Conservationists are urging ministers to grasp the opportunity tomorrow (October 12) to clear up one of the most controversial aspects of the planning reform debate.

The Government has faced a public backlash against its proposed reforms of the planning system. Although they claim the changes will maintain sustainable development as the purpose of the planning system, the way this is defined is inadequate.

An amendment tabled by Liberal Democrat and Labour peers calls for a clear definition of sustainable development to be enshrined in law. This will be debated in the House of Lords tomorrow (Wednesday) and, if accepted, would result in an addition to the Localism Bill.

Martin Harper, RSPB Conservation Director, said: “The Government talks about sustainable development – but do they really know what it is?

“In a recent interview David Cameron struggled with the question, and the version included in the proposed planning reforms differs from what many consider to be the essence of sustainable development.

“This may seem like semantics but in fact it is a vital guiding principle governing how we treat our natural environment. This amendment is an opportunity for the Government to show that it has listened to the public, and that it understands how important it is to protect our wildlife from damaging development.

“Sustainable development means growth within environmental limits. It is not a brake on economic recovery, it is a guiding light to a prosperous future. And unless it is laid out in law in black and white then our countryside’s defence against planning blight will be weakened and we, alongside many others, will continue to oppose the upcoming reforms.”

Monday is the deadline for responses to the public consultation on the NPPF and concerned members of the public are being urged to make their voices heard on the issue.

Mr Harper added: “The Government clearly did not expect the level of public concern that has been displayed in recent weeks over their proposed planning reforms.

“Anyone who hasn’t expressed their views on this issue has less than a week to do so. Thousands of RSPB supporters have already responded to the official consultation via our website and the more people who make their views known, the more pressure we can put on the Government to rethink their plans.”

Anyone wanting to add their name to the campaign can do so at www.rspb.org.uk/saveyourlandscapes

Almost 4,000 Marsh Fritillary caterpillars were distributed on suitable habitat by Wild Ennerdale Volunteers, Forestry Commission staff and Butterfly Conservation under a licence from Natural England.

The caterpillars were released a mile beyond the head of Ennerdale Water. The site was considered to be ideal as it contains an abundance of the plant Devils Bit Scabious that Marsh Fritillary caterpillars feed on.

More caterpillars were also introduced on a nearby privately-owned site at the head of the lake. There are now five sites occupied by the butterfly in the Ennerdale area, which widens the gene pool and helps survival chances.

Steve Clarke from Butterfly Conservation said: “The Marsh Fritillary is a rare and beautiful species which was present in Ennerdale until around 30 years ago when it became extinct. As part of an ongoing project we released caterpillars in 2007 and again last year in an attempt to reintroduce the species back into Ennerdale. This year’s release is a continuation of that project and we hope that these increased numbers will further help the re-establishment of Marsh Fritillary in the valley.”

The area where the caterpillars were released provides great opportunities for the butterflies to spread up and down the banks of the River Liza, one of England’s most natural rivers and an ideal habitat.

Walkers in Ennerdale this summer are being encouraged to look out for the flying brightly coloured adults in late May and early June. Annually butterfly numbers are monitored by Butterfly Conservation.

Gareth Browning, Area Forester with the Wild Ennerdale Partnership, said: “It is a measure of the success of The Wild Ennerdale Partnership that the habitats in the Ennerdale Valley have been restored over the last ten years to a point where this beautiful species can be reintroduced. “

More information about the Wild Ennerdale project is available by visiting www.wildennerdale.co.uk

Northumberland Wildlife Trust is delighted that a rare bearded seal visited Beadnell Beach at the weekend – May 29.

This visit is the first ever record of a bearded seal to Northumberland since records began.

The young seal was spotted quite happily lying on the beach and appeared quite fit, fat and healthy. Local wildlife tour guide Alan Tilmouth, from Northumbrian Wildlife Tours waited with the young seal for 90 minutes to ensure the tide washed it back into the sea and to safeguard it against dog attacks.

Kevin O’Hara, Conservation Officer with Northumberland Wildlife Trust and mammals expert said: “This seal was way off course as species of this type normally inhabit the waters around the Arctic. Seals wander the seas and very often get blown off course and my guess is that the strong north westerly winds have altered the water currents and blown it here. There was no cause for concern although it is very unusual for it to make an appearance on a beach in Northumberland.”

The bearded seal, also called the square flipper seal is found in and near the Arctic Ocean. It’s most characteristic feature is the conspicuous and very abundant whiskers.
The bearded seal reaches about 2.25m (7.4ft) to 2.7m (8.9ft) in nose to tail length and from 275kg (606lb) to 340kg (750lb).

