Britain's largest bird of prey spotted over Saltburn and Whitby for first time in 240 YEARS

Two of Britain's largest birds of prey seen soaring 'over people's back gardens'; they were last seen in England in 1780 before humans killed them off

Britain's largest bird of prey has been spotted over Saltburn and Whitby - for the first time in 240 years.

Two white-tailed eagles have been seen soaring "over people's back gardens" and across the North York Moors.

The stunning birds, with wing spans of up to two-and-a-half-metres, were last recorded in England in 1780, on the Isle of Wight - but were killed off illegally by humans.

A five-year programme by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England to restore the lost species is under way.

It's hoped the birds will start to breed in the south of England. 

But it's North Yorkshire the young eagles seem to prefer - for now.

"At this stage, young white-tailed eagles are quite nomadic, exploring and learning the landscape," says Dr Tim Mackrill, from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation.

"The GPS transmitters are a brilliant way of tracking them, sometimes as often as every minute.

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Birdwatchers urged to join the ‘puffarazzi’: Photos of puffins needed to help threatened seabird

15 May 2019 at 12:00am

A three mile stretch of chalk cliffs on the Yorkshire coast is one of the most valuable habitats for a variety of seabirds.

But there is one bird above all that people come to see: the puffin.

Bempton Cliffs near Bridlington is one of just 30 known breeding sites for this bird which is classed as vulnerable to extinction.

The cliffs are some of the most popular for birdwatching in the whole of Britain and in the summer months, up to 1,000 people will flock to the site every single day.

Conservationists now want those eyes to join the “puffarazzi” and photograph puffins with fish in their bills to help find out how their diet is changing as a result of global warming.

They want to know what the seabirds are feeding their young.

The citizen science scheme was first run by the RSPB in 2017, with 602 people sending in 1,402 photos of the seabirds from almost 40 colonies.

The pictures have helped scientists identify areas where puffins are struggling to find the large nutritious fish which they need to feed their chicks, or pufflings, the RSPB said.

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Black swan stolen from 14th Century manor house in latest avian tragedy to strike Yorkshire moat

Helena Horton 

25 APRIL 2019 • 5:00PM

A male black swan has been left to protect his unhatched eggs alone after his mate was stolen from her nest in the moat of a 14th century manor house, in the latest tragedy to hit the couple.

The sight of Sebastian breaks the heart of those who live at Markenfield Hall in Yorkshire, as he regularly goes back to the nest to check on his eggs.

Is is thought his partner Sylvia, who had been an attraction at the house for years, was stolen, as she disappeared without a trace.

This comes after Sylvia's previous mate was killed by an otter two years ago, and after a period of mourning she was introduced to Sebastian, and they quickly hit it off.

The pair had spent most of this month constructing a nest on the moat bank at the manor house so Sylvia could lay her eggs. Many in the area were excited to hear the cheeps of cygnets come late spring.

But owner of the manor Lady Deirdre Curteis and husband Ian Curteis began to grow concerned when they found Sebastian by himself last Saturday, sitting on the nest alone.

Lady Deirdre said: "I thought it was peculiar as Sebastian - the male - always swims across when he sees anyone coming, but there was just one swan and it was sitting on the nest.

"We searched for Sylvia for days but found no trace anywhere - not even a feather".

Swans are unusual in that both the parent birds help incubate any eggs, with one standing guard to warn off predators. If they hatch, Sebastian will have to be a single parent, protecting them until they are old enough to fly.

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Hen harrier feared to have been deliberately killed

13 November 2018

A rare hen harrier has disappeared in North Yorkshire, prompting fears it may have been deliberately killed.

The bird of prey was fitted with a satellite tag after hatching in the Peak District in the summer.

It was in the North York Moors National Park on 26 October when the signal was lost.

The bird, named Arthur, is the ninth hen harrier to disappear in suspicious circumstances in the last 12 weeks, according to RSPB records.

The charity had been monitoring Arthur's movements as he flew from the Brecon Beacons in South Wales to Nidderdale.

The bird's last registered location was north of Lowna Bridge, near Hutton-le-Hole, with no body or tracking tag recovered.

More than 30 hen harriers have been tagged in England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man in 2018 by the RSPB.

Despite being protected by law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, numbers of hen harriers remain consistently low, a spokesperson for the charity said.

Sgt Kevin Kelly, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "This is an unwanted addition to the already concerning and ever-raising numbers of hen harriers that are just 'vanishing'.

"I encourage any information that could help me forward this investigation, these rare birds are one of the jewels in the crown of the English countryside."

In recent months, satellite-tagged hen harriers have also vanished suddenly in the Peak District, north and central Scotland, north Wales and Northumberland.

