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Sunday book review – Winston’s Journey by Jane Murphy and Lorraine Berkshire-Roe

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When I was at Wheldrake Ings on Thursday I was given a copy of this book. Wheldrake Ings is one of the important staging posts for Whimbrels on spring migration. In late April and May, thousands of Whimbrel call in, feed up and prepare for the onward journey to their main breeding grounds in Iceland….

No whaling at all in Iceland this year

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According to the usually reliable Reykjavik Grapevine, there will be no whaling at all in Iceland this year – the first time since 2003. Earlier this month it was reported that Fin whaling would not go ahead and now Minke whaling is off the menu too.

Tim Melling – Hourglass Dolphins

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Tim writes: here are two Hourglass Dolphins belting through the water alongside our ship.  You cannot quite see the wavy, white hourglass flank marking that gives rise to the name on these individuals.  They are only found in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters, usually in deep water.  We saw several groups coming to bow-ride our ship…

The Tory leadership contest – readers’ views

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Last Saturday I asked readers of this blog two questions: whether you had ever voted Conservative (I’m taking ‘yes’ to mean ‘actual or potential Conservative voter’ and ‘no’ to mean ‘much less likely to be a future Conservative voter’) and I asked whether you preferred Jeremy Hunt or Boris Johnson. And I asked you why?…

Guest blog – Farmland Tax Breaks Revealed by Miles King

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Miles King is Chief Executive of People Need Nature a charity working to highlight the sensory, emotional and spiritual values of nature. He has worked in nature conservation for 30 years, leading the conservation work at Plantlife, The Grasslands Trust and Buglife. He has also worked for English Nature, Natural England and as a consultant….

Yesterday

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Yesterday I drove up to Wheldrake Ings to have a chat with the Countryfile crew (above, Charlotte Smith on right) about Wild Justice. I was listening to The Jam’s ‘News of the World’ just before I stopped at the Ferrybridge Services and saw this news of a Hen Harrier that died with its leg in…

A bit misty

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I carried out the ‘late’ visit to one of my two Breeding Bird Survey squares earlier this week – on a rather misty Monday morning. But it’s a good job I did because the next morning it was tipping down with rain and the next two mornings I was either heading to London (for a…

Readers’ summer survey

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I do this now and again, and this survey of your views is based on a previous one which I published in 2016 so it will be interesting to see how your views on Brexit, rewilding, climate change, grouse shooting, badger culls and more have changed. The survey also asks you for your gender and…