On Saturday I had another visit to Duncan Farrington’s excellent farm. I was on the look-out for Turtle Doves as they used to be here but I haven’t seen, or heard, one for years in this spot. Duncan’s farm looks good for Turtle Doves to me – plenty of thick nesting cover on the old…
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Hen Harrier Day in the Peak District – 10 August 2014
I can provisionally announce that our Hen Harrier Day rally will take place in the Upper Derwent Valley based at the Fairholmes Visitor Centre. Having consulted local people and the Peak District National Park itself, and having been advised by them, the Fairholmes Visitor Centre car park seems the best bet for us to gather…
Being broad-minded about plants again.
The clue was really in the names. I saw Meadow Pipits (which I could identify but were nice to see), my first Meadow Browns of the year (which I also could identify) but also Meadowsweet (I know that one), Meadow Buttercup (there are an awful lot of buttercups), Meadow Cranesbill (I can do that…
Oscar Dewhurst – Hobby
Oscar writes: While I was at Minsmere I spent a lot of time in the Bittern hide trying to photograph Hobbies. They spent a large part of the middle of the day hunting for dragonflies over the reedbeds, and so I was delighted to catch one as it stalled slightly, with the light around its…
Banning driven grouse shooting – a message to wishy-washy liberals
Our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting in England is going really well – yesterday (we are still in Week Four) it passed 4600 and 4700 signatures. One of the reasons why some of you will hesitate to sign it, as I hesitated to launch it, is because you don’t like banning things (or at…
Sunday book review – Forest Vision by Roderick Leslie
This is a book about the politics of forestry by someone who knows them better than just about anyone else in the UK. Roderick Leslie went into the Forestry Commission straight from Oxford University in the 1970s and occupied a variety of senior roles in forest policy and practice including a spell as Chief Executive…
Banning driven grouse shooting – a case example (or two?)
Today our e-petition passed 4600 signatures – thank you! On Friday the RSPB in Scotland issued this to the media: RSPB Scotland is calling for more sporting estates to take action to protect the country’s hen harriers during the breeding season. The conservation charity says grouse moor managers and gamekeepers must do more to prevent…
Hen Harriers in The Times
Our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting in England is going really well – yesterday (we are still in Week Four) it passed 4500 signatures. Thank you to all who signed it and to Chris Packham, Tony Juniper, Brigit Strawbridge, The League Against Cruel Sports, Birdwatch magazine, Birders Against Wildlife Crime and Rare Bird Alert…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
And on this subject it is worth having a look at this lecture by George Monbiot – it’s about an hour long but it’s worth the time.
Dr Debbie Pain recognised by Marsh Award
Dr Debbie Pain, the Conservation Director of the WWT, was recognised by the Zoological Society of London last week with the Marsh Award for Conservation Biology. Debbie worked ‘for’ me (in fact I appointed her) and then with me at the RSPB for 16 years before heading off for WWT. Debbie has done ground-breaking and influential…