Chris's new blog outlining the heinous activities of shooters on Malta.
http://www.chrispackham.co.uk/
Friday, 25 April 2014
Malta Bird Massacre
Chris's new blog outlining the heinous activities of shooters on Malta.
http://www.chrispackham.co.uk/
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
Tasmanian Wildlife Updates
Tasmanian Wildlife, a set on Flickr.
New photos finally added to the Tasmanian wildlife set following my last visit to Tasmania.
Thursday, 30 May 2013
CONSERVATION GROUPS SEEK MINISTERIAL REASSURANCE ABOUT BIRDS OF PREY PROTECTION
CONSERVATION GROUPS SEEK MINISTERIAL REASSURANCE ABOUT BIRDS OF PREY PROTECTION
Following the revelation that Natural England – the Government’s conservation advisor – has issued licences for the destruction of buzzard nests and the killing or capturing of adult birds, a coalition of wildlife and countryside organisations has written to Owen Paterson MP – the Environment Secretary – for a reassurance that no further licences will be issued for the removal or destruction of birds of prey or their nests for the protection of gamebirds.
Historical persecution had reduced this previously widespread species to only a few thousand pairs. Only in recent years have buzzards recolonised their former haunts – especially in eastern England - and once again become a widespread and celebrated fixture of our skies.
There was a widespread public reaction last year when the Government announced a tender for a research proposal which would have allowed the removal of buzzards to try to protect game shoots. In the wake of this, the Government committed to working collaboratively with interested parties to find a new way forward. Yet an official request for information lodged with Natural England has now revealed that licences for the removal of buzzards have been issued, including around release pens on a pheasant shooting estate.
The group of 17 organisations have expressed their outrage that protected species should be removed from the countryside to protect a commercial non native gamebird and stated that it is vital that the Minister now issues a clear statement that licences will not be issued to kill a native bird of prey to protect commercial gamebirds.
Gwyn Williams, of the RSPB, said: “We believe it is wrong that these licences have been issued, it is wrong that there has been no public scrutiny of these decisions and it is wrong that we only heard of these decisions after the nests have been destroyed.”
Paul Irving, of the Northern England Raptor Forum, added: “We have fundamental concerns with the idea of licensing the killing of a native bird of prey or the destruction of its eggs to protect an alien gamebird. These specific cases seem to show a scandalous disregard for Natural England’s own guidance. It’s clear there is a huge range of non-lethal alternatives which have clearly not been exhausted.”
Nigel Middleton, from the Hawk and Owl Trust, commented: “This is a step backwards. We’re in the 21st century and shooting estates must look hard at their management practices to ensure there is no negative effect on native biodiversity. They must move on from a Victorian mentality and find ways of managing their sport that does not require the destruction of birds of prey.”
The organisations involved in the coalition are: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; The Wildlife Trusts; Friends of the Earth; Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust; Amphibian and Reptile Conservation; Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; Hawk and Owl Trust; Northern England Raptor Forum; Humane Society International/UK; Environmental Investigation Agency; International Fund for Animal Welfare; World Society for the Protection of Animals (UK); People's Trust for Endangered Species ; Barn Owl Trust; Badger Trust; Whale and Dolphin Conservation; Ramblers.
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
LYDD AIRPORT EXTENSION DECISION PROMPTS LEGAL CHALLENGE
The RSPB has today issued a legal challenge to the Government's decision to allow the expansion of Lydd Airport in Kent.
The proposals - which will damage the nearby protected wildlife area of Dungeness - was given the go ahead in April by Eric Pickles, the communities and local government secretary, and Patrick McLoughlin, the transport secretary.
Chris Corrigan, RSPB South East Regional Director, said: “Dungeness is one of the most important wildlife sites in the world; it is protected at global, European and UK levels. It is home to species found hardly anywhere else in the UK. It is also a crossroads for migrating birds stopping off on their epic global journeys.
“The RSPB has been protecting birds and the wildlife of Dungeness for over a century - our commitment to the area is deep and profound.
“Over recent years, our concerns about the impact of expanding nearby Lydd Airport led to the need to argue our case at a Public Inquiry.
“The inspector found in favour of the Airport's proposals - and his report was completely endorsed in the Secretaries of State for Communities and Local Government and for Transport’s Decision. We are profoundly concerned about this decision as it seems perverse.
