It is difficult to feel very worked up about the reshuffle. It is a reshuffle of a pack of knaves and jokers. At DEFRA, George Eustice remains – I feel more favourable to Mr Eustice than do many. It’s not as though I can imagine myself ever voting for him but he has served a…
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Sunday book review – The Amazing Story of Montagu’s Harrier by Elvira Werkman
This is a fine book which I have enjoyed reading on my travels over the last few weeks. I knew I’d find it interesting because it deals with a couple of subjects which are really interesting scientifically and in terms of nature conservation; how wildlife fits in with modern agriculture and which part of a…
Pondering some shooting issues
The partridge shooting season opened on 1 September for both our native Grey Partridge and the non-native Red-legged Partridge. Nearly 12 million RLPs are released normally for recreational shooting puposes which is a phenomenal number and would attract far more attention if it weren’t a figure swamped and dwarfed by the 51 million Pheasants that…
Guillemots
I like a good Guillemot and there are lots of reports of high numbers of them being seen close onshore along the east coast this year. There are concerns that there is something amiss with these birds. Last weekend, on the Ythan Estuary north of Aberdeen, there were lots of Guillemots in the estuary itself…
‘Trail’ hunting on National Trust land – the membership decides
I’m not a member of the National Trust – I switched to the National Trust for Scotland several years ago for financial and policy reasons – but if you are a member then you can vote on this matter. And whatever your view, I would encourage you to vote. The motion is a vote on…
Three Lochs Festival
I’ve been away quite a lot over the last three weeks and it’s now good to be home but the time travelling for family, work and holiday were great too. I spoke, and listened, at a marvellous Book and Arts Festival in Strontian – the Three Lochs Festival. What a setting, what a friendly group…
Martha’s Day
On 1 September 1914, between midday and 1 pm, in the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio, a pigeon breathed her last, and with her died her species. The pigeon was known as Martha, and the species was the Passenger Pigeon. Amongst all extinctions, this example remains unusual in two respects: the precision with which…
Sunday book review – Rebugging the Planet by Vicki Hird
Comments Off on Sunday book review – Rebugging the Planet by Vicki Hird
This book covers some of the same ground as last week’s reviewed book (Silent Earth by Dave Goulson) in that it is invertebrate-based, is on the side of the creepie-crawlies, explains their value to us and sets out some actions that all could take to help to make things right. This book is written in…
This was nice
Good morning Mark, Just writing to thank you for the excellent ‘A message from Martha‘ which I have just finished reading this morning (I know it’s been around a while – I’ve been busy!). I’ve never been particularly excited by pigeons – especially dead ones- but I was stirred to read your book partly by…
Sunday book review – Silent Earth by Dave Goulson
This is a very good book by an expert. For those of us whose knowledge and understanding of the natural world is highly slanted towards feathered vertebrates this book helps to put things in perspective. The argument is that we need insects, and if we don’t look after them there will be consequences for us….