Passenger Pigeon Day

‘On 1 September 1914, between midday and 1 pm, in the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio, a pigeon breathed her last, and with her died her species. The pigeon was known as Martha, and the species was the Passenger Pigeon. Amongst all extinctions, this example remains unusual in two respects: the precision with which…

Guy Shorrock – Musk Ox

A seemingly peaceful scene of musk ox in the mountains of Dovre National Park, Norway, though an animal that commands respect and a safe distance.  They were introduced from Greenland to Norway within the last 100 years and I’ve seen these huge shaggy beasts on several occasion.  However, this is not about musk ox, but…

12 hours of e-action remain

I’m guessing that either you have already signed the joint Wild Justice, Hen Harrier Action, RSPB e-action or you don’t want to. But just in case you are in the ‘I must get round to doing that soon’ category then you have until midnight tonight to take action. It’s very simple, you click on this…

Tim Melling – Spotted Flycatcher

Tim writes: have you ever thought what a daft name Spotted Flycatcher is?  Even its scientific name Muscicapa striata means striped flycatcher.  Well at least this one lives up to its name and has a few pale spots at the back of its head, which they don’t have for long.  This is a recently fledged…

Tim Melling – Lammergeier

Tim writes: some years ago I served on the British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (BOURC) which assesses and maintains the official list of British birds.  Category A of the British List is for any truly wild bird that arrived in Britain naturally.   An immature Lammergeier ranged widely in Devon during May 2016 but this has…