I’m looking forward to talking at the Ilkley Literature Festival on Saturday. Last weekend, to coincide with the opening of the heather burning season, the Ban Bloodsports on Ilkley Moor group staged a protest outside Bradford City Hall. Maybe I’ll meet some of them at my talk and they’ll be sitting next to the local…
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
My home is my Rook
I’ve lived here for about 30 years but nature can give you new sights every day, not just every year. There are plenty of cheerful-sounding Jackdaws that career up and down the road, sticking to the chimneys and rooftops. I like them a lot. Just because they are here every day it doesn’t mean that…
Reviews good and bad
I review quite a lot of books on this blog, and I’ve reviewed many books elsewhere over the years too. I’ve tried to adopt an approach of describing what I like or dislike about a book – the way it’s written, illustrated and the arguments inside it – rather than saying that it is a…
Regulatory failure
There’s an excellent post today on the Raptor Persecution Scotland blog about what manner of things might be in any grouse meat that you eat. Watch out Henry! I wonder how much medicine from medicated grit gets into Hen Harriers, Peregrines and other wildlife through ingestion? Has anyone looked at that? Game meat, including…
What the FTSE?
I spent a few minutes yesterday responding to the BBC consultation over their charter renewal – this is a good place to do that. I like and admire the BBC though it has irritated me a bit over how it has treated the Jeremy Corbyn election and the decline of its serious coverage of environment…