“After careful consideration we have now issued a legal challenge to the Secretary of State's decision. The stakes are too high to risk the future of one of our best and most important places for nature without testing the basis for this decision which we consider to be flawed.”
ends
For further information and to arrange an interview, please contact:
Nik Shelton, RSPB media officer 01767 693554/07739921464
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Sunday, 9 December 2012
CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE USED TO REVEAL BIRD OF PREY PERSECUTION
CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE USED TO REVEAL BIRD OF PREY PERSECUTION
The battle to save England’s most threatened nesting bird of prey from illegal persecution is going increasingly high-tech as a technique used for the first time in the UK confirms that a female hen harrier which was found dead in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, had been shot.
Conservationists were monitoring the bird remotely – which had been fitted with a satellite tag – as it ranged across the uplands of Scotland and northern England earlier this year. Concern for the bird was raised in late June when satellite data indicated the bird was stationary. The bird’s body was recovered from a moorland area managed for grouse shooting in the Yorkshire Dales by Stephen Murphy of Natural England on 5 July 2012.
The bird’s death is being investigated by North Yorkshire Police. RSPB data and government poisoning data shows the Yorkshire Dales is a national black spot for persecution, with at least 20 birds of prey having been illegally poisoned, shot or trapped between 2007 and 2011.
The hen harrier is a rare nesting bird in England with only one pair nesting successfully in 2012. Government studies have shown that the uplands of England could support over 300 pairs and that the principal reason for the bird’s perilous state is illegal persecution associated with grouse shooting. [note]
Scientific breakthrough
The post mortem by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) showed the bird had a fractured left leg and would have died as a result of these injuries. An X-ray showed the presence of three tiny metallic fragments at the fracture site, and it was suspected the bird had been shot, but this could not be confirmed. However, using a scientific technique never before deployed in a UK wildlife crime case, scientists from UCL, Stanmore, were able to photograph a cross-section of the leg bone and analyse one of the fragments. This analysis confirmed the particle had entered the leg bone and that it was composed primarily of lead.
Martin Harper is the RSPB’s conservation director. Commenting on this case, he said: “Information from a satellite transmitter, a detailed post mortem – supported by cutting-edge scientific analysis – adds weight to our belief that hen harriers continue to be subject to determined effort to eradicate them from our countryside.
“We need the Government, its conservation and enforcement agencies to step up to the challenge of securing the future of hen harriers in England. The problem of persecution is well understood – we need Government to bring solutions to the table via an emergency recovery plan. The first step is for ministers to confirm long-term funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit – it is essential that the UK maintains a national centre of expertise in tackling wildlife crime.”
A female hen harrier - one of the last individuals from the tiny English population - came from a nest last year in the Forest of Bowland, in Lancashire. The bird – christened ‘Bowland Betty’ - had been fitted with a satellite tag to record its movements. Data from the tag revealed that the bird had wandered widely in England and Scotland, before being gunned down in North Yorkshire.
The RSPB’s Jude Lane works with hen harriers in the Forest of Bowland. Commenting on the news, she said: "Devastated! That’s how I feel about this news. I was privileged to have been present when she had her satellite tag fitted. I also had the honour of placing her back in the nest once the job had been done. As I placed her back in the nest with her siblings that day, I made sure to wish her luck: it's tragic that her luck ran out. I feel privileged to have known Betty in her short life. She must not be allowed to have died in vain.”
Bob Elliot, the RSPB’s head of investigations, said: “The hen harrier has become so rare that obtaining evidence of persecution has become very difficult, demonstrating the importance of cutting-edge techniques. The person who shot this bird must have realised they would be bringing the hen harrier one step closer to oblivion as a breeding bird in England.”
The RSPB is offering a reward of £1000 for anyone with information leading to a conviction. People with information can contact the North Yorkshire police or a confidential hotline: 0845 4663636.
The battle to save England’s most threatened nesting bird of prey from illegal persecution is going increasingly high-tech as a technique used for the first time in the UK confirms that a female hen harrier which was found dead in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, had been shot.
Conservationists were monitoring the bird remotely – which had been fitted with a satellite tag – as it ranged across the uplands of Scotland and northern England earlier this year. Concern for the bird was raised in late June when satellite data indicated the bird was stationary. The bird’s body was recovered from a moorland area managed for grouse shooting in the Yorkshire Dales by Stephen Murphy of Natural England on 5 July 2012.
