Nick MacKinnon is a freelance teacher of Maths, English and Medieval History, and lives above Haworth, in the last inhabited house before Top Withens = Wuthering Heights. In 1992 he founded the successful Campaign to Save Radio 4 Long Wave while in plaster following a rock-climbing accident on Skye. His poem ‘The metric system’ won…
Author: Mark
Born Bristol, UK
Educated: Cleeve House School Bristol, Bristol Grammar School and Downing College Cambridge
Ph.D. University of Aberdeen, Winter activity of pipistrelle bats.
NERC post-doctoral Research Fellow, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford University
Former Conservation Director of the RSPB, 1989-2011
Bird flu – positive cases in species of wild bird 2016-2025
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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published positive cases of bird flu for each week since the last two weeks of December 2016. These figures used to be updated weekly but large gaps are now appearing between updates – click here. Positive cases are dead birds sent in to the authorities in…
Defra quote challenge – winning entry by James Gilbert
Mark wrote: This Defra quote, “Britain is a proud nation of nature lovers, and this government is committed to turning the tide on its decline after years of neglect. We are progressing plans to designate nine new national river walks, one in each region of England.” (see here) might win a prize for stupidity if only…
Guest blog – How donations to World Land Trust can be Multiplied Six Times by Andy Langley
Andy Langley is a wildlife enthusiast, who for the last seven years has completed an annual sponsored birdwatch to raise money for World Land Trust (WLT). Each year, money raised up to £5,000 is matched by his employer, Ecclesiastical Insurance (part of the Benefact Group), and multiplied again as part of WLT’s Big Match…
Guest blog – Walshaw Turbine 6 by Nick MacKinnon
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Nick MacKinnon is a freelance teacher of Maths, English and Medieval History, and lives above Haworth, in the last inhabited house before Top Withens = Wuthering Heights. In 1992 he founded the successful Campaign to Save Radio 4 Long Wave while in plaster following a rock-climbing accident on Skye. His poem ‘The metric system’ won…
Patrick Galbraith now a Telegraph environment correspondent
The most interesting thing about this story in the Telegraph is its byline: that of Patrick Galbraith, former editor of Shooting Times and author of this blog’s Book of the Year (2022), In Search of One Last Song, and his most recent book, Uncommon Ground which in my view is a cracking read (see review)…
Hen Harrier English reintroduction project closes after eight years of failure
Natural England has admitted (click here) that its badly-judged (click here) Hen Harrier reintroduction project isn’t going anywhere and has pulled the plug. In a blog that tries to make the best of publicly-funded activity through 2018-25, cuts to NE’s budget were given more of the blame than the difficulties that NE had to persuade…
Operation Turtle Dove criticises Turtle Dove reintroduction scheme
Operation Turtle Dove is a collaboration between RSPB, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust, Fair to Nature and Natural England (click here) which aims to improve the dire status of Turtle Dove’s in the UK. On its website the four bodies say: Operation Turtle Dove is aware of reports of individuals and groups releasing captive-bred Turtle Doves. Whilst…
BSBI press release – Rare fern rediscovered in iconic Cwm Idwal – more than 150 years after last sighting
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The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) is thrilled to announce the rediscovery of Holly Fern (Polystichum lonchitis) in Cwm Idwal, a glacial cirque in the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia). The fern was found by naturalist, author and mountain leader Jim Langley, more than 150 years after it was last seen in the area. Holly Fern…
A tale of (one, two, three, four) fleabanes
I blame Trevor Dines (click here) for the fact that I glanced at a plant in the car park of the Helston Premier Inn last week and wanted to know what it was. With my (lack of) botanical knowledge it was a toss-up between realising it was a plant I’ve seen thousands of time before…