Last year, the last evening with Swifts above my house was 8 August. This year, my last record so far, was the morning of 9 August before heading off to the Peak District. Are they really gone? I have seen them on evenings at home after days at the Bird Fair before – we’ll see….
BLOG POSTS
Hen Harrier Day – some ‘thank you’s
I was thanked a lot on Saturday, Sunday and subsequently for organising the Hen Harrier Day event in the Peak District. It really didn’t take much organising – it took a bit of nerve though! Here is a run-through of the roles of organisations and individuals in making Hen Harrier Day happen. Some people’s roles…
And at the end of the Inglorious 12th…
…over 14,000 folk have signed the e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting (making it the 11th most successful Defra-related e-petition ever). This is the summer of the Hen Harrier. Things are changing. You are making that change happen. Thank you.
The media war
First things first, no-one much would be talking about Hen Harriers today if it weren’t for Hen Harrier Day and an e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting. Well done us! Standing in the rain in Lancashire, Northumberland and Derbyshire (and in the sun in Dorset – yes, I’m envious) is changing the story. Chris Packham…
Hen Harrier Day – the video
To get a true feeling for how wet, but how inspiring, it really was click here. Some people are finding it difficult to make this link work (it works for me!) so please try this www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi-B7ZBOyC4 And to help bring an end to driven grouse shooting click here.
The Times they are a-changing
Good bye Simon Barnes and hello Jim Dixon in Saturday morning’s Times. That’s somewhat ironic given that Simon wrote about the lack of raptors in the Peak District and Jim is the Chief Executive of the Peak District National Park. Jim emailed me to say he was sorry that he couldn’t come to our protest…
A Peak Day
When I wrote in my blog of 1 January that I would help to organise a peaceful protest against Hen Harrier persecution in August it was a little like jumping off a cliff – with my eyes shut! It was my way of committing myself to do something even though I didn’t know how, where…
Oscar Dewhurst – Blue-and-yellow Macaws
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Oscar writes: Blue-and-Yellow Macaws: One of my favourite things about where I was staying in the lowland Amazon (at Los Amigos Biological Research Station) was their 60m tower. Every evening groups of macaws would fly past. Here are two Blue-and-Yellow Macaws flying to roost. Nikon D300s, Nikon 600mm f4 AFS-II
Cartoon by Ralph Underhill
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George Monbiot wrote this week of being ‘Deviant and Proud’ in a world that worships markets.
Hen Harrier Day 2014
Today is the day. You have until 10am to join the social media thunderclap and add your voice to the roll of thunder in support of the Hen Harrier. Best wishes to everyone heading to a Hen Harrier Day event today.