*** Posting to this blog - Please read ***

*** Posting to this blog – Please read ***

Welcome to the St Helens Birds and Wildlife blog. We welcome your reports from across the borough regarding all forms of wildlife. Please click on the "Report a sighting" tab if you would like to contribute to this blog.

We ask that you refrain from posting exact breeding locations of any species which may be considered scarce or vulnerable, and in particular schedule 1 species. In the context of St Helens, schedule 1 species usually means kingfisher and little ringed plover. Little ringed plover should not be reported at all on this blog between 1st May and 1st August.

Scarce or vulnerable species include but are not restricted to any species of wader, ducks other than mallard, all owls, any birds of prey, grey or yellow wagtails, grey heron, all grebes, Cetti’s warbler, water rail, willow tit, corn bunting etc. If in doubt, please ask.

We reserve the right to edit or delete posts which contravene this rule.

Wildlife, the Law & Respect

Hi all,

Its at this time of the year when we suddenly need to think a little more carefully about posting sightings and photos of breeding birds.

By all means feel free to share information privately (especially with me!) but always be wary of putting the info out for all and sundry to see ..... there are still some unscrupulous people out there who trawl the internet for breeding bird info, only last week some peregrine eggs were stolen from a nest in the north west.

In regards to photography please respect the wildlife and remember that patience, understanding and good field craft will always trump unrestrained encroaching on a subject.  Wildlife is sensitive and disturbing nesting birds is an offence.

Cheers

Paul B
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2 comments :

  1. Colin18 April 2016 at 18:17

    Hi Paul, well said but if I could just make one more point. Whilst it is very laudable and obviously the correct thing to do to keep quiet about rare breeding birds, we all need to remember that it is the act of disturbance that is the crime, not the act of telling somebody about the bird. The fact that a person has kept quiet about a rare breeding bird does not absolve them from guilt if they then go ahead and disturb the birds. Remember, you need a licence to photograph a schedule 1 bird during the breeding season, so for example if you keep quiet about a kingfisher nest, but then stake it out to get some good photographs, you are guilty of breaking the law.

    Colin

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown18 April 2016 at 19:40

    Well said Colin .... it's that exact behaviour that has led to me doing similar posts in the past.

    PaulB

    ReplyDelete

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