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Rare visitor flies in to Yorkshire coast

 JOHN EDWARDS

Published: 13:19 Updated: 14:59 Tuesday 11 September 2018

An unusual breed of woodpecker had birdwatchers flocking to the Yorkshire coast last week. The wryneck was spotted at Bempton, after a spell of easterly and north-easterly winds. Tony Hood, secretary of Flamborough Bird Observatory, said: “They are a former breeding bird in Britain but due to habitat loss, we lost them in the 1960s and 1970s.” Usually found in Europe at this time of year, wrynecks spend their winters in Africa - and the Bempton visitor proved to be very friendly. 

“It was very amenable,” Tony added. “It was near the exit road and cars were driving past it and it wasn’t bothered. “I’ve not seen one for a couple of years.”
The weather conditions also brought a couple of other rare visitors to Bempton - an Arctic warbler and a greenish warbler.

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Rare birds at Yorkshire arboretum draw artist among crowds

Published: 09:45 Tuesday 30 January 2018

A rare invasion of finches from Eastern Europe to Yorkshire has had birdwatchers ‘twitching’ with delight this month. The colony of 100 hawfinches was filmed by Yorkshire artist Robert E Fuller at The Yorkshire Arboretum. Artist Robert Fuller at Hawfinch Hide This unique footage is due to feature on BBC2’s Winterwatch tonight (Jan 30) at 9pm. Hawfinches are a beautiful autumnal-coloured bird so difficult to spot they enjoy a near-mythical status among birdwatchers.

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Spoonbills hatch three chicks at RSPB Fairburn Ings

4th July 2017

Rare protected birds have hatched three chicks at a bird reserve near Leeds, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has confirmed.

The presence of breeding spoonbills at the RSPB's Fairburn Ings reserve in West Yorkshire had been kept secret.

Spoonbills have not nested regularly in the UK since the 1700s but are now returning.

There are about 20 birds wintering in the country and this is the first hatching in the north, the RSPB said.

There are fewer than five pairs of the tall, white, heron-like birds breeding annually in the UK, according to the charity.

The four adult birds at Fairburn Ings, near Castleford, have black legs and an enormous spoon-shaped bill used to sweep through the water from side to side when scouring for food.

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Nature needs government help to save species from the brink

Ben Barnett

Government action is desperately needed if dramatic declines of native wildlife species are to be reversed and some even saved from extinction, a group of some of the country’s leading conservationists has warned.

The new State of Nature report published today claims that more than half of UK species have suffered declines in recent years and more than one in ten species are under threat of extinction. 

Conservationists in Yorkshire have highlighted how species that rely on the region’s uplands and coastal areas for vital habitats are at particular risk.

Nationally, huge losses of bird species have been recorded over the past few decades, including seabirds such as puffins and kittiwakes and other birds found in-land such as curlews, lapwings and hen harriers that should be thriving in Yorkshire.

Nationally, 33 per cent fewer curlews and 26 per cent fewer lapwings were recorded between 1995 and 2014.

In Yorkshire, there have been no reports of breeding hen harriers for around a decade, according to the RSPB.

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World's biggest offshore wind farm approved despite RSPB warning over 'unnecessary' bird deaths

Emily Gosden, energy editor 

16 AUGUST 2016 • 2:24PM

A£6bn project to build the world's largest offshore wind farm off the coast of Yorkshire has been granted planning consent, despite warnings from the RSPB that it would kill hundreds of seabirds.

The Hornsea Two wind farm would see up to 300 turbines built 55 miles offshore and could generate up to 1.8 gigawatts of power, enough to power about 1.6m homes. 

The project could be up and running by the mid-2020s but will first need to secure a subsidy contract from the Government to guarantee Danish developer Dong Energy billions of pounds in financial support from UK energy bill-payers.

It would be built adjacent to Dong Energy's 174-turbine Hornsea One wind farm, which is itself due to be the world's biggest to date when completed in 2020 and has already secured a contract for an estimated £4.2bn in subsidies.

The RSPB said the planning approval for Hornsea Two was "devastating" as the turbines would be directly in the flight path of gannets and kittiwakes that nest in protected wildlife areas between Flamborough Head and Filey Cliffs, resulting in the "unnecessary death" of hundreds of birds. 

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Cock-a-doodle-don’t! Neighbours get the bird over dawn chorus

Wednesday 16 September 2015

Feathers have been ruffled by a noisy cockerel in an East Riding town - leading to demands for a ban on the birds in built-up areas.

More than 20 residents have in Brough signed a petition over the cockerel at a house on Wold View and its “annoying” screeches.

Although already subject to a ‘bird ASBO’ - it only supposed to be allowed out at 9am weekdays and 10am at the weekend - neighbour Martin Credland told East Riding councillors that as he was leaving home this morning “it was giving ten bells.”

