Emperors

Yesterday the Purple Emperors were showing well at Fermyn Woods. This one was on the path about 100m from where I parked my car. Simples! And FC seem to have done some quite sensible ride widening too.    

BBS done for this year.

I completed the second survey for my second BBS square the other day. Very few birds on this visit – amazingly few actually. Even few Carrion Crows and few Wood Pigeons. And yet I added a new species to the site (this was my 14th year of surveys here) – a very topical Raven.  Maybe…

This looks interesting.

  Mark Cocker, George Monbiot, Minette Batters and Rory Stewart in debate over the uplands. Tuesday 10th July, 7pm, Emmanuel Centre, London. Details here.  

Missed this one!

Having been in the USA for a significant chunk of time recently, I noticed this press release.  It refers to the extinct Carolina Parakeet – a species which was probably last seeen in the wild in 1904, but whose last individual survivor died in Cincinnati Zoo (in the same cage that housed the last Passenger…

A welcome task

I’ve been out of the UK for weeks – so I had to get special dispensation from my BTO regional organiser to do my second BBS visits in early July instead of by the end of June. I visited what I think of as my ‘second’ square first: partly because it is an easier walk,…