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RSPB News and Views from The Lodge April 2009 The World of Graham Wynne In recent discussions with senior members of the Tory party, we've been reassured that the idea of 'Boris Island Airport' in the Thames Estuary forms no part of official Conservative party policy.
Following Maplin and Cliffe, we have become rather good at fighting airport proposals in the Thames Estuary every ten years or so, but Boris's bonkers idea has come around a bit quick, and it would be great if we didn't have to put too much energy into this one. Of course. we can't drop our guard – and I suppose the more practice we get, the easier it becomes!
Big Garden Birdwatch 2009 The results are in ..... This year, for the first time ever, the number of people taking parl: in the Big Garden Birdwatch went over the half a million mark —- in fact, a whopping 552,000 people counted the birds in their garden over the weekend of 24 and 25 January! 8.5 million birds were recorded in 279,000 gardens across the UK.
Numbers of all but one of the top ten birds have increased slightly since last year, and the house sparrow has retained its top spot. The starling, although it has decreased slightly since last year, stays at number two, with the blackbird still in at number three.
The long-tailed tit has flown into the top ten for the first time in the survey's 30-year history with numbers nearly doubling from last year. The increase is due in part to the mild winters leading up to 2009. Small, insect eating birds like long-tailed tits are particularly susceptible to the cold as the food they rely on is hard to come by in frosts and snow. In recent years the long—tailed tit has also adapted to feeding on seeds and peanuts at bird tables and from hanging feeders. This behaviour has spread as they‘ve learnt from each other that tables and feeders offer a wide variety of food.
The beautiful waxwing is another bird that is increasingly benefiting from gardens and this year it has leapt to number 59 from number 72 last year. Waxwing are still a surprising find in gardens and this winter we've had an influx in the UK as the particularly cold weather in Scandinavia will likely have meant a poor crop of rowan berries.
Here are the top 10 results - for the full results go to www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch
Species Position Average number seen per garden House sparrow 1 3.70 Starling 2 3.21 Blackbird 3 2.84 Blue tit 4 2.45 Chaflinch 5 2.01 Woodpigeon 6 1 .85 Collared dove 7 1.44 Great tit 8 1.40 Robin 9 1.36 Long-tailed tit 10 1.34
Volunteers’ Week - 25th Anniversary
Volunteers Week is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009 This annual awareness week celebrates volunteers and volunteering. With more than 22 million people throughout the UK donating their time and effort in one way or another every year, this week is used to recognise their valued contribution to society as well as encouraging others to consider getting involved.
Take Part! Volunteers’ Week is all about celebrating volunteers and their activities - • Recognising their contribution to society •Rewarding those who already give time • Recruiting new volunteers.
EVERYONE can take part! Volunteers Week is for all kinds of organisations and groups — large or small, public, private or voluntary. If you involve volunteers, are a volunteer or want to volunteer then join in the celebrations!
How you decide to celebrate is up to YOU. Volunteers Week is about having fun, so whatever you decide to do, enjoy making it happen!
Make A Noise! When you are organising an event, don’t keep it to yourself, tell us and tell the media too.
Please do tell us about any events you will be holding during the week to celebrate and to thank your volunteers, by registering your event with Volunteering England.
This will help to build up a national picture of activities, as well as promote your events to the public.
VoIunteers' Week aims to raise the profile of volunteers and the contributions they make to individuals, communities and to the environment. For further details about Volunteers Week go to; www.volunteeringengland.org.uk
Contact Volunteering England by telephone 0207520 8901 facsimile 020 7520 8910 or e-mail volunteering@volunteeringengland.org
Volunteers Week outside of England SCOTLAND www.vds.org.uk WALES www.wcva.org.uk NORTHERN IRELAND www.volunteering-ni.org
Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Calling all the heroes! Do you know of a group of volunteers who make a difference in your Community, who devote their time to helping others?
To celebrate her Golden Jubilee in 2002, the Queen announced a new annual UK National Honour to recognise voluntary activities by groups in the community.
