Standing up for Nature
My copy of the January Birdwatch came through the letter box yesterday and I turned straight to the Birders’ Choice awards results. You chose well – I’ll come back to this in a few days time. Birdwatch is available in all good newsagents.
These can be depressing times for wildlife lovers. Many of our wild bird and mammal populations are declining at an alarming rate, our Raptors are being systematically disappeared from parts of the countryside, our politicians don’t seem to care, the statutory bodies (overseen by those politicians) that are supposed to be protecting and enhancing our…
It’s simple really (written with a wry smile). Vote in Parliament this week on whether Parliament supports or rejects May’s deal. If vote is in favour – problem sorted. If not (as expected) go to point 2. Set up two referenda, one week apart, in first half of March. First referendum, ask population to vote…
The report on raptor persecution in Scotland published by the RSPB last week deserves a wide readership. I’ve been looking at it again over the weekend. There is a good, and new, piece of interpretation on satellite-tagged Hen Harriers (p12). Of the 18 Hen Harriers that died, or which disappeared under mysterious circumstances (ie their…
There’s a paper in this month’s British Birds which shows that Pallid Harriers are being recorded in bigger numbers in most west European countres in recent years – including in the UK. The changing status of the Pallid Harrier in western Europe by Mike Henry. The data given are convincing and this upsurge is rather…
FORESTRY COMMISSION LAUNCHES NEW PROJECT TO DIVERSIFY NATURE WRITING As part of celebrations to mark its centenary in 2019, the Forestry Commission has launched a new writing competition to diversify nature writing. From Wordsworth to J.K Rowling, England’s forests have inspired characters and chronicles that have shaped the nation’s literary history for…
Tim writes: Grandalas (Grandala coelicolor) are one of the most beautiful birds I have ever seen. The males are an electric blue colour with jet-black wings and tail, while the females are brown and scaly with a white wing bar. They breed high in the Himalayas (c4000-5500m), way above the tree line but in winter…
Homes England press release: Homes England has proposed a new approach to the Lodge Hill development on the Hoo Peninsula in Medway, which will avoid direct Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) impacts on the Lodge Hill site. Following further careful consideration of the environmental sensitivities in and around the site, the new plans are for up…
A week ago Waitrose emailed me to wish me a good weekend and to say they were looking into the inaccurate health warning on the game meat they are selling to the public. Another week and no change in Waitrose’s position as far as I know. I contacted Waitrose nearly three weeks ago and I…