Hen Harrier Day 2020

Hen Harrier Days celebrate a fantastic bird and highlight the illegal persecution that it faces. They are a family occasion, a show of solidarity with nature and a call to action. The Hen Harrier is a rare native bird and it would be much commoner if we could end wildlife crime. Yet public awareness remains…

Tim Melling – Pine Bunting

Tim writes: Pine Bunting (Emberiza leucocephalus) is the eastern counterpart of the European Yellowhammer, even though the males are extremely dissimilar.  But their songs and calls sound the same, and the females look similar, except Pine Buntings lack any yellow, especially in the flight feathers.  But to complicate matters the two species interbreed where they…

A mixed portfolio

Yes, practical steps are great but political ones are the kind that actually make a difference. That was a quote from a few days ago and from a very thoughtful comment on this blog by Stuart MacKay. The comment was thoughtful but I think this phrase was … well … wrong actually. But it does…

Guys, guys.

I have to admit that I smiled when I saw Dave Goulson’s tweet as the same words had been ringing round this house for the same reasons. We should soon expect Ian Boyd to be campaigning against the Badger cull, in favour of fixing grouse shooting and criticising the use of insect-killing pesticides I guess….

Guest blog – Woodland Musing 2 by Louise Bacon

Tree planting has been higher in my thoughts than usual recently, with all the GB political parties providing numbers of trees they intend to plant. As a volunteer in practical conservation land management for wildlife trusts etc., I have noticed that, without interference, trees are pretty good at growing themselves.  Whether I have been cutting…