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…
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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.
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
Why are we counting?
…asks the GWCT website. And it’s a good question which certainly isn’t answered by the following text. GWCT are organising a Big Farmland Bird Count (yes, really) for early February in case we all get bored after we can’t shoot pheasants any longer. What next? The NFU Even Bigger Farmland Bird Count and the CLA…
Peter Kendall again
We’ll miss him when he is gone won’t we? I am grateful to Martin Harper’s blog (always worth reading) for pointing me in the direction of Peter Kendall’s last speech as NFU President at an Oxford Farming Conference. He couldn’t resist having a badly-judged dig at the RSPB, which should bring home the message to…
Arise Sir John
The recently knighted Sir John Randall MP is a birder. Having stepped down from being Deputy Chief Whip he is now enjoying the freedom of the backbenches and the freedom to speak up for nature (note this speech he made in the Christmas adjournment debate from 1:40pm onwards where he touches on various subjects including…
Offputting offsetting
Our main wildlife conservation organisations seem to have swallowed the idea of biodiversity offsetting and are all at pains to point out that it might work (RSPB, Wildlife Trusts and the Woodland Trust (which isn’t really a main wildlife conservation organisation (but let’s just pretend it is)). It is perhaps a mean thought to imagine…
Sanctuary
There has been a great upwelling of concern and anger over the proposal to destroy the Sanctuary LNR in Derby (see Guest Blog and this blog). Objections out number comments received in favour of the proposal (309 to 300 when last I looked, so it is close). You have until the end of tomorrow (16th)…