El Annie
Phew..............
................ A rare species of bird has chosen a unique setting to escape the ever-growing threat of poachers. Four pairs of stone curlew have made their home at a military runway at RAF Lakenheath in the midst of the constant roar of jet engines at the base. Though not the most typical of homes, a wildlife expert said the birds are very safe in their present environment. Graham Elliott, head of investigations for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said: "It is highly unlikely collectors will risk their necks trying to scale the fences of the base to steal their eggs."
More information - East Anglian Daily Times
Town's birds show their true colours.............
It was a sight which left Mark Quinn questioning his own sanity and rubbing his eyes in disbelief. The bird flying past his kitchen window was different from any other pigeon he had ever seen in his life - it was bright purple from head to claw. Baffled residents in the town of Grangemouth, near Falkirk, have been left scratching their heads at the latest phenomenon to hit their streets as multi-coloured feral pigeons, some with entire plumages of purple and fluorescent green, come home to roost.
More information - Edinburgh Evening News
Housewife kills 100 magpies 'to save songbirds'...........
A housewife who has trapped and killed more than 100 magpies in her back garden to protect songbirds could be acting illegally, wildlife groups claimed yesterday. Lesley Mackiggan, 61, who lives in an affluent Glasgow suburb, catches "pretty evil" birds in a trap and kills them by knocking their heads on the garden wall. She began her project after looking out of her window three years ago and counting 55 magpies in a single tree. The birds are known to steal the eggs and chicks of other garden birds, such as robins and thrushes, and Mrs Mackiggan is convinced that songbird numbers have increased locally since she started killing the predators.
More information - Telegraph
More at conserv@tion - http://www.habitat.org.uk/news1.htm
More information - East Anglian Daily Times
Town's birds show their true colours.............
It was a sight which left Mark Quinn questioning his own sanity and rubbing his eyes in disbelief. The bird flying past his kitchen window was different from any other pigeon he had ever seen in his life - it was bright purple from head to claw. Baffled residents in the town of Grangemouth, near Falkirk, have been left scratching their heads at the latest phenomenon to hit their streets as multi-coloured feral pigeons, some with entire plumages of purple and fluorescent green, come home to roost.
More information - Edinburgh Evening News
Housewife kills 100 magpies 'to save songbirds'...........
A housewife who has trapped and killed more than 100 magpies in her back garden to protect songbirds could be acting illegally, wildlife groups claimed yesterday. Lesley Mackiggan, 61, who lives in an affluent Glasgow suburb, catches "pretty evil" birds in a trap and kills them by knocking their heads on the garden wall. She began her project after looking out of her window three years ago and counting 55 magpies in a single tree. The birds are known to steal the eggs and chicks of other garden birds, such as robins and thrushes, and Mrs Mackiggan is convinced that songbird numbers have increased locally since she started killing the predators.
More information - Telegraph
More at conserv@tion - http://www.habitat.org.uk/news1.htm