I’m sure we will see members and staff from all of these organisations in Hyde Park on 22 September – Walking for Wildife. But it will be interesting to see whether, as organisations, they promote the walk to their memberships. I do hope they do. It would be odd if they don’t. No doubt the…
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
Hen Harrier Sensitive Zones in Bowland
The Bowland Fells SPA sits between Lancaster and Clitheroe, and High Bentham and Longridge, east of the M6 in Lancashire. It was classified in 1993 and one of the qualifying criteria was the number of nesting pairs of Hen Harriers (13) at that time. For a long time Bowland was the English stronghold of this…
Bird Fair speakers – a questionnaire
To achieve greater gender balance in main speakers at the Bird Fair there either has to be more time (this would be difficult to do, but should be kept in mind) or there has to be less time given to male speakers. If you fill in this questionnaire then we’ll have more information than now on…
Walk for Wildlife
If you can come to this event – please do. I think it will be fun and important. It will be more fun and more important if you turn up. Please spread the word and share on social media. I’ll write to my MP asking him whether he’s coming or not, and the prospective Labour…
Guest blog: Birdfair for kids: My Wild Zone experience by Anneliese Emmans Dean
Anneliese Emmans Dean promotes learning through laughter, rhythm and rhyme with her award-winning science-meets-poetry books for children: ‘Buzzing! Discover the poetry in garden minibeasts’ and ‘Flying High! Discover the poetry in British birds’. She brings these books to life in interactive, edu-taining shows (for children and for grown-ups) at events, schools, festivals and theatres nationwide….
Bird Fair 2018 – more thoughts on gender balance.
Authors’ forum: I hear from Duncan MacDonald of Wildsounds (the ‘official’ Bird Fair booksellers), some interesting news on the Authors’ Forum speakers for this year and next year. Duncan has to be thanked for putting a lot of effort in to attempting to redress the gender imbalance in the Authors’ Forum with some success this…
Bird Fair speakers – what would you like?
This short questionnaire about Bird Fair celebrity speakers is acquiring some fascinating suggestions. There are close to 100 responses after just a few hours. If you would like to hear more female celebrity speakers who would they be? A long list is growing with some favourites emerging. If you would like to hear more female…
Some thoughts on the 2018 Bird Fair – how about some real debate?
I say this every year so, for consistency, I’ll say it again now. The Bird Fair ought to be used as an opportunity to influence the future of wildlife through influencing politicians and not simply through raising money. I reckon that it would have been possible to get around 15,000 signatures over the three days…
Some thoughts on the 2018 Bird Fair – my lists of people
Who did you see at the Bird Fair? Here are five lists of my sightings: People who I saw and spoke to properly (an incomplete list – partly because I can’t remember everyone and partly to preserve others’ career prospects if speaking to me might endanger them): Lord (John) Randall – birder, former MP, former…
Some thoughts on the 2018 Bird Fair – the gender balance issue
This was a clumsily worded post. But I’ll leave it here because I think one has to live with one’s mistakes not hide them. If you have thoughts on which male celebrity speakers could make way for female celebrities in the main events, and if you’d like to suggest who those female celebrities might be,…