So, no ministerial changes in Defra (and no pulse quickening ministerial changes at all in the Conservative reset). It’s a pity that Therese Coffey keeps her job but we must all look forward to the government response to the invisible Jane Griggs’s e-petition in favour of grouse shooting with its claim that birds of prey…
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Quite interesting – but not very meaningful
This article by the Countryside Alliance is quite interesting but not very convincing. The CA says that it believes that the most pressing issue for shooting is to self-regulate. I think that we can take that to mean that they are scared of anyone else regulating them – and so they should be because…
Wild food (25) – Red Deer by Ian Carter
It’s taking a bit of liberty including this image under the wild food banner, but the Red Deer certainly qualifies as a species that can be eaten. Indeed, some would argue that along with other wild deer it is one of the most sustainable forms of meat available here in Britain, albeit one that is…
Yesterday
Yesterday: 1. I went for a walk: gosh it was cold! I went somewhere where a drake Smew had recently been seen, and the weather seemed perfect for a snow-white duck from the far north, but I didn’t see one. I did see a pair of Goosander and lots of other ducks but I actually…
Update – we are 10,905 ahead
Here is an update on three e-petitions about grouse shooting: Gavin Gamble’s e-petition in favour of banning driven grouse shooting – c25,200 signatures Jane Griggs’s e-petition supporting grouse shooting – c14,300 signatures Ed Hutchings’s e-petition in favour of licensing grouse shooting – c1,900 signatures The last week has seen the ‘Gamble-ban’ e-petition pass 25,000 signatures,…
Shuffling
There may be a reshuffle today. Theresa May has a poor hand and it seems to be rather rich in jokers. What will she do? Let’s hope that Michael Gove stays in place so that he has to take things forward in this unfrozen moment. Many of the changes will be in the junior minister…
Oscar Dewhurst – Canada Goose
Oscar writes: this was taken earlier in the summer in Richmond Park, when there was a thick layer of mist over the pen ponds. There hadn’t been much deer activity, so I had a look on the ponds for any birds I could photograph before the mist burnt off, and luckily the flock of Canada…
Wild food (24) – Wood Sorrel by Ian Carter
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This small, delicate plant is easy to overlook with its diminutive stature and uniform pale-green colour, but once you start looking out for it you will start to notice it everywhere. The trifoliate, heart-shaped leaves can be found throughout the year in a wide range of habitats, though it is less common (and less palatable…
Tim Melling – A Butterfly Mystery
Tim writes: Clouded Yellows (Colias crocea) have a small proportion of females that have a white ground colour instead of yellow, and this form is known as helice. This is one such female but there is a problem, as this isn’t a Clouded Yellow. This is an African Clouded Yellow (Colias electo) photographed in Ethiopia…
An Unreliable History of Birdwatching (40) by Paul Thomas
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