The partridge shooting season opened on 1 September for both our native Grey Partridge and the non-native Red-legged Partridge. Nearly 12 million RLPs are released normally for recreational shooting puposes which is a phenomenal number and would attract far more attention if it weren’t a figure swamped and dwarfed by the 51 million Pheasants that…
BLOG POSTS
Guillemots
I like a good Guillemot and there are lots of reports of high numbers of them being seen close onshore along the east coast this year. There are concerns that there is something amiss with these birds. Last weekend, on the Ythan Estuary north of Aberdeen, there were lots of Guillemots in the estuary itself…
‘Trail’ hunting on National Trust land – the membership decides
I’m not a member of the National Trust – I switched to the National Trust for Scotland several years ago for financial and policy reasons – but if you are a member then you can vote on this matter. And whatever your view, I would encourage you to vote. The motion is a vote on…
Three Lochs Festival
I’ve been away quite a lot over the last three weeks and it’s now good to be home but the time travelling for family, work and holiday were great too. I spoke, and listened, at a marvellous Book and Arts Festival in Strontian – the Three Lochs Festival. What a setting, what a friendly group…
Martha’s Day
On 1 September 1914, between midday and 1 pm, in the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio, a pigeon breathed her last, and with her died her species. The pigeon was known as Martha, and the species was the Passenger Pigeon. Amongst all extinctions, this example remains unusual in two respects: the precision with which…
Sunday book review – Rebugging the Planet by Vicki Hird
Comments Off on Sunday book review – Rebugging the Planet by Vicki Hird
This book covers some of the same ground as last week’s reviewed book (Silent Earth by Dave Goulson) in that it is invertebrate-based, is on the side of the creepie-crawlies, explains their value to us and sets out some actions that all could take to help to make things right. This book is written in…
This was nice
Good morning Mark, Just writing to thank you for the excellent ‘A message from Martha‘ which I have just finished reading this morning (I know it’s been around a while – I’ve been busy!). I’ve never been particularly excited by pigeons – especially dead ones- but I was stirred to read your book partly by…
Sunday book review – Silent Earth by Dave Goulson
This is a very good book by an expert. For those of us whose knowledge and understanding of the natural world is highly slanted towards feathered vertebrates this book helps to put things in perspective. The argument is that we need insects, and if we don’t look after them there will be consequences for us….
Grouse shooting in the shared policy programme for the Scottish government
The draft shared policy document that forms the basis for a political alliance between the SNP and Scottish Green Party runs to a concise 51 pages. The document has six sections , two of which relate to the climate emergency and Scotland’s natural environment. It is good to see these alongside consideration of Scotland’s place…
Would you like glyphosate with that?
I’ve visited the Kettering Starbucks a couple of time in the last two months as it’s a pleasanter place to hang around, if one has to, than the Kettering Hospital car park. On my first visit there was a guy cutting the grass with whom I got into conversation as I drank my coffee outside….