The bird’s death is being investigated by North Yorkshire Police. RSPB data and government poisoning data shows the Yorkshire Dales is a national black spot for persecution, with at least 20 birds of prey having been illegally poisoned, shot or trapped between 2007 and 2011.
The hen harrier is a rare nesting bird in England with only one pair nesting successfully in 2012. Government studies have shown that the uplands of England could support over 300 pairs and that the principal reason for the bird’s perilous state is illegal persecution associated with grouse shooting. [note]
Scientific breakthrough
The post mortem by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) showed the bird had a fractured left leg and would have died as a result of these injuries. An X-ray showed the presence of three tiny metallic fragments at the fracture site, and it was suspected the bird had been shot, but this could not be confirmed. However, using a scientific technique never before deployed in a UK wildlife crime case, scientists from UCL, Stanmore, were able to photograph a cross-section of the leg bone and analyse one of the fragments. This analysis confirmed the particle had entered the leg bone and that it was composed primarily of lead.
Martin Harper is the RSPB’s conservation director. Commenting on this case, he said: “Information from a satellite transmitter, a detailed post mortem – supported by cutting-edge scientific analysis – adds weight to our belief that hen harriers continue to be subject to determined effort to eradicate them from our countryside.
“We need the Government, its conservation and enforcement agencies to step up to the challenge of securing the future of hen harriers in England. The problem of persecution is well understood – we need Government to bring solutions to the table via an emergency recovery plan. The first step is for ministers to confirm long-term funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit – it is essential that the UK maintains a national centre of expertise in tackling wildlife crime.”
A female hen harrier - one of the last individuals from the tiny English population - came from a nest last year in the Forest of Bowland, in Lancashire. The bird – christened ‘Bowland Betty’ - had been fitted with a satellite tag to record its movements. Data from the tag revealed that the bird had wandered widely in England and Scotland, before being gunned down in North Yorkshire.
The RSPB’s Jude Lane works with hen harriers in the Forest of Bowland. Commenting on the news, she said: "Devastated! That’s how I feel about this news. I was privileged to have been present when she had her satellite tag fitted. I also had the honour of placing her back in the nest once the job had been done. As I placed her back in the nest with her siblings that day, I made sure to wish her luck: it's tragic that her luck ran out. I feel privileged to have known Betty in her short life. She must not be allowed to have died in vain.”
Bob Elliot, the RSPB’s head of investigations, said: “The hen harrier has become so rare that obtaining evidence of persecution has become very difficult, demonstrating the importance of cutting-edge techniques. The person who shot this bird must have realised they would be bringing the hen harrier one step closer to oblivion as a breeding bird in England.”
The RSPB is offering a reward of £1000 for anyone with information leading to a conviction. People with information can contact the North Yorkshire police or a confidential hotline: 0845 4663636.
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Nikon D800 ISO test comparison with Nikon DX
Photos here at Flickr.
Now with a bad back and the fact that I won’t be going anywhere this weekend I decided to compare a few cameras I have kicking around after just purchasing a Nikon D800. I have used Nikon for years going from film to digital as everyone else did, my first DSLR being a D1 then D100, D2HS, D200, D300, D300s,D7000 and now a D800. My favourite camera has to be the D7000 it’s small, fast and cheap and takes great images at all ISO's that I tend to use.
Thom Hogan is currently having DX month and I guess that was the inspiration for this test, I must confess I prefer DX cameras although most of my lenses are normal or FX lenses I rarely update my lenses as improvements for me in the last few years have been slight, I've gone through phases of using all in ones such as the Nikon 18-200, Sigma 18-250 and just got hold of the Nikon 28-300 but I think I prefer carrying a load of lenses and changing them often it’s just me I guess. My main obsession is photographing birds so for this I use a Sigma 500 mm F4.5 because it’s lighter than the Nikon! yeah and a few $1000's cheaper and works really well and is sharp enough for me, I also use the Sigma 50-500 OS when I'm out and about as I can go from a close up of a snake to a distant shot of a bird and even a landscape with the same lens, now living in Australia there is plenty of sun so I can get away with fast shutter speeds meaning hand held so no tripods, back in the UK under the grey sky this lens probably wouldn’t be up to much but out here it’s awesome.
