It’s a small thing, and once I’ve told you about it, I will move on. Probably. I keep hearing people saying that 41% of UK species have declined in abundance since 1970. And they have (probably, at least of the species we know about)! No (major) quibbles there. But is this bad? If the world…
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Guest blog – Ghost Orchids by Paul Sterry
The last time I saw a Ghost Orchid Epipogium aphyllum in Britain was in 1986, at a site in the Home Counties. I think this was the final time the species was seen ‘officially’ in the 20th Century and it was deemed to be extinct until the discovery of a specimen a decade or so…
Tony Juniper on grouse shooting
I didn’t attend this evening event at the Bird Fair, and hadn’t realised that it had been recorded, so I was surprised to hear quite how ‘establishment’ Tony Juniper sounded on this subject.
The BBC’s carbon footprint
I’m addicted to the Today programme and a big fan of Martha Kearney but I do wonder why she is broadcasting from Antarctica at the moment. There may be lots of reasons why Martha is in Antarctica, perhaps she is doing a whole series of filming and broadcasting assignments, but I do wonder whether the…
Seven Worlds, One Planet (5)
Europe – where I live. Although my own sightings of Olms, Musk Ox and European Hamster add up to a big zero. There was great footage of Wolves hunting at night in Italy where they were chasing deer through the scattered dwellings on the edge of a town in Abruzzo. I wonder how long ago…
Election watch (10) – make this the climate change election
Now we have seen the Labour, LibDem, Brexit, Green and Conservative manifestos we can compare the futures they offer. If this is the Brexit election then you probably know where the different parties stand on that issue. If you want a poor Leave deal then vote Conservative. If you want an even worse Leave deal…
Tim Melling – Grizzly Bear
Tim writes: I managed to catch this female Grizzly Bear with a little gentle sunlight on her head and shoulders. Sunlight is in short supply in the deep valleys of British Columbia as it takes ages for the sun to rise above the mountains. Add to that the fact that Grizzly Bears are most active…
Election watch (9) – the Conservative manifesto
Here are my first thoughts on the Conservative Party manifesto – it’s a large document but fairly easy to read. What follows is a series of quotes from the manifesto (in order and with a reference to the section in which they appear) and then I make some remarks about it at the foot of…
Sunday book review – Sky Dance by John D. Burns
This novel is set on the fictional Scottish island of Morvan and set amongst the hill walkers and shooting estate folk who enjoy this landscape. It’s a good yarn and I enjoyed reading it. When I tell you that the land owner is called Lord Purdey and he has a couple of unsympathetic criminal gamekeepers,…
Tim Melling – Blue-winged Teal
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Tim writes: I’ve long wanted to photograph a Blue-winged Teal in flight showing its trademark blue wings. But you can see that the speculum (the shiny panel at the back of a duck’s wing) is green. Ironically it is the green speculum that gives rise to the name in Green-winged Teal, yet both species share…