Round up

A few things:

• pole traps were banned over a century ago but…click here
• feeling wild?
• I’ll give you the result of this little (just for fun) quiz, tomorrow at 12:05
• have been going through the copy-edits of Behind the Binoculars this week – despite what it says on the publisher’s website, it should be out in early June.
• the Blackcaps in my garden seem less rampant these days than those in NZ
• men in suits have been seen in Fineshade Wood – the men from Forest Holidays taking one last regretful look? or planning their comeback?
• this looks an excellent event – I’ve booked my ticket
• I said a whole ago that the G(W)CT seem very quiet about lead – they are very quiet about it but I have been pointed in the direction of this on their website which doesn’t say much. In fact it avoids saying anything.
• #HaveYouSeenHenry
• e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting stands at 20,837 – slow progress these days, but always progress.
• an excellent blog by Roy Dennis
• brood management of Hen Harriers is a distraction – Jim Dixon in The Times (careful Jim, remember what happened to Simon Barnes)
• I hope Philip Merricks isn’t ill – he seems to have gone very quiet…maybe he is distracted…
• check the sparrows in your garden (if you have sparrows, and a garden) for Reed Buntings – I’ve seen a few recently and the females are easy to overlook
• you should make sure that Raptor Persecution Scotland is one of your favourites – straight talking, well-informed and right-thinking.
• an example of politicians acting like statesmen (they are all men)
• this is an interesting initiative – I’ll be voting for my excellent local Labour MP in the marginal constituency of Corby, but I hope the Greens do well everywhere else!
• David Lindo entertained us all at the mid-Nene RSPB group yesterday evening. All those owls! Looking forward to the final round of voting for our national bird starting in March.
• and these are links to obituaries of Oliver Rackham – Independent, Guardian

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