Press reports have picked up on the abundance of birds that called RSPB Cliffe Pools nature reserve home this winter. Over 10,000 black-tailed godwits (like the three in the picture below) have been setting records for this North Kent coastal wetland which is threatened by a proposal to build a four-runway hub airport on the Thames Estuary.
For these godwits international travel is their route to survival – these birds will be heading north to nest in Iceland. Loss of wetlands along their flyway is a real threat to their future.
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Andy Daw RSPB warden at Cliffe Pools said "If ever there was any doubt that the Thames Estuary is the wrong place to build an airport, this winters record nuber of birds at RSPB Cliffe Pools is another clear demonstration of the area's unsuitability"
Hear! Hear! Andy.