Calluna lost in the heather

RSPB press release: Satellite-tagged hen harrier disappears on Scottish grouse moor Rare bird of prey vanishes on 12th August The RSPB has issued an appeal for information after a young hen harrier, fitted with a satellite tag as part of the charity’s EU-funded Hen Harrier LIFE project, disappeared on an Aberdeenshire grouse moor. “Calluna”, a…

Getting letters from your MP

Writing to your MP is one thing (a thing to which I’ll come back) but after you have written then you are likely to receive a reply. Here is a checklist of things to do when you get a response from your MP: enjoy the yellow envelope with the portcullis on it, and the thick…

Peak District update

I’m grateful to the NT in the Peak District who have forwarded my contact details to their shooting tenants in the Peak District  just in case any of them would like to have their grouse shooting filmed over the next few weeks. I’ll let you know if I hear from any of them. The NT…

Last chance…

If you’d like to enter this blog’s writing competition then you had better get a move on – entries close at midnight tonight. Your task is to write a review of George Monbiot’s Feral and send it to me at [email protected].  I’ve had some entries already but not so many as to make you think…

BBS 2016

This report of bird population trends as measured by the Breeding Bird Survey (and Waterways Breeding Bird Survey) is the result of, first, the voluntary work of around 3000 volunteers (including me) who collected the data, followed by the analytical and presentational skills of BTO staff aided by JNCC and the RSPB. There are two…