The Award is given to groups of two or more volunteers for outstanding achievement, who devote their time to improve the quality of life and opportunity for others.
lts easy to nominate! • You can download a nomination form and find more information from the website at www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk • You can e-mail
queensaward@consolidatedpr.com Everyclick update
We are regularly updated on how many searches people are making to help raise money for the RSPB. The previous 5 months were as follows ("number of searches" rather than "searchers"):
Jan 2009 = 22,710 Dec 2008 = 13,478 Nov 2008 = 18,196 Oct 2008 = 17,972 Sep 2008 = 19,203
In total (as at 10-03-2009), people have raised £3,179.51 via Everyclick just by searching the internet, as they would normally do and without it costing them anything (so it‘s a nice and easy way for people to support us). You can actually watch this figure go up gradually just by visiting www.everyclick.com/rspb We have 1,252 people fully registered as RSPB supporters on Everyclick but others do support us without registering their details (currently an additional 4,910 people).
You might also like to look at the page on our own website which describes the service; www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/everyclick.asp
For further information please contact Carol Lamey at The Lodge on 01767 3347 or by e-mail carol.lamey@rspb.org.uk
Love Nature Week 30 May to 7 June
Not long to go now until the first RSPB flag week and we still need your help, thank you to everyone who has already offered to volunteer. We have lots of permits booked across the East, South East, Midlands and Scotland which we still need collectors for. Don't forget we will provide you with absolutely everything from permits to collection kits. lf you would like to volunteer to collect, Natallie, would love to hear from you on 01757 893412. To find out the exact location of the collections please visit: www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/fundraise/activities/lovenatureweek.asp
Campaigning for Conservation
Are you ready for the European Elections?
On 4 of June, this year, the European elections take place, and UK citizens have the opportunity to choose their representatives in the European Parliament. For the RSPB this is an important opportunity to secure the support of the new Members of the European Parliament, or MEPs, for nature conservation in the UK and across the European Union.
This support from MEPs has been critical in enabling the RSPB to influence European legislation and policy. With ninety percent of UK environment law originating in Brussels, this influence can go a long way.
For example, MEPs were instrumental in developing the Birds and Habitats Directives that are the basis of the world leading Natura 2000 network of protected sites. In the UK there are over 800 Natura 2000 sites, and across the EU as a whole more than 25,000 sites, covering over 20% of the EU's land territory. These sites are vital for the survival and recovery of birds and other wildlife, and the maintenance of important habitats.
The new MEPs will also have a key role to play in ensuring that breaches of European environmental law that impact birds and other wildlife are addressed, and the RSPB will be actively working to identify and inform MEPs about such breaches.
For example MEP’s briefed by RSPB helped to highlight the potentially catastrophic environmental impacts of the proposed Cliffe airport in Kent on the birds and other wildlife in the Thames Estuary and Marshes Natura 2000 site. As a result the UK government backed down and the plans were shelved. The Thames is the fourth most important site for waterfowl in the UK, supporting an average of over 155,000 wintering wading birds and wildfowl.
This is why the RSPB is working with other EU members of the BirdLife partnership of bird conservation organisations to lobby MEPs on environmental issues and to draw up a manifesto calling for reform of EU policy on agriculture, biodiversity conservation, climate change and on the marine environment.
RSPB will also be launching web pages and an online action for members in time for the Members Weekend on 18th. April. For more information and details of what you can do, please Contact Mr Steven Roddy in the Government Affairs team at the Lodge 01767 693386 & email
For more information: www.rspb.org.uk/EuroElections2009
Is this the wind of change?
It probably won’t have escaped your attention that we've been talking a lot about wind in the last few weeks. I’ll be honest- it’s confused a few people. Some have called it a ‘change' in the RSPB’s position. And some went as far as branding it a u-turn.
But I‘II let you in on a secret- we've never opposed the development of any windfarm that doesn't pose a threat to sensitive wildlife. And we're never going to stop opposing those that do.
Maybe you don’t really like the look of wind turbines. If you don't. you’re in good company - some of our staff arerrt too keen on them either. You might question the efficiency of these structures, or their capacity to meet our energy demands. Some engineers do. And we won't pretend that the energy industry hasn't, in some cases, overhyped the benefits of wind energy. We know the technology is far from perfect. It's efficiency is heavily dependent upon where it's located. which is why we advocate it as part of a mix of renewables and not the sole component.
But here's a statement that I hope we can all agree on; climate change is the most significant threat to biodiversity on the planet. And it’s because of this we feel the need to make our position on wind energy clear. The RSPB believes wind energy has an important role to play in tackling climate change. Consequently, we only oppose those windfarms that pose a significant threat to wildlife.
