The new BirdLife International red list of European birds is worth a long and detailed read – at first glance it seems to be a tale of woe with a few bright patches. So that seems quite accurate. But the fact that the bright patches are the result of conservation action gives us all hope….
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Roy Dennis gets RSPB Medal
Roy Dennis is this year’s recipient of the RSPB Medal – an award which is given to those who make a very significant contribution to nature conservation. Previous recipients have included David Attenborough, John Gummer, Chris Mead, Michael McCarthy, Dick Potts, Ian Newton, Robert Gillmor and the BTO/SOC/BWI team who produced the last Breeding Bird…
BTO Awards at the Mall Galleries
As an example of life getting somewhat back to a new normal, the annual Society of Wildlife Artists’ exhibition opened at The Mall Galleries on Wednesday and closes on Sunday 24 October. It’s well worth a visit. On Wednesday evening, a slightly nervous group of guests arrived at the exhibition for the annual BTO Awards…
Eagles off – beyond our ken.
There have been rumours of this for quite a while but this news is very disappointing. The account on the website is very apologetic and rightly so, I think, as this will feel like a let down for many supporters of the project. I have heard that as well as some local birders’ being uneasy…
Sunday book review – A Spotter’s Guide to Countryside Mysteries by John Wright
This is a bit like an i-Spy book for grown-ups, or semi-grown-ups. It’s an anthology of interesting things to look out for in the countryside, grouped in three sections; field, wood and seashore. The seashore section is short and felt a bit like a refreshing dessert after a sizeable starter in the fields and a…
A normal couple of days for my friend, Chris?
Yesterday my mate Chris Packham was handing in a petition to Buckingham Palace asking the Royal Family to rewild their extensive land holdings as a tangible and visible token of their support for UK nature conservation. It’s the type of thing Chris does – he’s a campaigner, he’s an advocate and he puts himself about…
Sunday book review – The Implausible Rewilding of the Pyrenees by Steve Cracknell
I’ve written several times that rewilding isn’t all about letting wolves and bears loose in the countryside, it’s about habitat restoration and letting nature take its course rather more. But this book is about the impacts of top predators on the pastoral communities in the Pyrenees (mainly) to which they have returned on foot or…
Guest blog – How to quadruple your donation to World Land Trust by Andy Langley
Andy Langley is a wildlife enthusiast and supporter of World Land Trust (WLT), who will be doing a sponsored birdwatch this October to raise money for WLT’s Guardians of Nimla Ha’ appeal, saving rainforest all around a network of near-pristine lagoons, wetlands and mangroves in Caribbean Guatemala. For a fourth year my employer Ecclesiastical Insurance…
Guest blog – Blocking motorways by Ian Carter
Ian Carter worked as an ornithologist for 25 years before retiring early to spend more time writing about wildlife. He wrote The Red Kite’s Year with artist Dan Powell and a sister volume The Hen Harrier’s Year will be out next spring. His recent book Human, Nature is about our relationship with the natural world…
Guest blog – Holding back the Beaver by Derek Gow
Derek Gow is a farmer. His first guest blog here, about rewilding his farm (and much else besides), Winds of Change 4 February 2019, was one of the most popular posts on this blog in all time. He has written other blogs here (click here) and I reviewed his book Bringing Back the Beavers –…