the abject ‘you forgot the…now what was it?‘ website seems to have folded up, in that it no longer has its plea for a 100 farmers to sign up to a letter slagging off the RSPB – all gone! all gone! talking of things that are forgotten…Keith Cowieson completely failed to answer the question about…
BLOG POSTS
Meat-free week – support World Land Trust (please)
Next week, 23-29 March, is meat-free week. As someone wh0 has at least four meat-free days most weeks, this probably isn’t going to be too much of a stretch for me, and a friend of mine who has given up meat for Lent will just breeze through it. My vegetarian and vegan friends (actually, do…
Still a slim chance
Parliament is dissolved in 11 days’ time and that is all the time that remains for Defra to do something this year! It could be about to release a report suggesting a lead-free future, but I somehow doubt it. It could be about to throw lots of money in the direction of the Hawk and…
Guest blog – In favour of the EU by Richard Wilson
Richard Wilson is an independent professional ecologist with more than 15 years experience. When in the field, he specialises in avian and invertebrate ecology, with a smattering of botanical surveying thrown in for good measure. His background as a consultant has led to a keen interest in EU and UK law in the context of…
Pitcairn marine protected area announced
I’m ‘on the road’ so this blog is very short, but I was delighted to hear that hidden in the budget documentation was the announcement that there is to be a marine protected area around the Pitcairn Islands. This is a subject that this blog has promoted over the years (see here, here, here, here, here,…
Read BBC Wildlife’s election special
If you are going to vote on 7 May – and I do hope you will – then your preparation should start by reading the April issue of BBC Wildlife magazine (giraffe on cover). The 6-page election special asks eight questions of the Conservatives, Greens, Labour, Lib Dems, Plaid, SNP and UKIP. The questions…
Gideon (George) Osborne to make environmental announcement in tomorrow’s budget?
Watch this space… …or in fact the Budget speech which you may well hear before I do.
First Hedgehog conservation area
A Hedgehog conservation area (of 90ha) has been established by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and Solihull Metropolitan Council, comprising the WWT’s Elmdon Manor nature reserve and the council’s Elmdon Park. The project is funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. Hedgehog Officer, Simon Thompson, extends an invitation to Solihull’s residents to participate in a large…
Two weeks to go
Ban driven grouse shooting Our e-petition passed 21,500 signatures yesterday, with two weeks to go (and after less than 10 months). The e-petition is on the Westminster government website which means that it has political clout. Already it is one of the most successful e-petitions ever – being in the top 0.5% of all e-petitions…
Jilly Cooper needs your help
Jilly Cooper was talking about the vote for the national bird on the Today programme (at about 2hr 23 min into the programme) this morning and admitted to not knowing what a Hen Harrier was. This is despite her 1976 book being called…