I’m delighted that the RSPB and Natural England have been able to announce that booming bitterns have passed the 100 mark – and reached 104 booming males in fact. Given that in 1997 (incidentally, the year before I became the RSPB’s Conservation Director) there were only 11 booming males this is a remarkable and very welcome recovery. And let’s…
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CFE and NFU
Last week’s Farmers Guardian had a couple of short pieces on the Campaign for the Farmed Environment, answering the question ‘Is it working?’. I was asked to write the piece saying ‘No’ and this is what I wrote: “The CFE is a Big Society approach – ironically one set by the last Labour Government. Would…
Last day to vote…
…for your favourite wildlife friendly farmer. Rob Law – see what Jordan’s Cereals say about him here Robert Kynaston – see what Open Farm Sunday says about this LEAF farmer here Somerset and Carolyne Charrington – see what Wild Scotland says about them here David White – see what the Countryside Alliance says about him…
Gone and forgotten?
‘Farmland birds in Europe fall to lowest levels‘ is a terribly sad headline. And we should be raging that things have got so bad. The grey (or ‘English’) partridge is in free-fall right across Europe with a decline of two thirds in numbers since 1990, and of 82% since 1980 according to the European Bird…
Mine host
You will have been warned about meeting people over the internet so it was a bit odd that I headed north to Scotland last week to meet someone I had usually argued with on my blog and various other ethereal places. As I pulled up outside a house in Fife the barking of labradors made…