The Daily Mail online have simply cut and pasted the Moorland Association’s news release – with all its errors and misrepresentations – see here. We are supposed to think that a dozen pairs of Hen Harriers on English grouse moors (some of which are not grouse moors) is a ‘high’ number whereas there should be…
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Saturday cartoons from Ralph Underhill
Two topical wildlife cartoons from Ralph this week; And the cover of the Scottish Gamekeeping Party’s manifesto would be:
Joke announcement from Moorland Association
The Moorland Association is trying to big up the Hen Harrier breeding season already – and it’s only late June! If you shouldn’t count your chickens before they’re hatched you certainly shouldn’t count your Hen Harriers before they are fledged (naturally, in the wild) and even then you shouldn’t count on them surviving. Here is…
It might be you, or me, but actually it’s Mairi.
I’ve been checking my garden, and the local patches of open space with grass, to see whether amongst all the Starlings and their noisy hungry young, there might be a Rose-coloured Starling (aka Rosy Pastor). And so it was with some envy that I received this photo of two Rose-coloured Starlings in my inbox from…
Scottish gamekeeping party?
Reports of a new political party, the Scottish Gamekeeping Party seem to be exaggerated. That’s a shame. I had been planning to join and had jotted down a few points for the manifesto; free pints and chasers in all pubs for those wearing ridiculous amounts of tweed health warnings on all farmed meat ‘WARNING: does…
Press release – UK now values nature more by National Trust
UK values nature more as a result of lockdown, according to summer solstice poll A third of adults are more interested in nature as a result of lockdown More than half say they plan to make a habit of spending time in nature ‘when things go back to normal’ Just over two thirds of adults…
Guest blog – Afterwards… by Louise Bacon
I used to be a biochemist studying human immune system malfunction whilst being a part-time naturalist and conservationist. Then I converted to being an environmental data geek, which is what I do part of the time in a vague attempt to pay the bills. I have been a birder since childhood, and am now the…
Political wildlife protection
People say that wildlife protection should not be a political matter – by which they usually mean a party political matter. But it is, and it should be. Let’s examine the protected status given to Mountain Hares in Scotland by the Scottish Parliament yesterday after a vote of MSPs. First, it was a great result!…
Press release – Langholm Initiative
First £1m secured for community’s dream of huge nature reserve The Scottish Land Fund has awarded the Langholm Initiative charity £1 million towards the purchase of 10,500 acres of Langholm Moor in the south of Scotland, which would see the local community creating a vast new nature reserve. The charity hopes to buy the wildlife-rich and culturally…
Press release – Scottish Rewilding Alliance
SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT VOTE A BLOW TO ENDING BEAVER DEATHS The Scottish Rewilding Alliance welcomes the attempt by Mark Ruskell MSP to amend the Animals & Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Bill to require the government ensure ‘favourable conservation status’ for Scotland’s beavers before issuing lethal control licences. The attempted amendment followed the announcement by…