Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group was established in 2014 to contribute to the scientific knowledge of raptor populations within the county of Gloucestershire, to contribute to conservation, educate and inform others and to increase awareness of raptor persecution.
African Pygmy Falcon talk, 7th December
Our next talk is coming up soon, on Thursday 7th December, when Dr Anthony Lowney from Hartpury University will talk about the tiny African Pygmy Falcon – Africa’s smallest bird of prey. Anthony spent seven years in South Africa where he carried out his PhD and post-doc at the University of Cape Town and…
The Eurasian Hobby… and a study of their breeding in the Cotswolds
Richard is a lifelong birder and photographer who lives on the Cotswolds and has studied Hobbies there for many years.With great patience – and with help from landowners and gamekeepers – he has found many territories and nest sites. Richard will share his detailed knowledge of this notoriously secretive species,…
Goshawk as predators of grey squirrel in Gloucestershire, by Anna Field
The Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group has been studying the diet of goshawk using nest trail cameras for the five years 2017-22. In many nests the non-native grey squirrel constitutes a high proportion of prey delivered by the adults. Grey squirrel can cause significant damage to trees, recently estimated to cost…
British Owls, with Chris Sperring
Chris Sperring is a professional wildlife conservationist who has worked for the Hawk and Owl Trust for over 30 years. He also presents and broadcasts on TV and Radio, lectures on a wide range of subjects, is a wildlife photographer, and writes articles for magazines and newspapers… and always enjoys…
How many pairs of Red Kite are breeding in the North Cotswolds?
by Anna Field (January 2023) Last winter I was asked to estimate the number of breeding pairs of Red Kite Milvus milvus in the North Cotswolds for a presentation being given by Andrew Bluett. From a back of an envelope calculation based on breeding sites known to me and other…
Fourteen years of Peregrines at Cheltenham Christ Church
Many thanks to Dave for providing an update on his long term monitoring of the Peregrines at Cheltenham Christ Church, having added details about what turned out to be a disappointing 2022 season. The document summarizing the lives of the birds that breed at Christ Church can be downloaded here…
Goshawk Summer – An evening with James Aldred
Blackfriars Priory, Gloucester, GL1 2HN – Wed 11th Jan 2023. Come along to this historic venue and hear the Emmy Award-winning documentary wildlife cameraman and filmmaker talk about his work and his new book, which won the 2022 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing. James has filmed around the world and…
New talk – Wednesday 30th November – “The Peregrine Falcon”
Our Winter Talks are up and running again and the first one is part of the launch of a major new book about the species, written by two Gloucestershire-based raptor enthusiasts, Richard Sale and Steve Watson. Using brilliant new video footage and photographs, Steve and Richard will give a detailed…
FIPL grant success
We are delighted to announce that we have been successful in our application for a grant under DEFRA’s new Farming in Protected Landscapes programme for 175 barn owl, little owl and kestrel boxes to be installed this winter in the North Cotswolds. We are working with over 30 farms and estates…
The return of the Halmore Hobbies
by Chris Newton. A year ago I gave an account of a successful breeding attempt by a pair of Hobbies on farmland near my home in Halmore, Berkeley. I thought those who have seen that article would be interested in hearing what happened in 2021. Last year my final sighting…