Wild New Forest Guided Tours has hawfinch equipment stolen

Marcus Ward, aged 50, is a naturalist who has spent the last 15 years of his life studying hawfinches in the New Forest, for which his community interest company, Wild New Forest Guided Tours (WNFGT), regularly monitors with cameras and a feeder.

However, on Tuesday, April 22, at 4.30am when Marcus went to check on the cameras and a feeder in Bolderwood, near Lyndhurst, he found they were missing, and believes they were stolen.

The new equipment had only been updated last month, and the feeder is a specialised piece of equipment imported from America, which cannot easily be replaced and has dealt a "massive blow" to the conservation work.

He said: "We are just feeling numb. I was quite shocked. This year, it was quite important because we were going to be putting GPS tracking on the chicks as well.

"We are just a bit numb thinking about what to do next.

"The feeder was produced in America for us, even if we ordered another today we would not have it before the end of the season.

"As much as the money is a pain, it just scuppers the project. We need to work out what we are going to do, it is a massive blow."

The feeder has to be imported special from America (Image: WNFGT)

The kit is estimated to be worth £600. It has been reported to the police via an online form, and Marcus says he will be making a full report.

The hawfinch has been red-listed in the UK since 2009 because of recent breeding decline. They are the UK's largest finch and have a huge bill.

The RSPB website says that "numbers are difficult to determine as hawfinches are easily overlooked, especially in summer."

Co-director of WNFGT, Emily Louise, said: "Everything we do is driven by our commitment to conservation, education, and connecting people with nature. We don’t make a profit — every bit goes back into the forest and the wildlife we care so much about.

"So it’s incredibly upsetting to share that two of our trail cameras and a feeder were stolen this week from the Bolderwood area."

Emily added: "These weren’t just bits of kit — they were vital tools for monitoring and understanding hawfinch behaviour, part of a long-term study that’s helping build a clearer picture of how these birds live, breed, and survive in the forest.

"To take equipment like this — especially from a project run out of sheer passion and commitment — is not just theft, it’s a blow to conservation.

"Without this gear, we can’t continue our research in the same way. And with species like the hawfinch under real pressure, every bit of data matters."

Anyone with any information should contact the police via 101, or via the Hampshire Constabulary website.