Two weeks today, we will be going back into the courts to appeal the judgment of Hon Justice Lang on brood meddling of Hen Harriers. We, and the RSPB, will be seeking to overturn her judgment that brood meddling of this threatened bird was legal because it was just, for now, research. Win or lose,…
BLOG POSTS
Hen Harrier Day website up and running
Check out the newly-launched Hen Harrier Day website. There’ll be more coming over the next days and weeks, but it’s there and it’s useful. Many thanks to those who have put this resource together.
British Wildlife February 2020
This issue of British Wildlife is a cracker – but then, they all are. Miles King on ‘What Legacy for Gove?’ Stephen Harris ‘Stop Vilifying the Urban Fox’ Patrick Barkham ‘What next for HS2?’ Peter Marren ‘Will Natural England Survive?’ And many other good and regular features, but the thing to which I always turn…
GWCT on lead ammunition
The GWCT’s Andrew Gilruth writes about lead on the GWCT blog. First he reveals that only just over half (53%) of respondents to a GWCT survey agreed with moving away from lead shot. The reasons why people did and didn’t favour the move are interesting. Those not ready to move away from lead yet are…
A record February for this blog
February had an extra day this year, but even ignoring Saturday this February was a record for this blog with over 105,000 page views (107,799 including 29th) and close to 18,000 ‘users’ (17,834 including 29th). This is the first February to have exceeded 89,000 pageviews, let alone 99,000 pageviews of this blog. So I must…
Birdwatch – March 2020 – shocking cover
You can imagine how I felt seeing this cover of Birdwatch magazine – it’s a Linnet, and one of those very ugly males at that. Time to turn the pages quickly. Luckily, there are more attractive images inside the magazine. For one thing, there is a spread of ‘local heroes’. Maggie Wilcox was the worthy…
Labour leadership contest
I’ll be voting in this contest – any advice? Create your own user feedback survey I’ll probably vote next weekend.
Sunday book review – Our House is on Fire by Malena and Beata Ernman and Svante and Greta Thunberg
I feel privileged to have read this book a few days before it is released. You should read it too. I don’t normally do this, but here is the publisher’s account of the book; rather unusually it sums up the book accurately: This is the story of a family led to confront a crisis they…
Tim Melling – Forest Musk Deer
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Tim writes: Forest Musk Deer (Moschus berezovskii) is a highly elusive, little-photographed species of deer that is classified by IUCN as “Endangered”, mainly due to hunting for its musk glands, used in Chinese medicines and for perfumes. There appear to be very few (correctly identified) wild photographs of this species on the whole internet and…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
This is a recycled cartoon from last year, but then the issue has come round again this year. And the RSPB issued a press release on the subject as follows: Nests Not Nets The RSPB wants to see nests and not nets, and is appalled to see netting used once again to prevent birds nesting….