The current month’s Birdwatch has extracts from my forthcoming book A Message from Martha: the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon and its relevance today. I’ve been touched by how many people have emailed me, after reading Birdwatch, to say that they are definitely going to buy it. The book looks at the story of the…
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Some of Jonnie Fisk’s brilliant artwork
I really love these drawings – I think they are very skilfull and very attractive. Here are a few of them that have appeared on this blog over the last few months with some comments from me: Don’t you think that Roller is brilliant? I do. Look at the economy of lines that still…
Ralph Underhill cartoon
And meanwhile, up in the hills…
I thought I ought to go and have a quick look. As you drive up the road, northwest, from the Pack Horse Inn you are on the route of the Pennine Way. On your left there is this sight… It doesn’t look very pretty does it? I looked over it for a while and didn’t…
Unprofitable farming in the uplands
At last week’s uplands conference at Newton Rigg, speaker after speaker pointed out that upland farming wasn’t really profitable. Different speakers, and different participants, drew different lessons from this. One of the best speakers at the conference was Neil Heseltine. I’m told he’s a good-looking young man (it’s difficult for me to tell) but I…
The Laburnum is buzzing
This Laburnum in the garden looks very pretty at the moment, don’t you think? If you stand back and look at it, it’s really lovely. And I can see it from several rooms in the house, so it’s brightening my days right now. But if you stand underneath it, as I did, it hums. It…
National Trust – High Peak
At last week’s conference at Newton Rigg, the Director General of the National Trust (and former top-mandarin at Defra) Dame Helen Ghosh spoke. I know Helen just a little, having met her in her Defra role but the longest time I have ever spent in her company was when I showed her around the RSPB…
What the Wildlife Trusts are saying about tomorrow’s EU elections
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The following is taken from a Wildlife Trusts’ press release: The UK will elect 73 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) tomorrow who will have significant influence over a range of important EU policy decisions. For people who care about the future of nature in the UK, these decisions are crucial. During the next…
Natura 2000 Day – nature feeling the pinch
This is, apparently, the second ‘Natura 2000 Day‘. Natura 2000 sites are those designated under the Birds and Habitats Directives of the EU – how dull does that sound? But some of your best birding moments have been spent in such places – The New Forest, The Wash, The Coto Donana, the Camargue, the Danube…
Greens set to make a difference
I’ll be voting Green tomorrow morning in the EU elections. It seems I won’t be alone as the Green Party of England and Wales stands a good chance of coming fourth ahead of the Liberal Democrats (and behind UKIP, Labour and the Conservatives – perhaps in that order). I will vote Labour in the next…