Pallid Harriers bred in the Czech Republic for the first time this year – raising three young. This doesn’t sound as close to the UK as the Netherlands (bred in 2017 and 2019) or Spain (bred 2019) but the number of outlier breeding records grows all the time. I assume there is no breeding pair…
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George Eustice speech
And transcript here. I didn’t mention it yesterday but when a Cornish farmer throws an ornithological fact into a speech it is often like former Prime Ministers claiming that they are keen supporters of football teams – unconvincing. Yesterday we had the Kentish Plover ‘fact’ from George Eustice in an attempt to get down with…
Licence 19020225, and its 1,156 friends
A little while ago Bob Berzins wrote two guest blogs here Natural England licences; a cover up? Part 1 and Natural England licences; a cover up? Part 2. My precis of these two blogs is as follows: Blog 1: The General Licences for the purpose of nature conservation were withdrawn by Natural England in an…
Dear Andy
Email to Andy Clements, CEO BTO Dear Andy Interesting news about your successor – Juliet will find you a difficult act to follow. And congratulations on your extended term as a Natural England Board member. This email is relevant to both your BTO role and your NE role but it is directed at you solely…
NE, you didn’t
From Natural England, 23 June Dear Dr Avery, Access to information request – Acknowledgement – Request No RFI 5105 Thank you for your request for the information detailed in your email below, which we received on 18 June 2020. We are dealing with your request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Your request is being…
Mr Eustice of DEFRA, not useless at all
I’ve just listened to George Eustice, the Secretary of State for DEFRA, giving an environmental speech and answering a few questions from green NGOs. Mr Eustice is a farmer, a devoted (rather than an opportunist) Brexiteer and a Tory but he is quite an impressive act (which I’ve said before). This may partly come from…
Press release – Ban Bloodsports on Yorkshire’s Moors
Police probe goshawk-killing on Queen’s grouse moor A protected goshawk has been illegally killed on one of North Yorkshire’s most iconic grouse shooting moors owned by Her Majesty The Queen. North Yorkshire Police launched an investigation into the Duchy of Lancaster’s Goathland Estate, nestled in the heart of the North York Moors, after being handed…
Press release – RSPB response to George Eustice ‘environmental’ speech
In response to the Environment Secretary George Eustice’s Speech – Nature to be at centre of green recovery – the RSPB’s CEO, Beccy Speight said: “The pandemic, caused by a zoonotic disease, has caused the biggest shock to our way of life since the second world war. Yet the government has to date failed to…
Paul Leyland – Marbled White
Paul writes: For the past four months I’ve been looking at insects in and around my garden and reporting what I’ve found. I’ve decided I can now spread my wings a bit so I don’t miss out too much on what is happening elsewhere. One of my favourite wildlife sights in Yorkshire, at this time…
Tim Melling – Blyth’s Reed Warbler
Tim writes: I know it’s not the prettiest of birds but this might be the start of a colonisation of Britain by Blyth’s Reed Warbler. It was once considered to be an extreme rarity in Britain, only really identifiable in the hand by measurement of its short wing. It was first recorded on Fair Isle…