Last week I went to an AFON Conference and a Green Party Conference – and I’ll say something about them tomorrow (or later in the week), but the rest of the world kept on spinning. Here are some things that happened: Boris Island got the elbow – hooray! It’ll probably be back one day, but…
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A century and a week
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I am grateful to Seppo Leinonen (@sepponet on Twitter; seppopost@seppo.net by email; www.seppo.net/e/ website) for this beautiful cartoon. It’s a century and a week since Martha died in Cincinnati Zoo and the most numerous bird on the planet was driven to extinction.
Season of fruitful mellowness
Having spent quite a bit of last week making the point that access to the natural environment is good for you, I thought I ought to get some. So Sunday was a day for chilling out – although it was a lovely warm early September day. I started having breakfast in the garden and a…
Oscar Dewhurst – Bearded Tit
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Oscar writes: Other than Bitterns and Marsh Harriers, I also wanted to get some photos of Bearded Tits when I was at Minsmere. Luckily the best spot for them was the best spot for Bitterns! During a period of Bittern inactivity I heard the characteristic pinging calls of Bearded Tits and on turning around I…
A couple of recent reviews
I’m sorry – I just haven’t had time to review a book this week. It’s been a busy week in which I have given four talks and attended three ‘events’. But the reviews of A Message from Martha keep arriving. Here are two that pleased me a lot: The Independent (Michael McCarthy): ‘This book will…
Ralph Underhill Saturday cartoon
Wuthering Moors 47
Walshaw Moor Estate has had its planning application refused. The reasons are quite interesting given the history of the site. I see that the Bronte Society and the RSPB objected – clearly successfully – good for them in my opinion! in fact there were 41 objections and one letter of support. Where were Natural England…
Government response to e-petition 65627
Our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting passed the 10,000 signature mark on 31 July and received a response after nearly five weeks of brow-wrinkling thought on behalf of Defra on 1 September (maybe they thought I’d be touched by it appearing on the centenary of the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon). The sections in…
Last butterflies?
My late-flowering buddleia bush is still attracting a few butterflies – mostly Red Admirals. We’ve reached the time of year when the Swifts have gone, the butterflies are going and if I wake and it’s still dark I cannot be sure whether it is time to get up or not (rather than in the summer…
Let joy be unconfined!
Tomorrow I will address the pathetically evasive response from Defra to our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting (that gives you a hint as to what I think about it) but you may have noticed that it mentions that there are four pairs of Hen Harrier in England this year. The existence of the fourth…