The Countryside Alliance is giving Chris Packham a little rest and is turning its nastiness towards Tony Juniper, Michael Gove’s proposed new Chair of the hapless Natural England (who will appear before the Efra committee on Tuesday). According to the Sunday Telegraph, campaigners representing ‘farming, countryside communities and businesses‘, (though only the Countryside Alliance is…
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Wicken on Friday evening
I paid a visit to Wicken Fen on Friday evening – it was such a lovely day I wanted to get out and away from a computer for a while. And with my NTS membership card it’s free to get in. Let’s cut to the punchline – we saw a male Hen Harrier twice. Twice,…
Tim Melling – Saker Falcon
Tim writes: the Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) is a very large falcon of plains and steppes across Eurasia, that feeds largely on small mammals. This is subspecies milvipes (which means kite-footed) which breeds across the steppes of Asia but winters further south, including China. I photographed this one above 3500m on the Tibetan Plateau where…
Guest blog series, A Break from Humanity (13) by Ian Carter.
Continued from last Saturday We saw plenty more wildlife during the rest of our stay but after those two days in the north of the island, the recce had served its purpose. I already knew I’d be coming back. I spent the rest of the time getting to know the place as thoroughly as I…
Scottish Wildlife Trust press release
Legal protection for Scotland’s beavers welcomed by conservation charities The two lead partners in the Scottish Beaver Trial – the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) – welcome the announcement made this morning (23 February) by the Scottish Government that legislation giving beavers legal protection will come into force later…
Licensed to kill
Yesterday’s Guardian story about the scale of licenses given out by Natural England for killing otherwise protected birds builds on the earlier revelations in the blog of Jason Endfield. The number of birds, eggs and nests involved (170,000) does look eye-wateringly large and the public reaction has been similarly large. My view, as expressed here…
Saturday cartoon – Ralph Underhill
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Independent or simply refugees?
At the time of writing, 11 MPs have joined the Independent Group: eight from Labour and three from the Conservatives. They haven’t yet formed a political party but they are a fascinating grouping who have little in common except starting off as Remainers. But have you noticed that there are seven women and just four…
Slow progress with EDM #1963
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Caroline Lucas’s Early Day Motion to ban the use of lead ammunition is making leaden progress (see Caroline’s guest blog here) There are now 22 MPs signed up including one former Labour MP now a member of the Independent Group (Mike Gapes) and the latest addition is the SNP’s Deidre Brock.
RSPB press release
Warm Saharan breeze brings swallows and martins home weeks early Travelling ahead of the ‘Saharan plume’ many birds usually seen in spring are starting to arrive back in the UK after spending a warm winter in Africa. The RSPB is already receiving reports of swallows and house martins being spotted in Cornwall, Devon and…