Anyway the test/comparison, first why I bought the D800 main reason it was cheaper than the D4 and a used D3s given everyone is now buying them in spades.Also the D800 crop factor to DX, improved autofocus, noise and being able tofocus in the dark sort of, I was never really impressed by the 36MP FX I don’t need it and I don’t think many people really do so I found it amusing people queuing up for the D800 whilst the masses were still using D700, D7000 and D300s. I'm not sure Nikon understand their market and their photographers, I'm not talking about the select few who always need the fastest lenses and the newest cameras.Mainly people like me who sell to agencies, do the odd bit of press, editorial and creative photographs and use a camera as part of their job. As an ecologist I'm fortunate to travel a lot and get to see nature in all its glory and I use photography. to record these animals and places and how I see them; I'm not really interested in selling my work that’s not what drives my creativity, it's a bonus.
Now as i say I'm more than happy with the D7000, it would have been great if it was in a sturdier body such as the D300s and a better FPS but so far it’s been great. Most agencies want at least a 5000 pixel sized image so with the D300s I had to upsize using genuine fractals never a good idea but it works fine, with the D7000 you don’t need to upscale as much, the ideal for me would be DX 18MP in a camera probably like the Canon 7d but I never liked their menus or buttons and would have to splash out on all new lenses so no chance of jumping ship. So in the absence of a good upgrade for DX no offence to D3200 but not sturdy enough and a lack of options etc. for me. So given the D4 is out the-next best thing according to Google and Nikon et al is the D800, the supposed successor to the D700, now as I said I always struggled to see why FX was better than DX - as we are all told, I like being able to get in closer to wildlife without spooking it and if I need a wide angle I walk back, I think the main reason was improved ISO. So I decided to compare these cameras to see if the D800 really performs better than the D7000 and the D300s when used in DX mode.
The setup - A tripod mounted Sigma 500 f4.5 set at F10, allcameras set to Aperture priority, all noise reductions turned off no high ISONR, no Active D lighting, no special colour settings, Auto white balance, sohopefully everything pretty much the same. Photos taken in RAW and opened inPhotoshop CS6 camera raw 7.2 no adjustments apart from changing to 8 bit andcropping to make sure the subject is at 100%. For the D800 I shot in DX mode.Now I'm not sure but somehow High ISO NR comes on automatically on the D3200 asit’s not my camera I'm not that bothered!
Now the subject is a small toy kiwi given as a present from a trip to NewZealand, placed on a stone wall in the garden on a ridiculously hot day in Brisbane,this spot is in the shade as most birds would be on a day like today. I oftenfind DSLR's struggle with those slightly shadier out of focus areas and this iswhat I consider problem noise in an image I normally get rid of it with NoiseNinja.
Anyway the results, ISO 100 to each cameras maximum for the D300s this mean1EV under ISO 200 and 1 EV over 6400, all the others go from ISO 100 to 2 EVover 6400 apart from the D3200 ...
The photos are hosted on Flickr, hopfeully I can link these crops of the main photos to the flickr so you can see the images at 100%.
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
ISO 2EV over 6400
There you go obviously they all look perfect as small 72 dpi jpegs so please click on the photos and hopefully they connect through to the larger images on Flickr.
From what I can see here with the RAW images is that there is no improvement on the D7000 images by using the the D800 in DX mode only that the autofocus may be marginally better noise is worse but contrast looks better, the D3200 looks to be better than all of them but as I said for some reason High ISO NR kicks in after ISO 800 and I cant find an option to turn it off.
So if you need a wide angle 36 MP photo and dont have genuine fractals to upscale it go get a D800, I think mine might be going back in the hope that Nikon give us a decent upgrade for the DX cameras, of course no D600 here but given its 24MP in FX if you crop to DX you get an image smaller in size than the D300s not sure what the noise is like on that one tho.
Now with a bad back and the fact that I won’t be going anywhere this weekend I decided to compare a few cameras I have kicking around after just purchasing a Nikon D800. I have used Nikon for years going from film to digital as everyone else did, my first DSLR being a D1 then D100, D2HS, D200, D300, D300s,D7000 and now a D800. My favourite camera has to be the D7000 it’s small, fast and cheap and takes great images at all ISO's that I tend to use.
