I was reading the paper this morning, when something caught my attention… …and put a smile on my face… …and I realised that to get headlines like these in 2030… …that we had to do this… #stateofnature petition https://bit.ly/3kjLIsX …and then everyone will be happy and can claim the credit – but actually, it was…
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 – Why so timid on rewilding? by Olaf Lipor
Olaf Lipor is a well-known Scandinavian naturalist with a long track record of engagement in citizen science projects. His previous Guest Blogs here, about three, two and one year ago, were on a Fat Tax, Citizen Science and Pipit/Harrier interactions. Olaf is not yet found on Twitter. Olaf’s new book, Shades of Orange – a…
It wasn’t really like that…
Having done a good job in falling out with people who live in towns, people with degrees and people who work in conservation organisations Robin Page has a smaller and smaller pool of people with whom to fall out but he contines undaunted. He’s now falling out with the trustees of the Countryside Restoration Trust,…
World Land Trust’s latest appeal – Tanzania coastal forests
Comments Off on World Land Trust’s latest appeal – Tanzania coastal forests
… and the video that explains what it is all about;
Secret green shame – in open view
This piece from the Daily Mirror’s environment editor is a cracker. We’ve come a long way in the last few years – can you imagine such an article being published a decade ago – no way. And with quotes from RSPB, Wildlife Trusts and CPRE? Opposing the environmental damage caused by the unsustainable intensive management…
Martin Harper to move from RSPB to BirdLife International
Martin Harper, the RSPB’s Conservation Director, will be moving to BirdLife International in May to become the Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. I recruited Martin to the RSPB 17 years ago, from Plantlife, and he has done a fine job through the whole of that period, the last 10 years of which have…
Guest blog – Saving nature: how radical do we need to be? by Laurence Rose
Laurence is a Yorkshire-based conservationist and writer, a few months from retiring from the RSPB. Author of Framing Nature – conservation and culture and The Long Spring. Twitter: @LaurenceR_write In July last year, parroting the government’s own choice of language, several newspapers announced a ‘radical’ shake-up of the planning system. Clearly they hadn’t actually read…
My binoculars’ 45th
I took my binoculars for a walk this morning – we went to Stanwick Lakes on their 45th birthday. They seemed to cope well enough. They weren’t needed to identify the singing Chiffchaffs but they came into their own for some distant Sand Martins – my first of 2021. Later, in the sunny garden as…
Four weeks – and 100,000 signatures
The joint NGO petition is four weeks old and it is just shy of 100,000 signatures – not bad at all. It’s been a good week. We need more good weeks, and quite a few of them, to power through the 250,000 signature barrier and beccome truly noticeable and powerful. Thanks mostly to @Team4Nature’s social…
Brian Leecy – Orange Underwing
Comments Off on Brian Leecy – Orange Underwing
This day-flying moth can be seen on sunny days at this time of year. They are often seen around the tops of birch trees but will come to the ground to bask at times.