A tale of two birds

In the latest volume of Bird Study there are papers reporting on two UK national surveys of waders: Woodcock and Dotterel. You could hardly pick two more different species, with Woodcock being largely nocturnal and living in wooded areas, and Dotterels living on the peaks of the highest mountains in Scotland (mostly). But the messages…

NEWS: Labour shadow minister comes out in favour of a lead ban

In a significant move  on the political scene the Labour shadow minister for the natural environment, Alex Cunningham, has come out in favour of a ban of lead ammunition in this blog in the Huffington Post. ‘the time has come to embrace the growing body of evidence and for all lead shot and bullets to…

Too little, too late

The RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts have just woken up to the fact that this government isn’t doing much for the environment – and doesn’t intend to – and that it is the job of NGOs to put pressure on decision makers to do the right thing.  The best time to put on the pressure…

Wildlife NGO doping scandal

WADA has been called in to investigate claims that the UK’s wildlife NGOs have been nobbled by dopers. Sir Vague Ready, President of WADA, said ‘The rumours have been out there for ages and it’s time to investigate. Clearly there are no performance enhancing drugs involved – not a single personal best has been set…

Thunderclap #justiceforannie close to 5,000,000 social reach

There are still nearly three weeks until the end of November – and at the end of November a message will go out to almost five million people on social media (Twitter, Facebook and tumblr) asking them to support the e-petition to get a debate in parliament over driven grouse shooting. If you have a…

Cambridge

The Corner Laughers were on top form last night in the Portland Arms in Cambridge. A very good crowd filled the venue and a good time was had by all. Thank you to the Cambridge Conservation Forum for organising everything. And to half of the Cambridge Corncrakes for performing too!    

Putting the abolition of driven grouse shooting on the map

The e-petition website is getting rather flashy these days. Our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting is doing fine, ticking along, and now you can look at a map of where the signatures come from. Just look for the link under the current signature total and click, and you’ll see a map very like the…

Fob me, fob me

Philip Hammond says that the British people will not be fobbed off with minor changes to the EU. Well, he didn’t ask me and I’m completely ready to be fobbed off – fob me, fob me! Give me the EU over the Tory party any time, please. And David Cameron wants me to be fobbed…

Guest blog – Mystery of the slugs by Brin Best

Brin Best is an award-winning author who writes from his home in the Yorkshire Dales. He has written over 20 books, many best-sellers in their field, including several titles about biodiversity and natural history. Brin has also been the trustee of three environmental charities, and served as a Council member of the RSPB for four…