Tim Melling: I was recently watching and photographing Starlings in the garden and was surprised to see how much time they waste squabbling over the abundant food. They even squabbled over the bird baths which can comfortably fit five Starlings together. It seemed to be mainly the “teenage” Starlings that did most of the fighting…
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
RSPB position on gamebird shooting
As just announced at the smooth, inspiring and excellent RSPB AGM the RSPB has a new position on gamebird shooting. It’s not massively different, but it does represent a ‘Gloves off‘ moment as a commenter on this blog asked for. Well, maybe we should regard it as a ‘Gloves off, but it will take us…
RSPB Medal winner – Dr Ram Jakati
RSPB honours influential conservationist who saved India’s vultures Today (Saturday 10 October), the RSPB is presenting Dr Ram Jakati with the prestigious RSPB Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Nature Conservation. In the 1990s India’s vulture population was pushed to the brink of extinction due to the use of the veterinary drug, diclofenac, given to cattle…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
Tomorrow’s RSPB AGM – what would Etta Lemon think?
There will be lots of interest in tomorrow’s online RSPB AGM. Is the RSPB going bust? Who gets the RSPB Medal (see this blog at 1130am tomorrow to find that out). What is the RSPB new policy on gamebird shooting? I think the RSPB has handled the latter matter slightly wrongly judging from the number…
Yesterday, next spring and the rest of 2021
Yesterday I talked to a journalist and sent him some information, sent the Wild Justice lawyers some carefully crafted thoughts, answered the front door several times as books and vegetables arrived, wrote my column for British Wildlife, wrote two blogs, picked some red tomatoes and a lot of green tomatoes, had conversations on the phone…
Earthshot or crackpot? I’m not sure.
It’s pretty unclear to me what this £50m over 10 years in £1m prizes is likely to achieve but we’ll see. The five categories are: Protect and restore nature Clean our air Revive our oceans Build a waste-free world Fix our climate …and if you have a really good idea on any of those subjects…
Badger petition update (4)
We are at the end of the second week of this petition and it has passed 55,000 signatures. In the last week signatures have been adding at 1000/day. This demonstrates how very angry many people are about government’s assault on one of our most loved native mammals. Inhumane Badger slaughter is not a vote winner….
RSPB press release – Roseate Terns
Record-breaking year for roseate terns A record-breaking 130 pairs of breeding roseate terns on Coquet Island have been recorded this year. Coquet Island off the Northumberland Coast is home to the UK’s only colony of breeding roseate terns. This year, the RSPB celebrates 50 years at Coquet Island with the RSPB taking over management of…
E-action or inaction?
If you took place in the Wild Justice, Hen Harrier Action, RSPB e-action then I wonder whether you have had a response from your MP yet? I know that quite a few people haven’t yet, and that is pretty poor. I think there is a preponderance of Labour MPs in the non-repliers but that’s just…