Here we go……2023
Like a kid in a sweet shop - Bring on 2023
My New Year’s resolution for 2023……….. Ha, where do I start and how long a list do a write? No, I’ll just pick one that I break time and time again due to my hectic life - writing a blog.
I’ve bored people with an anecdote time and time again so why change the habit of a lifetime Raptor Aid CIO started life as a blog way back in 2011 when I was just mad about sharing stuff about Bird of Prey. Raptor Aid (RA) was born when I thought I was packing in captive birds (I might have had a re-birth into captive birds briefly) but wanted to continue educational work and share my conservation activities. RA then became a charity and my blogging slowed right down, probably with the growing prevalence of social media platforms, although I find keeping socials up to date a bloody chore and to be honest I think it’s largely been spoilt by influencers and adverts - I just want to use it to keep in touch with people not see some ridiculously crap viral video or an advert for a product that has zero use in my life. You heard it here first peeps - I’m going to try and get back into blogging!
So where are we at currently with Raptor Aid? Well, a lot has changed since its inception and it’s morphing into a registered charity. It is made up of three trustee’s me being one and although both Steve and Blake are critical to its running it falls on me to be the driver and day-to-day doer. Day-to-day can be tricky though as I work full-time within my family’s business, have some other interests (Including a PhD which I neglect) and of course, have my raptor monitoring to carry out that came well before the charity. My raptor monitoring now makes up a chunk of the charity’s social media presence and that’s because it is incredibly interesting, covers some fascinating raptor species and gets people talking. It does not ever get funding from RA, I foot the bill for this side of things (I’d be doing it as a volunteer anyway) and hopefully, by sharing with RA followers they can learn something and it fulfils an aim/objective of the charity. When covid hit I obviously couldn’t do any of our talks, school visits and educational outreach, I did however, start the Facebook Live interviews which turned into the Podcast “Raptor Rambles” which seemed very popular but even that has taken a bit of a back seat due to other commitments. Covid also allowed me and the other trustees to take stock of our young charities’ position and efforts, I realised that the world was an ever-evolving place, we were only a very tiny organisation and my time was very precious when it came to the day-to-day of RA.
Young Marsh harriers - monitored under licence
I made the decision to redirect our attention to supporting people and projects around the world that are also protecting and preserving birds of prey. Our first real fundraiser was for the Philippine Eagle Foundation and boy what a blast that was! With the help of Chris Packham, Iolo Williams and friends we raised over £10,000 for the critically endangered Philippine eagle and its habitat. This started the ball rolling for supporting other individuals and efforts and the grant scheme was properly born. Now, I must admit I haven’t been able to drive it as hard as I would like and to be honest some aspects are probably beyond my capability but we have made some grants available to support conservation projects and individuals such as the canopy access training course in South America, Coloured ID rings for raptor monitoring, camera traps and field skills, consultancy work, Funds for nest boxes and donating nest boxes direct, talks and walks training in basic monitoring and raptor ID. I’m sure I’ve missed something but when I look back since the lockdowns we’ve done a bit and shared a lot.
Mateo, Raptor Biologist supported by Raptor Aid & David Anderson of Canopy Watch (background) a partner we proudly work with
We really are only a tiny organisation with small pockets. I’m not saying that to poo-poo the organisation or garner sympathy, I’m being realistic. That said I am very aware of how far a small grant of £250-500 can go to a project trying to make a difference. We don’t have £10,000’s in the bank to fund nature reserves, global initiatives or staff salaries on the front line of conservation. I personally do understand the value of creating trust and people like yourself having the trust in an organisation you make a donation to in using your money for the benefit of birds of prey and that’s exactly what I want to do with Raptor Aid, I want you to trust that if you make a £10/20/100 donation to RA or buy something from our shop/eBay store we will use it sensibly to support birds of prey and the people working to protect them and their environment.
My hopes/plans for Raptor Aid in 2023 are these…………
We continue to raise money for our grant fund and that money doesn’t just sit in the bank - it’s put to good use
"The podcast “Raptor Rambles” returns and we introduce you to more amazing people and their work
I blog a whole lot more - Maybe I’ll coin a new title for it “Ramblings of a Raptorphile” and share news, views and exploits from around the world on BoP & their conservation
I try my hardest to update our socials with interesting stuff more frequently
I’ll support our members better - your membership is vital and I don’t tell you that enough!
I feel like I’ve rattled on more than enough - I’ve ripped the plaster off and now I need to keep up the work. Let’s see how long it lasts.
Yours in raptors,
Jimmi
