A man who admitted attempting to smuggle rare bird eggs out of Britain has had his sentence cut to 18 months at the appeal court.

Jeffrey Lendrum, 48, of Towcester, Northamptonshire, took the eggs from peregrine falcon nests in south Wales.

He was caught by police at Birmingham Airport with egg boxes strapped to his chest.

Appeal court judge Sir Christopher Holland said the original 30-month sentence was "excessive".

The judge said Lendrum, who once served in the Rhodesian SAS, had hoped to trade the eggs for up to £70,000 in overseas markets.

He had climbed to the tops of trees in the Rhondda valley to take the eggs before abseiling down, the court in London heard.

Lendrum sparked a terrorist alert at the airport after a cleaner grew suspicious when he kept disappearing to the toilet.

When caught by police, he had been trying to examine the condition of the 14 eggs, fearing they may have perished.

The falcon eggs had been placed in socks before they were taped to his body.

The judge said the eggs were in good condition when recovered, and 11 of them were eventually "returned to the wild".

Lendrum was jailed at Wolverhampton Crown Court in August last year.

Major storm going on, as of about noon today. Blizzard warnings and all!  Kinda cool, but I still wonder what the birds, etc. do in this kind of horrific weather!

Helen P.

We got a little sleet this am and that's it. I'd rather have 2 feet of snow then all this freezing rain we are suppose to get tonight.

Sad and awful story to share from the AP:

    The 100 dogs were shot dead over two days after an expected post-Olympics boon in dogsledding business at an adventure company didn’t pan out. Most died instantly, but others suffered — like the one that ran away with its “face blown off and an eye hanging out.â€�

    The gruesome event was described in documents awarding compensation to a worker, who claimed post-traumatic stress disorder for having to shoot the dogs after bookings dropped sharply for a tour operator following the 2010 Winter Olympics.

This made me ill! How can a person do this to these dogs?

http://abcworldnews.tumblr.com/post/3050782647/100-dogs-in-canada-killed-after-business-slows

First pic of the new smaller male 4.45pm today, second pic below shows Bobbin on the belfry ledge at the same time this bird was on one of the top west pinnacles. Low light with setting sun so couldn't capture much detail - not as bright as the pictures make it look! Chris spotted Bobbin on the Spire tower battlements this morning near the nest boxes - good news all round....Dave

The unmistakable 'Bobbin' glare - 4.45pm today on the Cathedral South side


A possible mate for Miss Bobbin.

B and Mr T on Mercury

In solidarity will all our friends on the East Coast who are getting pummeled by the snow . . .

Well Ice here!

Beauty on Mercury

It was a year ago today, she laid her 1st egg. Looks like she's getting ready soon.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgcctv/5405512022/#secret24ebc451a7 Bobbin on her new broom handle perch. I just love this view. Dave said he saw the male the other day so fingers crossed he stays and they make cute little eyases soon.

Congratulations to B-B!

And now for the bad news. There will be no Pepsi Refresh Project for February and March, and when it returns in April, there won't be a category for animals. There will, however be a new Pepsi Challenge. This is a different contest with its own set of rules, yet to be announced. Hopefully it will be similar to the Pepsi Challenge 2 years ago that awarded cash prizes to the top 200 to receive votes.

Oh wow, how sad. Animals need so much help, as do people. Oh well, just have to wait and see what's in store. Congrats Byron, well done. Sorry Rosemary, we tried.

Any time now 1st egg.

http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=2alv1u&s=7 Just sitting on the Ice

Posted on CMNH forum

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/53052.html

One in there now, laying down.

[A trip to visit this transient landscape can produce some added bonuses. The lucky hiker can sometimes see a variety of wildlife from rare visitors like the Snowy Owl or spot tracks of deer or coyote. One never knows what surprises can greet the traveler on these frozen landscapes.]

A trip to visit this transient landscape can produce some added bonuses. The lucky hiker can sometimes see a variety of wildlife from rare visitors like the Snowy Owl or spot tracks of deer or coyote. One never knows what surprises can greet the traveler on these frozen landscapes.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=107134&catid=10 video and story

very cool!

THE first creature ever to be brought to Lower Moss Wood animal sanctuary has died after 22 years.

Volunteers and workers at Ollerton wildlife hospital have bid a fond farewell to Clicky, the barn owl, who died in December.

Warden Ray Jackson founded the animal sanctuary in 1989 and his first initiative was a breed and release scheme for owls.

Clicky arrived days later but she was too tame to release and became a permanent resident.

Since then, she has been a favourite with school children visiting the woodland refuge and even appeared on BBC’s Animal Hospital.

Ray said: “Clicky was to become a marvellous educational resource and was the start of a very long learning curve for me.

“In the beginning, I used to be able to call her and she would fly to my hand – she was very gentle for a killing machine.

“I never wore a glove, I was willing to put up with a few scratches.

“Clicky lived a long life. I thought she was going to live forever but it was not to be.

“She is the last of my long-term residents and although I am sad to lose her it gives me a chance to reflect.

“I’m sure there will be many more to come.�


Knutsford Guardian