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

Dear Mr Pursglove

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I’ve written to my MP, Tom Pursglove, a few times about the donations he received from Alexander Termerko (see here, here, here). And so I was very interested to see this video about Termerko, Aquind and donations to the Conservative Party – apparently my MP is simply one of 34 Conservative MPs to have received…

Guest blog – Gull rescue as a non-lethal solution to conflicts, an update by Kevin Newell

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I am Kevin Newell owner and founder of Humane Wildlife Solutions we are Europe’s only non-lethal, ethical, environmentally-friendly alternative to pest control. We help businesses and individuals all over Europe find solutions to wildlife conflicts without causing harm to the wildlife or the environment in the process. In November 2020 I told you of a…

This blog’s Books of the Year, 2021

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Since my last Books of the Year review I have reviewed a further 50 books – it’s a record! Since these Books of the Year reviews are timed to come out to inform your Christmas book buying there are a few books which were published in 2020 that appear in this list but let’s still…

Stephen Moss’s 2021 Round-up of Nature books.

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Stephen Moss is a naturalist, author and course leader of the MA Travel & Nature Writing at Bath Spa University. This year he published Skylarks with Rosie: A Somerset Spring (Saraband) and The Swan: A Biography, (Square Peg). Here is his annual round-up of books about wildlife, nature and the environment. @stephenmoss_tv [Mark writes: where…

Press release – Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust and the future of the Birdfair

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Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust regret to announce that they will no longer run the annual Rutland Water Birdfair Over the past 31 years, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT), supported by our hardworking staff, volunteers and members, has been proud to run Birdfair, the foremost and internationally-renowned bird-watching, wildlife and conservation event. Working with…

Human Rights – #justiceforhenharriers

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It was good to see this account of brood meddling in this legal blog – a bit of a surprise really! There are some mistakes in it, but of a biological nature. Very good to see this being talked about by lawyers, in a slightly jokey way, but bringing the issues to the fore. But…

Sunday book review – More Birds than Bullets by Geoffrey McMullan

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This book is a very good read. It’s packed with stories of birds and other wildlife seen whilst being a serving soldier. McMullan travelled widely as a soldier including serving in the first Gulf War which is a particular type of ‘travelling’. We are regaled with birding observations from the Middle East, Falklands, Germany and…

Guest blog – How nature dies – part 2 by Alistair Gammell

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Alistair Gammell worked for RSPB for 40 years and was closely involved in the drafting of the Birds and Habitats Directives and for growing RSPB’s international work. He was RSPB’s first International Director and retired from RSPB in 2009.  He then worked successfully to establish large-scale fully-protected marine reserves in the seas around the British…

RSPB press release

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New report reveals huge declines in Europe’s birds  New data suggests around 600 million breeding birds have been lost in the EU and UK since 1980 A significant proportion of these losses are as a result of massive decreases in the more common and abundant bird species The largest drop in population is seen in…