The funds raised by the lecture will go towards subsidising young people on their Scottish and Alpine training courses. They provide a very worthwile service and thousands of students have benefited from their courses over the last thirty years. At only £10 per ticket it is a great opportunity to support the trust as well as getting to hear Sir Chris Bonington, one of Britains most sucessful mountaineers. For more details on the Jonathan Conville memorial trust and to find out how to buy tickets  for the event see below.

What is the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust?

The family of Jonathan Conville established the Trust after he died on the Matterhorn 29th December 1979, aged 27. He was a sound, ambitious climber who had been to school at Marlborough College, spent some time in Australia, joined the Army (Paratroop Regiment) and taught at the Outward Bound School, Lock Eil. He identified strongly with the outdoors where he constantly found challenge. The Trust’s aims are to encourage and assist young people to train for and pursue their love of the outdoors in the spirit of adventure, which Jonathan embraced during his life.

The Trust encourages safe and enjoyable practice in mountaineering, by operating subsidised training for young people, operating Scottish Winter Courses based in the Cairngorms and Alpine Mountaineering Courses based in Chamonix.

Boundless Horizons – Sir Christian Bonington CBE – Ticket Details

When
Thursday 3 June 2010 7pm – 8.30pm
Bar open 6pm – 9.30pm

Where
The Royal Geographical Society
1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR

Price
Tickets £10 Admits ONE

How to Buy
Please send SAE with name/email/telephone contact details to:

Melissa Kay
C/o JCMT
Titchbourne Barn
Redlynch
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP5 2JX

Cheques made payable to Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust
Telephone 01794 884118

Get yourselves down here and get climbing.

Harrogate Climbing Centre (HCC) offers both indoor climbing and bouldering, as well indoor and outdoor climbing courses and qualifications. On offer are taster courses for people new to climbing, beginners courses and courses for climbers to develop their skills and even leader courses.

HCC's 14 meter multi-angled climbing wall.

The main indoor climbing wall is a whopping 14 meter multi-angled wall, designed by Entre-Prises. Climbing grades range from 3+ to 8a. There is also a bouldering section which features problems from V0 – V8, as well as a Fr7b stamina circuit.

Climber and owner of the Harrogate Climbing wall, John Dunne, told the BMC:

I wanted to bring Yorkshire’s premier climbing centre to the heart of Yorkshire’s best climbing; so when I found the perfect building just south of Harrogate town centre, I jumped at the chance of turning it into a modern climbing facility.

Only ten minutes’ drive from Almscliffe on a rainy weekend, the focus of Harrogate Climbing Centre is to provide for climbers and boulderers of all levels. We have applied all the lessons we have learnt from our experience at the Manchester centre, and used them to develop a climbing wall you’d have to travel a long way to beat!

Climbing for Everyone!

Everyone is welcome to come and climb. Climbing is available for corporate groups as well as kids, schools and youth groups. Life membership only costs £10 and entitles members to concessions on entry and the option to purchase discount packages. If you do not have your own climbing gear, you can hire it for a small fee.

Under construction. HCC's new climbing wall.

Harrogate Climbing Centre

Hornbeam Park Avenue
Hornbeam Park
Harrogate
HG2 8QT

Tel: 01423 815024
E-mail:
info@harrogateclimbingcentre.com
Website:
harrogateclimbingcentre.com

HCC Opening Times:

Mon-Fri: 10-10pm
Sat:10-8pm
Sun: 10-6pm

If you’re not able to get to Harrogate to go climbing or bouldering, there are plenty of indoor climbing walls in the UK. If you are not sure what equipment is needed for safe climbing, have a look at our advice about climbing gear, which provides information about climbing harnesses, shoes, ropes, belay devices and other protection equipment.

The Fusion 2 back system is comfortable and well ventilated.

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem rucksack is a high end pack suitable for climbing, scrambling, mountaineering, ski mountaineering and ski touring. It is made from durable fabric, has a solid construction and is packed with features.

It has a Fusion 2 back system, which comprises of non-absorbent thermo-moulded back panels with a large air gap in the middle. It is surprisingly comfortable and the air gap provides ventilation, helping to stop you getting too hot and sweaty.

