Another week and Jane Griggs’s and Ed Hutchings’s e-petitions about grouse shooting limp along. At least the ‘license’ e-petition has now, finally (or maybe not finally) passed the ‘pro’ e-petition. Hooray for that! However, RSPB magazines have been falling through people’s letterboxes for several days now (though mine has not yet arrived) and the spurt…
BLOG POSTS
#justice4henharriers
Today is the day when we submit our application for judicial review of NE’s foolish licensing of brood meddling. Our legal team has been working hard and I’ve been working quite hard too – sending them information, drafting witness statements, commenting on the legal matters and answering searching questions. There will no doubt be a…
Paul Leyland – Tree Bumblebee
Paul writes: The Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) is possibly the easiest British bumblebee to identify. It is the only bumblebee with a combination of ginger thorax, black abdomen and white tail. Queens, workers and males all have the same colour combination so it stands out at any time during the season. This bumblebee is a…
Sunday book review – The Ascent of Birds by John Reilly
This is a book for the intelligent and inquisitive birder – which may limit its reach somewhat – but also for students of evolutionary biology and all those who have wondered at how we have ended up, in any part of the world, with the mix of species we see today. It is a…
Tim Melling – Collared Crow
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Tim writes: the Collared Crow used to be common over large areas of lowland, rural China, just creeping into Vietnam. But its numbers have tumbled over the past 15 years and is now only found commonly in a few areas in its former range. Places that used to support hundreds of birds are now…
An Unreliable History of Birdwatching (53) by Paul Thomas
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Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
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Flowers we can pick (1) – Dandelion
Plantlife says that, provided we don’t go over the top, we can pick some of our commonest and prettiest flowers. That’s quite brave of them! I’ll cover one of the ‘Pickable 12’ each week at relevant times through the spring and summer. Let’s start with the Dandelion – and you can come pick them in…
Plantlife’s Code of Conduct for picking wild flowers
Plantlife, the charity which looks out for wild flowers, says it’s OK to pick a few common, widespread and pretty flowers. Here are eight things to remember when picking any of the 12 wild flowers on the Plantlife list. Make sure you’re not trespassing on any private land. Never pick flowers from nature reserves or…
Plantlife’s 12 pickable flowers
Plantlife, the charity which speaks up for the nation’s plants, says that it’s OK to pick these 12 common flowers (provided you don’t go beserk in the woods and fields of the UK). Can you match the names to the pictures? If not, you’d better do some research before you pick anything!