I’ve been doing a few bits of work for a consultancy which, in turn, is advising the John Lewis Partnership (which includes my local Waitrose), on how to make their business, and particularly their supermarket sites, better for wildlife. My role is to be an external challenge to the thinking – and that’s one I’m…
BLOG POSTS
Likes and dislikes, adverts etc
I added ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ buttons to this site a few months ago. They appear on every page, every blog post and every comment. I added them to the site because a few people asked for them, and they are often found on websites like mine. It’s entirely up to you if you use them…
Exeter birding
A stroll around the floodplain at Exeter on Sunday morning produced two incidents which made me smile and a few additions to the year list. Any spot of birdwatching in January may add a few birds to the growing year list (not a massive priority for me but fun to see the list growing). As…
A few things
Big Garden Birdwatch is this weekend. It’s more fun, probably, if you remember to fill your bird feeders than if you don’t! John Armitage’s e-petition on licensing of grouse moors and gamekeepers is gathering a little pace – and has passed 7,800 signatures. There are four weeks to go. If you keep meaning to sign…
Guest Blog – 1000 miles in memory of Martha by Tristan Reid
If you are a regular reader of Mark Avery’s blog (and you really should be) then you will almost certainly be aware of the very frightening decline of the Turtle Dove. This is an iconic species that has been declining in the UK since the 1970’s. The problem is speeding up and between 1997 and…
Read me
Three magazines arrived at home last week and I’ve enjoyed reading each of them – and each is packed with good wildlife information. Birdwatch – for which I write a monthly column (the political birder) – is always excellent. I was talking to another Birdwatch contributor the other day and we agreed that we were…
Five common half-truths of nature conservation
The following are my five top half-truths of nature conservation. What do you think – have I got these right? Which have I missed out? Think global – act local. This one drives me mad – not because it is completely wrong but because it is rarely completely right but is trotted out as a…
Oscar Dewhurst – Cormorant
Oscar writes: This Cormorant was taken in London last week. The reason for the dark colour of the water is that the water is under a bridge, and the reflection of the bridge’s underside is very dark. Because the cormorant was in the sun I had to underexpose, resulting in a completely black background….
Scottish farmers call for raptor action
Argyll farmers want something to be done about White-tailed Eagles. White-tailed Eagles do eat dead lambs and they probably eat a few live ones too – particularly sickly ones. It;s also true that White -tailed Eagles are likely to reduce Golden Eagle numbers in coastal areas. However, this is a magnificent native bird whose contribution…
The week in birding – by Jonnie Fisk
You don’t know what a Stejneger’s Scoter might be? Neither did I – click here. I notice that a Lesser Whitethroat was seen in Northampton this week. Grey Phal at Hove – more here.