I'm doing an assignment at university and have chosen the RSPB as my organisation to explore. For one section, I need to pick a key conservation achievement (in the UK) to discuss. I know there's lots of conservation successes on the RSPB website that are ongoing, but what are some of the RSPB's key achievements that I could look into and are well documented? I'd particularly like to do something bird related. Would red kites be a good one? Or the reintroduction of white-tailed eagles? Or cranes? Or would they not yet be classed as an 'achievement' because the work is still ongoing?
Thanks
Also Marsh Harriers. On my one and only visit to Minsmere in the early 1970’s, Marsh Harriers where just about hanging on, as a breeding/nesting bird in the UK. As Minsmere at that time was the only regular nesting/breeding wetland where the Marsh Harrier nested-bred every year. I thought at that time the Marsh Harrier might become extinct as a nesting/breeding bird in the UK. But the Marsh Harrier hung on at Minsmere and slowly but surely started to expand it’s range as that raptor had once been quite common. Bert Axel mentioned in the book above that while the Ospreys return was well known in the UK during that period and regularly mentioned in the media every year, Most didn’t know or how rare the Marsh Harrier was at that time and for quite a lot of years during that time in the 1970’s the Marsh Harrier was the rarest annual nesting bird of prey/raptor in the UK and unlike the Osprey which was mentioned every year in the media, the press and the other UK media never mentioned the Marsh Harrier at all.
Regards,
Ian.