Both the shoulder and chest straps are height adjustable. The shoulder straps are not uncomfortable, but could do with a little more padding. However it is worth bearing in mind that too much padding on rucksack shoulder straps could restrict your arm movement. The length of the hip belt is adjustable from both sides so that the buckle remains in the middle.

The Berghaus Arete opens up like a suitcase.

Rucksack Features

The feature that struck me as being different for a rucksack of this size is that it is entirely “unzippable” allowing you to open it up like a small suitcase, for quick and easy access to all your equipment. This feature is typical of rucksacks designed for ski touring. However, being able to get to any piece of your gear without having to empty the entire content of your rucksack is a benefit on any walk, climb or expedition. Let’s face it, no matter how well you pack your rucksack there will always be something that you’ll need in a hurry and you can guarantee that it will have found its way to the bottom of your rucksack!

Inside the rucksack, underneath the lid there is a bivi draw cord to seal in all your outdoor gear and a Y-shaped rope compression strap for securely storing climbing rope. The lid is fastened down with a single buckle, although personally I prefer rucksacks to have two buckle attachments on the lid. The buckle is mounted on an adjustable strap so that it can be used to compress your gear, increasing the stability of your pack. It also has side compression straps to help stop your gear moving around sideways.

Opening the lid reveals more features: bivi draw cord, rope compression strap, mesh pocket and safety instructions.

A very versatile rucksack big enough for hut to hut routes, designed for cragging and rock routes where you plan to be out for the day. Berghaus

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem rucksack has more pockets than you can shake your walking pole at, which is great for organising your gear. There are large external pockets both on the lid and at the bottom of the pack, ideal for getting quick access to your waterproofs. The hip belt (waist belt) has small pockets on both sides and there are elasticated pockets at the bottom on either side on the rucksack. Inside the rucksack there are also many pockets and compartments: a large internal pocket, a mesh pocket on the lid and two elasticated pouches, one of which is for holding a hydration pack. There are also two long thin internal pockets which are “shovel and probe storage solutions”. If you’re not going out in the snow you won’t need your avalanche probe, in which case these pockets are ideal for stowing sticks of seaside rock.

The large outer pocket has two zips fasteners. One is red and one is grey, which I assume is to help stop you from accidentally moving both zip fasteners at once, thus opening and closing the pocket in one movement.

Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem Mountaineering Rucksack

Outside the rucksack

On the outside of the rucksack there is a grab handle at the top and there are plenty of straps to hold gear, such as walking poles and ice axes. On each side of the rucksack there are straps designed to hold your skis which have removable, anti-slip pads. The only outer feature that it does not have is an elastic bungy that can be used for holding a climbing helmet or wet clothing.

There are built in safety features such as a small whistle in the chest strap, reflective lettering and safety instructions inside the lid. The whistle is not very loud so it would be best to take along a proper whistle, especially if you are skiing or mountaineering.

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem has a capacity of 40 litres, its dimensions are approximately 65cm (H) x 32cm (W) x 25cm (D) and its weight is 1.41 kg.

Arete Tour 40 Extrem

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem is a solidly constructed, well thought out rucksack. It is comfortable, adjustable and offers easy access to your gear. With plenty of pockets you can stay organised. It is highly suitable for climbing and mountaineering and, in particular, for ski mountaineering and ski touring. Definitely recommended!

Have you got a Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem or similar rucksack? What do you think of it? Click on “comments” and let us know!

Why not write a review about your outdoor kit?

Climb, Mountain Bike, Kayak, Skateboard

Using Google Maps, Extreme Sports Maps, enables you to place your best location for extreme sporting on a map of the UK. You can zoom right in to give an accurate location and provide a description of your favourite trail, climb, river, spot or track. You don’t have to log in either, although they do like to have your e-mail address to send you updates.

Extreme Sports Map (ESM), The definative visual guide to Skateparks, Skateboarding Spots, Surf Breaks, Dirt Jumps, Mountain Bike Trails and almost every extreme sport spot you could shake a stick at.

Finding the best UK locations is easy. Each spot has a cross marked on the map with the type of extreme sport written next to it. There are literally hundreds of best locations in the UK, so you can filter the one you want. You can choose from Skate Park, Surf Break, Wake Boarding, BMX Track, Snowboarding/Ski, Wind Surf, Paddle (Canoe/Kayak), Street Spot, Downhill Trail, Kite Surf, Dirt Jumping, Climbing/Abseiling, Motor-X and Mountain Biking. The owners apologise if your extreme sport is not in the list, but invite recommendations by e-mail. Anyone know the best place for Extreme Ironing?

