It’s quite difficult to get past the headlines to understand the details of the EU budget agreement. Yes the budget has been capped thanks to some good negotiation by plucky David Cameron but what does that mean – particularly for the environment? I bought the FT, Independent and Guardian on Saturday and found them no…
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Miscellany
More birding bits and pieces: After my blog of last week I can now add peregrine to my M1 list (hunting over a field near Luton) and another ‘up-and-about-early’ red kite from the M1 somewhere in Hertfordshire (I think!). Birkbeck: I enjoyed giving a public lecture at Birkbeck on Friday evening – lots of good…
Ralph Underhill cartoon
Did you see the last Attenborough programme of the series on Africa? I missed it on Wednesday (being in an Edinburgh hotel which did not have BBC2 !!) so I’ll be watching Sunday’s repeat. Here are some links to the ivory trade: BBC (Gabon’s forest elephants), eleaid (Asian elephants), National Geographic, Bloodyivory, Centre…
All gummed up – chew on that IMO!
All those auks killed off the south coast of England over the last week or so have been killed by polyisobutene (or PIB) according to analyses done by scientists at the University of Plymouth and confirmed by the Environment Agency, says the RSPB. PIB is currently given one of the lowest hazard classifications under MARPOL…
Every picture tells a story
I recently reviewed the magnum opus by Tim Sands (Wildlife in Trust) which chronicles the first 100 years of the Wildlife Trusts for BBC Wildlife magazine. I picked the book up again recently (which in itself is something of an achievement as it is very heavy) and made a rough note of the species illustrated…
Birding bits and pieces
I’ve done a lot of driving around the country recently – I’ve been collecting motorways. Recently I have ‘got’ M1, M4, M5, M11 and far too much of the M25 as well as glimpses of the M2, M3 and M40 – is there a prize? When you spend a lot of time in a car…
National Trust High Peak consultation
Rumour has it that the NT are under considerable pressure from shooting interests to back down from their much-welcomed and much-heralded proposed position on grouse shooting, heather burning and raptor persecution in the High Peak. I hope the rumours are wrong – they often are. The National Trust doesn’t currently have much to shout about…
Our forests
The government published its response to the report of the report of the Independent Panel on Forestry last week. You will remember that 38 Degrees launched a campaign to Save our Forests and more than half a million people signed the petition worded as follows: The government is planning a massive sell off of our…
A few dead seabirds – does it matter?
This is a second mention in a row for the RSPCA. Their name has been in the news recently for their rescue of oiled seabirds on the south coast of England. Rather than being washed up covered in thick black oil these seabirds, mostly guillemots, have been found on the coast from Cornwall to Hampshire…
Cartoon – by Ralph Underhill
I’ve never given the RSPCA any money as far as I can remember. I followed the controversy over their prosecution (successful prosecution) of the Heythrop Hunt with only a little bit of interest. I certainly didn’t think ‘What a shocking thing for the RSPCA to do’. But when Simon Hart, ex chief executive of…