Here are three examples of responses from Labout MPs to their constituents on the issues raised by the Rally for Nature last week. You can see that each response is clearly a personal one and that’s why I haven’t revealed the identities of the MPs or their constituents. I’d be interested in any further responses…
Category: EVENTS: BirdFair, HHDay, Game Fair etc
North West Birdwatching Fair
It was better than fair – it was good. I spoke to lots of nice people, and the very nicest ones bought copies of A Message from Martha too! That included the very nice Mike Dilger. He was speaking at Martin Mere before my talk on Saturday and you couldn’t ask for a better warm-up…
Not tied up in Notts
I spoke at a BTO regional meeting in Nottinghamshire on Sunday, but so did many other people and I enjoy learning new things and being reminded of old things. Chas Holt gave an excellent talk about WeBS (that’s WeBS not Webs, WEBS, WEbs or any other combination!). Have you looked at the excellent WeBS online…
SWLA exhibition
Last week I visited the annual SWLA exhibition. I enjoyed it as much as ever and I recommend it to you if you have a spare half an hour or more in central London over the next few days. Of course, there were some works that I liked a lot more than others – the…
A few things
Here are a few things in brief: the farmland bird index declined in 2013 (as predicted here) – and to their lowest level ever. You are living in a country with fewer farmland birds than at any time in your life. Doesn’t it make you feel good? I’ll blog in more detail on this next…
This is what it is like to be on the front foot.
The debate has changed dramatically over the last few months – let’s say since 28 May when this e-petition was launched to ban driven grouse shooting. In that time: M&S have been persuaded to change their mind about selling Red Grouse on their shelves until they can assure the world of the sustainability of…
Let joy be unconfined!
Tomorrow I will address the pathetically evasive response from Defra to our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting (that gives you a hint as to what I think about it) but you may have noticed that it mentions that there are four pairs of Hen Harrier in England this year. The existence of the fourth…
The Bird Fair
I really enjoyed the Bird Fair this year. I always do, but somehow this year was very good. It is partly because I signed a lot of books and that helps if you are aiming to make a bit of money from them! And it’s also, partly, because I gave a few talks and they…
Guest Blog – a reply on Hen Harriers and grouse shooting from the Chair of RSPB Council
Professor Steve Ormerod is Chair of RSPB Council and Professor of Ecology in Cardiff School of Biosciences. Here he replies to an open letter from me that was posted on 4 June where I asked the RSPB to clarify its position on the Hen Harrier and grouse shooting issue. I’m grateful to Steve for his…
Only 362 days until the next Bird Fair.
Well, that’s another Bird Fair of sun, rain, ice-creams, beer, books, binoculars, holidays, talks, friends, colleagues, queues and friendship. But it’s also the first one where Hen Harrier Day t-shirts were almost everywhere except on a very scantily clad lady who strolled through the food area. What are things coming to? Sunday was a quieter…