Environmental blogger and campaigner Findlay Wilde, 15, was shocked to hear about the illegal killing of hen harriers, one of the UK’s most vulnerable birds of prey. He teamed up with Ecotricity to try to save the species from the brink of extinction
Brands of Inspiration: this article has been created by Positive News and supported by Ecotricity
Dodging rain and mud at Womad Festival in 2015, Findlay Wilde spotted his chance.
As one of the speakers in the Young Green Briton Chat, the then 13-year-old had just come off stage when he seized the opportunity to pitch an idea to Ecotricity founder Dale Vince. Could the green energy company, which hosts the slot at the festival, help fund a hen harrier tagging programme, Wilde asked?Clad in waterproofs against the Wiltshire summer weather, the teen launched into an impassioned account of the plight of hen harriers. He explained how these beautiful birds are being shot, poisoned and trapped by some moorland managers who want to ensure that red grouse, which hen harriers occasionally eat, are instead available to shoot for sport. Wilde told Vince how the killers often go unprosecuted and how it is having a devastating impact: there are now just three breeding pairs left in England and numbers are declining elsewhere in the UK too.
Impressed by the teen’s infectious passion and dedication to protecting the birds, Vince agreed on the spot to fund the tagging of a chick.
“Findlay’s optimism and ambition were striking and that’s something that young people bring – they can see that the world needs to change and it’s our job to give them the encouragement and opportunity to make that happen,” said Max Boon from Ecotricity.
Findlay’s optimism and ambition were striking and that’s something that young people bring – they can see that the world needs to change
With the help of an RSPB team, Ecotricity funded the satellite tagging of a hen harrier chick – named Finn after Findlay, despite the bird being female. Finn was tagged on Forestry Commission land in Northumberland in the summer of 2016 and has since been monitored and protected by the Northumberland Hen Harrier Partnership. Tagging is particularly useful for hen harriers because the birds travel so widely – they need protecting wherever they go. The RSPB’s Life team combines tagging with nest protection, investigations projects and working with volunteer raptor field workers, landowners and residents to protect hen harriers across northern England and southern and eastern England.
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Findlay was one of that year’s finalists in the Young Green Briton: a competition by Ecotricity for young people aged 11-16. Entrants must write, video or record their ideas about how Britain could be greener.
“All of our Young Green Britons have real enthusiasm for environmental issues, but Finn stood out with his passion for hen harrier conservation,” says Boon. “He approached Dale with a deliverable idea that fitted with our principles and so we were only too happy to support him. It’s fantastic to be a part of the project and support the conservation of such an important species.”
Fight and flight
Wilde, who lives in Cheshire, has felt passionate about hen harriers since he first saw one near his grandmother’s…
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