Seven weeks today

In seven weeks time, at 1930, an evening to celebrate the Hen Harrier will start in the Palace Hotel, Buxton.  The event will feature Chris Packham, Mark Cocker, Henry the Hen Harrier and myself, and a cast of a thousands (or a few anyway).  Tickets will go on sale in July and are likely to…

Occupy this naked butt!

Doesn’t this butt look just right for occupation?   A while ago someone tried to post a comment on this blog, and then followed up with another comment.  Both are reproduced below in edited versions.  I have edited the two comments to remove anything that might be libellous or offensive, and to protect the identity…

Access clarified?

Further to my enquiries (see here and here) about how I, as a member of the public, find out about access to ‘open access’ land in the uplands I have received this email from the Peak District National Park:   Thank you for your email and for providing a link to your blog. The restriction…

Pigeon plague on moorlands over Britain

There has clearly been a plague of pigeons attacking this valuable heather crop on an SSSI in the Peak District  – that’s the only reason for employing bird-scaring devices such as this gas gun (and what are those white flags for?) in an SSSI during the breeding season. Obviously. Since a gas gun doesn’t fall…

Booming Bitterns

Good news on Bitterns yesterday from the RSPB – 11 males in 1997, over 150 males in 2015 after years of conservation science, habitat management, habitat re-creation and partnership working.  And this was, no-one would deny, led by the RSPB. We await the congratulatory press release from YFTB. At Ham Wall, there are apparently 17…

This was not a fake review

When I criticised Rules restaurant on the site Tripadvisor it really was me, and I really meant it – even though some comments on similar sites are apparently fake ones. I asked Rules, having been there as a customer, about the provenance of its game meat and whether it was completely up to date with…

New Chair of EAC

Huw Irranca-Davies, former Defra Minister and former shadow minister, was today elected as chair of the Environmental Audit Committee (following the stepping down at the last general election of the excellent Joan Walley). Huw, once voted 48th sexiest man in Wales (nowhere near as sexy as the Hen Harrier of course) follows a class act…