring rocky shorelines. Curlew Sandpiper, a scarce species that passes through the UK on its autumn migration, is also now Vulnerable. Urgent action is needed in the UK and internationally to address such worrying trends.
involve rewetting degraded habitat in south-west Iceland with funding from the Ecological Restoration Fund. Fuglavernd and the RSPB are also working in an Important Bird Area in coastal west Iceland to reopen rivers, reconnect lakes and re-naturalise habitats. Success in these projects will enable the Icelandic Government to better implement their land use policies and enable us to scale up wetland restoration work across the Arctic region, working alongside Fuglavernd to explore opportunities with other Nordic countries.
People
RSPB co-founder honoured
A new blue plaque in Westerham, Kent, honours Catherine Victoria Hall, co-founder of a precursor organisation to the RSPB. In 1889, alongside three other women, Hall established the group dubbed Fur, Fin and Feather Folk, which two years later merged with Manchester’s Plumage League to form the Society for the Protection of Birds.
Birdwatch results
In January, 592,265 people across the UK counted birds in their gardens and local green spaces for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. This year’s results include the lowest number of Starlings (pictured) and highest number of Woodpigeons ever recorded in the survey. This reflects other recorded trends in bird populations. The House Sparrow retained the number one spot in the results. A huge thank you to all who took part. See the full results at rspb.org.uk/the-results
Words: Paul Bloomfield.
Photos: Work of the Women
Police Service by Margaret Damer Dawson from Women of the Empire in War Time 1916; Andy Hay (rspb-images.com);
Róbert Stefánsson;
T.M.O.Birds (Alamy Stock Photo)
Wild days out Rathlin Island
Full of drama, bustling bird cities and ancient splendour, Rathlin
Island draws Sarah Hardy into its fascinating world
Visitor guide Rathlin Island, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Getting there
The Rathlin Island Ferry service departs from Ballycastle, Co Antrim. On the island, privately operated buses run from Church Bay to the Seabird Centre. By bike you can simply follow signs for the Sustrans route (route 93) from Rathlin Harbour.
Entry
Free entry for RSPB members, £8 for adult non-members, £4 for child non-members.
Seasonal highlights
Rathlin is internationally important for breeding seabird species, and Northern Ireland’s largest seabird colony won’t fail to impress. Enjoy the coastal delights as well as the unimproved grassland trails.
This season’s star species
Puffin, Razorbill, Guillemot, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Buzzard, Raven, Oystercatcher, Grey and Common Seal, Skylark, Irish Hare (and golden hare, a variant exclusive to Rathlin), Corncrake, Snipe
Accessibility
Parking: None – please park at Ballycastle, Co Antrim and take the Rathlin Island Ferry. Wheelchairs: There are 98 steps down to a platform and 64 steps to the lighthouse, plus a steep path. Accessible toilets are available. Dogs: Assistance dogs only are welcome at the nature reserve.
More info rspb.org.uk/rathlinisland
Scan for more info
On a grey day, when looking across from Ballycastle, Rathlin Island appears as no more than a ghostly outline veiled in mist.
The dramatic cliffs and coves of this ancient place hold secrets of a truly tempestuous past, and today its landscape remains as wild and rugged as the stories the island would tell, if it could speak.
Situated between Scotland and Ireland on the edge of the Atlantic, this island may appear familiar if you’ve visited the nearby Giants Causeway – you’ll find parts of the coast reminiscent of those basalt stone columns. Rathlin is one of the few places in the world where you find porcellanite, which was used to make axe heads during Neolithic times.
Golden hares and Corncrakes
Our day started towards the south of the island as we made our way up the hill and onto the main spine road that runs the length of the island. Signposted off to the right of the road, the Roonivoolin trail provides a circular loop around the 60 hectare site. The day was grey and flat, unlike the terrain, which was rugged and undulating.
Taking a route that bordered the lough, we spotted Little Grebes bobbing around scenic waters strewn with lily pads not quite in full bloom. The dulcet tones of the Skylark became almost a theme tune for the day. Meadow Pipits flitted here and there, and even a Raven arrived to strike an ominous presence. Looking backwards, I could see the white cobbles of Mill Bay. You can walk further south to the Rue Point Lighthouse by the road, a delightful spot to watch Common and Grey Seals basking.
Previous: Under and over the water on Rathlin Island.
1. A Corncrake strolls through the grass on Rathlin Island
2. Heath SpottedOrchids grow near a footpath
3. A majestic view of Rathlin Island
4. The golden variant of the Irish Hare
5. A Guillemot colony gathers as part of the season’s ‘seabird city’
It’s not surprising, then, that Rathlin has an extensive maritime history. Regarded as a key strategic location, the island has felt the heat of massacres and pillages in times gone by.
During the 1970s, the RSPB began purchasing sections of the North Cliffs, later acquiring several more sections of land around the island to focus on protecting indigenous and migratory species of bird. Today, Rathlin is a tight-knit community of around 160 people. The six-mile crossing from Ballycastle can feel magical or can have your legs buckling from the surge of the waves, depending upon the weather and the tides.
Once I touched down on the seven-mile-long, one-mile-wide piece of land, I was greeted by a true islander, RSPB Warden Liam McFaul. With Liam’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the island, I had no doubt that my day out would be enriched with learning about this wee gem of an island.
‘You might even catch a glimpse of the golden hare, a type of Irish Hare unique to Rathlin and noted for its sleek golden coat and blue eyes – the result of a rare genetic mutation’
Heading back towards the harbour, we came to Craigmacagan nature reserve. This area of pristine heathland, where the heather grows alongside the native, low-growing Western Gorse, gives a beautifully wild feel to the terrain. Looking down towards the sea, the coastline is framed with rocks with yellow plumes of lichen and clusters of vibrant armeria. Cordoned off for nesting season, there were a couple of Eiders on the water, but no nesters –though that may change in the next few weeks!
There’s an easy figure-eight amble here, bypassing a small pond where a number of delicate damselflies and dragonflies are skating over the glassy surface.
