Bill Oddie, comedian and birder says: ‘Driven Grouse!? You mean they have chauffeurs? If only. They are being driven to their deaths. Blasted by the guns of those who might well have chauffeurs!. The very definition of a Cruel Sport. It should be banned.‘ To join Bill Oddie, please sign Gavin Gamble’s e-petition which calls…
BLOG POSTS
The last 8 days for Gavin Gamble’s e-petition
Many congratulatons to Gavin Gamble, whatever happens in the next eight days; your e-petition has topped 40,000 signatures, and passed 41,000, and that makes it a highly-supported, highly-popular and highly-successful one. Well done! Gavin’s e-petition added 3,000 signatures in the last week. In contrast, the Jane Griggs ‘support’ grouse shooting e-petition has almost ground to…
Paul Leyland – Dark-edged Bee Fly
Paul writes: This is an early spring fly, which I’m hoping to see in the next week or so, however the recent cold weather may put things back a week or more. This one I found last year, on 30 March, at Burton Riggs Nature Reserve, near Scarborough. The Dark-edged Bee-fly (Bombylius major) occurs throughout…
Keith, Steven, Colin and Mike – phone some friends!
When readers guessed at how many signatures Gavin Gamble’s e-petition would get, the carefully crafted estimates were as follows: Well, with eight and a half days to go, Louise, Nick and Philip have already lost out and Simon would need a massive slowdown to stand any chance! And that might happen as we are heading…
Sunday book review – Chasing the Ghost by Peter Marren
I’m no botanist (have I said that before recently? – yes) but this book, had it existed decades ago, might well have won me over. Peter Marren writes with such knowledge and affection for plants, and in such a modest and winning manner that few could help wanting to be a plant spotter in this…
Tim Melling – Siberian Meadow Bunting
Comments Off on Tim Melling – Siberian Meadow Bunting
Tim writes: Well I normally like to isolate my photographic subjects but this perch wasn’t quite what I had in mind for my first Siberian Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides), which is usually now known simply as Meadow Bunting. I have long been fascinated by this species which was illustrated in Thorburn’s Birds as it…
Do you say ‘Ban driven grouse shooting’?
Over the past week I have featured quotes from a couple of dozen people who have made their feelings clear that they want to see driven grouse shooting banned. Here are the links to what they said: Mark Cocker, Alan Davies, Jeremy Deller, Jon Dunn, Dominic Dyer, Brian Egan, Peter Egan, Harry Huyton, Ceri Levy, Gill…
An Unreliable History of Birdwatching (50) by Paul Thomas
Comments Off on An Unreliable History of Birdwatching (50) by Paul Thomas
Cartoonist Paul Thomas says: ‘I’m against driven grouse shoots because of the grotesque cruelty that is being dished out in the name of ‘sport’. Anyone defending it is talking out of their butts.’ To join Paul Thomas, please sign Gavin Gamble’s e-petition which calls for a ban on driven grouse shooting.
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
Comments Off on Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
Mark writes: Hen Harriers too, can’t speak out, can’t hire lawyers, can’t vote – that why we have to do it for them. They also can’t sign this e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting but you can on their behalf.
April Birdwatch – wildlife crime special
Comments Off on April Birdwatch – wildlife crime special
April Birdwatch, in shops now, is a wildlife crime special with a guest editorial from Chris Packham, an article on wilful blindness by Ruth Tingay, an account of bird killing in the Lebanon by the Committee Against Bird Slaughter and an article on the work of Birders Against Wildlife Crime by Rob Sheldon. My monthly…