The Anniversary....

....and something a bit more serious.

It wasn't until I got on to the coastal path over the old railway bridge at Conder Green yesterday that I suddenly realised the date was 14 August and it was exactly 10 years ago to the day since the White-winged Black Tern was found quartering the marsh here on 14 August 2003.

White-winged Black Tern ARKive 

The bird was a superb moulting adult which went on to frequent the salt-marsh between Conder Green and Glasson Dock for ten days until last seen on 24 August, it also graced Conder Pool on more than one occasion to add its name to the good selection of excellent records on this brilliant little pool which was in its infancy when this stunner appeared on there. During its stay this bird went on to be observed as being particularly adept at catching butterflies, in the main being Small Tortoiseshell but with other flying insects too.

The White-winged Black Tern breeds in Eastern Europe, eastwards to China, it winters in Africa and in the Far East, through Indonesia to northern Australia. 

But now it gets serious....

Marks and Spencer are launching the sale of whole Red Grouse at two trial stores in London, the first high street retailer to do so. So here the question is....how will Marks and Spencer assure their customers that their Red Grouse have been responsibly sourced from grouse moors that are not poisoning, shooting, and trapping protected species such as the Hen Harrier, Red Kite, Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Goshawk, and lots of other wildlife which get in the way of this 'sporting industry'.

You might like to read THIS noting one of the moors the grouse are to be sourced from are the North Yorkshire Moors which happens to be one of the worst hotspots for raptor persecution in the country. You may also like to get in touch with M and S about this issue....I did.