Today wasn’t about the Birds off Poole Harbour, but in fact about the birds of the whole of the UK. Today a Peoples Manifesto for Wildlife was launched which provides 200 ideas; covering 17 topics in ways we can improve our impoverished environment. Sadly, the UK is in a sorry state of affairs when it comes to how we look after our landscapes and its inhabitants. Declines are rife and dramatic and drastic action is needed to help change not only these declines but our total mind set on what we really believe protection to be. Please read the manifesto HERE as it also provides many ideas as to how you as individuals can make small (and not so small) changes too. To launch the manifesto a walk for wildlife was held in London where c10,000 people gathered in Hyde Park before marching to Downing Street to hand over a large Peace Treaty that had been created as a symbol for change. Despite the rain the event felt like the beginning of a movement, one we were thrilled to be a part of.

Sadly, being in London did mean we missed a Grey Phalarope on the Brownsea Lagoon but I think we can handle that…just about. The rain pretty much stopped play by mid morning however the Sunnyside Scrape attracted 6 Ringed Plover and on Lytchett Fields 121 Black-tailed Godwit appeared with 1 Spotted Redshank, 6 Greenshank, 30+ Snipe and 3 Yellow Wagtail. On Lytchett Heath, before the rain set in 29 Blackcap, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 19 Chiffchaff, 3 Reed Warbler and 2 Sedge Warbler were ringed. At South Haven a strong passage of Meadow Pipitconsisted of  337 birds in 90 minutes. At Shipstal, Spoonbill numbers are now beginning to build with 30 present today, which is a bit more like it. At Baiter Park 8 Turnstone, 9 Ringed Plover and 8 Dunlin were along the shoreline.

The masses gathering before the Walk for Wildlife – Hyde Park