Give Nature A 'Barrett' Home!

I'll be brief.

The RSPB's 'Give Nature a Home' slogan has taken on a new meaning as Barratt Developments agrees to incorporate 'green' infrastructure in thousands of new house-building projects, with green infrastructure, including orchards, hedgehog highways, newt ponds, tree-lined avenues, fruit trees in gardens, bat, owl and swift nest-boxes and nectar-rich wild flowers for pollinators such as bees. The development will also include 250 acres of wildlife-rich open space the size of 100 football pitches  with access to all....WOW!

Well, I want to be amongst the first to give a big up for the RSPB and Barrett Homes. But there's a connection here with a nasty piece of work called Mr Wood....

Amongst Yorkshire's top twenty shoots you'll find Farndale, an estate owned by the Barrett family of Barratt Homes fame, but leased to game farmer Michael Wood who has recently been convicted of permitting a pole trap at his game farm, a barbaric device banned in this country over a century ago.

Sparrowhawk In A Pole Trap. William Osborn @ Arkive  

I sent an e-mail to the Game Farmers Association as I thought he was the chairman but didn't have the evidence. I also asked if he would be booted out of the association following the pole trap conviction. This is the reply from my inbox, you'll note - true to form - the issue about whether or not he would be booted out of the GFA was not addressed....  

Hello Pete

Michael Wood is Chairman of the Game Farmers Association. He has always maintained that he did not know of, or permit, the use of the illegal traps on his farm. He intends appealing his case, which therefore remains sub-judice, so it would be inappropriate for the Game Farmers’ Association or for me to comment further at this stage.

Kind Regards

There's much more to be said about Mr Wood, like this also at Farndale ....but I did say this was going to be brief!

The Mute Swan Issue.

Mute Swan Gary Jones 

Six dead Mute Swans have now been recovered, two from Conder Pool, two from Jeremy Lane, and two from Cockersands. But the grand total of dead birds is nine - possibly ten - with two badly decomposed/scavenged at Conder Green, and another yet to be found when I get more info from the farmer I have already spoken to. 

I hope to learn more soon. Meanwhile, at the moment it's all gone a bit quiet on the autopsy results.