No, grouse shooting isn’t a rich man’s thing. No, we aren’t subsidising it as taxpayers. It’s an every day story of grouse-shooting folk. First buy your grouse moor – Muggleswick, 13,000 acres, for £7m. Not enough? Buy another, East Allenheads, another 13,000 acres, for £10m. That’s more like it. Buy a Magritte…
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
Oscar Dewhurst – Puna Teal
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Oscar writes: This is another one from Peru. There was a lot of driving to get from place to place, and on one of these routes we stopped at a couple of high Andean lakes where there were some wildfowl and other birds, including some Puna Teal with their bright blue beaks. Nikon D800, Nikon…
Sunday book review – Bring Back the King by Helen Pilcher
Helen Pilcher is a science writer and comedian – and not many people can claim that. In this book she looks at the possibility of de-extinction – bringing back extinct species – and searches for the species most worthy of the effort. This book made me laugh (as early as the last four words on…
Tim Melling – Green Violetear Hummingbird
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Tim writes: I have always wanted to photograph a Hummingbird in flight and it isn’t as difficult as you might think. They often visit hummingbird feeders but that does not look anywhere near as good as one feeding on flowers. This was taken at a resort at Savegre in Costa Rica where hummingbirds were numerous…
Guest blog – Impressions from the RSPB AGM by Lyn Ebbs
By education and training I am a microbiologist and worked in the NHS and biotech sector. I finished my working career in clinical research and patient safety in the pharmaceutical industry, so am a firm believer in evidence-based science. I’ve been a member of the RSPB for many years and started volunteering for them when…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhilll
All change – Portcullis House on Tuesday
The evidence session on Tuesday will take place in Portcullis House – opinions differ as to whether this is the ugliest building in London or just one of them. However, inside it is very nice, and modern – although lacking the charm of Sir Charles Barry’s and Pugin’s masterpiece over the road. The evidence session…
A gentle reminder – very good value
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We are still in Big Match Fortnight – a period where your donation to the World Land Trust appeal to protect a habitat corridor for Indian Elephants will be doubled! But time is running out so this weekend would be a good time to make that donation – it’s a very good cause and a…
@Team4nature300
The ‘team for nature‘ team (@team4nature300 on Twitter) is worth keeping an eye on. They have a big social media presence but a very low real life profile. They have also been very helpful in promoting our e-petition on banning driven grouse shooting through Twitter and thunderclaps. I know a little about them – but…
See you in Norwich?
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I’ll be talking about grouse shooting and appearing on a panel at the Norwich Science Festival – on Friday 28 October. 4-5pm I’ll be talking about why we should ban driven grouse shooting and then in the evening, 7:30-9pm I’ll be on a panel, chaired by Martha Kearney (below) answering your questions. It all sounds…