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

RSPB assists in search for missing eagle in Scotland

Mark 14 Comments

  Press release from the RSPB: Another satellite tagged eagle has disappeared in highly suspicious circumstances. RSPB Scotland has today (17th April 2018) been assisting Police Scotland in the search for the white tailed eagle in the Glen Quaich area of Perthshire. Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management at RSPB Scotland said: “This…

Application for judicial review submitted

Mark 10 Comments

As predicted, there was a certain amount of to-ing and fro-ing over the final details of our application for judicial review of Natural England’s daft decision to license brood meddling (occasionally known as brood management) of Hen Harriers but the dream-team of lawyers submitted our application with no problem at all. Which is just as…

Update 16 April

Mark 4 Comments

Another week and Jane Griggs’s and Ed Hutchings’s e-petitions about grouse shooting limp along. At least the ‘license’ e-petition has now, finally (or maybe not finally) passed the ‘pro’ e-petition. Hooray for that! However, RSPB magazines have been falling through people’s letterboxes for several days now (though mine has not yet arrived) and the spurt…

#justice4henharriers

Mark 5 Comments

Today is the day when we submit our application for judicial review of NE’s foolish licensing of brood meddling. Our legal team has been working hard and I’ve been working quite hard too – sending them information, drafting witness statements, commenting on the legal matters and answering searching questions. There will no doubt be a…

Paul Leyland – Tree Bumblebee

Mark 4 Comments

Paul writes: The Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) is possibly the easiest British bumblebee to identify. It is the only bumblebee with a combination of ginger thorax, black abdomen and white tail. Queens, workers and males all have the same colour combination so it stands out at any time during the season. This bumblebee is a…

Tim Melling – Collared Crow

Mark Comments Off on Tim Melling – Collared Crow

  Tim writes: the Collared Crow used to be common over large areas of lowland, rural China, just creeping into Vietnam.  But its numbers have tumbled over the past 15 years and is now only found commonly in a few areas in its former range.  Places that used to support hundreds of birds are now…

Flowers we can pick (1) – Dandelion

Mark 17 Comments

Plantlife says that, provided we don’t go over the top, we can pick some of our commonest and prettiest flowers. That’s quite brave of them!  I’ll cover one of the ‘Pickable 12’ each week at relevant times through the spring and summer. Let’s start with the Dandelion – and you can come pick them in…