On Friday I had a lovely evening speaking in Cambridgeshire, on Saturday I spoke at the excellent BAWC conference in Buxton, then yesterday it was Durham (where I heard a great talk from Geirge Monbiot) and tomorrow evening I’ll be in Devizes. I’m looking forward to speaking about Passenger Pigeons (though Hen Harriers are…
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Minister misleads
I was talking to a former, very distinguished, colleague yesterday about the environmental question time event the week before last, and how Rupert (Lord) de Mauley was so slippery and smooth that nobody could get hold of him. He was like a Turkish wrestler covered in olive oil. But his statement, which I have now…
One week to go
Comments Off on One week to go
Yesterday, our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting passed 22,000 signatures. Thank you everyone! A week tomorrow we will know the final total (I’d guess 22,189) but we already know that in 10 months this e-petition has got into the top 0.5% of most-signed e-petitions on the Westminster government website. Thank you again! We are…
Rules replies
This is the quite astounding response from Rules restaurant to my email which I shared with you this morning: Dear Dr Avery Thank you for your e-mail. Rules does not obtain any of it’s (sic) Game from the Lartington Estate. Any further enquiries regarding Game should be placed in the hands of The Game &…
What are the Rules?
Last autumn I visited Rules restaurant in London with a couple of friends on a reconnaissance mission. The visit is briefly described in Inglorious: conflict in the uplands. Rules is London’s oldest restaurant and has a lot of game on its menu. On the day that we visited we could have had grouse but none…
Oscar Dewhurst – Grass Green Tanager
Oscar writes: While I was in Peru I spent a week at a research station nearly 3500m up in the cloud forest. One of the birds I most wanted to see was the Grass-Green Tanager, purely because of their colour! I was therefore delighted when this one perched up no more than 5 metres from…
And another work of art from the BAWC conference
Have you seen Henry? I have! What a stunning boy he is! Henry started his tour of Britain yesterday in Buxton at the excellent BAWC conference. Which grouse moors might Henry dare to visit? Which organisations might be treated to a Henry sky dance? #haveyouseenhenry.
A work of art at the BAWC conference
The very first Birders Against Wildlife Crime conference was held in Buxton yesterday. It was great! Chris Packham likened wildlife crime to destroying a work of art. How would you feel about someone who spray painted and then slashed a Constable painting? And #haveyouseenhenry ?
Vote Hen Harrier for your national bird
David Lindo’s idea of voting for a national bird certainly seems to have caught the public imagination. It is also the subject of a grassroots campaign to get the Hen Harrier elected as our national bird (or at least for it to be a surprise well-rated also-ran). I’ve voted for the Hen Harrier in this…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill