Standing up for Nature
I was a bit nervous parking my car with its rear tyres overlapping the double yellow lines. Most of the car was OK but those rear tyres were on the double yellows. And I was parking outside the police station. I went into the cop shop, I won’t say which one (it’s good to keep…
Last week I spent two enjoyable days at Newton Rigg at a conference on the future of the uplands. The two days were quite enjoyable and very interesting. I may write a blog or two about the conference because it was so interesting. Hen Harriers were mentioned a few times even before my talk, the…
Oscar writes: At the beginning of 2013 I spend a couple of days photographing an ear-full of Waxwings (yes that’s actually the collective noun for them!). One bird that wasn’t pleased to see them was this Mistle Thrush, which tried its best to shoo them away. It was to no avail though, as within four…
The Corncrake was easy, the chips were difficult. I didn’t ‘need’ a bag of chips but I did want a bag of chips. Yesterday was a lovely sunny day and I’d spent quite a lot of it out in the sun enjoying nature. I was listening, unsuccessfully, for Turtle Doves at a local farm before…
I am going out to listen for Corncrakes. There will not be a blog first thing tomorrow morning. I have heard Cuckoos in two places today. I’m pretty sure there are more of them around this spring/summer than there have been for several, many, years. Quite a few people seem to agree, as evidenced by…
Don’t you think that birds are amazing? And don’t you think that Jonnie is very talented?
You know how keen I am on plants – I wouldn’t want to walk on anything else. And so, it may come as some surprise that I am quite excited about starting to do some plant monitoring. There – I’ve said it. I promised the nice people at Plantlife last autumn that I would give…
I’ve heard lots of Cuckoos this year. It seems like a good year for them – what do you think? Last year, around now, I headed off to the USA to research my book on Passenger Pigeons and I had had two records of Cuckoo up until this date (I know, because Birdtrack lets me…
The May is well and truly out in east Northamptonshire. This line of Hawthorn bushes really caught my eye. Isn’t it lovely? Although, in the Lake District on Tuesday I saw plenty of Primroses, and in Lancashire yesterday, and West Yorkshire today, I saw lots of Bluebells. Do enjoy spring, whatever stage it is…