Cuckoos?

I’ve heard a Cuckoo in Northants this year – but only one. And that was not at my local patch of Stanwick Lakes, despite many visits. I’ve checked my records, and this is exceptionally late for me NOT to have heard a Cuckoo at Stanwick Lakes. The Birdtrack records look as though arrivals have been…

The Messenger – good film

        On Saturday afternoon – one of the first warm days of the spring – I headed into London to watch a film in the Barbican. The Messenger is about the threats faced by songbirds – not just in the US and Canada but also in Europe and elsewhere. It’s a good…

Hen Harrier Day – coming to Rainham Marshes

I visited Rainham Marshes RSPB nature reserve recently for a chat about the Hen Harrier Day event which will take place there on SATURDAY 6 August starting at 11am. For new readers, Hen Harrier Day is a celebration of this marvellous bird to highlight the fact that its numbers are severely reduced by criminal activity…

M&S

Marks and Sparks – are you going to attempt to sell Red Grouse stuffed full of lead in your stores this year? Have you read this? Have you seen these blogs (here, here, here, here) about lead levels in Red Grouse sold to the public in Iceland stores last year? With the departure of Marc…

Oscar Dewhurst – Black-tailed Godwit

Oscar writes: This was taken on a very overcast day last month in Suffolk. I was watching this Black-tailed Godwit pulling worms out of the ground but it was in a very cluttered bit of the water so I couldn’t photograph it. Luckily for me it soon came out and started feeding in the open….