Henry used to be quite a fan of the Hawk and Owl Trust but when he heard they were siding with grouse shooters, and were in favour of meddling with any chicks he might produce, Henry went a bit cold on them. He wasn’t the only one. Henry says that the Hawk and Owl Trust…
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Catfield final decision
Now that the general election is over, the EA has confirmed its decision not to issue abstraction licenses which might affect the conservation value of nearby wildlife sites. Hooray! See here, here, here, here, and here for some history. This blog is on the winning side – a good way to end the day…
Lost leaders
The people have made their choice and we all have to live with it. The environment faces a tough time over the next five years and that means that those who care about it, not enough of us, need to raise our voices and do even more to fight for nature. I went to bed,…
Glad confident morning
Yesterday morning was gorgeous – just perfect for carrying out the first visit to my second BBS square. It was sunny, still and the sky was mostly blue. I felt alive and keen to see what birds were on offer. I park in a village, in the same place every time, outside some rather attractive…
The ‘most Guardian of candidates’ – vote Hen Harrier
On the day after we learned of the ‘disappearance’ of three adult Hen Harriers in an area of Lancashire moorland (with large areas of grouse moor), it is time to send the next government a clear signal that wildlife crime must stop. On this election day you can have another vote, until midnight, for Britain’s…
Done their time
Five parliamentarians who have done their bit for the environment are standing down at this general election. The danger is that they will be overlooked so here’s a very quick mention for them: Joan Walley – chair of the Environmental Audit Committee through, possibly, its most successful period. John Randall – birder who spoke out…
Occupying the butts
Henry took this photo of me in the North York Moors. Have you got some grouse butts near you where you could be photographed? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ That was as far as I’d got with writing this blog when the news of three missing adult male Hen Harriers from active nests in the Forest of Bowland came…
Vote for the Hen Harrier
Today is general election day – you get to decide. It’s also the last day that you can vote in David Lindo’s fascinating poll for our national bird. In this poll, voting closes at midnight (in the general election the polls close at 10pm). Why bother – it’s just a bit of fun isn’t it?…
Time to decide – a voter’s guide
It’s a fascinating general election which has been preceded by a tedious and shallow election campaign. None of the political parties, certainly not the ‘Big Two’, come out of the campaign with much credit. It’s been a ‘heads down’ rather than an ‘eyes up’ campaign, with little analysis, little laying out of political philosophy and…
Three Harriers go missing
The RSPB has just disclosed that three adult male Hen Harriers have gone missing from their ‘stronghold’ in the Forest of Bowland over the last three weeks. All three birds had active nests on United Utilities land and all three disappeared away from their nesting sites. Two of the nests have failed (as the males…