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
NE compliance with information requests
Dear NE Thank you for your response on 12 November to my email of 2 November which you have chosen to treat as a complaint. Your response is detailed and clear, but still unsatisfactory and so I wish this matter to be escalated to the next stage, Stage 2, with this email now forming part…
Same old templates
I think I might have been too kind to Conservative MPs over their standard responses to our letters about the People’s Walk for Wildlife (I know, it is a bad failing, but I admit it). I see from this example sent to me by a reader of this blog… …that almost the same letter was…
Guy Shorrock – Green-breasted Mango
Guy writes: Recent events have again brought into sharp focus the impact of humans on the planet. The recent People’s Walk for Wildlife and Chris Packham’s thought provoking ‘A People’s Manifesto for Wildlife’ was followed by the WWF ‘Living Planet’ report outlining that humanity has wiped out 60% of animal populations since 1970. Now comes…
Peter Melchett memorial – 7 December
Comments Off on Peter Melchett memorial – 7 December
A memorial celebration for the life of Peter Melchett will be held at the Royal Geographic Society, 1 Kensington Gore at 10am on Friday 7 December. Register here. Have a look at the Celebrating Peter website which is full of information and lovely stories.
Ornithologists kill critically endangered hummingbirds.
Ornithologists kill critically endangered hummingbirds – an open letter In a paper recently published in The Auk, October 2018, (Sornoza-Molina et al 2018) a group of ornithologists collected seven specimens of a hummingbird new to science, and then declared that because of its extremely small range, it must be critically endangered (CR under IUCN Criteria). They…
World Land Trust evening with Steve and Helen Backshall
I’m disappointed (and a little bit guilty, as a trustee) that I can’t make this evening on 14 December. It looks great fun. More details here.
Get writing!
Comments Off on Get writing!
You need to get your entry in to the Terra Incognita Wildlife Blogger competition by the end of the month – click here.
Guest blog – Leopoldius by filbert cobb
filbert cobb is a regular commenter on this blog and has been since its early days (since February 2012). I suspect filbert cobb may not be his real name. He has produced two delightful guest blogs here in the past; Remember not to Forget, 30 September 2016 and The Sunken Garden, 25 September 2014. I…
This is a good idea apparently getting nowhere
I keep an eye on the UK Parliament petition site and this one caught my eye. I think it is a very good idea. No, really, a very good idea. But very good ideas can wither through lack of promotion. There is practically no chance that any of our wildlife NGOs will take up this…