Zooming in on the map makes it easier to view different places in a particular area. You can also search for best places by postcode or place name. So whether you are looking for the best place to climb or the best place to mountain bike, using Extreme Sports Map will bring up a good place!

Best Place Map

As well as adding your favourite locations to the map you can also add to photos and YouTube videos to any of the the best places that are already on the map. And its not just the UK, you can find or add a spot anywhere in the world.

It all started after a long visit to South Africa where information about skate spots in particular was incredibly hard to get hold of, and then actually finding these places was near impossible. So Extreme Sports Map was born as a way of locating various parks and street spots, but now that idea has grown into being a visual guide to extreme spots everywhere.

Find or add best places to climb, ride, kayak, jump on Extreme Sports Map.

Extreme Sports Maps is not the only application for Google Maps. It has also been used by fillthathole.org.uk for cyclists to report pot holes in the road. There are many mapping tools available for general navigation, you may be interested in our review of on-line mapping tools.

If you want to share a great location you can also share it here on the CheapTents.com blog. Just click on “comments” below or send us an e-mail: blog@cheaptents.com.

Mountaineering Ethics will help protect the Mountain Environment. Source: Flickr by dino_olivieri.

The UIAA’s bold summary encompasses the thinking behind the declaration:

Stretch Your Limits, Lift Your Spirits, Aim for the Top!

The mountaineering and climbing ethics code encompasses the following twelve points, which I have summarised below:

1. Individual Responsibility – Be responsible for yourself, for others and for the environment.
2. Team Spirit – Support and encourage your climbing team members.
3. Climbing and Mountaineering Community – Treat every person in the mountains with respect.
4. Visiting Foreign Countries – Respect your hosts, show consideration for their culture, their holy mountains and sacred places. Try to bring benefits to local people and their economy.
5. Responsibilities of Mountain Guides and Other Leaders – respect the freedom and rights of other groups and individuals.
6. Emergencies, Dying and Death – Understand the risks and hazards in the mountain environment. Have suitable knowledge, skills and equipment. Be prepared to help others in emergency situations, even if it means sacrificing your own goals.
7. Access and Conservation – Practice mountaineering and climbing with respect for the environment, be proactive in preserving nature. Freedom of access is a fundamental right but respect restrictions agreed with conservation organisations and authorities.
8. Style – Succeeding is not as important as creative problem solving and experience. Strive to leave no trace on the rock face or mountainside.
9. First Ascents – Should be completed in the style appropriate to the region, or better, and should be reported exactly.
10. Sponsorship, Advertising and Public Relations – Relationships between climbers or mountaineers and sponsors should be professional. The mountain sports’ community should educate the media and the public.
11. Use of Supplementary Oxygen in Mountaineering – Medical reasons for using oxygen at high altitude should outweigh other considerations. Ethical reasons for using or not using oxygen should be left up to individual climbers. Oxygen bottles must not be left on the mountain.
12. High Altitude Guided Commercial Expeditions – Commercial Operators should recognise the limitations of their clients in their care. Clients should be warned that their plans may be altered in order to assist others in mountain emergencies.

The declaration has taken a long time and a lot of effort to prepare. It has been endorsed by more than 40 mountaineering federations worldwide. Please try to adhere to its recommendations to help further the good name of climbing and mountaineering, ultimately it will also help to bring you a better experience in the mountains. The full text pdf file can be found on the UIAA website.

The UIAA is an international federation which represents climbers and mountaineers from across the globe. To find out more about the UIAA and what they do, why not read our exclusive interview with Judith Safford, Executive Director of the UIAA.

Rock over climbing announce new bouldering centre to open in Manchester City Centre

ROCK OVER CLIMBING will be situated in the city centre (somewhere within a 3 minute walk from Victoria station) and will open early in 2010. It will be the largest dedicated bouldering centre this side of the Pennines, with over 250 routes set for all abilities. There will be something for everyone including kids, beginners, everyday climbers and the best climbers in the country.