We've always supported taking power from the wind. waves, the tides, the ground, and anything else that can justifiably be labelled as a renewable energy source that doesn’t damage the environment.
But we know there are some proposals out there — like the recently defeated Lewis windfarm application, and the current proposal for a barrage from Cardiff to Weston across the river Severn — that don’t meet sensible environmental standards. Based on the available science, we believe they'd harm the environment. And for this reason, we'll continue to challenge them robustly, and other developments like them. We'll do what you, our members, would expect of us — and what the natural world demands of us.
This is the crux of what we’ve been saying recently. It any renewable energy proposal threatens sensitive wildlife through its operation or construction, we'll oppose it. But if it won't have an adverse impact on the wildlife around it then — just as we always have — we won't stand in its way. Indeed we should be encouraging it to go ahead.
Why? Because we can't afford not to. I don’t mean financially — although opposing stupid windfarms proposed for inappropriate locations can be very expensive and time-consuming — but because the planet cannot afford to.
For the foreseeable future, we need wind energy to combat climate change. lf we are going to wean our planet off fossil-fuel based energy production before we reach the point when climate change can’t be stopped. we need dramatic action. We need to find a constructive way through the obstacles that are currently preventing this. If we don't act now, we're effectively condemning thousands of species of animals and plants to extinction. And threatening the lives of millions of people.
This position hasn't changed. We’re passionate about the natural world around us. lf something threatens that environment. whether it’s climate change or an inappropriately sited windfarm application, we're duty bound to challenge it. You, our members expect it of us.
So is this the wind of change? Welt, no, actually, it's not. But we think it is the wind of reason. And hopefully it carries on it the scent of a more secure future for the planet we all have to share, as rich in wildlife as it is today.
The RSPB has never opposed windfarm developments if they are located and designed to avoid damage to sensitive wildlife. Onshore wind is an important weapon in the battle against global climate change — a problem that, if left unchecked, will result in the extinction of millions of species of birds, plants and animals across the world, as well as costing the lives of millions of people. For this reason, the RSPB is proposing a fresh look at our planning system, to make sure that we get the wind energy we need, in the right places, and in time to tackle the climate crisis. We hope to work with the Government, planners, developers and other NGOs, to secure this outcome, and the future of the wildlife on our planet.
Volunteering Development
Why are we using "Love Nature?" as a slogan?
In a nutshell, many people love nature and want to support a charity that helps them to protect it. In the next year, we will harness the enthusiasm of our staff and volunteers and the popularity of our events and activities, to remind the 3 million people that will meet us, that they love nature and will ask them to add their voice to ours.
But, how did we arrive at the concept of "Love Nature?"
It is a very good question and is worth exploring in a bit of detail.
We enjoy the support of over l million people, but over the last decade, we have found it harder to grow support. This is for two reasons, Firstly the decline in direct marketing (letters to people asking them to join) as a means to recruiting new members, and secondly potential supporters (people who are looking to support an environmental charity) feeling that we don’t offer them what they are looking for.
Many people wanted to support a conservation charity. but felt that of all the environmental charities on offer, we weren’t for them. So, we asked them why? What came back was very interesting. Many thought that we were a club for birdwatchers. Many thought that you had to be an expert to join. Many thought that we focused solely on birds and not other wildlife. Many were surprised that we were concerned about wider environmental issues, including climate change. Many didn’t know that we worked on international projects. Many thought that we were boring! Put simply, we were being told that how we portray ourselves was either off-putting or that we weren't showing off our best assets.
What do our potential supporters want from us?
Having heard what our potential supporters said about us, we were subdued! However, we went on a positive tack and asked how could we show oft the work that we do in a better light. The first thing that potential supporters said that they would like was for us to communicate with them in a way that suited their personality. They said that they liked beauty, were inquisitive, they see the bigger picture, are relaxed, and feel self—assured and positive about life. The second thing that they said is that the RSPB does many great things and that they were more likely to support us if we:—
• help and protect all nature, not just birds; • have an impact in their local area; appeal to everyone; help connect them with nature; help them make a difference] and are a cause that they believe in.