Most of the red kite chicks released by the Forestry Commission in the Lake District’s Grizedale Forest last summer have survived the harsh winter.

Wildlife rangers believe that around 20 of the 30 birds that were released in the first year of a three-year reintroduction programme made it through the winter and are still in Cumbria, or nearby counties.

The Forestry Commission estimates that between five and eight red kites are living in and around the Grizedale and Rusland valleys in South Lakeland, with another three to five birds in the Kirkby Moor area, near Ulverston.

Four more Grizedale red kites have been spotted by RSPB experts at feeding stations in Dumfries and Galloway – the furthest known movement is by the bird tagged as number four, which has flown 120km north west into Scotland.

Iain Yoxall, Forestry Commission wildlife ranger, said: “The birds are doing pretty much exactly as we expected which is very encouraging. We are more confident that these birds will make it to adults now they have made it through a harsh winter.  Sadly we lost a few birds but that is natural and why we have to release the numbers that we did.”

The 30 red kites released from a secret location in Grizedale Forest in August last year had coloured tags on each wing. An orange tag on their left wing shows they are from Grizedale, and blue tags on their right wings indicate that they were released in 2010. Some birds were also fitted with radio transmitters to help with monitoring.

Mr Yoxall, who has been following the birds’ movements around Cumbria, said the help he has received from the public has been invaluable.

“I have been radio tracking the birds but sightings from members of the public have been a fantastic help and greatly appreciated. This has been very important because it helps us find the birds and backs up our radio tracking results to give us a more robust picture of the their movements.

“We hope that the public will continue to help us by letting us know when and where they make sightings of the red kites.”

Red kites, which are coloured rust red and have white patches under their wings, are scavengers that feed primarily on carrion – dead animals.

The Grizedale programme is the ninth reintroduction of red kites into different regions of the UK, and the final phase of re-introductions in England.

Red kites were almost eradicated from the UK following changes in farming practices and human persecution between the 16^th and 19^th Centuries. However they managed to cling on in mid Wales and their numbers recovered slowly thanks to the actions of local conservationists.

The red kites being introduced into Grizedale are the product of a reintroduction programme that took place in Northamptonshire in the 1980s. This year’s birds will hatch in May and be brought up to Grizedale around late June ready for release in August.

A special advisory group has been established, containing bird experts from organisations like Natural England, the RSPB, Cumbria Raptor Study Group and the British Association of Shooting and Conservation, to help ensure the project’s success.

For more information about Grizedale Forest please visit www.forestry.gov.uk/grizedale or the Grizedale Forest Facebook page.

Wildlife rangers went up in the world to help a frisky osprey bachelor entice a mate.

Wildlife rangers donned their harnesses and scaled a 20 metre spruce to lop the top of the tree with a chain saw and install a secure wooden decking.

This approach has already struck gold with Kielder’s resident osprey couple who have produced six chicks over two years using their own platform some distance away.

However, last year they had an unwelcome house caller when a lone male turned up and tried to seduce the female on her nest while hubby was away fishing.

The Kielder Partnership now wants to help the new male meet a love-bird and offer her a ready made des res.  If he can it would make the 62,000 hectare (155,000 acre) wilderness the only location in England to have two osprey nests with birds which have recolonised naturally.

Elisabeth Rowark, Kielder Partnership Director, said: “We won’t have long to wait to see if it does the trick as ospreys begin to arrive back from southern climes from the end of March.  Nature fans across Northumberland are being urged to keep their eyes peeled for the Kielder birds and report sightings of a true super star of the animal kingdom.”

Kielder Osprey Watch 2011 is organised by the Kielder Partnership, the RSPB and Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The partners are working hard to ensure that the ospreys are here to stay by maintaining a high quality habitat in Kielder Water & Forest Park and safeguarding and monitoring the nest site.

Sightings of the ospreys can be reported to info@kielderpartnership.co.uk or posted on the Kielder Water & Forest Park Facebook page accessed from www.visitkielder.com

Kielder Water & Forest Park was recently voted the most tranquil place in England by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Goshawk chicks in Kielder Water & Forest Park are having their mouths swabbed in a bid to discover more about the creature’s blood lines in the 62,000 hectare (155,000 acre) Northumberland wilderness.