There will also be:

• Competition wall
• Training wall and area
• Café
• Plenty of off-road parking
• Changing facilities
• Bike storage
• Chill out areas and fantastic atmosphere
• And much much more…….

In the meantime if you can’t wait to do some indoor bouldering or climbing have a look here to find your nearest indoor climbing wall.

We hope you all got lots of nice shiny new outdoor gear from Santa. Whilst you are enjoying your Christmas dinner and longing to get out into the countryside, spare a thought for poor Santa. Christmas is not plain sailing for Father Christmas, Rudolf and the team, having to deliver all your lovely pressies. After all, climbing down and back up millions of chimneys in one night can takes it out of you. The You Tube video below shows Santa doing a bit of training, abseiling down the aptly named Chimney Rock. Located at Chimney Rock State Park, North Carolina in the United States, Chimney rock is a little way from Santa’s Lapland home, but even when he is on holiday Father Christmas must keep up with his training!

How does Father Christmas climb up chimneys?
He uses a ladder in his stockings!

Two teddy bear climbers need to be rescued in this typical Lake District rescue scenario. One climber has fallen sustaining head injuries, the other cannot move after seeing his climbing partner fall. The Wasdale Mountain Rescue Teddy Bears are called into action! The team of four teddies, complete with rucksacks assemble at the foot of the crag. The teddies must climb up the crag and lower themselves back down to reach the first injured bear climber. They bring with the a trauma sack and provide care to the casualty. Meanwhile, two other members of the teddy bear mountain rescue team must climb further up to rescue the other teddy bear climber, facing an overhang followed by a grass rake. Climbing high up the crag they eventually reach the cragfast climber and lower him down. The day is saved thanks to the herioc teddy bears of Wasdale Mountain Rescue team!

Aren’t the teddy bears cute…and heroic too! Mountain Rescue Teddies can be purchased from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, their contact details are on the video.

The Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) are volunteers who are totally committed to improving their rescue capability, for which they need climbing equipment, communications equipment and training. It costs about £15,000 per annum for them to operate. They rely almost entirely on donations from the public, so buying a mountain rescue teddy is a great way to help!

There are twelve teams altogether in the Lake District Search and Rescue Association. Wasdale MRT covers Wasdale and Eskdale valleys and extends over Cold Fell towards the coast in the north, and onto Ulpha Fell in the South. Each year there are 50 to 60 call outs, the majority of which take Wasdale MRT up England’s highest mountain: Scafell Pike. There are over 40 members of Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, who have an operations base in Gosforth. Each rescue requires about 25 volunteers who are interrupted from work or leisure to join the rescue. Rescues are normally carried out using Land Rovers and on foot and often require casualties to be carried on a stretcher, but they can also require assistance from the RAF helicopter.

Stepping Lightly on his climb up Blackpool Tower, August 2009.

In August this year, climber and urbex legend “Stepping Lightly” hit the headlines in the national press following his covert ascent of Blackpool Tower. Stepping Lightly has climbed many structures including one of Battersea Power Station’s iconic chimneys, Willington Power Station cooling towers and the famous Angel of the North in Gateshead. He also likes bridge climbing and has climbed the Forth Rail Bridge, and the Humber and Severn Bridges.

But its not just climbing structures…
Stepping Lightly is also into urban exploration: exploring things like abandoned military installations or disused hospital buildings, as well as underground exploration of culverts and sewers hidden beneath our cities. Under the streets of Manchester, for example, there are many interesting things to see, including old air raid shelters, photos of which can be seen on the Cathedral Steps exploration post by Angel on the Urban Adventure website.

What is the best way to climb structures and what is the attraction of exploring sewers?…Stepping Lightly tells us in this exclusive interview…

Stepping Lightly Interview

CheapTents.com: What made you decide to climb man-made structures, and how did you get started?
Stepping Lightly: I suppose it was because I started rock climbing at 12 and although my father (who is also a climber) did take me to the crags. During the week I use to climb rail embankments, small bridges and buildings because I had no means of getting to real rock.
As I got older I loved rock but I’d developed an underlining passion for climbing man made structures.