Knowing more about how our potential supporters wanted to be spoken to and about what. we created Love Nature? Love Nature? is an invitation, connecting those who might otherwise walk past an RSPB logo or a call to 'add your voice' to an activity. To those who might know us a little better, it's a warm reminder of why. Love Nature can be a statement or a question. or within a sentence — if you love nature like we love nature, why not tell us about it'? Love Nature? is an intuitive 'no brainer. It says ‘are you one of us?'
"Love Nature?" has come out of a lot of painstaking research about what our potential supporters want to see from the RSPB. It will help us to grow support for our conservation work
Will "Love Nature?" alienate our traditional members?
No. There is nothing to suggest they will be offended by the use of the term. After all, they love nature too.
How can I support this project?
By getting as many community fundraising products and events out there as possible. The two main opportunities will be Love Nature Week and the new pin badge boxes.
Is it just community fundraising projects that will carry the "Love Nature?" message?
You are not alone! Love Nature will appear on vans, leaflets, marquees, visitor books, uniforms, badges, the web at all of our events and activities, including A Date with Nature Projects {previously Aren't birds brilliant! projects), nature reserves, our membership recruiters, Big Garden Birdwatch (2010}, Make Your Nature Count (a new citizen science —project for Spring ’ 09).
Why do we need "L0ve Nature?" on community fundraising projects?
What our potential supporters think about us come from everything that they see and hear about us. By having products that look different. we run the risk of confusing them about who we are and what we do. This will ultimately lead them to support a charity that is clearer about what it offers.
Why 30 May?
Spring is our busiest time of year with visits to our nature reserves and Date with Nature projects at their peak. Interest in wildlife is heightened by the popularity of the BBC's Springwatch programme, which brings in over 4 million viewers. ln addition, the RSPB will launch two new activities, Love Nature Week (see Love Nature Week): 1,000 volunteers will spend 2 hours each, collecting money for the RSPB between 30 May to 7 June, and Make Your Nature Count: a citizen science project counting birds and other wildlife in gardens.
Confused? ...Want to know more?
Contact Natallie Walters, Paul Forecast, Richard Spencer or Mike Hopwood who will be happy to help. All are based at The Lodge. Call 01767 680551.
The Slender-billed Curlew Quest – can you help save Europe's rarest bird?
The slender-billed curlew is the rarest bird in Europe, North Africa and the Middle-East, with no verified records since April 2001 in Hungary. It is one of only 45 such ‘lost’ critically endangered birds in the world. It suffered major declines during and since the second half of the nineteenth century, due to overhunting and habitat loss. It is a global priority to End the bird and take conservation action for it, before it is too late.
At the December 2008 Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in Rome, concerted action for the species was relaunched after some six years, attracting worldwide media coverage. The action is coordinated by the RSPB's Nicola Crockford, who recently became chair of the Slender—billed Curlew Working Group.
The priority is to undertake the first comprehensive survey of the species' potential non-breeding range during 2009/10 with a view to satellite tagging any birds found. Such tagging is vital to identify the sites used by the bird during its annual cycle, not least the breeding grounds (the only breeding site known, observed during 1908-1924 in south west Siberia. appears to be abandoned), so that urgent conservation action can be taken. The survey will extend from Morocco to Japan, including the Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Red and Caspian Seas and the Persian Gulf, Arabian Peninsula and Pannonian Plain.
Skilled birdwatchers, including from north west Europe, are being encouraged to travel to join in the search, by actively cooperating with teams of local ornithologists, especially those who undertake the annual midwinter International Waterbird Census coordinated by Wetlands International. Funding is urgently being sought to ensure the fullest possible coverage – an expedition will often cost in the region of £5,000 to £10,000.
Volunteers are also being sought to help with a range of tasks including:
· forensic research to narrow the search for the slender-billed curlew · managing the database of slender-billed curlew records · managing www.slenderbilledcurlew.net as it is developed as a standalone site · coordinating the search.
Also birdwatchers within the potential range of the slender-billed curlew should take time to carefully check all curlews and should submit any records, including from the past and including records of any confirmed zeros’ ie places and times thoroughly searched for Slender-billed Curlew without success.
To find the slender-billed curlew is the ultimate birding challenge in this part of the world and anyone who relocates them will go down in ornithological history.
A 'toolkit’ designed to insert in field guides to help identify the bird is available from nicola.crockford@rsgb.org.uk. For more information, see www.slenderbiIIedcurlew.net For more information on these volunteering opportunities, please go to www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering/opportunities
Volunteering Moments
Taken from Birds magazine, we’d like to hear about your volunteering moments in the same vein as below ....