East Riding Council launched an investigation after Mr Credland complained six months ago.

Sound equipment was installed in his house and an officer visited several times to take noise readings - but they concluded a wood pigeon they had picked up on the recording was even noisier.

But Mr Credland insisted today wood pigeons were the “norm” and cockerels were “not native and not acceptable in the neighbourhood.”

Mr Credland, who is also chairman of Elloughton cum Brough town council, said: “When we bought the house 18 years ago the wood pigeons were part of it. The cockerel has a different noise and tone, it’s more annoying.

“The council came to an agreement with them which they don’t 100 per cent adhere to, it has been breached many times.

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Results in on big farmland bird count

Ben Barnett

02:24Saturday 04 April 2015

A HEALTH check of farmland birds has found that a number of under threat species are still being seen across Yorkshire.

The Big Farmland Bird Count was co-ordinated by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) between February 7-15 and the results are now in.

In North Yorkshire, 24 farmers spotted 86 different species including 14 that are ‘Red Listed’ and are a conservation concern, while in East Yorkshire 21 farmers took part and recorded 67 different species with 13 of them threatened types of birds.

The most spotted species in both areas was the blackbird, ahead of the blue tit in North Yorkshire and the pheasant in East Yorkshire. Robins, carrion crows and woodpigeons were also common sights.

Stephen Fell, chairman of Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) who farms in Thorganby. near Selby, said: “I have always felt that our farmland bird populations are much greater and more diverse than we have been given credit for.

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Man fined for allowing bird trap on farm

Published on the 18 February 2015 

12:50

A national figure in the field sports industry has been fined £4,000 for allowing a pole trap to be used to protect his partridges and pheasants from birds of prey.

Michael Wood had denied allowing traps “big enough to kill a mink” to be set by employees at his Yorkshire farm to break the legs of predators such as raptors.

Wood, Chairman of the Game Farmers’ Association, believed he was “targeted” by the RSPB who viewed him as “public enemy number one,” his lawyers told Scarborough Magistrates Court.

But Wood, 69, ‎who lives in a Grade Two listed manor house near York, passed two of the traps on his farm near Pickering and must have known they were there, the court ruled.

‎He was also ordered to pay £750 court costs and a £120 victim surcharge, giving a total legal bill of £4,870, following the undercover surveillance by RSPB investigators.

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African warriors want East Yorkshire bird feathers

Published on the 23 December 2014 

African ostrich feathers have long-inspired international fashion styles, but now the opposite is true: feathers from the humble British pheasant are topping trends in Africa.

The mottled brown plumage is in such demand amongst warriors in northern Kenya wanting exotic trimmings for their headdresses; a Yorkshire wildlife artist is posting a fistful to the region for Christmas.

All this year wildlife artist Robert E Fuller, of Thixendale, North Yorkshire, has been collecting this common game bird’s tail feathers to give to Samburu tribesmen.

“It’s probably the most unusual gift I’ve ever sent,” said Mr Fuller.

Mr Fuller befriended the warriors whilst on safari in northern Kenya in 2012.

“I visited Elephant Watch Camp, an eco-camp run by the celebrated elephant conservationist Iain Douglas-Hamilton and his family, in order to study elephants for a painting I was working on.

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Bird flu confirmed at Yorkshire duck farm

17 November 2014 Last updated at 15:11

A case of bird flu has been confirmed at a duck breeding farm in East Yorkshire, officials have said.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the risk to public health was very low. Some 6,000 birds will be culled and a 10km (6 mile) exclusion zone is in place.

The exact strain has not been confirmed but the H5N1 form, deadly to humans, has been ruled out by Defra officials.

The virus spreads between birds and, in rare cases, can affect humans.

The case is the first in the UK since 2008, when chickens on a farm in Banbury, Oxfordshire tested positive for the virus.

On Sunday, an outbreak of a highly contagious strain of bird flu was discovered at a poultry farm in the Netherlands.

The Dutch government has imposed a three-day nationwide ban on the transportation of poultry and eggs.

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Fluffy Doncaster comeback for birds once driven out

A rare and once threatened bird species is making a comeback at one of Doncaster’s most popular beauty spots this summer.

Concerted efforts to nurture habitats have paid off for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust volunteers who have seen three healthy marsh harrier chicks hatch at its Potteric Carr nature reserve. The wetlands here provide ideal conditions for the birds.

Raising young marsh harrier chicks is no mean feat, as the female has to sit on the eggs for more than a month, only leaving the nest briefly to catch food dropped mid-flight by the male. Once the young fledge they sit on visible perches waiting to be fed - a sight the Trust expects to be common on the reserve in the next couple of weeks.

The breeding of marsh harriers at Potteric Carr is exciting for twitchers as the bird was extinct in England by the end of the 19th century as a result of habitat loss and persecution. Although numbers are still very low, the species has returned to breed in eastern England in recent years.

