If any single member of our winter wildlife cast symbolises Christmas perfectly it must be the robin. It is one of the few small birds to be seen and heard regularly in our gardens over the festive season. The robin population has doubled in recent decades and they are the sixth most-seen bird species in UK gardens according to the RSPB.
Robins' loyalty reward will be a food bonanza of Christmas leftovers. Wild Things: Hope for the future of the Birdwatcher's Yearbook Yes, robins will enjoy Christmas but many RSPB employees won't. On a recent trip to the Society's oldest venue at Dungeness in Kent I learned that some RSPB staff there face redundancy now the charity is considering closure of all cafes and gift shops on their reserves.
This includes Rainham Marshes in Essex where the popular cafe always seems packed not only with birders but also walkers and mums with toddlers visiting the playground. The economy measure is likely linked with Rachel from accounts bringing in a budget which means businesses pay more tax for each employee. Rachel seemed to overlook the implications for hard-hit charities which will leave jobless many "working people" the Government claims to support.
One regular Dungeness visitor pointed out that while employees suffer, RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight earns more than the Prime Minister. Can this be true? I checked. Nottingham-based Ms Speight earned £180,606 when she switched from the Woodland Trust in August 2019.
Her salary soared faster th.
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