THE SIMPLEST THINGS CAN, unexpectedly and unlooked for, inspire an emotional response, intensely and spontaneously of the present a wonderful moment of experience.
They become treasured memories, moments of nostalgia, conversation pieces—and springboards for a fresh way of looking at the world in future.
Moments of inspiration, simple moments of relaxation or spiritual refreshment—in involving sight, smell, sound or all three together—are remarkably powerful. For TO years now the RSPB has had the strength of a million members who are moved in some way by the natural world. Birds inspire us with their songs and calls and the reality and rightness of their presence in a landscape. They are often just part of the whole natural experience.
It is in our everyday existence that nature so often takes a hand. We need to make more people become aware that this is happening.
You don’t have to he a great writer: a powerful artist or an imaginative photographer to capture moments like this; just grab a pen and paper and write it down, or take a picture it you can. Let your thoughts flow free; and then send thorn to us.
Sharing our wildlife moments is a fundamental part of their value and meaning; part of the reason why they are so powerful. Two plus two equals at least six!
We would like you to share your moments, so that we can use them to open the eyes of many more people to the world around them; to build on our million voices for nature, to give nature a chance of survival.
You will soon notice the RSPB using moments in this way, to increase the power of our voice, and I hope you begin to understand why we are doing so.
I have recently been looking for some RSPB Moments in relation to volunteering experiences and I have come up with a blank. I would like to encourage you to think of those occasions when you have felt inspired and motivated, see what you saw, hear what you heard and feel what you felt.
Please add your volunteering moments to the website www.rspb.org.uk/Moments but please include the words such as volunteer or volunteering so that they can be easily searched for. if you would prefer please email them to me at LGEnquiries@rspb.org.uk or write them out and send them to me.
Calling all "people" people!
There are still some places available for our Residential Scheme on Rathlin Island — especially in July and August. The newly opened RSPB Seabird Centre is at the West Lighthouse, on the cliffs in a magnificent location. Rathlin Island lies six miles from Ballycastle off the North Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland. Duties will include greeting visitors at the viewpoint, showing them the seabirds and answering their questions, recruiting members, raising donations and selling gifts.
The volunteers accommodation is in a cottage 2.5 miles (1 hour walk) from Rathlin Harbour and Village amenities (Shop, PO and Pub), and 1 mile (20 mins. walk) from the Centre. For more information, please call 01767 680551 and ask for Residential Volunteering.
May 2009
Bob Scott 1938-2009
Bob Scott died late on Thursday 26 March, after a short but debilitating illness.He will have been known to many staff and volunteers, as he worked for the RSPB for a remarkable 37 years, from March 1960 to May 1997, but many newer arrivals are unaware of his character and his influence here. Bob began his RSPB work as a warden at Dungeness, an area he already knew well from his involvement with the bird observatory there. He eventually worked his way through the RSPB hierarchy to become responsible for conservation action across our full suite of nature reserves. He was warden at Dungeness, senior warden at Northward Hill, reserves manager (England) and eventually head of reserves management. Graham Wynne, Chief Executive, was well aware of the practical abilities that Bob brought to his understanding of reserve management, and also expressed his gratitude for Bob's support during his own early years with the RSPB. He said of Bob: 'Bob was an outstanding ambassador for nature conservation. He was able to carry practical experience into his later management career, and in doing so won a tremendous amount of respect from his colleagues. From his early days as a warden at Dungeness, through to his last job with the RSPB, working across all 200 of our nature reserves, he enthused and encouraged the teams around him. His ability to translate a vision into practical conservation work laid the foundations for the modern-day nature reserve network. 'It may be a cliche but it is entirely true to say that Bob was a genuinely inspirational communicator. He loved being involved with people, and addressed everyone in the same way, regardless of whether you were a visitor to a reserve or the Chairman of the RSPB's Council. His unfailing sense of humour, the depth of his knowledge and his zeal were infectious. He gave energy to those in his company. After his retirement, he continued to do some work for the RSPB's international and education divisions. His passion benefited nature conservation from Bulgaria to Italy, Rwanda to Uzbekistan, as well as in the UK. Bird conservation owes a huge amount to this widely-loved man.' As Graham says, Bob was one of those rather unusual people who continued to be involved with others long after most would have been content to withdraw a little and put