Had a great day at the Bird Fair yesterday – didn’t go to a talk, hardly looked at a stand, but talked to lots and lots of people. It was easy to get in and the weather was wet, then hot, then windy – I left before the plague of locusts arrived. The main topics…
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Bird Fair 2013 – Day 1
I’ve already tracked down or glimpsed 35 of the 50 people on my list for the Bird Fair, namely: Carry Akroyd, Tim Appleton, John Armitage, Nick Baker, Jessie Barry, Keith Betton, Andrew Branson, Mike Clarke, Andy Clements, Mark Cocker, Peter Cooper, Martin Davies, Steve Dudley, Robert Gilmore, Stephanie Hilborne, Ben Hoare, Mike Hodgson, Laura Kammermeier,…
Bird Fair
I started making a list of people I thought would be at the Bird Fair and I wanted to see but it got too long after: Carry Akroyd, Tim Appleton, John Armitage, Nick Baker, Jessie Barry, Keith Betton, Andrew Branson, Keith Brockie, Mike Clarke (and everyone else at the RSPB), Victoria Chester (and everyone else…
My swifts
They’ve gone for this year. It’s been such a lovely summer since I got back from the USA in late June. 2013 has been a butterfly year in the garden with lots of large and small whites and a few green-veined whites too. Also peacocks, meadow browns, gatekeepers and a single female common blue. My…
BBS
The BBS report covering 2012 is out – here is the link. The results: the results are the most important part of the report. You should look at them, but here are some of the things that struck me, mostly concerning the long-term trends rather than the 2011-12 changes: there are a lot more greylag…
Guest Blog – Why should we care about Jon Snow? by Ralph Underhill
Ralph Underhill worked on planning casework and water policy at the RSPB for seven years, before joining the Public Interest Research Centre where has worked on the Common Cause for Nature report which wss published yesterday. He also draws cartoons for this website. Why should…
Not so glorious… and what about BanGS?
It’s the Glorious 12th! Woohoo! And this year is the first year since the 1960s, according to the RSPB, that hen harriers have not nested successfully anywhere in England. Martin Harper, the RSPB’s Conservation Director said last week: “We are only a few days away from ‘the Glorious 12th’ – the traditional August start of…
Sunday Book Review – Birds Coping with an Obsession by Derek Moore
Derek Moore is a character. This is the story of Derek’s 70 years of working in a bank, playing in a band, playing cricket, birding and being a nature conservationist working for the Wildlife Trusts. I found all the different bits interesting – and that photo of him playing cricket makes him look like quite…
Saturday Cartoon from Ralph Underhill – priceless
I saw blue whales this summer in Monterey Bay, California – they were amazing and I will never forget them. I have seen more butterflies in my garden this year than for years and years – and I sent the details to Butterfly conservation for the Big Butterfly Count (you have today and…
National Trust – well done! Now hold your nerve, please.
I say again – well done National Trust! The long-awaited NT response to the responses to their consultation document on management of the High Peak is out (click here). Despite being under lots of pressure from men in tweed the NT have, so far, held their nerve and make a robust response to people’s views. …