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…

Margate and more

Yesterday I went to Margate. I went to other places too, but I went to Margate. It was a funny day in a way – it had elements of looking backwards as well as living in the moment and a bit of looking forward. I woke early, I often do, and that made the rest…

Hen Harriers in the RSPB magazine

I was beginning to wonder whether my ‘A magazine formerly known as BIRDS‘ had gone astray. My mum had received hers, my daughter had hers, the lady in the Post Office mentioned that she had had hers too.  I know the RSPB was founded by a group of women but I don’t remember the magazine…

The resolution of conflict or what’s right and wrong?

Shared Planet is a stimulating programme and many people were stimulated to express their irritation over the latest programme about conflict resolution in nature conservation. The Hen Harrier/grouse shooting conflict was used as an example and was discussed by a variety of people – not a very wide variety of people however. It’s well worth…

Visit to Aberdeen

It was great fun talking to a packed lecture theatre in the Zoology Department in Aberdeen about Passenger Pigeons and Hen Harriers on Tuesday evening.  We also all had the opportunity to look at a stuffed Passenger Pigeon in the adjacent museum – which I always find is a rather poignant experience. I was talking…