Heading back towards the main road, we spotted a field glowing with that beautiful Bluebell hue. The variety of wildflowers that were growing around the fields – milkwort, marsh and Heath Spotted-orchids – were visually inspiring as well as important to a healthy ecosystem.
The Irish Hare also draws a lot of attention from around March. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of the golden hare, a type of Irish Hare unique to Rathlin and noted for its sleek golden coat and blue eyes – the result of a rare genetic mutation.
This area and beyond is dedicated to the preservation of the Corncrake, a once-prolific breeder on the island. Precedence has been given to helping the species reestablish. Its unmistakable call can be heard from the top of the hill overlooking the nature reserve. Areas that provide ideal nesting grounds have been established using donated Common Nettle rhizomes, which give coverage for Corncrakes.
A beacon for birds
Making our way to the west, we see the most popular reason for visitors to come here at this time of year: the dramatic scenes of nesting seabirds. It’s a four-and-a-half mile hike, with an alpine-style climb up to the RSPB’s West Light Seabird Centre. (Or, if you don’t fancy the challenge, there’s always the Puffin Bus.)
RSPB staff directed us towards the lower viewing platform where we could get the best ‘bird’s-eye view’. Seabirds, such as Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots and the glorious but slightly bumbling Fulmars and
‘Some farmers of the island work alongside the RSPB, helping to protect precious habitats and encouraging healthy biodiversity, which includes everything from insects and birds to plants and mammals’
Kittiwakes, return annually to breed on the cliffs and stacks. A predatory Great Skua is currently nesting on the Kebble reserve not far from the cliffs, seen on occasion choosing from the live menu. You may even see a Peregrine perched up high, observing the whole scene. The drama of nesting season is like a soap opera and the sounds fill the air.
The viewing platform is accessed by stairs down the cliff, where you’ll also find the ‘upside-down’ lighthouse. Built into the cliff face over a hundred years ago, Rathlin West Lighthouse is as much a point of interest as the wildlife and an important part of the island’s history. It’s also an advantageous spot to see the commotion, with its symphony of voices.
Staff at the visitor centre told me about a nesting pair of Great Black-backed Gulls who have returned for three consecutive years to the same spot, as well as a pair of Oystercatchers, who have joined the commotion of the colony and bred consistently. Notably, bird numbers have dwindled a little since last year, or some are perhaps a little tardy in their appearance. The reason isn’t entirely one thing or another, but a multitude of factors working against the birds, including avian flu, climate change, predators and marine pollution.
RSPB Rathlin Island Our places
“Both rewarding and exhausting, island life offers volunteers the chance to see the likes of Fin Whales, Long-eared Owls and possibly the largest Guillemot colony in the UK,” says volunteer Molly.
“I got to be both enthused by the birds and share my enthusiasm with visitors. The pinnacle of our trip, watching jumplings leap into their adulthood from the stack, perfectly represented the emotional investment we had in the birds by the end of the trip.”
While at the Seabird Centre, do keep a sharp lookout over the waters for Common and Bottlenose Dolphins – they like to make their presence known! On the island, there are also Long-eared Owls, as Molly mentioned, bats and occasionally a visiting Golden Eagle. Buzzards are fairly common, regularly seen surfing the thermals. Starlings chatter noisily, joining the seasonal migrant Swallows from Africa, plus many other common garden species.
Working for nature
Some farmers of the island work alongside the RSPB, helping to protect precious habitats and encouraging healthy biodiversity, which includes everything from insects and birds to the plants and mammals. Rotational conservation grazing helps to keep the nature reserve’s land in an optimum condition.
LIFE Raft is another notable project on Rathlin, created with guidance from New Zealand’s world experts in eradicating non-native invasive predatory species. The project is invested in protecting and reestablishing ground-nesting birds and indigenous species, as well as creating a healthier ecosystem and benefiting the community in multiple ways on Rathlin. Invasive non-native Brown Rats and Ferrets would typically prey on eggs; Ferrets also hunt the young, vulnerable offspring of birds and other species.
6. A Common Seal rests on the shore
7. Visitors use binoculars to view the masses of nesting seabirds
8. Two Puffins meet, their easily recognisable multicoloured beaks on full display
New things to see “Every day I am surrounded by both astonishing wildlife that never ceases to amaze and by inspirational people who use their expertise to safeguard this wildlife for years to come. It is such a wonderful, fulfilling environment to be a part of,” says Malin, a volunteer.
The centre is accessible and unequivocally inclusive. Staff and volunteers receive regular training to help everyone feel comfortable within the environment, ensuring access and education is widely available to all, creating a hub for learning and connecting to nature. The upkeep of such places is vital, helping to draw interest to the work, species and Rathlin Island internationally.
LIFE Raft’s approach has been successfully employed on Lundy and the Isles of Scilly, as well. Michael Rafferty, the fieldwork manager for LIFE Raft, says: “LIFE Raft is well on course to achieving the world’s first Ferret eradication on an inhabited island and are currently in the penultimate phase of the eradication of Brown Rats on Rathlin. This is an exciting project which will produce significant benefits to seabird colonies that are of global importance. This would not be possible without the help of the community, which is the backbone of success on the project.”
The island seems to be a place of reminiscence for locals, who are well-acquanited with its majesty. For others, it’s a place of discovery, drawing them to return time and time again – much like the birds.
Writer Sarah Hardy is a selfconfessed polymath who has worked as an artist, therapist and yoga mentor, among many other things. Her sense of biophilia is at the root of all her written work.
Get closer to nature
Every detail, every moment – nature in perfect focus
Come along to our Demo Weekend from 26–27 April to try a range of binoculars and scopes for yourself and get expert advice. You’ll receive double loyalty points for every optics purchase.
To find your nearest participating nature reserve and try before you buy, visit: shopping.rspb.org.uk/store-finder
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Your stories
‘The whole experience was amazing and emotional’
In 2023, we started working as Volunteer Beachnesting Bird Wardens in Norfolk, far from our home in London. We worked on beaches in east Norfolk, including Winterton beach, which is managed by Natural England, helping to protect one of Dave’s favourite species – Little Terns. The Little Tern is our second-rarest seabird and a Schedule 1 species. Without protection such as fenced-off areas, Norfolk’s Little Tern colony wouldn’t survive.