CheapTents.com: What have been the most challenging structures that you have climbed, and why?
Stepping Lightly: Blackpool tower so far because there are so many factors to take into account, weather, fitness, works in progress, random people (who all have phones), security, police, choice of partner and danger…
Angel of the North was like tufa climbing with huge rock ups very pumpy.
Battersea chimney was easy but hard to get to.
Willington power station cooling tower was fine once I’d made the right tool for the holes.
Forth Rail bridge was ace: just me, the wind, the bridge and the sea…

Stepping Lightly on top of the Angel of the North.

CheapTents.com: What are the main differences in techniques between rock climbing and climbing structures?
Stepping Lightly: The main one is fear of being spotted, on the crag that’s fine but if you are a couple of hundred foot up on a building and someone sees you its trouble sometimes with a capital T!
So we develop the stealth technique…
I do try to free climb everything first but am not bothered if I have to aid a section if it is going to stop me achieving my goal. And because no damage has to be done we sometimes cannot use the easiest route.

CheapTents.com: What is your biggest weakness?
Stepping Lightly: Funding as I would like to get more European and Stateside stuff done…
Physical weakness, because I climb, m.t.b., kayak, slack-line, skydive, fell-run and urbex I’m usually sporting some kind of injury, so what ever is injured at the time is my weakness.

CheapTents.com: What has been your worst injury (if any) from climbing or urban exploration and how did it happen?
Stepping Lightly: My worst injury was at work a building collapsed and I had to jump 3 stories, I broke my leg in 6 places. My worst climbing injury was the same leg, I fell and bust tendons ligaments and couple of bones. Urbex wise I have been very lucky, a few near misses but just a deep cut in my arm off a rusty fence and a bolt in my hand slipping on a mossy roof.

CheapTents.com: What are the most challenging climbs that you are planning for the future?
Stepping Lightly: It would be nice to rhyme off a list but the Internet is huge and read by all walks so if you don’t mind I will keep that to myself for now…

CheapTents.com: What are the most important aspects of planning your climbs and route selection?
Stepping Lightly: If it can be done with limited danger to me and no danger to other people and cause no damage to the structure, after that its just exposure time limitation, not spending too much time in an area that will cause unwanted attention and getting the feature shots.

CheapTents.com: What inspired you to get into urban exploration, such as exploring drains and culverts?
Stepping Lightly: Its a strange story that, I was about 7 and my Dad had took me into Ellis Brighams in Manchester when it was in the corn exchange, my Dad was chatting away and I asked to use their loo, it was out of order so he pointed me to one 2 stories down in the basement and told me to keep right and I would find it. As I tried to find my way back I walked out into an underground street, being 7 it was not a place to dwell so I hurried back up stairs.
So for the last few years I’ve been trying to find a way to see that again, whilst doing that I’ve found some other truly amazing sights…

CheapTents.com: Have you ever been cautioned or arrested for climbing structures or for urban exploration?
Stepping Lightly: Yes a couple of times both on chimneys. One was just a friendly can you come down and leave. The other was a police chopper, anti-terror police and very angry security! I’m still waiting for it to be on Police Camera Action or something like that. We did ask for footage but no luck!

CheapTents.com: What are your favourite bits of gear, and why?
Stepping Lightly: I have a fifi hook I use as a grid lifter and doubles up as a fence climbing aid, 10 slings that I use for everything, slings are king in Urbex, a 30m length of 8mm that is light and easy packable and my little rucksack with 10 pockets, so I know what is where even I the pitch black.

CheapTents.com: Any people you would like to thank?
Stepping Lightly: Yes all the people I’ve met doing this, some of which have become my best friends, names are irrelevant as they know who they are.

CheapTents.com: Anything else you would like to say?
Stepping Lightly: Choose clothes appropriately, if you are in the city don’t go camo or SAS, just blend.
If you are tackling something mega take extra in case, most of my wardrobe is outdoor gear, its just so hard wearing and reliable.

CheapTents.com: Thank you Stepping Lightly for taking the time to answer our questions.

If anyone has any suggestions of structures which Stepping Lightly could climb or potential places for some urban exploration, click on the comments link below and make a suggestion!

Urbex, exploring the urban environment can lead to the discovery of abandoned tunnels. Source: Flickr by Paulio Geordio.

Take only photos,
leave only footprints.

Simon Cornwell of urbex|uk

More information about urban exploration, including safety tips, can be found at Urbex 101.

