The winner of the Fair to Nature farming award was unveiled at breakfast at the Bird Fair today and it was…drumroll….Graham Birch. Congratulations to him and to the two Highly Commended farmers (Ian Crabtree and Charles Porter)(click here for details). Thank you to Fair to Nature (formerly known as Conservation Grade) for a free breakfast,…
Category: EVENTS: BirdFair, HHDay, Game Fair etc
Bird Fair Day 1
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Well, that just shot past. I missed the opening ceremony. I gave half a talk and Tristan Reid gave the other half – it seemed to add up to a proper talk in the end. A lady was emotional about the fact that Turtle Doves had not turned up in her village this year –…
The book to buy at the Bird Fair
This morning I am talking about Passenger Pigeons in a double act with Tristan Reid in the Main Event Marquee at 1100 (until 1145). Come and listen to the tale of the Passenger Pigeon and what it signifies for us today in a countryside which is losing its farmland birds – and another pigeon, the…
20 things you must do at the Bird Fair
Buy a copy of A Message from Martha Miss the opening ceremony (it’s not exactly Danny Boyle) but if you find yourself waking up at the end of it then do stay for an interesting talk by Tristan Reid about running for Turtles Doves and some other bloke about a bird that’s been extinct…
The media war
First things first, no-one much would be talking about Hen Harriers today if it weren’t for Hen Harrier Day and an e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting. Well done us! Standing in the rain in Lancashire, Northumberland and Derbyshire (and in the sun in Dorset – yes, I’m envious) is changing the story. Chris Packham…
The Times they are a-changing
Good bye Simon Barnes and hello Jim Dixon in Saturday morning’s Times. That’s somewhat ironic given that Simon wrote about the lack of raptors in the Peak District and Jim is the Chief Executive of the Peak District National Park. Jim emailed me to say he was sorry that he couldn’t come to our protest…
My article in August Birdwatch – via Birdguides
Here is a link to an extract from my article in August Birdwatch about Hen Harrier Day. ‘This year we are all waking up to the fact that we can do something about it. The summer of 2014 is seeing an unprecedented backlash against grouse shooting. We have been quiet for too long, and now…
Lush Peterborough
I have never spent so much of a day smelling soap. But after yesterday morning’s visit to Lush in Northampton, I called in at Lush in Peterborough and met Amy, Grace, Hayley,Helena and Dave. They knew their stuff about hen harriers too. I asked whether any of them had heard of Hen Harriers before this…
A quote from the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Charles is passionate about the need to tackle wildlife crime and his work to date shows that he is raising awareness and delivering change. He said: “Hen Harrier day is a really positive, peaceful, initiative which I wholeheartedly support. If we don’t work to protect these once abundant birds…
Guest Blog by Roderick Leslie – Terry’s future 2
Terry ducked into the low tunnel, pleased the five people following were so quiet. Twenty metres on, they arrived in the cramped dugout with its narrow slits facing across the glade in the young birch wood. It wasn’t long before a small grey snout appeared, followed by a the cub. Terry felt his companions hold…