Dear Rules Restaurant I once treated a couple of friends of mine to a meal at your place and I’m wondering whether to invite them back for a post-lockdown get together some time. However, I contacted you several years ago about your policy on lead contamination of your game meat. Rather bizarrely you didn’t answer…
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
What a mess!
The excellent Raptor Persecution UK revealed yesterday that all five of the brood-meddled Hen Harriers from last year are missing. Maybe one or two will spring back to life but it isn’t looking good. What a mess! Brood meddling is an idea cooked up by the grouse shooting industry and licensed by Natural England, but…
No change here then…
Wild hacking…?
SNH has so far failed to produce the review of wild hacking that they promised for last week – and ahead of finalising any licensing decision. I understand that there is activity around the hacking boxes in Moray – almost as if the licence applicants were expecting to get the go-ahead soon… Lockdown requirements in…
Brood meddling – no news from the courts
I wouldn’t want you to think that I’m holding anything back from you – we have yet to hear about a new date for our appeal of the Hen Harrier brood-meddling decision. Here is the timeline of events: Natural England announce that they have issued a licence for eggs/chicks of Hen Harriers to be removed…
RSPB press release
Restoring nature-rich habitats helps offset UK carbon emissions The RSPB has identified how much carbon is being stored in areas important for wildlife Much of these areas is in poor condition and unprotected, however restoration could lead not only to reduced emissions but actually to higher levels of sequestration Restoring these areas to good condition…
Guest blog – Things I would like to be different by Paul Fisher
Despite being bought up in the wilds of Lewisham, SE London, I seem always to have had a love for the great outdoors. Giving up the London commute at 28, we spent twelve years in the Lake District and then moved to Lincolnshire. Two small businesses later, I’ve now retired to run our mini wildlife…
Paul Leyland – White Ermine
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Social Distancing Week 12. White Ermine Moth Paul writes: I don’t have to travel far to find moths. It’s at this time of year that, in the evening, I start to leave lights on in rooms, with the curtains and blinds not drawn. Many moths are drawn to light and on calm warm nights, especially…
The Well-read Naturalist
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I’ve been catching up with John Riutta’s recent book reviews on The Well-read Naturalist. I read all of his book reviews even those that are rather local to his part of the world, of northern Oregon. I read them because they are so thoughtful and so well written. I think of John, who I will…
Sunday book review – Into the Tangled Bank by Lev Parikian
This is as much an exploration of how we, people, interact or not with nature as it is about nature. The author talks to people and observes them as he watches nature and visits places associated with former greats such as Peter Scott, Gilbert White, John Clare, Etta Lemon, Thomas Bewick and the tangled bank…