We hadn’t volunteered in nature like this before, but we were passionate about wanting to make a difference and safeguard these amazing birds!
That first year, Dave got the Gold Star Award for logging the most hours volunteering. For Dave, this included a lot of eight-hour-long night shifts spent patrolling the protective fence, spotting and scaring away predators. Jacinta spent less time than Dave on the colony at first, due to a recent stroke, but still did tasks such as measuring and spacing markers in the colony.
We outlined and built protective fences around the colony area and monitored the nests and chicks as they hatched and interacted.
During the day, we would usually sit on the beach monitoring the terns and watching for aerial predators such as Kestrels and Hobbies. Jacinta would chat with visitors and dog owners on the beach, explaining what was going on and why it was important to observe the RSPB signs.
The whole experience was amazing and emotional, especially when we observed the colony all working together when there was a threat. We met so many interesting people and spent so many magical moments with the birds. We’ve already volunteered for the same project in 2025!
Dave and Jacinta Cook
Find volunteer openings at rspb.org.uk/volunteer
Words: Alison Maney. Portrait: Joby Sessions
Your say
Star letter
Gardening alongside nature
David Lindo (Winter/Spring issue) makes a good point about connecting with nature wherever we can find it. One of the highlights of my year is when the damseland dragonflies emerge from our pond. As they pair up, they often rest on me, which gives me an excuse to take a break from gardening and watch the wildlife all around me.
Often the pairings of these insects bring the frogs up to the surface where they hide behind the pond vegetation in hopes of catching a quick meal. Then there are the many solitary bees who have made a ‘street’ of nests among my raised strawberry patch. This has led me to being extra cautious about watering my plants. It seems to have worked because the bees return each year and as a result my strawberries have never been better.
I have gardened for years with wildlife in mind, practised no dig methods (without realising it was a thing) and crammed flowers and edibles together. In return, I have a balance, with some sacrificial plants given to slugs and snails. This brings in the birds and Hedgehogs which, as well as providing us with some wonderful wildlife encounters, also results in some tasty food for my family.
Angela Keeler
Nature’s bounty
The apple tree in our garden in Derbyshire attracts many varieties of bird from the surrounding farmland, and I have an excellent view from my bedroom window. Each morning during September and October, two Green Woodpeckers were regular visitors to the tree – not to eat the apples, it seems, so possibly for insects. It was my morning delight before breakfast, watching these colourful birds seeking out theirs. We saw them searching the gravel for ants.
In November, the Blackbirds arrive to devour the apples still plentiful on the tree. One morning, they were flustered when two Redwings arrived on their way from Scandinavia. The Redwings stopped over and took their fill of
the apples before continuing on their journey.
Another morning, I was startled when a beautiful Jay landed on the tree, but the Blackbirds didn’t seem to mind, even when it followed them to the wildlife pool and joined in with the splashing.
We are so lucky here to see so many varieties of tit and finch, and we have resident Wrens, Dunnocks and Robins, as well as the larger species of our feathered friends, the Woodpigeons, Jackdaws and beautiful but bossy Magpies. My daughter and I were bemoaning the fact that thrushes are rarely seen or heard these days when a Song Thrush came hopping along our terrace as if to say, “hey, some of us are still here”.
Madeline Truman
Hummingbirds in Dorset?
Kestrels hover; Buzzards into a head wind can hover; some terns kind of hover just as they spot food; but then my list of hovering birds comes to an end. But there we were, three of us, watching a brightly coloured bird with a bit of a bill hovering on Stanpit Marsh, Dorset. We have 100 years of birdwatching between us and none of us had seen a ‘hummingbird’ in Dorset! But, of course, it wasn’t a hummingbird. Stanpit Marsh has few trees, so the Kingfisher, for that was our bird, was hovering and then diving into the creeks on the marsh. This wasn’t an occasional hover – the bird kept doing this for a 15-minute period, at a couple of minutes per hover. None of us had ever seen this behaviour before, and the more we
The star letter wins a pair of RSPB 8x32 Avocet binoculars from our Viking Optical range – they’re waterproof, nitrogenfilled and robust. To see the full range, visit rspbshop.co.uk
Above: An Emperor Dragonfly
Emperor Dragonfly
watched the more we questioned how the bird could sustain this for such long periods. It must have been burning off many calories to be able to do this. To say we were transfixed was an understatement, and we all had a good view on a bright day. It finally made its catch, and the memory of the Dorset ‘hummingbird’ will stay with us.
Tom Perrett
Late breeding
I have been seeing evidence of very late breeding. Is that unusual? I live in Coventry and walk most days along parts of the Sowe Valley Way. During August 2024, I saw a number of broken egg shells – signs of new chicks. Then, I observed a number of juveniles as follows: 24 August: juvenile Grey Wagtail; 3 September: juvenile Sparrowhawks; 9 September: juvenile Chiffchaff; 12 September: juvenile Blackbird; 13 September: juvenile Goldfinches. I also saw a Brimstone butterfly on 28 August – I thought it was a spring butterfly! I would be interested to know if this has been repeated in other parts of the country and what consequences there might be.
Ann Hawker
Ed: This is certainly quite late for the bird species that you mention. However, we have checked with one of our experts, who has also seen late juvenile Chiffchaffs, so you’re not the only one! As for Brimstone butterflies, the adults do start appearing in late August, so this is not unusual. These are the ones that will overwinter and breed in early springtime next year.
Spring clean
Last year, an article on cleaning out bird boxes made me feel guilty about not having done it for a year or two. I have five boxes, so they were cleaned as you instructed and I put chopped clean hay in. Nesting time came and I saw, from my kitchen window, a Blue Tit going into the box, and then out, taking OUT the hay I had put in! I looked under my other boxes, only to find underneath them was littered with clean short hay. My bed making was obviously not appreciated!
