Sunday book review – Into the Tangled Bank by Lev Parikian

This is as much an exploration of how we, people, interact or not with nature as it is about nature. The author talks to people and observes them as he watches nature and visits places associated with former greats such as Peter Scott, Gilbert White, John Clare, Etta Lemon, Thomas Bewick and the tangled bank…

Tim Melling – Cirl Bunting

Tim writes: Cirl Buntings are one of Britain’s most localised breeding species.  In the 1930s it bred on farmland in North Wales  and much of the south Midlands of England.  But in the second half of the twentieth century the population started to collapse.  Even at the time of the first Breeding Atlas (1968-72) they…

Something for a rainy weekend

Many of you were very enthusiastic about the idea of a GCSE in Natural History – and some were less enthusiastic. Whichever you are, then you have the opportunity to add your views to the consultation, and it looks like rain this weekend so maybe now is a good time (although you have until 19…

Garden birds

The Blue Tits fledged from the nestbox in our garden last week – I miss watching the adults them rushing in and out. It was partly watching the adults take feathers into the nest that made me think about feathers (see here and here). For a few days I could occasionally see the face of…