Keith, Steven, Colin and Mike – phone some friends!

When readers guessed at how many signatures Gavin Gamble’s e-petition would get, the carefully crafted estimates were as follows: Well, with eight and a half days to go, Louise, Nick and Philip have already lost out and Simon would need a massive slowdown to stand any chance!  And that might happen as we are heading…

Sunday book review – Chasing the Ghost by Peter Marren

I’m no botanist (have I said that before recently? – yes) but this book, had it existed decades ago, might well have won me over.  Peter Marren writes with such knowledge and affection for plants, and in such a modest and winning manner that few could help wanting to be a plant spotter in this…

Tim Melling – Siberian Meadow Bunting

  Tim writes: Well I normally like to isolate my photographic subjects but this perch wasn’t quite what I had in mind for my first Siberian Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides), which is usually now known simply as Meadow Bunting.  I have long been fascinated by this species which was illustrated in Thorburn’s Birds as it…

Do you say ‘Ban driven grouse shooting’?

Over the past week I have featured quotes from a couple of dozen people who have made their feelings clear that they want to see driven grouse shooting banned. Here are the links to what they said: Mark Cocker, Alan Davies, Jeremy Deller, Jon Dunn, Dominic Dyer, Brian Egan, Peter Egan,  Harry Huyton, Ceri Levy,  Gill…

An Unreliable History of Birdwatching (50) by Paul Thomas

  Cartoonist Paul Thomas says: ‘I’m against driven grouse shoots because of the grotesque cruelty that is being dished out in the name of ‘sport’. Anyone defending it is talking out of their butts.’ To join Paul Thomas, please sign Gavin Gamble’s e-petition which calls for a ban on driven grouse shooting.