Thom Hogan is currently having DX month and I guess that was the inspiration for this test, I must confess I prefer DX cameras although most of my lenses are normal or FX lenses I rarely update my lenses as improvements for me in the last few years have been slight, I've gone through phases of using all in ones such as the Nikon 18-200, Sigma 18-250 and just got hold of the Nikon 28-300 but I think I prefer carrying a load of lenses and changing them often it’s just me I guess. My main obsession is photographing birds so for this I use a Sigma 500 mm F4.5 because it’s lighter than the Nikon! yeah and a few $1000's cheaper and works really well and is sharp enough for me, I also use the Sigma 50-500 OS when I'm out and about as I can go from a close up of a snake to a distant shot of a bird and even a landscape with the same lens, now living in Australia there is plenty of sun so I can get away with fast shutter speeds meaning hand held so no tripods, back in the UK under the grey sky this lens probably wouldn’t be up to much but out here it’s awesome.
Anyway the test/comparison, first why I bought the D800 main reason it was cheaper than the D4 and a used D3s given everyone is now buying them in spades.Also the D800 crop factor to DX, improved autofocus, noise and being able tofocus in the dark sort of, I was never really impressed by the 36MP FX I don’t need it and I don’t think many people really do so I found it amusing people queuing up for the D800 whilst the masses were still using D700, D7000 and D300s. I'm not sure Nikon understand their market and their photographers, I'm not talking about the select few who always need the fastest lenses and the newest cameras.Mainly people like me who sell to agencies, do the odd bit of press, editorial and creative photographs and use a camera as part of their job. As an ecologist I'm fortunate to travel a lot and get to see nature in all its glory and I use photography. to record these animals and places and how I see them; I'm not really interested in selling my work that’s not what drives my creativity, it's a bonus.
Now as i say I'm more than happy with the D7000, it would have been great if it was in a sturdier body such as the D300s and a better FPS but so far it’s been great. Most agencies want at least a 5000 pixel sized image so with the D300s I had to upsize using genuine fractals never a good idea but it works fine, with the D7000 you don’t need to upscale as much, the ideal for me would be DX 18MP in a camera probably like the Canon 7d but I never liked their menus or buttons and would have to splash out on all new lenses so no chance of jumping ship. So in the absence of a good upgrade for DX no offence to D3200 but not sturdy enough and a lack of options etc. for me. So given the D4 is out the-next best thing according to Google and Nikon et al is the D800, the supposed successor to the D700, now as I said I always struggled to see why FX was better than DX - as we are all told, I like being able to get in closer to wildlife without spooking it and if I need a wide angle I walk back, I think the main reason was improved ISO. So I decided to compare these cameras to see if the D800 really performs better than the D7000 and the D300s when used in DX mode.
The setup - A tripod mounted Sigma 500 f4.5 set at F10, allcameras set to Aperture priority, all noise reductions turned off no high ISONR, no Active D lighting, no special colour settings, Auto white balance, sohopefully everything pretty much the same. Photos taken in RAW and opened inPhotoshop CS6 camera raw 7.2 no adjustments apart from changing to 8 bit andcropping to make sure the subject is at 100%. For the D800 I shot in DX mode.Now I'm not sure but somehow High ISO NR comes on automatically on the D3200 asit’s not my camera I'm not that bothered!
Now the subject is a small toy kiwi given as a present from a trip to NewZealand, placed on a stone wall in the garden on a ridiculously hot day in Brisbane,this spot is in the shade as most birds would be on a day like today. I oftenfind DSLR's struggle with those slightly shadier out of focus areas and this iswhat I consider problem noise in an image I normally get rid of it with NoiseNinja.
Anyway the results, ISO 100 to each cameras maximum for the D300s this mean1EV under ISO 200 and 1 EV over 6400, all the others go from ISO 100 to 2 EVover 6400 apart from the D3200 ...
The photos are hosted on Flickr, hopfeully I can link these crops of the main photos to the flickr so you can see the images at 100%.
ISO 100
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
ISO 2EV over 6400
From what I can see here with the RAW images is that there is no improvement on the D7000 images by using the the D800 in DX mode only that the autofocus may be marginally better noise is worse but contrast looks better, the D3200 looks to be better than all of them but as I said for some reason High ISO NR kicks in after ISO 800 and I cant find an option to turn it off.
So if you need a wide angle 36 MP photo and dont have genuine fractals to upscale it go get a D800, I think mine might be going back in the hope that Nikon give us a decent upgrade for the DX cameras, of course no D600 here but given its 24MP in FX if you crop to DX you get an image smaller in size than the D300s not sure what the noise is like on that one tho.
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