Mark Fisher

Advocate for wilderness

[Mark Fisher @markwilderness]

You have five days left to respond to the DEFRA consultation on tinkering with the protection of wild birds - when all of them should be protected https://t.co/eQdbKedaK7
https://t.co/FtwklA4Zdx

[Mark Fisher @markwilderness]

The deeply compromised Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 begins by protecting all wild birds, then proceeds to make exceptions from protection. You could have your say in the DEFRA consultation on a limited number of quarry species, but its just tinkering
https://t.co/ya6pcRr6wC

[Protect the Wild @ProtectTheWild_]

'Share' if you agree this is not ok in a modern society!

[Mark Fisher @markwilderness]

"A problem wolf is a narrative invented by humans, often by folks who have already nailed the oak plank to the wall" Illustrated by Bruno Haberzettl
Constructed conflict: how selective narratives normalise lethal wolf management in the Netherlands
https://t.co/65tRmeFKHR

[De Faunabescherming @faunabeschermin]

Een probleemwolf is een door mensen bedacht narratief, vaak door lieden die de eikenhouten plank al aan de muur gespijkerd hebbben. Briljant getekend door Bruno Haberzettl @ZoetHarold @SilvioErkens

[Philip Lymbery @philip_ciwf]

Breaking: More than 700 dolphins killed in one day of Faroe Islands hunts amid equipment failures, chaotic scenes & arrest of conservation observers!

Wicked beyond belief and utterly heartbreaking
Complete blood thirsty devastation of a gentle species all in the name of tradition
#NoWords
https://t.co/Pz8nqpRSzJ

[Michael de Vries - Natuurvideo's @MdeVriesnature]

In de media lijkt het weleens alsof alle wolven ineens op mensen af komen, maar in 99,9% van de gevallen heeft het dier mensen door en zal rustig vertrekken. Afgelopen september filmde ik deze wolf die nogal opvallend geklede mensen zag lopen en rustig de andere kant op ging.

[Team Wolf @teamwolf_org]

Wyoming is cutting its regulated wolf hunt in half after disease drove wolf numbers to a 20-year low—exposing how fragile “recovery” is when wolves are kept at bare minimum numbers.

Real recovery means resilience, not survival on the brink.

Take action: https://t.co/4Wy6SWqWF0

[Mark Fisher @markwilderness]

@sp00pherz @Channel4News Not the resounding argument you think it is. The Charter reasserted access of "free men" to Royal Forests. At the time of the Charter, ~10% were free men, a class of their own with more rights than the majority of the population, which did not have access rights to Royal Forests.

[Richard Bowler @RichardBowler1]

Continuation of this mornings earlier post. Just 1 gram of infected cow sh!t contains enough Btb to infect another cow. Just imagine tanker fulls spread onto field. You don't have to, it happens all the time.
@Plaid_Cymru @reformparty_uk
https://t.co/luAyDPfAys

[Christina @CWitvrouwen]

Funny how the same few voices always appear when trophy hunting is questioned.

Not consensus. Just repetition.

Tiny economic returns. Real ecological damage. And a constant " there’s no alternative" story.

Killing wildlife for sport is not conservation.

[Mark Fisher @markwilderness]

@_Lucibee @Dowellenough As is so often the case, action is more important than political rhetoric
https://t.co/lzgUsO151b

[Richard Bowler @RichardBowler1]

Looking like it's a fair chance the Badger slaughter will end in England only to start in Wales. We can expect night shooting, lamping, protests, millions of £ in policing costs and ancient badger setts to fall silent. Please share.
@BadgerTrust @domdyer70 @ChrisGPackham

[Mark Fisher @markwilderness]

The deeply compromised Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 begins by protecting all wild birds, then proceeds to make exceptions from protection. You could have your say in the DEFRA consultation on a limited number of quarry species, but its just tinkering
https://t.co/ya6pcRr6wC

[Richard Bowler @RichardBowler1]

So "Trail" hunting now wants to be called "Drag" hunting, but using the same fox hounds trained to follow a fox scent. Same problem different name.
The CA even admit "Trail" hunting will find a way in a BBC article.
https://t.co/OeQ7Q9lyRf
#FoxOfTheDay

[Neil Duncan-Jordan MP @NeilForPoole]

I presented my Bill to stop fox hunting to Parliament.

