Oscar Dewhurst – Bittern and Marsh Harrier

Oscar writes: When I spent some time at Minsmere in the spring of 2014 one of the things I saw but never managed to photograph was the confrontations between Bitterns and Marsh Harriers. Whenever a Marsh Harrier hunting over the reed bed happened to pass near a Bittern’s nest the latter would shoot up out…

Let’s get a debate in parliament!

I’m grateful to the ‘TeamforNature’ (on Twitter @MMNNActionUK) for setting up a thunderclap in support of the idea of getting a debate in the Westminster parliament on the future of driven grouse shooting. You can add your name to this thunderclap if you have a Twitter, Facebook and/or tumblr social media account. Then, provided we…

Sunday book review – Natural Capital by Dieter Helm

This is a book written by an eminent economist who is also passionately interested in wildlife. There may be lots of such people but I haven’t met many of them. And Professor Dieter Helm has been since 2012, the chair of the Natural Capital Committee in England. The author states in his preface that ‘The…

Cambridge fails to learn to live with nature

Do you remember our attempt to persuade Cambridge University not to build a new boatyard on valuable wildlife land at Ely (see here, here, here, here)? Well, we didn’t exactly win that one, but have you noticed that since then Cambridge has lost all three men’s Boat Races? And all three women’s Boat Races? And…