Ian Ridett @ridett

A year of change in the Wyre Forest 🌳 Since April 2024, the beaver family has had a noticeable impact on the local environment, including building an impressive 30-metre-long dam which created a large pool visible from the forest road. Footage: @ForestryEngland @NaturalEngland

Six more Bird Flu outbreaks reported across England, Scotland & Wales in the last week. These should lead to restrictions on gamebird releases in the surrounding areas, but who is monitoring this? New blog ⬇️⬇️ raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/08/09/six…

The best I could manage of the Walberswick Zitting Cisticola from Wednesday. Really pleased to see it perched and sunning itself in perfect light at dawn.

One of our many birding highlights of Spring 2025 was this absolutely stunning female Grey Phalarope in summer plumage at Loch of Spiggie, Shetland for a few hours in early June. Unlike their Red-necked cousins which breed here in small numbers, Greys are extremely rare in spring and thus rarely enjoyed in this incredible plumage. No wonder why the rest of the world calls them Red Phalaropes...

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

Our second Melodious Warbler of the year is in the Obs Courtyard this afternoon. @BirdGuides

Those first wobbly landings🥹 Watch as one by one the barn swallows take their first flights and land, shakily on a chain just a few metres from the nest. There are a few mistakes! #discoverwildlife #robertefuller

There are no good reasons not to reintroduce lynx to Britain. Let’s get on with it. bbc.com/news/articles/…

Disappearance of two tracked Pine Martens being treated as 'suspicious' - Cumbria Police appeals for information. Stand by for the usual excuses from the usual suspects.. New blog ⬇️⬇️ raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/08/07/dis…

For over five years, no rhino has been poached at Lewa. The man behind this success is Edward Ndiritu, Head of Anti-Poaching at Lewa. Meet him below 👇🏽 bit.ly/3H1KPoF

Conservationists have been left stunned after confirming the nesting of Spoon-billed Sandpiper at a previously unknown location for the species: bit.ly/45a64N0

As prey became scarce, blue whale vocalizations dropped by nearly 40% alongside a collapse in krill and anchovy populations "it’s like trying to sing while you're starving,” Ryan adds. “They were spending all their time just trying to find food" nationalgeographic.com/animals/articl…

Four more Bird Flu outbreaks confirmed including on a Pheasant shoot in Exmoor National Park, yet selfish BASC starts another legal challenge against Govt restrictions on gamebird releases. Astonishing. Or not. New blog ⬇️⬇️ raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/31/fou…

The UK's rarest breeding birds - the Montagu's Harrier - have successfully raised four chicks for the first time in six years.

Wonderful news this evening! A pair of Montagu's Harrier has bred at a secret location in England this summer, the RSPB has announced: bit.ly/4l7fDlV

When I smelt the unmistakable smell of sewage whilst out canvassing today, I pulled on my trusty waders & took my testing kit to the suspicious outfall. There, I found the shocking result: off the scale levels of ammonia, meaning that raw sewage was illegally entering the river right next to people’s homes. Just an hour earlier, I had seen literally dozens of Labour Councillors from @lbbdcouncil pushing leaflets through doors, none of whom have done anything to try & stop the sewage scandal locally. And local councils have a big role to play in stopping the sewage & protecting the people in their Borough. If elected as a Green councillor in Thames View, Barking, I would walk every river in the Borough & test every suspicious outfall for sewage. I would then bring Thames Water before the council & demand a clear plan to fix every illegal outfall in years, not decades & if they refuse to do so use the council’s powers to prosecute for every single illegal sewage spill in the Borough. Sewage in our rivers is a political choice & the people of Barking & Dagenham shouldn’t have to put up with it any longer.

Micheal recently presented to staff and visitors at Ottenby Bird Observatory about our research on Nightingales that winter in Kartong and breed almost exclusively in southern England. Micheal was also able to ring pulli Montagu's Harrier, a species that is now very scarce in TG

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

The roller coaster of the Tree Sparrow season continues. The early harvest is bad news and has caused some failures giving us low nights. However, tonight was a good night with 40 young ringed from 10 boxes. This youngster was the smallest of a very good brood of 6.

Normally the highlight of our ringing on the Salisbury Plain is a cool migrant, but today a resident Bullfinch stole the show. Aside from that, migration was okay with 200 birds ringed including a record 38 Garden Warblers.

Defra's announcement on forthcoming lead ammunition ban in UK leads to extraordinary gaslighting exercise by game-shooting organisations. New blog ⬇️⬇️ raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/23/def…

Did Scottish Forestry know Stobo Hope was 'napalmed' with herbicide long before 'new information came to light'? A forensic analysis suggests yes, they did. Guest blog ⬇️⬇️ raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/26/did…