West Midlands Ringing Group

Another day, another album cover. 📸🦅

This week we’ve colour-ringed another nest of Goshawks at a private site in Staffordshire, bringing our total to five nests for 2026.

These incredible birds really are the ghosts of the forest — powerful, elusive, and always a privilege to work with.

It’s also fantastic to see so many grey squirrels among the prey remains in the nests, highlighting the important role Goshawks play within our woodland ecosystems.

Another bird survey today, and sadly, another reminder of the impact human actions can have on wildlife.

Amongst important breeding bird habitat, we found more discarded balloons tangled in the environment, a celebration for some, but a potential hazard for the species that call these places home.

It makes you wonder: will we ever stop and think about the lasting consequences of releasing balloons? There are so many meaningful ways to celebrate a life, mark a milestone, or remember a loved one without leaving a trail of pollution behind.

What goes up doesn’t simply disappear. It comes back down somewhere, often in our rivers, fields, coastlines, and vital wildlife habitats.

Today was another sad day for the environment, but hopefully sharing these images and stories encourages more people to choose wildlife-friendly alternatives.