Last week I went to an AFON Conference and a Green Party Conference – and I’ll say something about them tomorrow (or later in the week), but the rest of the world kept on spinning. Here are some things that happened:
- Boris Island got the elbow – hooray! It’ll probably be back one day, but let’s hope it isn’t for ages. Now that Boris hasn’t got a mythical island airport up his sleeve, he will have to use another line to persuade the Tory voters of Uxbridge to select him to replace the excellent Sir John Randall (see here, here, here) who is standing down at the next general election.
- But just when the nature-lovers of Kent were spared the threat of an airport, Medway Council agreed a plan to build 5000 houses on top of 80 pairs of Nightingale. Medway’s elected politicians seem to think that they can move Nightingales somewhere else. You can’t move Nightingales but you can’t be unmoved by Nightingales! Anyone asked to bulldoze Nightingale habitat should have to spend an evening in May listening to their songs first. This crazy development must be turned down by Eric Pickles (allegedly an RSPB member).
- The Whinchats had all gone from my patch at Stanwick Lakes when I went for a walk on Monday morning.
- The BBS report for 2013 arrived in the post – I’ll be blogging about this later this week but I thought I ought to read it first!
- Some Red Squirrel called Bob keeps asking for my vote – at least he’s a red!
- The Mammal Society say that the adenovirus is a threat to Red Squirrels (look out Bob!) and they might get it from Woodmice or Grey Squirrels.
- What price there being a mammal on the cover of Nature’s Home magazine next time round? What price Bob? Or will it be a Hen Harrier (probably not).
…more catching up later today.
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“Developers Land Securities say the area’s 84 pairs of nightingales would be re-homed nearby.”
They seem to imagine they are like abandoned bull terriers in Battersea Dog’s Home. This is an appalling decision and every bit as uncivilised as if they had decided to bulldoze Canterbury Cathedral to make way for a housing development.
“…every bit as uncivilised as if they had decided to bulldoze Canterbury Cathedral to make way for a housing development”
Not even comparable.
Canterbury Cathedral is an homage to a made up, paranormal, omnipresent, spiritual entity. The key words in all of that being “made up”.
Whereas the nightingales are very real.
As I suppose are the people who need houses to be built.
The only people who ‘need’ homes to be built in this particular location are the Government and the development industry, who will both make a packet from it. To them, nature is expendable.