For those who may not know about this scheme, it is run by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, a government department based at Lancaster university. Corpses of all owls and predatory birds (raptors, also kingfisher) are sent in by members of the public and analysed for all the various pesticides that abound in our everyday lives, and also things like rat poisons, flame retardents etc that accumulate in the livers of these birds. The idea is to prevent a disaster like the DDT episode of the 1960s.

Their website is http://pbms.ceh.ac.uk/

They have just produced a report for the years 2007-8 which is a bit technical, but readable and shows how pollutants are still a factor for our Barn Owls and Kites.