their feet up. Bob was heavily involved in local committees, clubs and conservation bodies, in helping to run the influential British Birds magazine and, until recently, in running wildlife tours with his wife Ann, also a long serving staff member. His enthusiasm for birds, and inspiring others about them, just seemed boundless. He was a good sport, too, and some of us still remember his strippergram moment in the canteen on the day he left... His enthusiasm was matched by his knowledge, of course. Bob was renowned as an expert 'in the field' and amongst other things had some notable rarities to his credit, including several 'firsts', from short-toed treecreeper at Dungeness to elegant tern in Ireland - with new birds added to national lists in Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Ghana and Canada along the way! His first publication was a letter in The Field, questioning the identification of pipits! In my early birdwatching days I read papers in British Birds by P J Grant and R E Scott on the identification of terns, especially young common, arctic and roseate terns based on studies at Dungeness. I realised that there was more to this business than appeared in the books (which more or less said these were impossible). Peter Grant and Bob Scott helped me look more carefully at terns and realise I could do them, too - a realisation that it was possible to 'go beyond' the popular field guides. I’m sure Bob had a similar influence on thousands of others. Written by Rob Hume, editor of Birds magazine
Interesting or maybe not! BIRD SUPERSTITIONS by Russell Evans taken from the West Glamorgan Local Group Newsletter Wnter 2008 Many people believed that because birds could fly so high, they regularly flew in and out of heaven and were therefore closely connected to god. This belief formed the basis of literally hundreds of bird-related superstitlons in the UK, some of which are still followed even today. Doves — the dove is the only bird that is immune from any curse of the devil. It has long been associated with peace and love as a pair of doves will often mate for life and both will care for the upbringing of their young. As such, doves are often used to bring good fortune to marriage. Blackbirds — if you find two blackbirds sitting together it is a sign that you will receive good luck. You will receive good luck for a whole year if a blackbird chooses to nest in your house. The blackbird has also long been regarded as a messenger for the dead. Swallows — when a swallow is flying away from its nest, you’ll have good weather but if it remains close to the nest then bad weather is on the way. Your house will be protected from tire and lightning if swallows nest under your eaves. Swallows were also considered a good omen for the health of cattle and it was even believed that the presence of a swaIIow's nest in a cattle barn would ensure that the cow’s milk would be free from infection. This may be due to the fact that swallows feed on the insects that could potentially infect cattle. Swans — swans are said to contain the souls of people who have recently died. Many women used to believe that if you sewed a swan’s feather into your husband's pillow it would ensure Hdelity for as long as it remained there. Swans only lay eggs during a storm. If you see three swans flying together, it is a sign of impending disaster. Wrens - to harm a wren will surely bring bad luck and will most likely lead to a broken bone. Children will grow a pimply face if they touch a wren's nest. Ducks — if a duck lays an unusual looking egg it is a sign of bad luck, but by eating the duck your ill fortune will end, Curlew - if you hear a curlew call then it is a sign of imminent bad weather. lf you hear their call at night then you are infor bad luck and some people also betieve that it may foretell the death of someone you know. Seagulls — if you see three seagulls flying directly ovehead, it is a warning that someone you know may soon die. Nightjar - corpse fowl that brings bad fortune from its eerie call. Crows — your fortune will depend on the number of crows that you see, One's bad, two's luck, three’s health, four's wealth, tive's sickness, six is death. Kingfisher - the kingtisher was the first bird to be set free from Noah's Ark and it is believed to bring you good luck if you carry a feather from the bird in your pocket. Lark - larks were sent from heaven so that children could hear their song and learn to appreciate wildlife and the sound of summer. Magpies — many people believed that the magpie was a Satan in disguise and that he was visiting your area to cause mischief, lf you say "Good Morning Mr Magpie", you are letting Satan know that you have seen him sneaking around and so he will leave you alone. If you see a magpie, you should take off your - hat or make a cross with your fingers to ward off the evil spirits. Owl — it is bad luck to see an owl in daylight and if you hear an owl call before sunset then you will hear of bad news by the end of the day. lf an owl is heard to call in a town then it is a sign that a local virgin is virgin no more and her first child will be a girl. Sparrows — it has long been believed that a sparrow sat by Jesus Christ during his crucifixion and called to guards that he was still alive. lf a sparrow enters your house through a window, it is