The GWCT’s annual Scottish Auction fundraiser is set to take place at Prestonfield, Edinburgh on 4 May 2017. We’ve just been having a read of the auction catalogue. As ever, it’s quite an eye-opener. Have a look and see how many names you recognise: GWCT Scottish Auction 2017-Catalogue
As well as the auction lots, there’s a list of GWCT Scotland events for 2017 (see page 11). There’s an evening farm walk (to be followed by a BBQ) on June 14 2017 at Corsehope Estate.
Would that be the same Corsehope that is currently subject to a three year General Licence restriction (on Corsehope high ground) after the discovery of illegally-set traps during a Police raid in May 2014?
Fascinating.
Raptor Persecution UK 
“A charity which is at the heart of bucolic activities” they say.
Definition of Bucolic = Relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.
Shooting, Trapping wildlife; Cutting new tracks across our uplands; burning – air pollution, increased flood risk and damage to bio-diversity; removing trees on moorland etc etc. All for a very few to get out of their vehicles, walk a few metres, and blast birds out of the sky for fun – anyway surely not for the pleasure of eating lead-contaminated meat. Very bucolic!!
[Ed: slightly edited – you’ll understand why!]
And because they are a ‘charity’ bids for the multiple ways of slaughtering wildlife will qualify for gift aid, ie your and mine taxes!
Thinking of staging a protest outside on my way home from work – may be that some are totally unaware they are funding this kind of thing…
Are those Father Ted references deliberate? If so, well done for cryptisim of the week award.
No, I meant literally outside the venue on the day – I work in Edinburgh…
Pity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT9xuXQjxMM
Careful now!
Ah, the good old Gun & Wildlife Crime Trust, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx a criminal enterprise. What a shocker.
I subscribe to the GWCT newsletter, and occasionally can’t resist responding to some of the fake nonsense they publish. I hope this isn’t subject to ‘editing’, but my personal opinion is that they exist on a different planet where fake facts prevail, and they distribute them as fake news. The letters from readers amount to excessive reinforcement of their fake world. In the latest issue they propose to save Curlews from extinction in southern England by eliminating all predators, although to be fair they don’t say whether that would include protected species. Foxes and crows are the main target species. I have suggested they might initiate some research into why Curlews were more successful in sustaining their populations when Carrion Crows were far commoner than they are now. I don’t think they’re capable of even thinking about how subtle changes in the environment might be affecting a range of species.
Yes I get their newsletter too. Can’t believe what they come out with or their supporters’ comments either. I saw one GWCT summer newsletter where the beaver was listed as a ‘non native invasive’ along with the fish parasite gyrodactylus and Japanese knotweed. I suppose they are slightly, very slightly, less ridiculous than Songbird Survival, maybe.
With the word ‘Wildlife’ in their title, I wondered which Lot would represent this interest. So I trawled through to Lot 94 before I found anything relevant.
“4 people can enjoy a 4 hour wildlife tour
with one of our gamekeeper/naturalists
on the Invermark Estate, Glenesk, in
Angus. The tour is part Landrover safari,
part wildlife walk, part history tour,
and wholly captivating. You will visit
diverse habitats and explore ancient
communities, and learn how to read the
history of the glens in their landscape. Precisely where you go will depend on
season and weather, and on the particular
interests of your group. ”
So, if you’re going to fit all those subjects into 4 hours, how many Golden Eagles, Hen Harriers etc etc etc are you likely to see? I’d love to see a verified species list at the end of that!
The Scottish Director says……”Muirburn: we know that around 1m hectares of Scottish uplands (about 30% of the total upland area), is managed under rotational burning. This benefits mountain hares, golden plovers, rare lichens and mosses, spiders, beetles and daddy long-legs.”
Please how on earth does muirburn benefit rare lichens and mosses? Its directly destructive at the point of the fire and directly destructive at the point where all the pollutants are deposited.
Spiders and daddy-longlegs? Really? What about all of the inverts that are missing because the fire destroys their habitat?
I think he needs to move into fisheries research…. there are some unstudied cod out there.
Yes, fire benefits those very species that cannot escape the fire. A bit like shooting things to protect them.
Or having sexual intercourse with virgins to protect their chastity!