It comes to something when four species of birds I have seen this year in the UK are added to the list of globally threatened bird species. The IUCN Red List is updated periodically, after much sucking of teeth and poring over the data (some of which are a bit ropy) and Birdlife International are…
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Oscar Dewhurst – another Red Deer
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Oscar writes: Another one from Richmond Park a couple of weeks ago. On this morning there wasn’t really any mist, but the temperature was cool enough for this stag’s breath to be condensing, looking yellow as the sun shone through it. Nikon D800, Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR lens
Northampton NHS (and then Northern Ireland)
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I’m looking forward to talking about Passenger Pigeons on Friday evening to the Northamptonshire Natural History Society. I’ll have a pile of books to offer for sale at this event – it’s ‘nearly’ Christmas (near enough to start buying some easy personalised presents anyway). That’s…
Birdwatch birders’ awards
Birdwatch magazine has excelled itself in this year’s Birders’ awards. There are 10 categories in which you can vote (whether you consider yourself a birder or not). I can imagine the voting being pretty close in some categories – in particular the ‘Guano Award for Environmental Harm’ category. The four ‘contenders’ are the Countryside Alliance,…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
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Mark writes: welcome back Ralph! I hope you’ve had a wildlife-rich, low-carbon, break.
Tim Bonner – butcher that!
A couple of weeks ago I suggested that you remember this quote from the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, Tim Bonner, ‘There is very little clear, peer-reviewed evidence, of any problem to human health and the environment from lead ammunition that can’t be solved with clear advice on things such as how to butcher…
Perspective
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Pheasants, partridges and Red Grouse are, obviously, three-dimensional objects (they wouldn’t make much of a meal otherwise), whereas the X-rays are two-dimensional. Here is just an example, it’s from one of the partridges, of how two separate X-rays of the same bird can show the shot to appear to be in very different places.
Mystery bird competition (5)
Yesterday’s mystery bird was a Red Grouse. And on closer inspection we see all the usual fragments of small pieces of lead (picked out (only some of them) with red arrows) And here is a second Red Grouse… And a larger image of part of the carcasse with the lead fragments indicated with red arrows…
Mystery bird competition (4)
Yesterday’s mystery bird was another partridge – are you getting good at this? Here again, some of the lead fragments are highlighted in red. Again, there are lots of them and the fragments are really small and spread through the flesh of the live (but dying bird) and through the meat when it arrives on…
Underwater
Today the SWLA exhibition opens at The Mall Galleries – an annual treat where the beauties of nature are brought in to the centre of London. I had a look around yesterday evening at a very enjoyable SWLA/BTO event. Artist Chris Rose got a taste for sub-marine adventure after winning The Wildlife Trusts’/SWLA’s Undersea Art…