an omen that death will soon come to someone who lives there. Plover — if you hear a plover call in the morning it is an omen of death for someone you know. This stems from the belief that plovers carry the souls of the Jews that died at the same time as Jesus Christ. Goose - the colour of the breastbone of a cooked goose can be used to predict the weather for next year Robin - if you kill a robin, a painful lump will grow on your hand. A robin flying into your house through an open window signified that death may come to someone you know. Make a wish when you see a robin at the start of winter and your wish will come true — but you must finish your wish before the robin flies away. June 2009 Photo Competition — Snap up a prize and get active in nature Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (Defra) launches competition to find the Conservation Volunteering photographer of the Year Volunteers are being urged to get snapping for a new competition launched by Defra and Kew Gardens. Defra and Kew's International Garden Photographer of the Year Competition have joined forces to find the first Conservation Volunteering Photographer of the Year. The competition was launched by Defra minister for Wildlife and Conservation, Huw Irranca-Davies. Almost a quarter of a million volunteers are regularly getting out and about in towns, parks, the countryside and forests to help conserve our precious natural green spaces and EngIand's wildlife. To celebrate this work, and to get ready for 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, the photo competition aims to capture the fun and enjoyment that comes from volunteering and taking part outside in England. Mr lrranca-Davies, who was snapped whilst helping to clear the banks of the Thames with Thames21, said: "I'd encourage anyone to have a go at conservation volunteering - you could be doing anything from clearing a pond, building a dry stone wall or footpath or making a bird house. While you're out doing your bit, getting some fresh air and getting active, why not take a photo to capture your experience and enter it into our competition? "You don’t need to be an expert photographer to take part - just take a picture that sums up the fun you had helping to conserve English wildlife or nature" The competition, which launches Defra's lv1uckIn4Life campaign, is open to anyone living and undertaking conservation volunteering in England. There are great prizes of vouchers to be won in several categories and there will be one overall national winner and one overall under 16 years winner as well as regional winners around the country. Winners will also have their photos displayed in a public exhibition at Kew Gardens. Muckln4Lite is the Defra campaign which supports the Department of Health's Change4Life campaign and is supported by a wide range of environmental stakeholders including the RSPB. It encourages biodiversity by highlighting the fun and enjoyment which comes from being active and volunteering outdoors in the fresh air to help conserve wildlife, landscapes, parks, gardens and other green spaces. Entries to the competition can be sent in via the Kew International Garden Photographer of the Year competition (http://www.igpoty.com) and the competition is open until November 2009. Short listed entries will be announced around Christmas time and the winning photos will be announced in Spring 2010. The winning photos will form part of the open air exhibition, showing in outdoor venues around the country, starting with Kew in the Spring of next year. Participants must live and volunteer for conservation work in England, Entry is free. For a full set of terms and conditions please go to http://www.igpoty.com/muckinforlife.asp Grab an earful of wildlife Wildlife charities might be more traditionally associated with wellies and long walks than earphones and cutting-edge technology, But the RSPB has won a prestigious Sony Radio award for its monthly 'Nature’s Voice' podcast. We claimed the bronze prize in the Best Internet Programme category for its Sumatran rainforest episode of Nature‘s Voice. Passionate and entertaining The judges described it as 'an outstanding production: entertaining, richly informative and professionally crafted. It made great use of the internet to reach a specialist interest group, while remaining accessible to a far wider audience’ Jane Markham of Podcats, the company which produces Nature‘s Voice, said: ‘What I particularly like about making Nature's Voice are the great stories that RSPB staff tell so passionately about their work. 'The episode that caught the ears of the Sony judges, was partly recorded in the Sumatran rainforest. It's what our listeners comment on most - the fact that we tell such strong wildlife stories. The RSPB is particularly good at coming up with entertaining and varied material.' Bringing stories alive Alissa Cook, Nature's Voice co-ordinator, said: 'Its brilliant that we've been rewarded for our efforts to bring the excitement of nature alive for people and to encourage them to go out and enjoy it for themselves. ‘Nowadays more and more charities are using podcasts to reach out to supporters. We're delighted that ours has been recognized as one of the best in its field’ To listen to the award winning podcast, visit the website at http://www.rsgb.org.uk/podcasts |
