American nature conservationists are campaigning to remove lead ammunition from the environment because it poisons species such as swans, eagles and California condors. They argue that non-toxic shot alternatives should be used. They also say that use of lead ammunition risks the health of people, particularly children, if they ingest tiny fragments of lead from…
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Harriers
Following my blog on Thursday I did phone the NE helpline to ask where I could find the information promised by their Minister, Richard Benyon, in his Parliamentary reply (see Thursday’s blog to catch up on this subject – and read the comments there too). The people I spoke to were very helpful and mentioned…
Bits, some bits
went to London on the train from Peterborough on Thursday and saw 3 cuckoos got a reply from NE re Walshaw Moor – will blog later this week spent ages on Friday evening looking at a lone wader in vegetation and gloomy light wondering whether it was a Temminck stint – and it wasn’t, it…
Really wild?
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This new magazine is available in WH Smith, all good newsagents and Sainsbury’s (I bought my copy in Wellingborough Sainsbury’s). I bought it because I have a column in it – flick through to page 21 please – but then read it because it’s a really good read about nature at home and abroad. You’ll…
Guest Blog Don’t shoot! – by Giles Bradshaw.
Giles Bradshaw owns a small farm near Exmoor. He campaigns for the law to be changed to allow for non-lethal dispersal of wildlife using dogs and for a wide-ranging ban on cruelty to wildlife. A gamekeeper was recently prosecuted for breaking the Hunting Act near Spalding. The court heard that he was found using…
Maybe no harriers in England? Lead poisoning suspected. And a bit of wuthering.
The news that there may be no hen harriers nesting in England this year is sad but this day, if it has come, was going to come soon. Of course, extinction in England is a bit of an odd thing as England is ‘just’ a line on a map and on other sides of that…
The toad that croaked
Yesterday was an anniversary – I don’t think many people noticed it. Does it matter that a small, bright, shiny toad was last seen on Earth on 15 May 1989 – does extinction matter? The golden toad was only discovered in the Monte Verde cloud forests of Costa Rica in 1966, by herpetologist Jay Savage…
Marmite revisited
Marmite – you may love it or hate it. Wildlife NGOs – you may love them or hate them. The results of the polls on this website over your favourite and least favourite wildlife NGOs produced a lot of interesting results. I guess it doesn’t really matter that much to Marmite how many people hate…
Oh oh!
I went out for a drive last week and saw a couple of red kites. They are fantastic birds aren’t they? If you remember I set myself the target of seeing red kites on 200 days of 2012 – and enjoying the moment each time. I am falling short so far – I’m heading for…
Bits and bits
Good luck to Jonny Rankin and team in seeing as many species as possible today in Norfolk. Looks like it will be a fine day and so my guess of 121 species looks on the low side. I’ll give Jonny and team £1 for every species above 121 that they see – the money goes…