You might remember that the Friends of St. Mary’s Lands requested that a genuinely independent survey on the ground-nesting birds be carried out by a recognised professional body. This followed several years of concern expressed by FoSML regarding the efficacy of the fencing erected in 2021 to protect the skylark and meadow pipit population. In 2024, following the suggestion of FoSML, WDC agreed to appoint the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to carry out a “Review of ground-nesting bird surveys and protection management at St Mary’s Lands, Warwick”. This report, dated 11th November 2024 (download below ), was eventually made available but only following a Freedom of Information Request
The BTO report highlights the lack of scientific rigor, poor methodology and questionable findings in previous reports; reports that were commissioned and accepted, without scrutiny, by the District Council in 2021 and 2023 respectively. The questions the BTO report raises, upholds and validifies concerns, comments and observations raised by the Friends; concerns expressed to the District Council on several occasions but summarily dismissed. Perhaps much time and many thousands of pounds of public money could have been saved in fencing survey and consultancy costs, if the Friends’ concerns had been heeded. Please note that FoSML are still being barred from Working Party meetings.
It is unfortunate that the comments of the Friends have met with derision in the past as the facts around the protection of the ground-nesting birds could have been clarified in 2019 and a more scientifically rigorous way forward could have been established. Perhaps users of the land may have had more confidence in the actions of Warwick District Council when they faced access being denied to this area of public recreation