Margaret Martin
Birds and blackberries
It is stated in the Autumn/Winter magazine (in the article ‘Hoarders and Feasters’) that birds eat blackberries. Do they really? I ask because I have watched them eat many other kinds of fruit – such as cherry, raspberry and redcurrant –but never a blackberry. When I go blackberrying each year, I have the clear impression that any berries not picked by humans simply go over-ripe and fall to the ground, where they are perhaps eaten by small rodents. I should love to know whether anyone else has actually seen a bird eat a blackberry.
Christine Brown
Ed: Many birds eat blackberries, but the sheer volume (and variety) of these fruits means that there are always many left over.
Hearing loss
Just wanted to say thank you to David Lindo for his article addressing birdsong and hearing loss. I have tinnitus and it affects being able to hear silence in the wild and birdsong. I find I’m also less able to volunteer. Previously, I’ve volunteered for bat monitoring, but now I worry that I’ll miss a crucial species and bias the results. It was good to hear others are also affected and that perhaps something can be done to help. I appreciate David’s honesty in talking about his experience. He made me feel less alone in the isolation that can be inherent in experiencing hearing loss.
April Warburton
Birding with a baby
Before my baby’s arrival, I was able to take off on a whim to an RSPB nature reserve. Now, my binoculars have not been out in almost a year. But recently I’ve started paying attention to birds again, albeit in a more localised way. I tune into the territorial calls of the Robins on our road while walking with my baby, or look out the window when a flock of parakeets fly by. Seeing a Kestrel up close at our allotment felt like a gift. Birdwatching as a new mother may not necessarily be as carefree, but it is no less wondrous.
Davina Levy
Magazine collections I have all of the RSPB’s magazines from Birds volume 1 number 5 (September–October 1966) through to the current issue. Does anyone have the first four parts so I can create a full set?
John Summerscales
Ed: If you can help John please email rspbmagazine@rspb.org.uk or write to us at the address on p3.
Below (top): A female Blackcap eating blackberries Below (bottom): Many readers have been marvelling at Kingfishers
Your photos
Star photo
Ptarmigan party
I took this photo of a pair of Ptarmigans while I was on a walk in the Cairngorms National Park.
Rich Haaker
Send your wildlife photos to The RSPB Magazine. See page 3 for details
RSPBshop.co.uk
RSPB Shop bundle worth £250!
Our star amateur photo wins £250 to spend on anything at the RSPB Shop! From wildlife garden ideas to homewares, books and even chocolate, everything is produced in the most sustainable and nature-friendly way possible, and proceeds go directly towards wildlife conservation. So treat yourself or a loved one, safe in the knowledge that you’re supporting both wildlife and sustainable, ethical businesses.
1. Shore Lark by Jayne Kirkby
2. Gannets by Ian Pinn
3. Starling by Aggie Kraska Carter
4. Male (top) and female Bearded Tit by Pauline Goldthorpe
5. Black Redstart by Matt Mason
6. Oystercatchers by Ant Clifford
Your gardens
Keeping it simple
James Silvey shows Adrian Thomas the many ways in which he has successfully transformed his family garden to work both for him and for his local wildlife
“I just have three main principles,” James says of his small suburban garden just north of the Firth of Forth in Fife. “It has to be organic, it must work for me and it must work for wildlife.”
He and his partner moved there in 2015, when the garden was just grass and a few roses, and it had very limited wildlife value. But James knew he could do all manner of things to improve his garden.
He especially wanted to create food for insects, such as providing foodplants for the adults and their larvae. “In a small garden,” he says, “you want the flowers to work really hard and have a long season,
so I grow species such as Achillea, Geranium Rozanne, Campanula and Viper’s Bugloss. Agastache ‘Blackadder’ is a favourite of Leafcutter Bees.”
In fact, James’ planting list is like a roll-call of the best plants for pollinators, including Sedum, Echinops and Nepeta (catmint) as well as an array of thymes that tumble over the path’s edge.
Interspersed with the flowers are fruit and vegetables. “We grow fruit such as blackberries,” he says, “which are great in so many ways for wildlife. Then there is an apple tree and broad beans for early pollinators, and redcurrants, which I don’t like but the birds love!”
James ensures that the front garden is just as good for wildlife as the back. It includes a semi-circular mini meadow surrounded by a mixture of lavenders. And it’s the mini meadows – front and back – that James is perhaps most proud of. They’re rich with Cat’s-ear, Red Clover, Self-heal and Devil’s-bit Scabious and, of course, the meadow-making plant Yellow Rattle, which inhibits the vigour of the otherwise boisterous grasses.
“I mow the lawn areas sporadically so the clover can flower, and leave the mini-meadows totally uncut until late summer,” James says. “I then mow it through the autumn.”
Flower beds and vegetable plots create a mosaic of intimate little habitats –diversity is the key.
The mini meadow includes and island of longer grass and flowers with a flowering lawn around it.
The bee hotels bake in the sun just a short flight from the mini meadow.
He continues: “Hearing a grasshopper in the garden for the first time was incredible, as was a female Common Blue butterfly egg-laying. They were ‘if you build it, they will come’-type moments. The biggest highlight has been Ghost Moths fluttering over the grasses.”
There are still things James wants to do. “I don’t have much free time, but I try to improve the garden every year. Next I want to rejuvenate the overgrown pond.”
James also has to consider his toddler. “I grow nothing that is toxic or too thorny,” he says. “But apart from that, having a wildlife-friendly garden creates a richer environment for her to play in.”
I ask James what his biggest lesson from the garden is. “Overall, I think the important thing is just giving it a go,” he says. “You put in something that you know wildlife needs, and so often they move in.”
James’ Top Tips
1 Always remember to provide for the whole life cycle of pollinators, not just flowers for the adults. For example, this might mean growing nasturtiums or a sacrificial cabbage for white butterflies, or creating a ‘hoverfly lagoon’, a mini pool for the larvae of some species.
2 Enhance mini meadows by planting plug plants of choice meadow flowers. They often establish better that way.
3 Don’t worry about trying to slot in every single feature for wildlife. Your garden is part of a patchwork of gardens, so aim to provide what your neighbours don’t.
