I spent a few days in Liverpool last week where I added Oystercatcher to my Aintree bird list and several hundred pounds to my bank balance. I spent some great time with some close friends and it was kind of them to set it up as a birthday treat for me. But I also took…
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
Flowers we can pick (2) – Daisies
I recognise them – they are Daisies! These plants jostle with the Dandelions to fill my lawn – I have a slight preference for the Daisy. Plantlife says it’s OK to pick a few Daisies now and again – good for them! It’s a long time since I made a daisy-chain – it’s time…
A 2-month spring break is coming soon
It is too late in the year to be regarded as hibernation, and possibly too early to be aestivation, and vernalization means something else entirely, so I’m not sure what to call it. However, this blog will be undergoing a 2-month period of semi-torpor from 4 May – 4 July. I am travelling, coming and…
Spring comes late to east Northants
Last week I was away for four mornings but from Saturday to Wednesday I have been for my regular walk around Stanwick Lakes each morning. There have been so few birds that I have resorted to looking at plants! Like this Coltsfoot – one of the few plants I recognise (at least on a good…
Bird flu – update with some interesting developments
I’m grateful to Miles King’s Twitter feed (@MilesKing10) for pointing me in this direction – although it was on (although quite a long way down) my to-do list anyway. I’ve updated you on the cases reported by Defra of bird flu in ‘wild’ birds over the last few years, and several times this winter (most…
RSPB assists in search for missing eagle in Scotland
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
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
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
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
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…