Standing up for Nature
Let’s start at home – for we English anyway. On Friday, a consultation closes on whether the government should go ahead with a further tranche of designation of Marine Conservation Zones. And the answer is ‘they should’. The UK Marine and Coastal Planning Act is five and a half years old. Under its provisions Marine …
This blog is four years old today. There have been over 2111 blog posts and over 26,000 comments in that time. This blog is an independent voice for nature, primarily in England, but in the UK, the EU and the world. Apart from Guest Blogs, every word of it is written by Mark Avery. It’s…
Henry is visiting the area where a record number of poisoned birds of prey were found, leading to the conviction of a former gamekeeper. Henry may not have a girlfriend but he does have balls! #HaveYouSeenHenry? You remember, do you, the events which led to the conviction of the Stody Estate’s former gamekeeper Alan Lambert…
Stuart Housden writes: On 21st April 1945, seventy years ago, Derek Ratcliffe climbed to his first peregrine’s nest in the north Pennines. He was then a schoolboy at Carlisle Grammar School, but described that day in his memoir In Search of Nature as his ‘red letter day’. In fact, he was almost killed, as the…
Yesterday’s blog gave you some good reasons to flock to the Coto Donana in spring – wonderful weather and great birds. But now there is another reason and that is the Donana Bird Fair which this year took place on Friday-Sunday last week at the Dehesa de Abajo which is in the NE corner of…
Findlay Wilde has been taking Henry looking for ringtails – read how they both got on here. Thanks Findlay! Sounds like you had a great time. So, you’ve seen Henry. #HaveYouSeenHenry? Vote for Hen Harrier as our national bird.
Four days in the Coto Donana in spring sounds a pretty tough gig to you, I guess. But somebody had to do it and so an intrepid band of six of us arrived in Seville, in the rain, last Wednesday prepared to bird until we dropped. Although, in actual fact, we interspersed birding with some…
Oscar Dewhurst: One day while I was walking back to the research station in Peru I came across a troop of Squirrel Monkeys leaping through the trees above the trail. Luckily they were fairly low down and this one paused before carrying on. Nikon D800, Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR lens
Kidderminster Harriers’ problems, languishing in mid table obscurity in the Conference Premier League are easy to diagnose. It’s not the squad, it’s not the tactics, it’s the mascot! Today is the Harriers’ last home game of the season, against top-of-the-table Barnet. Kidderminster will be playing for pride, and to send the home fans away with…
This cartoon appeared here once before but it seems entirely topical, still.