1. James inspecting his collection of bee hotels. Their sunny position is exactly what the female solitary bees look for.
2. James grows fruit and veg that provide food for him and his family as well as for wildlife. The humble blackberry has brilliant flowers for pollinators and enough fruit both for you and for nature.
3. Lavender is great for us thanks to its aromatic foliage, while the copious flowers are some of the very best for pollinators.
4. From the air, you can see how the mini meadows, flower borders, a vegetable patch, shrubs and hedges knit together into a patchwork.
Photos: Euan Myles
How to Make a bee brick
James’ bee hotels are home-made, and they’re much simpler to make than you might think. You just need some clayey soil, a bit of builder’s sand and some straw. If your garden is on clay soil, you can simply use that, but otherwise you can buy a bag of cricket loam online. Straw or hay bales can also be bought quite cheaply.
Activity Wildlife gardening ideas: a front-row seat!
A key part of gardening with wildlife in mind is to remember to look after yourself! Make areas where you and your family can sit in the garden and be a part of nature.
In James’ garden, his seating area is surrounded by wildlife-friendly plants, including this ‘wall’ of sweet peas, with bird boxes and bee hotels on the fence behind.
The health and wellbeing benefits of being in nature are increasingly being recognised and understood by scientists and doctors. This is your unique opportunity to get the full value right outside your door, whenever you want!
Mix up the ingredients with a bit of water, form into a brick shape, poke some deep holes into the brick using old pencils and then leave to dry. The straw helps bind the brick together.
Once hardened, place in a sheltered, sunny, south-facing position near flowerrich parts of the garden. Solitary bees should move in within days in summer.
What to grow Bird’s-foot-trefoils
There are five species of Bird’sfoot-trefoils native to the UK, of which two – Common and Greater –are very widespread.
The former usually grows on chalk, limestone and sandy soils and the latter in marshier places.
These members of the clover family all have bright yellow pea flowers in whorls.
Flowers of Common Bird’s-foottrefoil can be orange in bud, giving them the name ‘Eggs and Bacon’.
Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil is well adapted to growing in short grass and copes well with grazing (including by the mower).
The flowers are well visited by longer-tongued pollinators such as the Common Carder Bee (pictured).
However, their greatest value is their leaves, which are essential food for various insects, such as the caterpillars of the Common Blue butterfly and Six-spot Burnet moth.
Bird’s-foot-trefoils are easy and cheap to grow from seed, or can be bought as plug plants to add to your own mini meadow.
Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil will even work in a ‘pop-up meadow’, where you just stop mowing your lawn for a few weeks in the summer. It will burst into a carpet of gold!
Spotlight on Ghost Moths
James has seen Ghost Moths lekking over his mini meadow. (A lek is where the males gather in June and July, pumping out pheromones and fluttering back and forth just above the tops of the grasses.)
Their name comes from the male’s white wings, which look like shiny paper. Their bodies are covered in dense golden fur. They have no mouthparts, so don’t visit flowers for nectar.
Once mated, the females will scatter eggs into the meadow, and the caterpillars will feed on the grass and flower roots for up to two years before pupating and then turning into adults.
This is another garden species for whom a shift in lawn management from ‘always mown’ to ‘mini meadow’ will help create the right conditions.
Your
When I first got Adrian’s RSPB Gardening for Wildlife book, I didn’t have a garden and was living in Gibraltar.
Fast-forward five years and I finally had my own small garden. It contained a few non-native pruned bushes and a closely cropped lawn. The Big Garden Birdwatch yielded one Woodpigeon.
I set to work with Adrian’s book as my bible. The soil was thin and rocky, and everything was battered by the salty winds off the seafront.
I persevered and learned as I went. I’ve planted gorse, built a compost bin out of pallets that is now home to Wood Mice, toads and a Wren, created sheltered spots and planted lavenders, Hawthorn, Birch, Ivy, Honeysuckle and more.
I put in a tiny pond and have already had a large frog visit, plus dragonflies
and in the summer the bats circle above, hunting insects.
The second Big Garden Birdwatch was a bonanza of birds, with a count of 45 Starlings among many other species. And I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy the company of less common birds such as Goldfinches, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, a Sparrowhawk and even a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
‘My’ House Sparrows have doubled in number since I started feeding them every day, and they now nest in the eaves of my house.
When you read comments that small patches can make a huge difference for nature, they really can. My small garden and my learned knowledge is, quite literally, living proof.
Sarah Hunt, Sussex
Here is a photograph of the Hedgehog houses and feeding stations that I have set up in our garden. It initially began with one small feeding station and one house. This then progressed onto two of each. We now have up to two Hedgehogs visiting.
To make more people in our area aware that we have Hedgehogs, I stuck lots of ‘Slow – Hedgehog’ signs on lamp posts and street furniture and signed up to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. I’m posting their leaflets to neighbours.
Sarah Wild
Wings look like shiny paper
Your questions
Questions answered by India James and Molly Brown, RSPB Wildlife team Ask us about wildlife at YourQuestions@rspb.org.uk
What species are these caterpillars?
This photo shows a group of Buff-tip caterpillars on a willow tree and is a brilliant spot! These caterpillars often group together and are seen from July to early October and then overwinter as pupae under the ground.
The adult moths that emerge are incredible at camouflage. When resting, they hold their wings against their bodies and mimic the appearance of birch bark. I have seen Common Frogs with blisters on their skin. What is this and can toads get it?
Joanne Winn
Such unusual-looking changes on Common Frogs’ skin are typically caused by a ranid herpesvirus. They appear during the breeding season, but affected frogs usually recover over time. In Common Toads, a skin disease caused by a different virus in the same group, called bufonid herpesvirus, has been reported in Switzerland and Germany, sometimes leading to thickened brown-to-orange patches of skin. Wildlife vets from Garden Wildlife Health say: “We recently diagnosed bufonid herpesvirus skin disease in a small number of Common Toads at one location in England, but we suspect the condition may be more widespread. We need to learn more about where it occurs in Great Britain and whether it can cause ill health in Common Toads.” Please report any sightings of ill health in amphibians, ideally with a photo, to the Garden Wildlife Health project at gardenwildlifehealth.org
Which is which?
