I did see a last Swift from the garden in September – on 3 September. September added three species to the year list but no garden-lifers. The three species are Great Spotted Woodpecker (two, together, flew high over the garden as though they were looking around rather than going anywhere in particular), a hooting Tawny…
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Own goals galore
Whoever it was in the Moorland Association who had the bright idea to issue a press release which alluded to the fact that two recently tagged Hen Harriers were missing in action in the most roundabout and misleading way was a fool. Whoever it was in the Moorland Association who issued this press release without…
Pinch, punch, first of the month
Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit.
Doing nature conservation abroad by Defra – some more
Britain is to have the toughest trophy-hunting laws in the world according to the Daily Telegraph and Defra minister Zac Goldsmith. What appears to be envisaged is a ban on the import into the UK of endangered animal parts, such as their heads. Sounds good – if you can’t bring them home to hang on…
Doing nature conservation abroad by Defra
This story in Sunday’s Telegraph coincides with the Conservative Party conference. It criticises two UK firms for providing holidays to Morocco to shoot Turtle Doves – a declining species in the UK and the rest of Europe. So threatened is the Turtle Dove these days that it is listed as globally vulnerable to extinction. Shooting…
Missing brood-meddled Hen Harriers
Despite the glossing over of the fact by the press release issued by the Moorland Association, with quotes from the Game and Wildlife ‘Conservation’ ‘Trust’, two tagged, brood-meddled Hen Harriers are missing. These two Hen Harriers are the subject of ongoing police investigations: So that’s something that wasn’t mentioned by the Moorland Association in their…
Press release – Moorland Association
Satellite data from an innovative scheme to help boost England’s Hen Harrier population has shed new light on the activities of the birds at the centre of the initiative. Five Hen Harriers which fledged this summer were fitted with satellite tags as part of a trial of a brood management scheme in which a brood…
Tim Melling – Gentoo Penguin
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Tim writes: this is a Gentoo Penguin photographed at Neko Harbour on the Antarctic peninsula. This far south the place is full of snow and ice, but penguins usually climb to bare ground at the top of hills to nest as most species will not nest on snow. The two main reasons for this seemingly…
#HS2NoThankYou
At least 200 of us, and scores of trees, gathered by Euston Station yesterday afternoon to protest the habitat destruction which may be caused by HS2 – if it goes ahead. But, actually, even if it doesn’t because habitat loss is going ahead while the whole project is under review. You can’t replace an ancient…
Tim Melling – white Southern Giant Petrel
Tim writes: this is the rare white morph of the Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus). I have tried and failed to find out how rare this white morph is, but I have only seen about 6 during two trips to Antarctica, whereas I have seen thousands of brown ones. Usually white morph birds have a…