England won the second test match yesterday on a very warm day. After listening to see whether Bresnan would get a hat-trick (he didn’t) I nipped out to post some copies of my book to very astute purchasers. This is becoming a regular afternoon outing and that’s fine by me. My route takes me through…
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
Do let it grow under your feet
I am quite busy in my post-RSPB life but I do find I have more time to read things that I would have meant to read in the past, but around to which I would not have got. This report, Nature’s Tapestry, is a good example of something which I am glad that I can…
Something for the weekend sir?
I love farmers. Well, admittedly not all of them, but then I don’t love all birdwatchers, all RSPB members or all of anything – maybe all hen harriers? But I do love the fact that some farmers are doing a fantastic job with the help of my taxpayer’s money on their farms. We have come…
The raptor haters – Sir Max Hastings
The raptor haters is an occasional series of articles on people who slag off birds of prey. Just over a week ago I was sitting next to Sir Max Hastings at the Game Fair and got on surprisingly well with him but he’s gone down in my estimations, not that that should worry him too…
Save the BBC Wildlife Fund – and help it save wildlife
Have a look at this and see what you think. There were just over 300 signatures a few moments ago – let’s see how many we can sign up by the end of today as a start. As a former Environment Secretary Lord Patten should be sufficiently naturally cultured to know that this is a…
Mark Avery is working hard…
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Mark Avery is working hard for someone else right now – today’s blog will appear later in the day. Blogging for Nature is my book of blogs from my RSPB days. It contains 143 blogs out of over 700 which I wrote during my last two years as the RSPB’s Conservation Director. The last blog…
Big Society and forestry and farming
Forestry came up in the debate in which I participated at the Game Fair. Remember the Government was heading towards a consultation on its Big Society/Small Government plans to sell off or hive off some of the forest estate to communities and businesses when it scrapped the consultation and promised to think again, and along…
Red tape or sense?
Those at the Game Fair who were baying for the removal of government-imposed red tape may just pause for thought now that Eric Pickles’s Department aims to remove much of the red tape that protects the beauty of the countryside to allow development to proceed more easily and to put economic growth ahead of protecting…
Songbird Survival
I did say that the Game Fair might keep this blog going for ages! In one of his very amusing and entertaining, though not convincing, rants, Robin Page voiced the views that Songbird Survival was a very good organisation and that it was obvious that sparrowhawks and other predators were part of the reason for…
Bird Fair – gentle reminder
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Having enjoyed the Game Fair, and I really do, I can now look forward to the Bird Fair. I have just ordered a 3-day ticket and I’ll be looking forward to seeing lots of friends and colleagues over those three days, 19-21 August at Rutland Water. Will I see you there? And would you like…