House Martin, Swallow or Swift?
These wonderful summer visitors travel all the way from Africa and are often a welcome sign that spring has officially arrived. These migrants are usually seen darting and swooping as they hunt for their food –flying insects. However, they can be tricky to distinguish.
House Martin
• Glossy blue-black upperparts with an obvious square white rump
• White throat and underside
• Short, forked tail
• Often builds mud nest cups below eaves of houses
Swallow
• Glossy blue-black topside and head
• Red forehead and throat
• Scythe-shaped wings
• Long tail streamers
• Seen gliding low to the ground and perching on telegraph wires
Swift
• Dark soot-brown all over
• Small, pale-brown patch on throat
• Wide, crescent-shaped wings
• Short, forked tail
• Larger wingspan
• Often flying at great heights and ‘screaming’
Illustrations: Mike Langman;
Photos: Roger Tidman (rspb-images.com); Lynn Stephenson; Alice Rice
Alison Rice
Why do Blackbirds sit in grass with their wings spread out?
Will Burnett
While we might typically think of birds cleaning themselves with water from a bird bath, birds have several different strategies for keeping clean. Some birds also ‘sunbathe’ by fluffing up their feathers and spreading out their wings in a sunny spot. This is thought to make it easier for them to remove parasites and to help the preen oil spread out across the feathers. Another interesting behaviour that has been seen in some species (including Blackbirds) is ‘anting’. This is where birds actively place ants, or passively allow them to climb, onto their plumage. They may do this to help get rid of parasites.
How to…
Choose the best plants for your wildlife pond
Plants are essential for any pond. They help keep the water clear and oxygenated, provide food and habitat for pond inhabitants and are wonderful to look at. However, there are some key things to remember when selecting vegetation for your pond. You should choose a mixture of submerged (for example, the Hornwort or Ceratophyllum family), floating (for example, Frogbit or Hydrocharis morsusranae in England, Common Water-crowfoot or Ranunculus aquatilis, etc) and marginal plants (for example, Marsh Marigold or Caltha palustris, Water Mint or Mentha aquatica, etc). Never source plants from the wild or a friend’s pond and only buy aquatic plants from a reputable supplier of native British pond plants. Make sure to choose plants that are suitable for the size of your pond, as some can quickly grow too large and overtake the entire pond.
When is a good time to see Puffins in the UK?
Drew Williams
Puffins spend most of their time out at sea, but they can be seen during the summer when they move to coastal cliffs to nest.
They usually return to their nesting colonies in March and April, and the best time to see them is typically between May and July.
Puffins nest in burrows (which they excavate themselves or sometimes even commandeer from Rabbits) situated in turf or in crevices between rocks on grassy clifftops.
The RSPB has several nature reserves where Puffins can be found including RSPB Bempton Cliffs in England, Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland, RSPB Sumburgh Head in Scotland and RSPB South Stack in Wales. Just be sure to keep your distance when observing Puffins and don’t bring dogs near nesting seabirds. See if you can spot some sandeels in a Puffin’s colourful bill!
Hornwort, or Ceratophyllum
Common Frog tadpole
A wetland vi
With your support, the RSPB is increasing the size of its network of wetlands in order to support wildlife
Imagine a vast connected wetland. It is loud: a Curlew bubbles overhead and piping Oystercatchers call, and there’s squabbling among the gulls and terns nesting on the islands. And yet, through all the clamour, this place brings calm. It provides vital solace to the hearts of many of its human residents and visitors.
This is our vision for England’s east coast. With each ebb and flow of the tide, these coastal wetlands provide essential refuges for wildlife, and for us. Our vision is to create a connected network of coastal sites that can withstand the rising sea levels as well as the challenges of the century ahead, ensuring the natural spectacles we all love are there for future generations and are even restored to their former richness.
With effort and foresight, we’ve started this ambitious plan; however, there is still a lot more to do. To make this a reality, we’re working with partners to improve and restore wetlands, both natural and constructed, across the east of England. Wetlands provide a cost-effective and naturefriendly solution to reducing erosion and flood risk, forming a natural line of defence for our coastal communities while also benefiting hundreds of wildlife species and acting as a vital carbon sink for the future.
Wetlands under threat
The east coast of England is one of the most vulnerable coastlines in the UK. Sea levels will continue to rise due to climate change, threatening numerous habitats and communities.
Historically, the UK has lost more than 15% of its intertidal habitat since 1945, including 8,000 hectares of saltmarsh. Additionally, it has lost 46% of its shingle and 18% of its dunes.
In a natural setting, these habitats could retreat inland; however, as much of the UK coastline is backed by fixed sea walls (ca. 72% in England), it’s therefore subject to ‘coastal squeeze’. This means that coastal habitats will eventually be lost in front of these sea defences.
The loss of wetland areas, specifically fresh- and saltwater marshes, was also due to land being drained for development and farming. The reclamation of the Fenlands (commonly known as ‘the Fens’) and
Previous: An aerial view of Horsey Island
1. Mediterranean, Black-headed, Common, Herring and Lesser Blackbacked Gulls in Norfolk
2. Sandbagging work as part of the LIFE on the Edge project at Titchwell Marsh
3. Reedbed work at Titchwell Marsh
4. Eastern part of Wallasea Island
5. Ringed Plover
Canvey Island are just two examples. Prior to this, the east coast of England would have had a multitude of wetlands, which would have provided ample places for wildlife and protected the habitats behind these areas from flooding.
Managing and creating precious habitats
At RSPB Titchwell Marsh (Norfolk), works funded by EU LIFE were carried out in 2021, creating 12 new islands, restoring the freshwater reedbed and splitting the single freshwater marsh compartment into three, with new water control structures installed. This now allows the freshwater marsh to be managed on a constant rotational basis, ensuring plentiful food for wintering wildfowl and breeding species such as Avocet, which had a record-breaking year in 2022, as well as the first Common Terns to nest since 2013.
