Climbers have contributed towards a bumper crop of Ring Ouzel chicks being raised on Stanage Edge in the Peak District this spring by sticking to voluntary access restrictions and helping the rare chicks' chance of survival. Also the birds promiscuity helped. One male Ouzel was serving two females on different nests and helped raise eight of the 10 chicks. There is a detailed report at
the BMC website.
Will the BMC be pushing a Press Release about this? They should be I reckon, they should shout as loud as they can that climbers are helping conservation. Take a few journalists out for a days climbing, show them what we actually do as opposed to what they think we do. Perhaps engage with the ornithological orgs in helping to do surveys of birds. There must be a number of us who are both ornithologists and climbers who could help?
Thanks Nick, as an ornithologist (well more of a birder these days) and a climber I feel quite strongly that we should be promoting what climbing can do for the environment as much as we can. Cheers!
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