About a month ago a group of independent experts , under the leadership of Chris Packham, published a People’s Manifesto for Wildlife. Many of us have written to our MPs asking thenm for their views (not for a party politrical broadcast in favour of the current government) and those responses are slowly coming home to…
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Hedgehog highways motor on!
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Hugh Warwick’s e-petition in favour of Hedgehog Highways is approaching a third of a million signatures! Fantastic work! Fantastic support! I regret that it isn’t on the Westminster parliament website because if it reached anything like that number there (which it might not for a variety of reasons) then it would have even more clout….
An opportunity
That nice Michael Gove wants to know what you think about National Parks in England (I think in England – I’ve only had a quick look). The consultation looks easy enouh to complete and we have ages to do so – two months. I’ll be coming back to this with some thoughts on how to…
More fall-out from RSPB AGM
Martin Harper’s blog carries a rapid account of the AGM but it has attracted more comments than usual. In Martin’s answers to comments he confirms that the RSPB is moving towards there being 200-300 fewer staff in three years’ time than now. This was not a figure that was revealed to the membership at the…
Monster Mice Gobble Gough Seabird Species
RSPB Press Release Tristan’s Albatross chick. Photo: J. Cleeland Albatross-eating mice responsible for two million fewer seabird chicks on UK island each year Introduced house mice on the UK Overseas Territory of Gough Island in the South Atlantic are killing seabirds at greater levels than feared resulting in at least two million fewer seabird chicks…
A snippet for now
I feel I’ve been slightly neglecting this blog for a couple of weeks for I was first travelling (and I have things to tell you about that) and then much of last week was taken up with working on our judicial review. Actually, there is nothing to feel guilty about there is there? Today is,…
Paul Leyland – Oil Beetle
Oil Beetles, also known as Blister Beetles, are named after their defence mechanism, which is a bright orange caustic substance that the creature secretes from its joints. This is highly irritable and can cause blisters on human skin. It is required to deter predators, as the beetle is flightless and slow moving. They are quite…
RSPB AGM
If this were a rating on TripAdvisor or similar then this year’s RSPB AGM would score quite highly. It was a bit less slick than usual – whoever was working the images didn’t quite get them right all the time for example. But it was still an inspirational event – and the AGM itself is…
Today in London
Today was a good day. Yellow-browed warbler. Photo: Tim Melling I saw, but mostly heard, a Yellow-browed Warbler in London – one was calling loudly and often in the gardens at the back of the Athenaeum, Travellers and Reform Clubs and across the road from the Royal Society. It took me a while to work…
Tim Melling – Turtle Dove
Tim writes: the name has nothing to do with marine reptiles but is onomatopoeic, imitating the bird’s tuneful purring call. The call is the way most birds are located as they often remain hidden among foliage in the tall hedgerows in which they often nest. They are generally associated with arable farmland as they feed…