The bird, once persecuted to extinction and which reappeared in Kielder in the 1960s, is one of the rarest in the UK and a special licence is required simply to visit its nest.  Now monitoring by the Forestry Commission which includes ringing, weighing and measuring chicks is being stepped up to include taking a DNA sample.

Martin Davison, a Forestry Commission ornithologist, said: “Blood tests carried out two decades ago found that the local population derived from a single female – presumably the one which arrived in the forest 50 years ago.

“We are now seeking scientific proof that new bloodlines have since come into the forest.  It’s an interesting project, but very much in its early days. We expect the results to confirm that the bird is drawing on a wider gene pool of unrelated birds. That is important because it makes for a healthier and more viable population.   Goshawks are magnificent birds and it’s good see the population is stable.”

Rangers are staging three thrilling goshawks walk to raise the curtain on the Wild at Kielder season which celebrates the forest’s amazing wildlife.  Male goshawks bid to impress potential mates with a thrilling “sky dance” in spring and walks take place at 10.30am and 1.30pm
(March 5) and 9am to 12 noon (March 6). Booking is required on 01434 220242 and the cost is £6 adults, £5 concessions and £16 for a family of four.

Other great opportunities to sample Kielder’s wildlife include:

Deer Safaris, 20 and 27 April  and 1 and 11 June – Kielder Castle/Bellingham
Bat Night, 30 April – Kielder Castle
Dawn Chorus, 1 May – Kielder Castle
Badger Watch, 6 and 14 May – Wark Forest
Owl Night, 13, 18 and 20 May – Kielder Castle

Richard Gilchrist, Chief Recreation Ranger, said: “Kielder Water & Forest Park is the most tranquil spot in the UK according to the CPRE, but when it comes to animals it is like Piccadilly Circus!  It’s a haven for some of the nation’s rarest creatures, including goshawks, red squirrels and even wild goats.  This is a special place and these events are a great way to experience Mother Nature.”

Wild at Kielder season is being organised by the Kielder Partnership – for detail of other exciting events go to www.visitkielder.com/

Valentine’s Day is the perfect launch pad to celebrate our love affair with garden birds.

For February 14 marks the start of National Nest Box Week, an initiative that encourages people to put up nest boxes to protect wild birds and replace sites that continue to dimish and disappearing.

Nature’s Feast, one of the UK’s leading wild bird care brands, is celebrating Nest Box Week 2011 by offering top tips for the nesting season and a chance to win a free Nature’s Feast Nest Box.

Now’s the perfect time to put up a bird box in your garden in preparation for the nesting season. It needs to be located in a quiet, safe place away from any other bird boxes. Preferably position your nest box between two and five metres up.

To enter Nature’s Feast prize draw simply email your details to competition@naturesfeast.co.uk. For further information on Nest Box Week 2011 visit the Nature’s Feast website www.naturesfeast.co.uk where you will find plenty of helpful hints and tips on how to provide the best in wild bird care for Nest box Week 2011 and all year round.

*And just to underline the pleasure we get from our wild birds euVue Nature Watch reader Jessie Warrior from Morpeth has been in touch to let us know about a flying visitor to her garden.

“We have been visited (several times especially when there was snow on the ground) by what I am sure is a Grey Wagtail. We have lived up here in the Morpeth area for 16 years but have never before seen this bird!

“Although its wings and back are grey the colour of its breast is a bright yellow with a ‘egg yolk’ colouring under its tail! Due to the extreme cold it had its plummage all fluffed up and looked just like a bright yellow puff ball! Its colour is really a bright and beautiful yellow just like a Canary as a friend remarked. It certainly enjoyed the wild bird food I put out especially the seeds and insect fat balls.

“It appears to be mainly a ‘bottom feeder’ as it spent quite long periods of time on the ground in our back yard with its long tail wagging constantly! There is a stream nearby and I wondered if the extreme cold and ice had forced it to look for food away from its usual habitat. I did consult a book on birds which said it usually lives near streams etc.

“I would love to know if anyone else has seen this species around and if anyone knows if there are many of them in Northumberland plus any other information.

“Also, to our extreme delight, we have seen several thrushes – both male and female in our garden as have our neighbours here in the little village of Linton. They have been a very rare sight in recent years so it was particularly heartening to see them again.”

We will be happy to pass on any comments from our readers to Jessie.

The Forestry Commission has announced that the rare Barbastelle bat has established a maternity colony in Lincolnshire woodland – a first for the county and one of the very few such sites identified in Britain.

The bat is generally regarded as a southern English species, but research has revealed that it is not only present, but breeding in the 900-acre Chambers Farm Wood, near Wragby.

