Boxing Day

It’s still Christmas, so although the GWCT deserve a cuff round the ears (wearing boxing (day) gloves to limit any lasting pain) for their recent blog on Langholm events, that can wait. Boxing Day is absolutely associated, in my mind, with National Hunt racing. The ‘alternative Cheltenham Gold Cup’, otherwise known as the ‘King George…

Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart

Small fine, plenty of publicity. Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart, Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart, Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart, Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart, Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart, Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart, Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart, Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart, Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart, Ninian Robert Hathorn Johnston Stewart,…

Birdwatch 2015

I haven’t quite finished my Christmas shopping and yet the first Birdwatch magazine of 2015 has arrived through my letter box. And it’s a good one. Chris Packham won the poll for Conservation Hero of the Year – quite rightly – for his actions on Malta, Hen Harriers and so much more.  I’ve been lucky…

Sea eagles take turkeys off crofters’ Christmas table

In a shock revelation cameras have proved that eagles are not vegetarian.  Film from White-tailed Eagle nests not only confirmed that the birds had white tails but that they were indeed eagles and ate meat. Although none of the images taken from nests showed the large birds bringing back nuts and berries to their ravenous…

Wildlife sites

Alan Parfitt made a good point in a comment here yesterday – SSSIs were originally meant to be good examples of fine habitats rather than a complete coverage of such habitats. Increasingly, they are the last remnants of those habitats and have remained largely because of their SSSI status. This is good news (the designation…

Blown away

I needed to get out fairly early to finish delivering leaflets for my excellent MP, Andy Sawford.  This meant leaving the house before it was light and walking around the neighbouring streets around 0745.  Funnily enough, there weren’t many other people about. I don’t want to be a postman when I grow up!  Just a…

Cinderella sites – not having a ball (let alone going to one)

The Wildlife Trusts’ new report, Secret Spaces: The status of England’s Local Wildlife Sites 2014, draws on evidence gathered this year showing that more than 10% of the 6,590 monitored Local Wildlife Sites have been lost or damaged in the last five years. With predicted growth in housing, new roads and other infrastructure all set…

Listed

A Message from Martha has appeared in another couple of ‘book of the year’ lists this week. First Bel Mooney included A Message from Martha in her nature books of the year in the Daily Mail  and then  Barbara Kiser included it in her list of bird books in Nature.com. It’s always nice to see…