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INVESTIGATION - Harrogate’s shame as birds of prey wiped out

by Investigations reporter Ruby Kitchen

ruby.kitchen@jpress.co.uk

Published on the17 April 2014 

Attacks against birds of prey in the Harrogate district have been branded a “national disgrace” as it emerges 14 treasured red kites have been viciously killed with deadly poisons.

North Yorkshire has been consistently named the worst county for persecution in England and Wales since 1991, with the RSPB reporting 87 raptors have been confirmed shot, poisoned, or trapped.

Now, since a protection scheme was brought in at Harewood in 1991 to save red kites from the brink of extinction, it’s emerged that 21 have been killed with pieces of poisoned meat - with 14 dying in Nidderdale alone.

“The scale of poisonings is a disgrace for North Yorkshire,” said RSPB Investigator Howard Jones.

“People travel great distances to see red kites. We are so fortunate to have these birds in our area.

“But some people will not tolerate them and will go to great lengths to ensure they are not in our skies any more.”

Red kites were released on the Harewood estate in 1999 as part of a special project to protect them from extinction.

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Bird health check offers encouragement

Published on the16April 

2014 

09:33

The results of a survey to gauge the health of winged wildlife on farms show that “huge” conservation efforts by Yorkshire farmers are paying off, environmental experts say.

Sightings of birds were voluntarily recorded at 28 farms in the region as part of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s first Big Farmland Bird Count.

More than 6,000 hectares of farmland was monitored in Yorkshire, and over 4,400 birds were spotted during a seven-day period in February. In total, farmers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland noted 116 different species. Starlings were seen at more than 40 per cent of farms and were the most abundant bird recorded.

Otherwise, in Yorkshire, the most populous species included the fieldfare, jackdaw, lapwing, linnet, rook and woodpigeon.

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Yorkshire’s Red Kite reintroduction 15 years on

3:03PM, THU 10 APR 2014 

- last updated Tue 15 Apr 2014

RED KITES FLOURISHING IN YORKSHIRE

In the Victorian era, Red Kites were branded vermin and seen as a direct threat to the food supplies of a fast-growing human population.They were consistently persecuted until there weren’t any left in England at all.

But in 1989, dozens of birds were shipped over from Spain in the hope they would recolonize the country. They did so well down in the Chilterns that ten years later, 70 were brought up to Yorkshire and released at Harewood House.

It was a joint effort between conservationists, Yorkshire Water, the Harewood Estate and lots of other people who wanted to see the kites return. Doug Simpson led the project and was awarded an MBE for his achievements. About a thousand chicks have been born since 1999 and there’s now thought to be hundreds of breeding adults. People have reported seeing them across the region, from inner-city Leeds to East Yorkshire.

But both Mr Simpson and the RSPB are concerned about Red Kites being found shot or poisoned. 30 birds found dead since the reintroduction had been illegally killed and the RSPB reports that over the last 20 years, North Yorkshire has had the most reported incidents of bird of prey persecution. They say that in 2012 alone, there was twice as many reported incidents in North Yorkshire than in any other county.

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Heron put down in Thirsk after shotgun wound

A heron has had to be put down after a shotgun pellet shattered the bird's wing, North Yorkshire Police said.

The injured bird was found by the side of the road in Dalton, near Richmond, on Tuesday and was taken to a wildlife haven in Thirsk for treatment but it could not be saved.

An X-ray showed a shotgun pellet had shattered its wing and two pellet wounds to the bird's body.

Herons are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said anyone who kills a heron could face a fine or even a prison sentence.

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Farmers to help with habitats

Nature conservation charity, the RSPB, wants to hear from farmers in the Yorkshire Wolds and Coast area who are interested in helping nature thrive on their land.

Nationally, farmland wildlife is struggling, with the recent State of Nature report revealing that six out of ten species have declined over the past five decades.

However, the Yorkshire Wolds and Coast boasts some excellent habitats for wildlife and has huge potential to help boost declining farmland birds, as well as other animals from butterflies and bees to hares and hedgehogs.

As a result, the RSPB is offering free advice to any farmers in the area who want to manage their land in a more wildlife-friendly way.

Chris Tomson is the RSPB Conservation Adviser for the Yorkshire Wolds and Coast. He explains: “By concentrating our efforts here and in other areas around the country with similar potential, we hope to make significant steps, working with farmers to help declining species such as corn buntings and grey partridges to recover and thrive.

“As food production is always the priority for any farming enterprise, I am advising farmers on how they can make their land better for wildlife without compromising their crops or income. From my experience working as both a farm manager and as an agricultural conservation adviser I know that wildlife can flourish on commercially successful farms.”

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