In their little booklet, the GWCT address five areas that they say are commonly-heard criticisms of driven grouse shooting. This week I’ll deal with each of them. GWCT say that it is claimed that ‘Conservation organisations want to ban it‘. This is what is called a straw man – it’s a device for avoiding the…
Year: 2017
Paul Leyland – Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle
Paul writes: This beetle has a long name to match the size of its antenae, the Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle, or Agapanthia villosoviridescens. It’s a medium sized beetle, up to 22mm excluding the antennae. They develop in the stems of herbacious plants, such as nettles, thistles or umbellifers so are frequently seen alongside hedgerows. Once…
High Water, Common Ground
I was lucky enough to attend the world premier of this film on Friday. There were about 100 of us in the Picturehouse at Hebden Bridge. Some of the readers of this blog will remember that Hebden Bridge lies below the infamous Walshaw Moor – and that Hebden Bridge flooded badly in 2012 and on…
Book review – The Moorland Balance by GWCT
I bought this slim volume to see whether there was anything new in it. It’s a fascinating read, as much for what it neglects as for what it says. For £8.95 (+P&P) you don’t get many words – 56 pages including lots of decent photographs, a list of references, an advert for the GWCT…
Tim Melling – Bearded Tit
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Tim writes: This is quite a historic photograph as it is a youngster from the first ever nest of Bearded Tits in South Yorkshire. It was taken at the RSPB Old Moor reserve near Barnsley where they encouraged the birds to nest this year using a thatched “wigwam” nestbox. I saw two youngsters…