If you go climbing anywhere it is important to have suitable climbing equipment and to know how to use it. Climbing equipment advice. There are plenty of safe places to go climbing, for example the BMC provide a list of indoor climbing walls.

A red kite By Sue Trantor, courtesy of rspbimages.com

Being out in the countryside hiking, camping and climbing often gives us the opportunity to see wildlife. A most impressive sight is that of a bird of prey circling high above, in the clear blue sky, sightings such as this have at times been rare, but thanks to the hard work of individuals and societies such as the RSPB something is being done to conserve an important factor in our ecology.

The RSPB is currently running a campaign to protect birds of prey by creating more awareness and hopefully more respect for these creatures. CheapTents.com asked John Loder, an RSPB Campaign Talks Officer to tell us all about the campaign and how we walkers, campers and climbers can get involved and do our bit to help preserve a better future for these magnificent birds.

John is a volunteer, and is passionate about the RSPB and the important work that is done, he gives up his spare time to travel the North West of England giving lectures, talks and tutorials to all types of people on the work of the RSPB, its’ campaigns, how people can help and the pleasure that is gained from giving up time for others.

Interview With John Loder, RSPB Campaign Talks Officer

Since 2003, nearly two thousand incidents of bird crime involving or targeting wild birds of prey in the UK have been reported to the RSPB.
John Loder RSPB Campaign Talks Officer

CheapTents.com – The focus of this interview is to talk about the RSPB’s Birds of Prey Campaign, can you please tell us how this came about?

John Loder: “The Society feel it is the right time to bring the plight of our birds of prey (also called raptors) to the public’s attention. There have been some successes recently, think of the spread of ospreys, and the spectacular increase in red kite and white-tailed eagle numbers due to re-introduction schemes – all very high profile. But behind this is a tragic story of the systematic killing of many of these birds, by shooting, poisoning, trapping and nest robbing. Since 2003, nearly two thousand incidents of bird crime involving or targeting wild birds of prey in the UK have been reported to the RSPB.”

CheapTents.com – What are the aims of the campaign?

John Loder: “Put simply, we want the killers of these birds to stop it; to obey the law of the land. Often the illegal killing occurs in remote locations and is therefore difficult to detect. We want to ensure that:

• Birds of prey continue to be fully protected.
• The law is properly enforced so those choosing to break the law are punished.
• These criminals know that public opinion is against them: that society is watching.
• We have a stronger voice to help to protect these magnificent birds and allow everyone to experience the joy of seeing them.”

This peregrine falcon was trapped in the Midlands, tragically the RSPB got to this bird to late, the distress and pain on it's face is obvious and it had to be euthanised. This is one of the reasons for this campaign. By D Bromley, courtesy of rspbimages.com

CheapTents.com – Why does it matter if we are losing birds of prey, what value do they have?

John Loder: “Firstly, we all know about biodiversity – as creatures at the top of the food chain, birds of prey have their role. Persecution of birds of prey invariably has knock-on effects to the food chain

Environmental indicators – birds in general have been recognised as excellent indicators of the health of the environment and birds of prey have played a role in this. Think of DDT in the 1960’s – the danger of this chemical in agriculture was picked up very early when studies into the decline in birds of such as sparrowhawks found that it made their eggshells thinner, causing them to break during incubation. The connection was “If that does this to a bird, what is it doing to me?”

‘Heritage’ is a common buzz word nowadays, and names of birds of prey have found their way into our cultural heritage – just think of eagle, hawk, falcon, merlin, all used to imply excitement and speed, and used as a name for racing cars, fighter aeroplanes, and aero-engines. On the other hand there is a champion beer called ‘Hen Harrier’ produced in the Forest of Bowland – it is difficult to imagine that just a few years ago.

[The] hen harrier is known as Britain’s most threatened bird of prey…research has shown that the natural population in England should be around 200 pairs, but there are only about 15.
John Loder RSPB Campaign Talks Officer.

There is a value that can be quantified in financial terms – the pleasure people take from seeing birds of prey has been turned into financial gain where tourists are attracted by the possibility of seeing these spectacular sights. People flock to Mull and Skye to see white-tailed eagles. I persuaded my family to visit Mull recently, and we played our part in bringing in £1.6m extra to the island that year. Later on that same holiday we visited Loch Garten, one of a number of viewing sites run by the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts to encourage people to visit places where the fabulous osprey can be seen raising their own families. 290,000 visit osprey sites every year, bringing in £3.5m.

