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Tim writes: there does not seem to be a collective noun for Swifts other than the prosaic “flock”, and the implausible “scream”.  It seems surprising that so many birds have special collective nouns yet the highly gregarious Swift has none.  That’s probably because such terms were used by hunters (or collectors) and nobody in their…

Last year DEFRA carried out a consultation on general licences in England – this was forced by the successful Wild Justice legal challenge of the Natural England general licences. Over 4,000 responses were received , which is quite a lot, but not so many as to justify such a long wait for any decisions from…

In response to the e-action organised by Wild Justice, Hen Harrier Action and the RSPB, voters in England are beginning to receive, via their MPs, responses from DEFRA. Having given DEFRA the opportunity to impress us all with their grasp of the subject and their fast pace of policy action these responses are very similar…

It’s difficult to imagine why this land in Nidderdale might be closed on these days during the grouse shooting season – but the closure does not affect the rights of way. A land owner can restrict public access for 28 days/year without having to give any reason – this seems perfectly fair to me. There…