Sunday book review – Orchid Summer by Jon Dunn

  I’m no botanist (and I can produce references if needed) but I loved this book – and many of the readers of this blog will love it too.  The idea is simple – see all the orchids of Britain in a year.   Do you think the author succeeded or not? If not, how close…

Tim Melling – Przewalski’s White-throated Dipper

This is the same species of Dipper that occurs in Britain but is of the Tibetan and Chinese subspecies Przewalski.  I posted it for interest because it does look subtly different from European Dippers.  This one has a wholly dark belly, lacking the brighter orange band that we have on British Dippers..  I’m finding it…

Yorkshire Dales NP takes the high ground on raptor persecution

There have been previous signs that the Yorkshire Dales National Park is ashamed of its deserved reputation as being a raptor persecution hotspot – and wants to do what it can to highlight the issue and move people towards a solution.  This is in stark contrast with the inspid response of the Peak District National…

Defra’s third draft on grouse shooting: wholly inadequate

The e-petition of Ed Hutchings, which calls for licensing of grouse shooting, has received a government response.I know that Ed is travelling at the moment but before he headed off he said he would write a guest blog here on his return in which he was expecting to comment on the government response which he…