Yet this is Doug Simpson’s preferred patch for a wander. Best known for overseeing the successful reintroduction of red kites to Yorkshire, he looks at this windswept, indefinite area of “unofficial countryside” in Haverah Park, near Harrogate, through the eyes of an ornithologist. It lacks the carefully tended quality of a national park; in fact it has no formal conservation designation. He also tells me of hen harrier fly-bys, and grimly predictable raptor persecution on nearby grouse moors, including a recent troubling spike in red kite poisonings. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Doug Simpson.

Source: The Guardian March 06, 2017 05:26 UTC