Significant numbers of visitors visit mid Wales to see red kites at Nant yr Arian and Gigrin Farm. Peregrines bring in £0.5m to the Forest of Dean, and the 8 peregrine ‘Date with Nature’ sites have 120,000 visitors per year. The vast majority of these sites are in remote rural communities, bringing much needed revenue.”

CheapTents.com – How will an increase in Bird of Prey populations affect other endangered species of birds and small mammals that they hunt?

John Loder:  “By definition, birds of prey do what it says on the tin – they prey on other creatures. They can be sub-divided, however, into those that eat carrion and those that eat live prey, although raptors are opportunists and will eat a bit of both if it presents itself. Red kites are mainly carrion eaters, but that didn’t stop them being wiped out by the turn of the last century. Hen harriers, peregrines, and golden eagles are all persecuted in upland areas for the same reason – because they eat game birds, most notably red grouse. In some circumstances, grouse may form a major part of their diet and they can take a sizeable proportion of the shootable surplus of grouse. Conservation bodies, however, attribute declines in red grouse populations to a combination of the loss and deterioration of heather moorland, disease, and increased predation by foxes and crows, rather than from bird of prey activity.

There are misconceptions out there, and they have been around for hundreds of years.
John Loder RSPB Campaign Talks Officer.

Peregrines are persecuted by some members of the racing pigeon fraternity, but research has shown that 86% of pigeons lost each year fail to return to their lofts for reasons other than predation by birds of prey.

Similarly research was conducted to investigate the loss of songbirds by the poor old sparrowhawk and other raptors. Surprise, surprise, then, when they concluded that there was no evidence that birds of prey had population effects on songbirds.

Declines in farmland birds, and many of these fall under the ‘endangered’ banner, were mainly down to changes in our farmland practices having a detrimental effect on their habitat. So there are misconceptions out there, and they have been around for hundreds of years.”

CheapTents.com – What species are endangered?

John Loder: “As creatures at the top of the food chain, the natural order of things means there will never be vast numbers of birds of prey. Some species have always had low numbers for many years as our islands are at the extremities of their natural range. Others such as the white tailed eagle, osprey and red kite have relatively low numbers in most areas, but are recovering from near extinction a few decades ago, as a result of lots of TLC. But those that concern me most are the goshawk, golden eagle and hen harrier.

The white-tailed eagle, the largest bird in the UK. By Ian McCarthey courtesy of rspbimages.com

The goshawk is a bird of the forests, looks like a sparrowhawk on steroids, and has been systematically persecuted in the Northern Peak District to just a handful of pairs.

The hen harrier is known as ‘Britain’s most threatened bird of prey’. Recent research has shown that the natural population in England should be around 200 pairs, but there are only about 15. This year was a particularly bad one, with only about 10 pairs breeding successfully in England.

The word ‘icon’ could have been invented for the golden eagle. The ultimate predator, symbol of the Scottish moorland, but again their numbers are being kept artificially low by poisoning, nest destruction and shooting, and there are just over 400 breeding pairs in Scotland.”

CheapTents.com – What direct actions are the RSPB doing to increase bird of prey populations?

John Loder: ” The programme of reintroductions may catch the headlines, but the resources needed are mind-boggling. This tactic of ‘pump-priming’ the populations of red kites has been very successful and now needs less attention. We seem to have got the recipe right for the white-tailed eagle, and there are hopes that an English population can be established soon. Protection of birds and nests is the priority for the RSPB Investigations Unit, that works closely with the Police and other agencies in rural areas. On a more day-to-day level, the RSPB recognises the value of input from farmers, and carries out a vast amount of research, education and co-operation on wildlife-friendly farming.”

golden eagle….numbers are being kept artificially low by poisoning, nest destruction and shooting, and there are just over 400 breeding pairs in Scotland.
John Loder RSPB Campaign Talks Officer.

CheapTents.com – Our readers spend a lot of time in the outdoors, is there any general advice that you can give them as to the best ways and times in which birds can be seen whilst hiking in the countryside?

