A case of conservation
I enjoy a glass of wine and love the landscapes where wine is produced. But it takes imagination to combine this with raising funds for the migratory birds – ‘our’ birds – that pass through the Iberian Peninsula, en route to their winter quarters in West Africa and beyond.
Inspired by the conservation of our migratory birds Cockburn’s of Leith are donating 20% from cases of selected wines to our Birds Without Borders programme.
Many of our long distance migratory birds are in trouble and there has been a sharp decline in breeding populations of long-distance, trans-Saharan migrant birds since the 1970s. We need to find out why we are seeing such significant declines and to work with our partners along the flyways to help reverse them. Our Birds Without Borders programme aims to do just that.
This new opportunity with Cockburn’s of Leith will raise much-needed funds to raise awareness of the need for the RSPB and other BirdLife International partners to work together, to integrate conservation for long-distance migrants by developing initiatives that will protect, conserve, improve, restore and create habitats across the range of these birds.
Species like the wood warbler, which can still be found in our western Atlantic oak forests in Dumfries and Galloway, Argyll, Perthshire and elsewhere, are in serious trouble. We now know that after the hazardous journey across the Mediterranean and Sahara, ‘our’ birds winter in the tropical forests of West Africa, forests that are being felled for firewood or cattle pasture. The RSPB is working in West Africa trying to halt this loss.
So it is great news that Cockburn’s of Leith are offering help in a practical way – by selecting wines vineyards and wines whose commitment to conservation is strong, these quality wines at affordable prices aid the conservation of our migrant birds such as the warblers, cuckoos and flycatchers who spend the brief summer with us, before embarking on hazardous journeys to Africa.
And to make it fun Cockburn’s of Leith have selected wines featuring birds on the label – bringing birdwatching to your table, no binoculars required!
The wines available are:
These fine wines are produced in vineyards that are committed to the protection of the natural environment as part of their winemaking process, with policies in place to conserve and improve biodiversity.
So why not raise a glass to conservation this Christmas! From the Cape of South Africa, to the plains of Spain you can help the conservation of migratory birds.
If you would like to try a selection of the 5 different wines on offer, your choice of bottles can be put together in a mixed case. To find out more and to place an order, phone Kate Smith on 0131 317 4100 or email kate.m.smith@rspb.org.uk to request an order form.