I grew up in Somerset where Buzzards were reasonably common but are now much more numerous, but I’ve spent most of the last 40 years living in the East Midlands and seen Buzzards becoming commoner and commoner sights in the skies here. Buzzards are fairly common across most of lowland Britain nowadays but holes still…
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
Tim Melling – Long-eared Owl
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Tim writes: this is a Long-eared Owl carrying a Short-tailed Vole back to its hungry brood that were calling constantly from nearby trees. The male provisions the female while she incubates and when the young are small. But when the young are old enough to “branch” (leave the nest and clamber about in the branches),…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
Looking back on the last week…
This week of the year has become a busy one in my life in recent years. The run up to Hen Harrier Day, the day itself, the Inglorious 12th and the aftermath of that day create a fair amount of activity. So, how have things gone? Not much grouse shooting this year? There are lots…
Good response to our e-action from Tim Farron MP
There aren’t many LibDems in the House of Commons these days but this response from Tim Farron suggests that we’d be better off if there were a few more. Not only is it a clearly personal response but it also demonstrates real understanding of the issues and has committed to getting in touch with DEFRA…
Hen Harrier Day silent auction closes at 5pm today
There are four art works on which I have bid, and I have been outbid for each of them. But I may well be trying a bit harder in the run-up to 5pm today. There is artwork to suit most tastes but feel free not to bid on the items that are to my taste!…
Questions and answers in Scottish parliament
Here is an exchange in the Scottish Paliament yesterday – quite useful. Thank you to John Mason MSP (GLasgow Shetleston, SNP) for asking and to Mairi Gougeon for an encouraging answer. John Mason: To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent the persecution of raptors. The Minister for Rural Affairs and…
The milk of avian unkindness
When I was a kid our milk was frequently attacked by marauding gangs of Great Tits and Blue Tits. For younger, perhaps puzzled, readers this was a long time ago in the days when doorstep deliveries of milk were the norm and milk was full fat and the ‘cream’ was noticeable in floating to the…
Natural England and crowdfunding
Last year I wrote about Natural England asking you for your money, through crowdfunding, to carry out a mixture of tasks which ranged from the daft to what seemed to me to be Natural England’s statutory duties (and therefore what I was paying for through my taxes). Tony Juniper responded to the ENDS report with…
BASC and NE – cosiness
Natural England has a range of memoranda of understanding and partnership agreements with a range of organisations. That’s not unusual (although my experience is that it is only the shakiest of professional relationships that need such generalised written agreements). I’ve asked Natural England about some of these and heard back from them about their agreement…