Guest Blog – What life is this? by Colin Rees

Colin Rees is a life-long birder/natural scientist and has devoted his entire career to conservation. He was Head of the Environment Unit of the Asian Development Bank (in Manila) and founding member and President of the Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, the largest NGO in the Philippines. In 1988, he joined the…

Who’d have thought it?

I keep an eye on what rare birds are present in Northants although I rarely do anything about them! Two or three weeks ago, on a Sunday, there was a pair of Black-winged Stilts at the local Summer Leys nature reserve only a few minutes away from my home.  I didn’t rush off to look…

Making Hay and a Shared Planet

I enjoyed travelling over to Hay-on-Wye a few weeks ago to be a panellist on the Shared Planet programme that will be broadcast today at 1100 and next Monday (23 June at 9pm). I’d never been to the Hay Festival, and I’d often wondered what it was like. I haven’t been to Hay-on-Wye for about…

Hen Harrier Day in the Peak District

I can report some progress on arranging our Hen Harrier Day rally in the Peak District on 10 August. I was checking out some localities the week before last, I have had helpful discussions with the Peak District National Park, the National Trust, the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, the Sheffield Wildlife Trust, the RSPB and Severn…

What’s up at Natural England?

This blog has learned that the new Chair of Natural England, Andrew Sells, has been taking a strong line on the consultation over the General Licence. He doesn’t seem terribly keen on the consultation at all – or is it the views of the public in response to the consultation that he dislikes?  Or is…