As well as meeting lots of friends, drinking lots of red wine, eating lots of fantastic food and watching horses running around in circles, I did some birding this week. The drive from near Oxford to the racecourse produced the first transect when Red Kite numbers from the car equalled Buzzards – and the Red…
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
Guest blog – Bookends by Tim Bidie
I am a 63 year old retired British and Sultan of Oman’s Army Officer living overseas, in Oman, running a small business advisory consultancy in Muscat, helping small to medium sized British and European Companies achieve business there. I am a salt water (mainly) catch and release fly fisherman who occasionally shoots for the pot (with…
University of Cape Town press release
BIG GAME HUNTERS IN AFRICA URGED TO DROP THE LEAD TO HELP SAVE VULTURES! Lead bullet fragments in carcasses left by hunters are poisoning endangered African vultures, a new study has found. A third of all vultures caught and tested in the Botswana study showed elevated levels of lead in their blood, most likely…
Guest blog – Whitebeam Spring by Ian Parsons
Ian Parsons spent twenty years working as a Ranger with the Forestry Commission, where he not only worked with birds of prey and dormice, but where he developed his passion for trees. Now a freelance writer, Ian runs his own specialist bird tour company leading tours to Extremadura. For more details see www.griffonholidays.com This is…
On a course, at a meeting
I’m off to Cheltenham for three days at the races. I know that this is a subject that leaves some readers of this blog cold, others will be annoyed that I spend my time in this way, and yet others will wish they were there too. Any of those reactions is fine – but I’m…
Speaking at the BTO
I spoke at the BTO HQ in Thetford on Thursday evening – and it was a fun evening. Indeed it was a fun day. There was an audience of 40+ people and we started at 1915 and they didn’t let me go until well after 2145! There were lots of questions, and some of them…
We are 21,500 ahead
The supporters of a ban on driven grouse shooting, are now 21,500 signatures ahead of the forces of conservatism who wish this unsustainable hobby of shooting birds for fun and profit to continue. We’ve pushed on by another 900 signatures in the last week. But it’s not quite as simple as that, as there are…
Guest blog – Cyprus winter camp by Alister Clunas
Alister Clunas was born on Orkney. He gained a Masters degree in Resource Management from the University of Edinburgh. His first conservation job was an Assistant Watcher on the Farne Island on £13 per week. Later he worked as a Ranger in East Lothian, a Property Manager in the Yorkshire Dales for the National Trust…
Paul Leyland – The Footballer
Paul writes: This is a beautiful brightly coloured hoverfly. It is sometimes known as The Footballer, probably from the days when lots of teams wore striped shirts! It’s one of the commonest and most widespread hoverflies and is seen throughout the UK. It has a long flight period. I usually see them from the…
Wild food (30) – Wild Garlic by Ian Carter
Wild Garlic, or Ramsons as it is sometimes called, is one of the most eagerly awaited plants of the spring for its aesthetic appeal and for its flavour. By late April it carpets the floor of ancient woodland where conditions are right, a haze of white flowers among the long-established green leaves. It is often…