I wish this book had been available through 2025 when I was carrying out a year-long bioblitz of my garden. The Diptera is a very species-rich taxon, perhaps even richer than Coleoptera in world terms, and there are over 7000 UK species. I found them difficult to catch, difficult to photograph and then difficult to…
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Bass Rock and Grassholm Gannet colonies may not recover from bird flu until 2041
Two of the world’s largest Gannet colonies may not recover from the impact of bird flu until 2041, study finds Northern Gannet colonies on the islands of Bass Rock in Scotland and Grassholm in Wales may take almost two decades to recover from the impact of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird…
Guest blog – Boundary Mill and A59/A56 magic roundabouts of CEP (240 MW) by Nick MacKinnon
Nick MacKinnon is a freelance teacher of Maths, English and Medieval History, and lives above Haworth, in the last inhabited house before Top Withens = Wuthering Heights. In 1992 he founded the successful Campaign to Save Radio 4 Long Wave while in plaster following a rock-climbing accident on Skye. His poem ‘The metric system’ won…
Sunday book review – Wolf Land by Elizabeth Marshall
I guess I read and review a new book about wolves every year which is quite interesting in itself since there aren’t any wolves in the UK. But we are fascinated by wolves as a species and we tend to love them or hate them. Some hanker after restoring the Grey Wolf to the…
Sunday book review – A Galloway Year by Ian Carter and Karen Menarry
One of the best things about Galloway is that it is off the beaten track and that few people go there – they all head further north or further south – but this is such a welcoming book, with gorgeous illustrations of landscapes and inviting tales of interesting walks with wildlife, beaches, good scenery and…
Sunday book review – Marine Crustaceans of Britain and Ireland by Lin Baldock, Charlotte Bolton and Iain M. T. Dixon
How many marine crustaceans are there around our coasts? Can you guess? No? Well maybe this book isn’t for you unless you are on the cusp of becoming a Pan Species Lister (see here). There are about 2,600 marine crustaceans out of a UK species total of about 3,800 crustacean species. Most of these marine…
RSPB statement re Climate Change Committee’s annual report on the UK’s progress in cutting emissions
RSPB statement re Climate Change Committee’s annual report on the UK’s progress in cutting emissions Katie-jo Luxton, the RSPB’s director of conservation, said: “Nature is our greatest ally in tackling climate change and this week’s extreme heat is yet another reminder of why we need to go further and faster. From renewable energy in the right places helping to reduce…
Swift Awareness Week starts 27 June
Swifts return in time for a week of awareness and celebration! Just in time for UK Swift Awareness Week 2026 (starts 27th June), Swifts have returned in numbers to their colonies, and started their amazing screaming parties again following the cold wet spell, much to the joy of the many Swift watchers throughout the UK. More than 150 local…
End of an era for Robin Hood’s world-famous tree – but its legacy lives on
End of an era for Robin Hood’s world-famous tree – but its legacy lives on Scientific evidence leads experts to believe the Major Oak has died after first spring with no leaves It is one of the UK’s best loved trees, said to have sheltered Robin Hood The iconic tree has watched over the forest for a millennium, and will continue to stand at Sherwood Forest to support wildlife and connect people…
Sunday book review – The Book of Birds by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
I enjoyed much of this book, especially the writing, and I dare say it will be greatly appreciated by many, but I found that it was rather undermined by some structural issues and some choices that seem to have been made about its scope and reach. It may be that this is an example of…