Further south, at RSPB Old Hall Marshes (Essex) and RSPB Seasalter (Kent), we have been restoring coastal grazing marsh for wintering waterfowl and breeding Redshanks, Lapwings and Avocets. Despite being once-widespread in river or coastal floodplains, wildlife-rich wet grassland is now extremely rare due to changes in land management. Much of the existing wet grassland has declined in wildlife value and needs careful nurturing for this to be reversed.
Funded by the Green Recovery Challenge Fund and EU LIFE, Seasalter underwent a large-scale restoration project of 228 hectares, while LIFE funding allowed Old Hall Marshes to improve the condition of 180 hectares.
Suitable cattle grazing is integral to producing a good range of vegetation heights across the nature reserves for both ground-nesting birds and wintering birds such as Curlew. Both sites created new features to help manage and retain water in the fields, resulting in shallow pools surrounded by muddy margins to provide suitable habitat for foraging wading birds. The features included scrapes, islands and bunds, which were built to act as a barrier, minimising water runoff. Another feature was rills, or meandering channels, which are used to retain water for longer periods than the adjacent grasslands.
Improved hydrology on nature reserves was achieved by replacing and installing solar pumps and new sluices, including a tilting weir with an eel pass at Old Hall Marshes. The weir allows freshwater to be retained, which is critical for the health of these marshes, and gives us the ability to remove seawater safely and efficiently should the seawalls be overtopped. Including an eel pass benefits European Eels, which are now classed as critically endangered.
Restoring Minsmere Scrape
‘These coastal habitats will eventually be lost in front of these sea defences’
In Suffolk, at the Minsmere Scrape, an impressive 20.5-hectare wetland has been restored. A scrape is a shallow depression with a gentle slope that holds water. At RSPB Minsmere, the Scrape is large enough to have shingle islands distributed across the shallow saltwater and freshwater lagoons. It was created in the 1960s with the aim of benefiting Avocets, which at the time were very rare in the UK. This lagoon
Words: Chantal MacLeod-Nolan. Photos: Hayley Roan; David Wootton; Robin Chittenden, An Solas Òir (both Alamy Stock Photo). Previous: Jim Pullan (rspb-images.com)
habitat supports a wide variety of invertebrates, which includes a decent biomass of prey for birds. Creating this habitat successfully encouraged Avocets and supported numerous other species such as breeding Sandwich Terns, Black-headed Gulls, Oystercatchers, Ringed Plovers and Mediterranean Gulls. During migration and winter, it’s an important resting and feeding area for a suite of wading birds such as Black-tailed Godwits and Dunlins.
After decades, though, this important haven needed to be restored. Works began in 2021, thanks to funding from LIFE on the Edge (an EU-funded coastal habitat creation project) and the National Grid Landscape Enhancement Initiative. The re-landscaping of the lagoons, as well as the creation of new shingle islands, has revitalised the Scrape, with Little Terns even attempting to nest on the nature reserve after a years-long hiatus. The Minsmere Scrape was also made more resilient to climate change thanks to the installation of new water level controls, which gives the nature reserve greater hydrological control of the Scrape’s water.
Restore Little Tern haven
Essex is home to numerous islands, including Horsey Island, which is privately owned and home to the county’s most important Little Tern colony.
The beach was eroding, so to remedy this, approximately 50,000m3 of sand and shingle was deposited onto the beach through a Beneficial Use of Dredge Sediment (BUDS) scheme in partnership with Harwich Haven Authority (HHA) and the Environment Agency (EA). Funded by HHA, the EA and EU LIFE, the material provided by the HHA major channel deepening project has, via wave and wind action, wrapped itself around the existing beach, securing the future of the colony.
Working with industries like this in the future will mean that this dredged material can be used for coastal nourishment projects, instead of being deposited in the sea. As a result of this project, over 40 Little Tern chicks fledged at Horsey Island in Essex this year, the highest number for 17 years.
Restoring saltmarsh at Northey Island
In 1991, as the first site in the UK to undertake managed realignment, National Trust’s Northey Island (Essex) laid the foundation for future projects around the UK. Though small, it’s an important place for saltmarsh, mudflats and grassland; however, with conditions exacerbated by climate change, the saltmarsh has been eroding and large tides are now breaching the flood defences of Northey Island.
To remedy this, another managed realignment scheme created new creeks, raised the inland embankments and removed parts of the flood bank to give space for the rising sea level.
Now that the saltmarsh plants are able to migrate inland as they would naturally with rising sea levels, recent surveys have shown that there are numerous plant species steadily colonising the new intertidal areas. Dredged material is also being used to raise and regenerate other parts of the saltmarsh.
Creating habitat Our work
From the Elizabeth Line to the Essex Coast At 740-hectares, RSPB Wallasea Island (Essex) is the UK’s largest-ever coastal wetland creation project, built on land that was claimed from the sea for arable farming. This example of climate change adaptation to coastal change, caused by climate change-driven sea level rise, was achieved through two managed realignment projects, with the most recent in 2015, using more than three million tonnes of soil excavated during the construction of tunnels beneath London for the Elizabeth Line by Crossrail. This was used to raise land levels and create a suite of habitats in the 115 ha intertidal area including saltmarsh, lagoons, islands and open mudflats. As a result of this and the rest of the habitat creation on the former farmland, the nature reserve attracted a record 38,000 wildfowl and waders in 2024, making it an important area of the Crouch and Roach Estuaries. Black-headed Gulls, Oystercatchers, Ringed Plovers and Common Tern also nest here.
“Through the managed realignment and beneficial reuse of material from the Crossrail Infrastructure project, we have created habitat to tackle coastal flooding and climate change threats and compensate for the loss of important tidal habitats across England,” says Rachel Fancy, Wallasea Island Site Manager. “Wallasea supports a wealth of wildlife and plants and stores carbon. The work is not complete: going forward, we are planning to expand and create 100 hectares of extra habitat, including a freshwater lagoon benefitting wildlife and allowing more visitors to connect with nature.”
