I'm delighted to welcome my colleague Jonathan Hall to the Saving Special Places blog. Jonathan is Head of RSPB's UK Overseas Territory Unit and has been at the heart of our work to support the establishment of a marine protected area around Ascension...

Earlier I posted the great news that the Tana River Delta Land Use Plan and the Tana River Delta Strategic Environmental Assessment had won the Royal Town Planning Institute’s inaugural International Award for Planning Excellence at a ceremony in...

Great news and lots of pride at the result announced last night at the Royal Town Planning Institute’s awards in London. This is the first time that there has been an International Award for Planning Excellence – and recognises the contribution...

Paul Matiku (pictured with me below) is the Director of our BirdLife International partner organisation, NatureKenya and he is in the UK to attend the Royal Town Planning Institute award ceremony. The Tana River Delta Land Use Plan and Strategic...

You don’t need to look too far these days to see examples of the pressure the need for new homes is putting on our countryside and communities. Towns and villages are changing rapidly. For decades we have both engaged constructively with development...

A rare and tiny snail is the star of a long conservation story that has a happy ending. The little whirlpool ram’s horn snail Anisus vorticulus has a name far longer than its diminutive 5mm diameter, but by making its home in the West Sussex Arun...

Natura 2000 award recognises achievements of two RSPB landscape-scale conservation projects. Kimberley Pearson, RSPB's Landscape-scale Conservation Officer, introduces two of our projects that are up for an award. We're really proud of what...

Lenke Balint, Partner Development Officer - South East Europe, writes: Migration - the regular movement of birds from one part of the world to another and back again - is one of the wonders of the natural world. There is so much that we are still...

Volunteers from RSPB's Garnock Valley Futurescape project and Scottish Wildlife Trust joined up to create a new "Des Res" for pollinating insects last month with the help of Irvine Golf Course in Ayrshire. It was hard work, but all made...

Guest blog by Emma Witcutt, Research Assistant, RSPB Centre for Conservation Science My time in Gola Rainforest began very abruptly, with just about three weeks between being offered the job and heading off to start it, wondering what on earth I'd...

Okay, this is very exciting, a new RSPB reserve right in the heart of the Inner Forth Futurescape! I have been working on this project for four years now (I know, I don’t even look a year older......) and I reckon this is the biggest step forward...

The future of the Tana River Delta for its people and the wildlife it supports has been a regular feature on this blog. The overwhelming threats to this special place and the successful campaign to save it is one of the most inspirational stories we have...

For as long as I can remember the fate of Spurn point lay in the hands of the winter storms. One day, the point would be breached beyond recovery and Spurn would change- That happened in 2013 and the site's owners, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust are...

I can just remember crossing the Thames on the Gravesend - Tilbury Ferry in the early 1960s heading from Kent to visit my Grandmother in Brentwood. It was an adventure and probably my first memory of queuing traffic. I’ve had many since, creeping...

It’s always good to bring a story up to date and especially so when there’s good news. Here Dan Pullen our acting Head of International Biodiversity Policy revisits the threats to re-breasted geese on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. Today...

Sarah Havery works as a Projects Assistant for the RSPB UK Overseas Territories and International Species Recovery teams and had the exciting opportunity to join the Henderson Expedition team in 2015. This is her Henderson story: Imagine white...

Read about the latest stage in our campaign to safeguard the vital laws that protect nature. Steph Landymore, our Defend Nature campaigner is helping to ensure that biodiversity minister Rory Stewart has a lasting reminder of the wildlife and special...

Sacha Cleminson has just sent us this email from the South Atlantic and it brings good news - so I'm delighted to share it with our Saving Special Places blog readers. Its not all doom! Nice strategy South Georgia Wednesday was a bit depressing...

The Claymore II offshore Henderson Island waiting to take me home. (R. Adam) Our man (Andy Schofield) writes: This was almost the end of my trip, my last morning was spent on Henderson Island before I had to get back on the Claymore and then...

Shaun Thomas our Operations Director is looking forward to using his talk at the RSPB AGM and Members' Day to sing the praises of some of our nature reserves. It seems to be custom and practice for RSPB staff who stand up to speak at AGM and Members’...

Our man (Andy Schofield) writes: Juvenile Pitcairn Warbler (A Schofield) Since my last blog post about Pitcairn Warblers was a little brief - as I had only just started the process of catching and colour ringing individuals - I thought now that...

Kate Jennings has been at the heart of our campaign to save the laws that protect nature - she will be speaking at our AGM and Members' Day in London on 10 October - here's a flavour of what she'll be saying about this important campaign....

Sherwood Forest, home to the legendary Robin Hood and one of the most well-known forests in the world, is about to get an RSPB-led makeover! Around 350,000 people visit the world-famous Sherwood Forest country park each year. And we’re delighted...

Today we bring you a special message from Mike Clarke, RSPB Chief Executive. He tells us about charity fundraising, what your support is achieving and his promise to you. You may have come across some media stories about charity fundraising recently...

Our man (Andy Schofield) writes: Early sunrise over Henderson Island (Andy Schofield) I was awoken in my bunk by the deafening and now familiar clattering of the anchor dropping. Quickly followed by a “knock, knock” at the door, “Andy...