John Loder: ” Birds are more likely to be heard than seen, so use your ears. Practise learning the songs and calls of common garden birds first – early mornings are the best time. Get yourself a cheap bird book that will fit in a map pocket. Compact binoculars don’t have to be expensive, and I use mine to help find a path when I’m out on the hills. Oh, and if you’re walking and birdwatching, go with like-minded people, as you do tend to stop fairly regularly.”

CheapTents.com – In the most popular walking areas in the UK which birds of prey could we expect to see?

John Loder: “In the Cairngorms the ospreys are returning to the lochs if there are plentiful fish stocks, and up on the moors there is the merlin, which is like a small kestrel, and the rare hen harrier, which has it’s stronghold in Scotland. If you’re lucky you may spot a golden eagle soaring at height. But they do have peregrines – they nest on the crags; listen out for the youngsters’ high pitched calls.

A Harrier. By Chris Gomersall, courtesy of rspbimages.com

In the Lake District, ospreys are back in Bassenthwaite, and the lowland woods have sparrowhawks, which are secretive ‘ambush’ predators. You’ll spot buzzards in many rural areas, they can usually be seen soaring on the thermals, but they have a taste for insects so are found in the fields.

Mid-Wales is a haven for red kites, and on many of our coastal paths look out for kestrels hovering, and there’s a possibility that you will find peregrines here as well – they move to the estuaries to chase waders in Winter.”

CheapTents.com – As walkers/wild campers or climbers how can we minimise our impact on birds and wildlife?

John Loder: ” We now have the ‘right to roam’, but you have to be sensible and follow the Countryside Code. Many of the upland species of birds are ground nesters, so keep to the paths and ensure dogs are on a lead in the nesting/lambing season. I have an 8 metre lead: it gives the dog plenty of freedom and he learns not to pull after a while. As an ex-climber, I know that most of the routes are away from nests, but the tell-tale signs are a bird calling in distress. You will normally hear/see this at the bottom before you start.

The common sense stuff about litter applies, as birds can get tangled in fishing lines or swallow plastic bags in the water.”

CheapTents.com – If out walking and I saw someone obviously trapping or hunting birds of prey. What should I do? Is there an emergency phone number or do I just phone the police?

John Loder: ” If a matter is urgent, telephone the police, RSPB or appropriate agency. If your concern is regarding animal welfare or domestic animals, contact the RSPCA or your local wildlife centre.

If you would prefer to speak to somebody call the RSPB on 01767 680 551 (England and Wales) or 0131 311 6500 (Scotland). Lines are manned 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Messages can be left outside these hours.

There is a form on the RSPB website that you can use to report a wildlife crime to the RSPB. The more information you can provide, the more useful your report will be. Although it may be distressing at the time, try and remember a few salient facts, like: when, where, bird species, description of the suspect, evidence etc. Photographs are useful, however do not put yourself in danger.”

CheapTents.com – Finally, How can people help the campaign or get involved?

John Loder: “It’s easy – visit the RSPB Birds Of Prey Campaign homepage and then ‘sign the pledge’. By law you have to be 18 or over, and we will send you a free Birds of Prey booklet in the post.

If you’re in the North of England you may want me (or one of my colleagues) to give an evening presentation on the Birds of Prey Campaign to your local group – it doesn’t have to be a walking or conservation group, and I don’t charge a fee! Call the RSPB Denby Dale office on 01484 861148 and leave your details. And finally, thanks for giving me the opportunity to show how birds of prey are not only great to watch, but also have a vital role in maintaining the balance of our natural world.”

For more information please visit the RSPB Birds Of Prey Campaign homepage.

The RSPB and Critically Endangered Bird Species

The RSPB does a lot of work to raise awareness of critically endangered bird species and tries to restore declining bird populations. A lot of this work is done in conjunction with the BirdLife International. A large amount of money is raised for bird conservation through the annual Birdfair at Rutland water. Previous international campaigns have focussed on Rimatara Lorikeets, Gurney’s Pittas and the Albatross as well as many other species. For the past three years the main focus of BirdFair conservation has been on the Lost and Found campaign which hopes to verify whether certain critically endangered bird species still exist and where they are. In doing so effective conservation efforts can be made.