Looking to the future
Together with partners, our vision is coming to fruition – England East Coast Wetlands has been added to the UK’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. If this new status is granted, it will bring together a coastal network of wetlands covering 170,000 hectares, from the RSPB’s Blacktoft Sands on the Humber estuary in the north to the coastal Kent nature reserves along the Thames in the south.
6. Little Terns are Amber Listed
7. The UK supports internationally important numbers of wintering Blacktailed Godwits
8. The eel pass at Old Hall Marshes
9. European Eels migrate from UK rivers to their breeding grounds in the Sargasso Sea
The foundation is being laid and although some projects, such as LIFE on the Edge, are coming to an end, there are more coastal adaptation schemes planned, including a multi-million Natural Flood management grant awarded to the RSPB to continue using dredged material in the Blackwater Estuary. Over the next two years, working with a range of industries, government bodies and NGOs, they will focus on both hard sediments to restore shingle islands and soft sediment to create new saltmarsh on peninsulas, which will benefit both wildlife and the communities in these areas.
Chantal MacLeod-Nolan is an RSPB Project Officer whose focus is on EU LIFE-funded projects, including LIFE on the Edge, which is aimed at restoring coastal sites. Learn more at projectlote.life
David Lindo
Giving nature a home where we live
David
Lindo is The Urban Birder and founder of The Urban Birder World, theurbanbirder world.com
We often take our housing requirements for granted. For those of us lucky enough to own or rent homes our ideal prerequisites include a decent kitchen, good bedrooms, a nice lounge and, if we’re lucky, a good-sized garden. For a bird, housing needs are fairly basic by comparison. Unlike us, birds don’t actually live in their nests, as they are out and about living their lives. Nests are nurseries, purely for the raising of the future generations. That said, birds such as Long-tailed Tits or Wrens famously use nestboxes to pass harsh winter nights huddled together to keep warm.
The nests of birds have to be fit for purpose and in shady areas out of sight and reach of predators. Housing in the bird world is all about nooks and crannies. And holes.
The urban structures of today are basically bereft of nesting sites for birds. Our architects and builders are obsessed with erecting buildings without holes and crevices, as quickly as possible. Add to that the fact that councils are quick to remove old trees, a source of great housing for birds, it is plain to see that we have a problem.
I have noticed that in Spain, and other European countries, many buildings, particularly the older ones, are littered with holes, crevices and ledges. These encourage a wide variety of nesting birds including House Sparrows, Storks, Kestrels and, of course, Swifts. I love walking the streets of those towns and watching hordes of screaming Swifts in sizeable flocks chasing each other between the buildings. They, along with the other species that nest in the buildings and
‘Keep nagging developers to include Swift boxes in their new developments’
surrounding bushes and trees, add to the character of the towns in which they live.
We have an issue in the UK. As one of the most nature-depleted nations on earth, it is rare to find urban areas as buzzy as some of our continental counterparts. Along with the lack of nesting sites, we are also low on insects and, despite all the rain that we get, we are low on mud for House Martins to build their amazing mud nests. Their situation is further confounded by the lack of eaves from which to locate their nests plus the anti-stick paint that we use to discourage such activity.
But many of us are doing our bit to try to reverse this negative trend. Supplying nestboxes has been a godsend for many species. The Red-Listed Swift has been lured back to many areas due to the inclusion of Swift bricks by some more forward-thinking developers who have listened to the numerous local Swift groups up and down the country. One word about local groups – never feel that your efforts are futile in the grand scheme of things. Your collective efforts, including those of individuals who place general nestboxes in their neighbourhoods, are really making a difference. Keep nagging developers to include Swift boxes in their new developments and keep putting up boxes.
In urban areas, people often do not realise that they too can provide nesting opportunities for birds. Make it your business to advise your neighbours about when and where to place nestboxes. Perhaps try to convince them not to seal up the holes in their gables in the hope that it may attract nesting Swifts. I remember a pair of Swifts that nested in a hole in someone’s house in the urban streets of Walthamstow, London for many years until one winter I noticed that the house was up for sale. To my horror, the next spring the hole was sealed by the new owners. I did not feel anger towards the new owners. They probably did not realise what they had just done. It was just indicative of our continued disconnect from nature.
Your legacy is nature’s future
At the RSPB we know our connection to nature is irreplaceable. We must nurture and protect it, because without it we are lost.
That’s why we’re working tirelessly to tackle the biggest threats facing our world, so one day we can truly thrive together.
A gift in your Will to the RSPB is one of the most powerful ways you can support this mission for generations to come.
Request your RSPB Gifts in Wills guide at rspb.org.uk/legacy or call one of our Legacy Advisers on 01767 669700
Takeouts
Three things to take away from this issue – and do
1 Give birds a flying start
As Chantal explained on page 70, the east coast wetlands provide vital winter shelter, staging posts, breeding grounds and rest stops for global migrant species and our iconic wetland birds. We have just launched our ‘Flying Start’ fundraising appeal to support these vital oases for nature. To support our work along the east coast to create, enhance and protect these habitats for wildlife on our nature reserves, please donate at rspb.org.uk/flying-start – your donation will be used to fund ongoing work across our east coast wetlands nature reserves from the Humber to the Thames. Thank you!
3 No pay cut for nature
Inspired by Nicola Chester’s column on page 13?
Here’s a campaign to get behind with the young people in your life. The farming budget – the biggest pot of funding for nature – is in the firing line. But any cut now would be a disaster for nature and farming. The good news is, there’s something we can all do about it. We need more investment in nature-friendly farming now, to protect nature, protect farmers’ livelihoods and to protect food production. Nature can’t wait. Sign the petition today to tell the Government not to give a pay cut to nature rspb.org.uk/growourfuture
2 Time to talk for change
Whether you’re concerned about new building developments making space for Swifts (p76), or want to call to champion renewable energy (p44), it’s time to meet your MP to campaign for nature. You can meet your MP at their regular surgeries (visit rspb.org.uk/nature-surgeries), and a mass lobby of the UK Parliament will be held in London on 9 July 2025, where thousands of people will call on their MPs to act for nature, climate and people.
Photos: Andy Hay, Ben Andrew, Kevin Sawford (all rspb-images.com)
