I have been more than usually aware of the cold weather this week – for several reasons. I had been looking forward to the fact that there was racing at Newbury as I had a friend’s member’s badge as he was in Rome watching the rugby – but Newbury was off because of the weather…
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
Osborne says…
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne issued a heart-felt cry for help when he warned against allowing his “anti-environment culture” to take hold in Britain. “There are those of us who are trying to create an anti-environment culture in Britain – and we have to be stopped. At stake are not pay packages for a…
A reply – but not an answer
You may remember that I met my MP, Louise Mensch, before Christmas, and she agreed to write to The Treasury asking for the reasons why The Chancellor, George Osborne, announced a review of the Habitats Regulations in his Autumn Statement. Ms Mensch, being an author of some repute (whether good or ill is up to…
Yesterday – three strands
I enjoyed yesterday. I launched the Nature of Harming ‘award’ and it generated a lot of interest. Around 250 votes yesterday was pretty good and there was a clear leader at the end of the day. Lots of varied comments and debate – very interesting. If you haven’t voted yet then please do so here. …
Nature of Harming ‘award’
Today I launch the Nature of Harming ‘award’. Your vote counts – click here to make your choice.
Who got what
Have a look at this interesting report on where the green money went. Figure A, page 6, is very interesting. Environmental funding by trusts etc has fallen since 2006/07 (see page 9). Wildlife gets a big chunk of total environmental funding (page 12). The RSPB gets a big chunk of cash – from a large…
Guest blog – NT’s Simon Pryor responds to events in the Peak District
A response to Mark Avery’s blog An everyday tale of country folk. Thanks Mark (!) for throwing down another gauntlet, for one of us in ‘Dame Fiona’s team” to pick up. I’m a relative newcomer to the Trust, but let me pick up this one, and tell you how I’ve found things on this highly…
Sometimes it all works out
Yesterday was a cold morning but the air was still and so it didn’t feel bitter on my regular walk around Stanwick Lakes. Great tits, dunnocks, chaffinches and robins were singing in the cold morning air. The lakes in the ex-gravel pits were partly frozen but most had small open areas of water in which…
Have a look at these three short films
26 seconds worth of the Earth heating up 2 minutes of We miss you – I won’t say anything otherwise I might spoil it for you 33 minutes but you get the gist from the first few moments and then it’s up to you whether you stay with it – US farmers talking about local…
Book review and readers’ offer: Wildlife photographer – a course in creative photography by Chris Gomersall
I think I was put off photography at an early age by my father. He was a keen photographer, and I remember spending what must have been minutes but seemed like hours, hanging around or reading a book in the car whilst we all waited for the sun to come out or go in, or…