The e-petition website is getting rather flashy these days. Our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting is doing fine, ticking along, and now you can look at a map of where the signatures come from. Just look for the link under the current signature total and click, and you’ll see a map very like 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
Fob me, fob me
Philip Hammond says that the British people will not be fobbed off with minor changes to the EU. Well, he didn’t ask me and I’m completely ready to be fobbed off – fob me, fob me! Give me the EU over the Tory party any time, please. And David Cameron wants me to be fobbed…
Cambridge this evening – at The Portland Arms, 7pm
Cambridge this evening.
Guest blog – Mystery of the slugs by Brin Best
Brin Best is an award-winning author who writes from his home in the Yorkshire Dales. He has written over 20 books, many best-sellers in their field, including several titles about biodiversity and natural history. Brin has also been the trustee of three environmental charities, and served as a Council member of the RSPB for four…
Oscar Dewhurst – Mountain Bluebird
Oscar writes: In September I spent a week in Yellowstone National Park with my family. Mountain Bluebirds were everywhere there, so I spent a bit of time trying to photograph them one afternoon while we were at Mammoth Hot Springs. This one briefly perched on a small pine tree, and I took this as it…
My inbox
Do you look forward to, or dread, reading your new emails? I’m quite keen on mine, partly because, just occasionally, I get one like this: As a farmer I have often been a bit sensitive to your opinions, but at least I now know you allow that some of us are the good guys!…
Northern Ireland
I visited Northern Ireland yesterday to speak at a BTO conference there. It was a long day (alarm went off at 0430, got home again 2220) but a very enjoyable one. The welcome is always very warm in Ireland, whichever side of the border you are on, and that was true yesterday with a mixture…
Thoughts on Inglorious from Ronnie Graham
Mark writes: below you’ll find a long series of comments on Inglorious by Ronnie Graham (of whom I know, but who don’t know personally). I thought you might find it interesting because Ronnie is interesting – a shooter and a raptor worker. His comments are reproduced in whole below and my comments (which I have…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
Six reasons to ban lead ammunition (6)
Here is a video of a duck showing the typical signs of lead poisoning – this is avoidable, so let’s avoid it. Sign Rob Sheldon’s e-petition to ban lead ammunition.