Birds of prey are doing "incredibly well" in Britain

In a recent BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Stephen Moss a leading naturalist, presented the week's 'Nature Notes' with presenter Justin Webb.

During the discussion, Mr. Moss described how birds of prey are doing "incredibly well" in Britain.

Please visit the Campaign 4 the Protection of Moorland Communities website to listen to the programme, here.

He said: "When I was growing up you basically saw kestrels and nothing else. Ironically, the bird of prey I haven't seen over my garden this year is the kestrel. I've seen sparrowhawks, buzzards, red kites, marsh harrier, peregrine and today a hobby. And the great thing about them is you can see them anywhere."

He goes on to discuss how birds of prey can be seen in all sorts of towns and cities across Britain. The white-tailed eagles that have been reintroduced to the Isle of Wight have been seen "all over the place", while red kites can be seen "over London, over Lord's, round the M25", and the osprey are described as a "safe species" in the British Isles.

"Any of these birds of prey you can literally see anywhere in Britain", says Moss.

Commenting, Adrian Blackmore Director of Shooting at the Countryside Alliance said: " Compared to other bird species, many of which are in serious decline, the majority of our birds of prey are doing really well, with the population of some being at their highest ever levels. This is particularly remarkable given that five of our fifteen breeding birds of prey had been driven to extinction in the UK before the end of the First World War, and that at various times between the 1870s and 1970's five more species declined to fewer than 100 pairs. This is a real conservation success story ".