Thanks to Gary Gorner for sending me his two shots above of the Redhead Smew he watched earlier in the week at Turner's Flash near Wigan.
The bird often turns up on Horrock's Flash too.
And a nice Great Crested Grebe, Gary.
Cracking Barn Owl on the way in to work this morning at 5.30am - perched on a fencepost at the north end of Ince Blundell Woods.
Good to see one there again, it has been a few weeks since I was treated to an early morning owl.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies.....
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Just liberated this story from the Press Association wires at work....
AXING SCHEME âÂÂWOULD THREATEN WILD BIRDSâÂÂ
By Amanda Brown, PA Environment Correspondent
The withdrawal of a scheme requiring bird keepers to register highly threatened bird species held in captivity - could lead to more birds being plundered from the wild, campaigners warned today.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) fears that peregrine falcons and goshawks could be specially vulnerable.
The GovernmentâÂÂs bird registration scheme has been pivotal in preventing âÂÂlaunderedâÂ? wild-caught birds being passed off as those bred in captivity.
Despite the schemeâÂÂs success, the RSPB is concerned the Government may axe it to reduce bureaucracy and save money. A Government consultation on the future of the scheme ends today.
The RSPB is campaigning to save the scheme, which is currently under review by Defra.
Duncan McNiven, an RSPB investigation officer, said: âÂÂWe believe that if the scheme is axed it could risk an increase in nest robberies, especially of highly sought-after birds of prey.
Peregrines and goshawks command a high price and the lure of turning a quick profit might encourage unscrupulous nest robbers to take chicks from the wild and try to launder them as birds bred in captivity.â�
The RSPB said it believes Defra is prudent to examine the level of bureaucracy associated with the scheme but believes that its importance to bird conservation should not be compromised by a paper cutting exercise, especially as reported peregrine nest robberies are at an all time low.
Evidence from the bird registration scheme in combination with DNA testing, has led to the successful conviction of 15 people found guilty of offences involving wild birds.
Duncan McNiven added: âÂÂThe registration scheme is an essential enforcement tool which enables the police to trace individual birds and use DNA profiling to establish whether captive breeding claims are true or not. It has proved a powerful deterrent against nest robberies.
âÂÂThe number of wild peregrine thefts and the number of convictions are both down as a result. Without this scheme the police will struggle to enforce the law.âÂ?
The consultation period on the Review of Registration under Section 7 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, ends today after which Defra will decide on the fate of the scheme. A previous consultation on this issue took place as recently as 2002, which resulted in an overwhelming endorsement for the continuation of the scheme.
The two species arguably most threatened by the axing of the scheme include the goshawk and the peregrine.
Both species have had a chequered history in the UK. Following centuries of persecution, the peregrine falcon population crashed in the 1960s, disappearing from many areas in the UK. The population has recently recovered to about 1400 nesting pairs, although it has declined again in some parts of the country.
The goshawk was persecuted to extinction in Britain, However, in the 1960s it became re-established as a nesting bird, largely as a result of individual goshawks escaping from collections or deliberate releases.
Not terribly exciting, but there was a Barn Owl quartering around the industrial units opposite Formby Tesco at 8-40am as I came to work today.