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…
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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…
Sunday book review – Tarka Revisited by Ian Parsons
The book, Tarka the Otter, will be 100 years of age next year. This book is the tale of Otters, and waterways in the part of Devon where Tarka was set, and written. This is, in my opinion, Ian Parsons’s best book to date. Ian’s Introduction is very good. He set the scene really well…
Sunday book review – The Devil’s Garden by Peter Marren
I’m a fan of Peter Marren’s writing because he knows so much about so many things and can tell a tale so well. He seems to have an almost endless knowledge into which he can dip and he has a knack of presenting that knowledge in an accessible and interesting way. As you read his…
Scotland’s iconic seabird sanctuaries saved for future generations
Scotland’s iconic seabird sanctuaries saved for future generations National Heritage Memorial Fund supports RSPB to acquire Bass Rock and Craigleith islands in the Firth of Forth, safeguarding iconic seabird sanctuaries RSPB and Scottish Seabird Centre plan bright future for conservation and public access backed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund As birdwatching rises 1088% among…
Sunday book review – The Return of the Oystercatcher by Scott Weidensaul
Scott Weidensaul visits successful conservation projects in order to celebrate achievements and to try to dispel feelings of gloom about the natural world. I enjoyed reading about these dozen successes, some of which were, for me, close to home (bird of prey recovery in the UK and rewilding at Knepp Castle in Sussex) whereas…
Guest blog – Walshaw Turbines: Stanbury Bog Expressway 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…