The Hunting Act failed because it's full of loopholes.

Animal lovers won't be forgiving if we repeat that mistake.

The Government's reforms will be measured against this gold-standard Bill.

Half measures won't cut it.

[Ecofact @EcofactEcology]

Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) at Loop Head, Co. Clare, last week. This species first bred in Ireland in 1911 and became very common due to the availability of fish waste from the commercial fishing industry.

The name "fulmar" is derived from old Norse words which translate directly to "foul gull". This name refers to the bird's defensive habit of regurgitating and spitting a foul-smelling, pungent stomach oil at predators and intruders near their nesting sites

However, despite their superficial resemblance to gulls, Fulmars belong to the order Procellariiformes - the “tube-nosed” seabirds - and are more closely related to shearwaters and albatrosses than to any gull species.

Fulmars are pelagic specialists and can take six to twelve years to reach sexual maturity. Outside the breeding season they spend most of their lives far out in the North Atlantic, ranging widely across the ocean and rarely coming to land.

Fulmars form long-term pair bonds and show strong fidelity to specific nest ledges on coastal cliffs. After spending extended periods at sea, both individuals return with remarkable accuracy to the same location. Only a single egg is laid per year and the pair invests heavily in each breeding attempt.

During the breeding season, individuals can leave on long foraging trips that last a few days and could take them halfway across the Atlantic.

Although still widespread and relatively common, Fulmars are increasingly recognised as indicators of ocean health. They are particularly vulnerable to plastic pollution, with individuals frequently ingesting plastic at sea, and are also affected by broader changes in marine ecosystems linked to climate and fisheries. This species is classified as an Amber-listed bird of conservation concern in Ireland.

[Ecofact @EcofactEcology]

Razorbills (Alca torda) at Loop Head Special Protection Area (SPA), Co. Clare, last week.

Razorbills belong to the Auk family (Alcidae). In evolutionary terms, auks represent a northern hemisphere counterpart to penguins - not closely related, but showing clear convergent adaptations for underwater “flight”.

Indeed, the word “penguin” originally referred to the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis), a now-extinct relative of the razorbill. When explorers later saw similar-looking birds in the Southern Hemisphere, they began calling those “penguins” as well.

Razorbills use their wings to “fly” beneath the surface, pursuing small fish such as sand eels and sprat. They typically feed at depths of around 25 metres but can dive to depths of up to 120 metres.

At breeding sites such as Loop Head, Razorbills nest on narrow cliff ledges, often alongside Guillemots (Uria aalge) but in slightly more sheltered positions. A single egg is laid directly on the rock. Pairs show strong site fidelity and maintain long-term bonds.

One of the more remarkable aspects of their life history is the behaviour of chicks. Before they can fly, chicks leave the cliff at night, leaping into the sea below. The male accompanies the chick and continues to care for it entirely at sea for several weeks. Razorbills are highly marine and are only found on land during the breeding season.

Their reliance on small schooling fish makes them vulnerable to changes in prey availability, as well as to pressures such as bycatch, pollution, and climate change. This species is officially Red-listed in Ireland.

[End Bird Shooting @EndBirdShooting]

Here's an idea... How about stopping the shooting of ALL birds!

https://t.co/8zsMWndPpf

[Richard Bowler @RichardBowler1]

Two predatory species rightly being reintroduced to England and Wales. But don't they predate ground nesting birds, but didn't Tony Juniper of NE say foxes and badger numbers need to be controlled to protect ground nesting birds. Why the double standards.

[Mark Fisher @markwilderness]

1.7 million foxes, mustelids & corvids culled in France annually. Study failed to find a link between control effort & change in reported damage costs. Reducing even cancelling control effort did not boost damage nor drive breeding numbers in corvids
https://t.co/oz3f99z1th

[Stephen Barlow @SteB777]

@markwilderness Thank you very much Mark. Bookmarked, and why the hell doesn't Juniper acknowledge this. A bit of a rhetorical question because I know why. Shooting lobbyist organizations have made themselves partners in these projects. Look at the partners here.
https://t.co/whV1uC3d0X