The discovery was made by Dave Hughes, Lincoln University postgraduate research student and Principal Ecologist at Lincoln-based Ecological Consultancy, ESL.  He has fitted tiny radio transmitters to bats in the Forestry Commission beauty spot, part of the Bardney Limewoods National Nature Reserve, and used harmless nets to catch the mammal.  Both pregnant Barbastelles and most tellingly recently born juveniles have been recorded and further detective work led to the discovery of the maternity colony under the bark of a rotting tree.

Wally Grice, from the Forestry Commission, said: “This is really great news and shows that sensitive management of woodlands pays dividends for wildlife.  It means that we now have nine bat species in Chambers, making it a real hotspot for the endangered creature.”

Dave Hughes added: “We have caught 37 individuals so far, which is a good sized colony.  I’ve also found Barbastelles in other woods nearby, but only in Chambers do we have a maternity colony. The habitat here is just right, being in part an old oak wood with plenty of insects to feed on and dead wood to provide roosting sites. Barbastelles are becoming increasingly rare so finding a maternity colony is cheering news.”

Bats suffered a dramatic decline in the 20th century and are on the European Protected Species list together with otters and the dormouse.  The UK population of Barbastelles is estimated at just 5,000 individuals and because of its rarity it has its own species action plan.

The bat’s strange name is derived from the Latin for ‘star beard’ and refers to the delicate beard of frosted white hairs radiating from its lower lip.  It has a squat face giving it a `pug-like’ appearance.

The discovery of a maternity colony is of national significance.

The initial discovery that Barbastelles were living in Chambers was made using an electronic detector which captured the unique frequency of its echo location system.  That led to the Forestry Commission, Lincolnshire Bat Group and Vincent Wildlife Trust installing 100 special boxes in the woods.

An environmental project led by the Forestry Commission and Butterfly Conservation in the Wyre Forest has been hugely successful in boosting the numbers of rare butterflies living in the West Midlands.

Back to Orange, a three-year project, largely funded by SITA Trust, which aimed to conserve the fritillary butterflies of the Wyre Forest, has seen substantial increases in the numbers of many species and a doubling of the wood white butterflies.

Not only have the numbers of pearl-bordered fritillaries increased but they have also established new colonies. Another rare species, the wood white, has spread to new areas of the Forest.

And there is also good evidence that small pearl-bordered fritillary, dingy skipper and drab looper have moved into project work areas.

Phil Rudlin, Forestry Commission wildlife ranger who worked on the Back to Orange project – said: “The results of this project are fantastic. Butterflies are in decline in many places and we are very lucky to have a good population of such rare butterflies here in the Wyre Forest.

“Projects like this, which give them a boost, can only be good for the future of these insects.”

Work has been carried out to remove conifer trees in order to create corridors for the butterflies to spread from isolated areas of habitat to other favourable areas within the forest.

More than 30 volunteers helped to record the numbers of butterflies within the forest during 2010, which, because of the more favourable weather conditions, has been a great year for spotting butterflies.

The England Biodiversity Group has recommended that central Durham should be one of the country’s first Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Areas, where priority will be given to conserving wildlife and creating new habitats.

The free event will celebrate successful examples of landscape scale initiatives in the county, such as the Heritage Coast.

It will also explore the priorities for the new project and how it can contribute to making the hills and valleys of central Durham even more wildlife friendly.

“The aim is to encourage community engagement and partnership working to protect and enhance native wildlife and encourage the formation of habitat corridors and networks,” said Cllr Neil Foster, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for regeneration and economic development.

A conference will be held on October 21 that will include a series of presentations on landscape scale initiatives and biodiversity issues together with a bus tour to various wildlife sites in the proposed area.

As part of the event, schools will visit Burnhill Nature Site conservation project, a partnership between landowner Russell Bell, Tow Law Millennium Primary and Blessed John Duckett RC Primary schools, Natural England, the county council’s countryside rangers, Butterfly Conservation, and Durham Wildlife Trust

The project aims to diversify farmland and create a conservation area to protect small pearl bordered fritillary butterfly and provide an educational scheme for schools and community groups.

It is an example of the kind of scheme the new national project aims to promote.

The exhibition and conference are organised in partnership with Durham Wildlife Trust and Europe Direct NE with funding from the European Commission.

Anyone wanting to book a place at the conference on October 21 should contact Helen Bonner on 0191 383 3361 or email helen.bonner@durham.gov.uk by October 8.

Limited places are available especially for the bus tour and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.