Oxford has just become England’s first Swift City – a two year project, with money from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to give a home to these remarkable summer migrants who spend nearly all their lives on the wing. Since 1995 the number of swifts returning to the UK has fallen by 47 per cent and the project aims to recruit Oxford locals and city visitors to record bird sightings and encourage people to put up nest boxes. On this month’s Nature’s Voice Jane Markham visits Oxford to meet Lucy Hyde who is the Oxford Swift City Project Officer for the RSPB, and volunteers Chris Mason and Jocelyne Hughes.

Swift Cities

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Science

The State of Nature Report 2019 shows the decline in the UK’s biodiversity is continuing unabated. In this edition of Nature’s Voice Jane Markham talks to Dr Mark Eaton, RSPB Principal Conservation Scientist, about the report which has been collated from data produced in partnerships with more than 70 conservation NGOs, research institutes and UK and national governments. She also meets the RSPB’s new Chief Executive Becky Speight who talks about her first five weeks and post and her vision for the future of Europe's largest conservation organisation. 

The State of Nature 2019

The youth movement behind this year’s school strikes is joining other grass roots organisations around the world to call for a Global Climate Strike on September 20th. The RSPB is standing alongside the UK Student Climate Network and is encouraging members and staff to take part. On this edition of Nature’s Voice Jane Markham talks to the RSPB’s youth development manager Emily Lomax and campaigns officer Natasha Yorke Edgell about taking part and how it might influence governments to act to stop climate catastrophe.

Global Climate Strike

More and more science projects by conservation and environmental charities show that, globally, wildlife and nature are in trouble. The BTOs recent bird communities’ research illustrates both the positive and negative effects of  feeding garden birds while the RSPB’s Reserve Report 2018 reports winners and losers around the country – all vital information in the fight to help nature in the face of habitat loss and climate change.  On this edition of Nature’s Voice Jane Markham speaks to BTO research ecologist Dr Kate Plummer and the RSPB’s senior reserve ecologist Kelly Thomas about their findings.

Research at work for nature

2019 has seen global warming rise up the political agenda - much of it driven by a young people demanding change. At the end of June around 12,000 people from around the country joined The Time is Now mass lobby in Westminster. On this edition of Nature’s Voice Jane Markham talks to Dan Rouse, a young ornithologist and campaigner who took over the RSPB Twitter feed for the day to report on the event. And she meets the RSPB’s Ruth Davis, deputy director of policy and advocacy in the global conservation team to assess what has changed and hopes for the future.

Climate change - the year so far

Calling all Puffarazzi! Two years ago the RSPB’s Project Puffin put out a call for photographs of puffins with fish in their beaks. Hundreds were received and they tell a fascinating story about the lives of these iconic birds who are on the red list of conservation concern. On this episode of Nature’s Voice Jane Markham talks to Dr Ellie Owen about why she’s asking for more photos this year. And she meets Rob Hughes one of the volunteers who identified and counted all the fish in the images you sent.

Swift Cities

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