Tomorrow I’ll be missing an event hosted by Zac Goldsmith MP calling for a massive Marine Protected Area around Ascension Island. I hope it happens but I’d put Pitcairn Island (see here, here and here) ahead in the queue, and maybe also the South Sandwich Islands. What price an announcement of one or more of…
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Catch-up 1
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…
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…