Big beach clean up – the Marine Conservation Society are having a Big Beach Clean Up next week. I’ll be fighting litter on the beaches of Northants, don’t you worry!
Pond conservation – I’ve heard lots of people saying that the cold weather has affected the laying of frogs and toads in their ponds. I don’t have a pond but if I did I would certainly contribute to the Big Spawn Count (even though that sounds rather dodgy).
Spoon-billed sandpiper – this is a nice blog from the RSPB’s Rob Sheldon which deserves a few reads.
Lady Thatcher Purdey – it’s a completely different world
Ireland’s forests – I was interested to see that the Irish government is planning to flog some forests too.
Walk for whales – after all, they can’t walk themselves. I will just have returned from the USA when these Whale and Dolphin Society events happen around the country.
Volunteer – I honestly don’t remember getting last year’s copy of this BTO magazine but I probably did! This year’s though is very good – I know because I’ve read it.
State of Nature report – this blog sometimes castigates NGOs for not working together so I am pleased to see that on 22 May, in the evening at the Natural History Museum, 25 wildlife NGOs are promoting a joint report on the state of nature – called State of Nature. I wish, in a way, I could be there but I will be in Kentucky, or Ohio or perhaps in Pennsylvania on that day. There is, however, a very notable and less and less surprising absentee from the list – the National Trust. Yet again the National Trust doesn’t join in on something important for wildlife. Hopeless and unacceptable for wildlife enthusiasts.
RSPB, RSPCA and Wildife Trusts sticking together – the RSPB, the RSPCA and The Wildlife Trusts have written to Stephen Hammond MP at the Department for Transport alerting him to the threat posed by the discharge from ships of polyisobutene (PIB). You’ll remember that hundreds of seabirds were affected by this a couple of times since Christmas.
I have – that is, I have signed up for the pre-publication order of the new breeding bird atlas. That is, of course, the BTO, Birdwatch Ireland, SOC Atlas.
Licensing of grouse moors – this epetition has quite considerably passed 4000 signatures. Is yours there?
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Thank you for reminding me to pre-order the Atlas, Mark.
Thanks also for reminding me to cancel my subscription to “pond conservation”.
I thought the BTO’s Volunteer Magazine was very good as well and it reminded me to order the Atlas!
Sad about the National Trust but at least Simon Jenkins came out strongly in support of saving the nightingale habitat in Kent. Here’s a link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/19/silence-nightingales-build-houses-planning.
Had some frogspawn in the pond but a couple of mallard ate it all!
Watching the marathon just now I wondered how many runners raise money for conservation charities?
I also thought the BTO volunteer magazine was good but did wonder why I couldn’t remember volume 1. I can’t recall getting it either.
Frogspawn later here this year. It was “frosted” last year, so perhaps the frogs are learning about climate change. Are some wildlife organisations changing tack? NE seem to be more interested in supporting habitat destruction than preventing it.