Two weeks tomorrow the Cheltenham Festival starts and the big race on Day 1 is the Champion Hurdle. There are many multiple winners of this race and Hurricane Fly tries to win the race for the third time (following 2011 and 2013). His main rival may be The New One who (appropriately enough) is having…
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Oscar Dewhurst – Bearded Tit in Hyde Park
Mark writes: I heard Bearded Tits at Cley last Sunday but I didn’t see them. And even if I had I wouldn’t have seen them as well as this. Oscar photographed this female in Hyde Park in February 2013. There were two of them there – both had been ringed in 2012 at Rye…
Sunday Book Review – The Birds of Buckinghamshire by the Bucks Bird Club
Although this is described as the 2nd edition of the book of 1993 it is much, much more than just a revamp. This edition includes data from the recent atlassing frenzy and so it is pretty much up to date (and was published in 2012). Buckinghamshire is one of those mysterious counties as far as…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
Did you hear Nigel Lawson on the Today programme?
Gloucestershire
I gave a talk in Cheltenham on Monday evening and another in Gloucester on Tuesday evening – so I’ve been largely in Gloucestershire for a while. Here are a few rather random thoughts: It’s very wet out there! When I head back to Cheltenham in two and a half weeks time I’d be surprised if…
That flame should be fizzling out
Natural England are in a bit of a mess over the uplands – you might say they have been bogged down. NE had to dump their vision for the uplands of England because landowners – perhaps including their Minister at the time (Richard Benyon) – didn’t like it. They went back to basics and looked…
Water flows downhill
The ‘Ban the Burn’ group is having a demonstration outside the head offices of Natural England tomorrow morning as NE staff arrive at work. It’s not only lowland flat places that suffer flooding – Hebden Bridge has had more than its fair share over recent years. Many residents there feel that poor management on the…
Let’s have another warm summer please
Farmland butterflies had a good year in 2013 – benefiting from the best summer weather for seven years. I bet you noticed more butterflies in your garden – I certainly did – and my (our?) garden observations were reflected in a much better year for butterflies across the fields of farmland Britain. Common Blue, Small…
Nice one Squire!
A little while after 1430 this afternoon, John Squire Armitage’s epetition on licensing of grouse moors passed 10,000 signatures. This means that Defra will have to write a response to it. John is to be congratulated on this highly successful e-petition – few do this well. This e-petition is open for another 160 hours or…
A question for Natural England
‘Our studies of the movements of satellite tagged birds are continuing, as they are yielding much useful information on the movements, habitat use, and ecology of Hen Harriers. But they are also raising questions about their ultimate fate. We have, for instance, been looking into the disappearance of six Hen Harriers at an autumn roost…