Henry and I were having a chat in a grouse butt in Perthshire the other day…as you do. A few minutes after this photograph was taken a lady passed us in a car with a Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association sticker on it. That reminds me – we must call in on them soon. But Henry and…
Category: EVENTS: BirdFair, HHDay, Game Fair etc
What’s that noise Henry?
Did you hear a loud bang Henry? Maybe it was a gas gun? You need to read this on Raptor Persecution Scotland. #HaveYouSeenHenry? Keep in touch with Hen Harrier Day events through this website.
A great victory for the Hen Harrier
The Hen Harrier came a glorious ninth in the poll for our national bird – left fluttering in the wake of the Robin and a host of other species, but edging ahead of the Puffin (which must be gutted!). It’s enough to set us all off on a sky-dance! It was remarkable that the Hen…
Being open
Members of the ‘Sodden 570’ at last year’s Hen Harrier Day event in the Upper Derwent Valley will recognise this area – we were getting soaked just off the left hand (western) side of the map on 10 August last year. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act provided open access to open ground (in…
Donana 5 – wrapping up
It seems a long time ago that I was looking at herons, and raptors, and storks and larks in southern Andalucia – but the memories will stay with me. I must go back and read Portrait of a Wilderness – written about the area in the years before I was born. I remember reading Guy…
Donana 4
In Spain last week I talked to some environmentalists about the politics of nature conservation in Spain. Some of it sounded quite familiar. They were concerned about the Juncker review of the Birds and Habitats Directives; they felt that their government was not doing enough, and they were nervous about the results of the regional…
Donana 3 – some special places
The caption to this image (taken by Ed Hutchings – thank you Ed) would have to be, ‘Lord of none of what he surveys’. From the top of this dune in the Coto Donana one could see for miles. Some of Lawrence of Arabia was apparently filmed here. Looking over the marismas one got a…
Donana 2 – the Donana Bird Fair
Yesterday’s blog gave you some good reasons to flock to the Coto Donana in spring – wonderful weather and great birds. But now there is another reason and that is the Donana Bird Fair which this year took place on Friday-Sunday last week at the Dehesa de Abajo which is in the NE corner of…
Donana 1 – a whole bunch of birds
Four days in the Coto Donana in spring sounds a pretty tough gig to you, I guess. But somebody had to do it and so an intrepid band of six of us arrived in Seville, in the rain, last Wednesday prepared to bird until we dropped. Although, in actual fact, we interspersed birding with some…
Open letter to Marc Bolland of M&S
Dear Marc Congratulations on your increased profits and increased share price! It can’t all be due to customers flocking back to you after your decision not to sell grouse meat last year, but I have certainly been doing my bit to increase your profits. Your wise decision not to sell grouse meat in your stores,…