Yorkshire wildlife can only prosper with wildfire precautions - The Yorkshire Post says

Wildfire is one hazard to creatures in the countryside and, according to the owner of one vast North York Moors estate, curbing them is key to the conservation of some types of birds.

The Spaunton Estate, a shooting estate spanning 7,000 acres near Kirkbymoorside, is home to 16 of the UK’s 21 species of bird of prey, from peregrine falcons to red kites and merlins.

Now, it has revealed a significant rise in reported sightings for its third consecutive year, with 1,903 birds of prey spotted in the past 12 months – a 22 per cent annual increase.

George Winn-Darley, the estate’s owner, said there has been “a turnaround in the fortunes of birds of prey in the UK over the past 50 years,” reporting that only three species are now ‘red-listed’, meaning they are of most conservation concern.

But Mr Winn-Darley said: “A priority should be to retain the internationally rare heather moorland and protect it from wildfire, in order to give the best chance to the widest variety of species.”

There are compelling reasons to listen to Mr Winn-Darley.

Among the most commonly spotted species at his estate in the past year is the buzzard, which was seen 897 times.

Kestrels were seen 371 times, and the peregrine falcon 120. Red kite are also numerous, with 84 sightings.

Such success stories can surely be replicated around the region when the conditions are right, which in turn can only be good for the county.