Tim writes: “To the gentleman in the velvet waistcoat” was apparently a popular Jacobite toast. It refers to the mole that raised the hill at Hampton Court upon which the horse of William III (William of Orange) stumbled which subsequently led to his death. He broke his collarbone but he became ill when complications arose,…
BLOG POSTS
Jane V. Adams – The Smells in Nature
Jane is a naturalist, photographer and nature writer living in Dorset. Her work has appeared in books, anthologies and blogs for charities such as The Wildlife Trusts and the International Bee Research Association. When she’s not exploring Dorset’s lanes and countryside she can be found lying on her stomach watching insects in her garden. Jane’s…
I’ll be on Today programme after 0840 this morning with the lovely Tim Bonner
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
The Wild Justice legal victory – what they say
The Wild Justice legal challenge has secured regulation of gamebird releases in a way never contemplated by the shooting industry. The Guardian: Pheasant and partridge classified as species that imperil UK wildlife. Wild Justice successfully argued that European protections obliged the authorities to regulate about 60 million non-native pheasants and partridges let loose into the…
Wild Justice gets DEFRA to regulate gamebird releases
DEFRA has announced that it will license gamebird releases on or near protected wildlife sites – see Wild Justice statement here.
Farming today interview
Depending on when you read this, I may be just about to be on Radio 4 Farming Today talking about the Wild Justice legal challenge of gamebird releases (if before 0545-0555) or you were sleeping happily through it. I’ll put the link in here later. Here is the link (last 5 minutes of programme). I…
Hen Harrier brood meddling returns to court in 2021
In January 2018 Natural England issued a licence for brood meddling (some called it brood management) of Hen Harriers. I challenged the legality of this straight away (and RSPB did soon after) and was given permission to seek judicial review of the decision (as were the RSPB). We went to court in December 2018 and…
Waitrose slipping on its lead-free promise
This blog has praised Waitrose for its stance on lead in game meat – see here and here very recently for examples. But some blog readers, obviously Waitrose customers, have suggested that the game meat on sale is not lead free. One, at least, has questioned Waitrose on this and received the reply below which…
BTO press release – Marsh Award for Ornithology goes to Dr Jennifer Smart
Dr Jennifer Smart of Norfolk has been awarded the prestigious Marsh Award for Ornithology by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) for her work in the conservation of breeding waders like lapwing, redshank and black-tailed godwits. As a group, waders are amongst the most endangered, suffering from a variety of issues that include habitat loss…